Collaborative Governance in Tourism: Empirical Insights into a Community-Oriented Destination
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Theory Section and Literature Review
2.1. Tourism Governance
2.2. Collaborative Governance in Tourism
3. Materials and Methods
3.1. Sample
3.2. Data Analysis
4. Results
4.1. Leadership for Collaborative Governance
4.2. Institutional Design for Collaborative Governance
4.3. Collaborative Governance Processes in Tourism
“We nearly have daily meetings with the mayor and also with the council secretary. (…) I know the mayor personally and we meet every day for coffee. If we have to discuss big and sensitive issues, we also join for formal meetings. We communicate very well and can count on his support, as he can count on ours.”(Int.3, P.26)
“Sometimes it (workshops) makes things pretty complicated. It is interesting, but the more people have a say in a topic, the larger the variety of solutions. It results that all solutions need to be assessed. At that moment I have to take into account what others propose.”(Int. 4, P.10)
“It is very important to take stakeholders serious when making decisions that have effects on a large scale. When elaborating on the new plan for public transport, we provided everyone the opportunity to engage in this project. From people involved in tourism to elderly people, business people and young people, everyone had the opportunity and although it was a very tedious process, it was important because now we can implement it. (…) I think it is our job to ask people what they want and then to decide. This differentiates our society from how it operated 20 years ago.”(Int. 17, P.11)
“One cannot create economic or even entrepreneurial changes alone, so you always need others, these others are the network. Networks always have to do with trust and possibly also with a credit of trust. That means if I want to implement something new, I need the trust of people who support me. In order to tap into resources that I do not have myself, I need contacts with others and their trust.”(Int.9, P.14)
“I had excellent connections to the political institutions that day. It only happened once that a decision was made against my advice and after a few phone calls with the governor the decision was revised. (…) However, the big advantage is that by having those connections and knowing people personally, you have bigger chances of being heard.”(Int.10, P.9)
“It is important to give all stakeholders the feeling of being involved. Therefore, the discussed topics should also be implemented afterward. Otherwise, this can have negative consequences.”(Int.1, P.34)
“I think it is necessary to engage with the local residents. Tourism in the destination is reaching a level where many do not accept it anymore. For sure, some people benefit financially from tourism and they probably have a different opinion about tourism. However, tourism has an indirect effect on every individual in a destination. It will be impossible to ask everyone for his opinion, but in general leaders should listen to residents and make decisions not solely for touristic interests.”(Int.19, P.9)
“In tourism, the decisions have to be taken with regard to the entire community living in the destination. It doesn’t matter if they are thin, thick, rich or poor. I have to select the solutions which are suitable for everyone. I shouldn’t see things only from one perspective.”(Int.17, P.20)
“In the hotel industry, stakeholder engagement plays an important role. Due to the strong competition and quality in this region, you always try to implement new things. A few years ago, our business had a competitive advantage only due to new infrastructure. This is not the case anymore. Only good infrastructure is not enough. Hence, I think stakeholder engagement and interaction is very important because it is a great source of new ideas.”(Int.12., P.9)
5. Discussion
6. Conclusions
Limitations and Future Research
Author Contributions
Funding
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Author and Year | Method | Level | Findings |
---|---|---|---|
Vignieri (2019) [38] | Mixed (Simulation) | Local | innovative interactive learning environment is used to highlight the role of governance that fosters coordination in order to manage shared resources |
Keyim (2017) [14] | Qualitative (Interviews) | Local | village community receives limited tourism benefits but fair and effective community tourism governance approach may bring positive socio-economic benefits |
Gyimóthy and Meged (2018) [39] | Qualitative (Ethnography) | Regional | three domains of CG, namely governance of affect, governance of ownership and governance of exchange are identified |
Dragouni and Fouseki (2018) [40] | Quantitative (Regression) | Regional | intention to participate in heritage tourism development is mostly influenced by community ideals and stronger for members with high place attachment |
Selin (2017) [17] | Qualitative (Case Study) | Regional | leadership teams’ roles and capabilities act as a backbone for sustainable regional development in an integrative way beyond public/private institutions |
Keyim (2016) [18] | Mixed (Survey, Questionnaire, Secondary data) | Regional | local community lacks share of socio-economic benefits of tourism and CG is needed to foster cooperation and bottom-up developments |
Charlie, King, and Pearlman (2013) [41] | Qualitative (Case Study) | Regional | revised conceptual framework for analysis of environmental governance networks in small island destinations |
Zeppel (2012) [42] | Qualitative (Secondary data) | National | state and territory tourism agencies provide resources for climate change mitigation. CG of climate is better developed in states with climate change policies, vulnerable destinations, or dependency on long-haul travelers |
Robertson (2011) [43] | Qualitative (Case Study) | Regional | networks have the potential to create benefits and achieve CG, but much depends on the role of, e.g., public managers and the involvement of government agencies. |
Erkuş-Öztürk and Eraydın (2010) [8] | Mixed (Survey, Interviews) | Regional | importance of CG networks and different scales of networks and organization building for sustainable tourism development |
Stakeholder Group | ID | Gender | Position |
---|---|---|---|
Local TA level | |||
1 | Female | Director TA | |
2 | Male | Director TA | |
3 | Male | Director TA | |
4 | Female | Director TA | |
DMO level | |||
5 | Male | Hotelier and Innkeeper Association | |
6 | Male | Director DMU | |
7 | Female | Product Management DMU | |
8 | Male | Former Director DMO | |
9 | Male | Former Director DMU | |
Entrepreneurial level | |||
10 | Male | Hotelier and Innkeeper Association | |
11 | Male | Hotelier | |
12 | Male | Hotelier/Territory Commissioner | |
13 | Male | Hotelier | |
14 | Male | Hotelier/Entrepreneur | |
15 | Female | Hotelier | |
18 | Male | Event Organiser | |
Public body level | |||
16 | Female | Municipality Councillor | |
17 | Male | Mayor | |
19 | Male | Director Infrastructure | |
20 | Female | Director Infrastructure |
Questions | Literature |
---|---|
In general, what is the role of leaders in a destination? What was your role in this context? How would you describe the role of networks? | Volgger and Pechlaner [1] |
What stakeholders are important for your decisions? How do you engage with your stakeholders? Whom do you consult before taking important decisions? What outcomes did you observe from engaging with your stakeholders? | Ansell and Gash [19] |
What are future development options? Can you describe how the constellation of actors will change in the future? | Beritelli [50]; Tuohino and Kuno [75] |
Category | Exemplary Quote |
---|---|
Institutional Design | |
In/Exclusive Design | Currently, there is no format where non-members can participate. We don’t offer this but in my opinion, the people in the valley can already identify with the tourism association and contact us with their requests. (...) We don’t have a platform where people can attend meetings but this does not mean that they don’t know that we are there and that they don’t drop by and request information. (Int.2, P.21) I think that we could better engage with the local population. For example, topics such as transport policy because these topics are essential for locals and tourism. In the end, such decisions must be beneficial for the locals as well. However, when it comes to marketing, we will continue to make the decision alone (Int. 6, P.31). |
Configuration of Institutions | At the moment, we don’t have a strong DMO. There is a lot of insecurity in the region because the system, which prevailed before, was replaced a few years ago and the new one is not established yet. (Int.9, P.28) The local TAs don’t trust the IDM and try to bundle decision-making capacity. However, the main problem is that they do not have the ability or the interest to make decisions for the long run, but rather think about their community and the next season. (Int.9, P.28) |
Institution-business relationships | I don’ think that the IDM leaders engage a lot with hoteliers when making decisions, except for those who are part of the administrative board and who theoretically have an advantage. We have connections to these hoteliers, therefore if we need something, we get in contact with them. (Int. 13, P.21) The IDM is certainly far away. Although you have your networks where you know people, currently the IDM is too far away from the reality in the market. (...) Now, the local tourism organizations are becoming more important again, especially for your individual business. There were certainly times when the SMG had more contact with us. Now, the first contact person is certainly the local TA. (Int.11, P.18) |
Leadership | |
Responsibility | I think the responsibility of a leader lies more in informing and sensitizing the community about the topics and in explaining the backgrounds and considerations which have been made. (Int.7, P.13) To make decisions above people’s heads is very critical. Thus, it is very important to engage stakeholders and listen carefully to different opinions. Stakeholders shouldn’t be confronted with a fait accompli. Otherwise, they could refuse a decision simply because they had no possibility to state their opinion. (Int.12, P.7) |
Setting values and inspiring | I think in Meran we had many charismatic individuals who were able to promote numerous things. For example, think of the refurbishment of the Kurhaus. The entire community was against it. Or think of the botanical gardens at Trauttmansdorff castle or the thermal baths in the city center of Meran. These decisions were made against the consensus of the community by the former governor. He was a visionary. In my opinion, his decisions saved the tourism in our destination. (Int.17, P.7) I think it is important for leaders to promote clear ideas and values. At the moment this is only partially the case. I criticize that hoteliers, who are involved in decision making, are often unable to make decisions for the long-run. They are very good in making decisions for the short-run. However, from a tourism expert, I expect that he thinks about what will happen in the next 50 years. I miss that at the moment. I miss the long-term mentality, but I expect it from people who have a say and contribute to the development of the destination. (Int.17, P.9) |
Implementation | Leaders should analyze the needs of all the industries in a destination, after all they have to consider everyone as important. However in the implementation phase, you have to play hard and stay on this road, regardless of what may expect you. Otherwise you won’t achieve anything. I think a destination can only be successful if it has a clear vision and direction, even if it’s not a suitable direction for everybody. (Int.15, P.5) If a leader is certain about a topic, sometimes one has to make a decision also against the resistance of the community. Mostly because the superficial assessment of the community can be dangerous. (…) Of course, also leaders make mistakes but individuals of a community mostly see things only from their own perspective without considering others. Also, a lack of know-how and missing background information play a key role. Hence, some decisions have to be taken by leaders with the expertise and all the necessary information at hand. (Int.18, P.13) |
Lack of leadership | It seems to me that we are leaderless at the moment. At the moment there is no one who knocks on the table and sets a direction. There is no one who hits a line and has the courage to say how it should run. (Int.10, P.5) I think that we need to consider South Tyrol and not just the Meranerland. I think corrections have to be made towards quality. I am currently missing leading companies and executives. It is important to support the people who have it because we need these leading companies. (Int.10, P.17) |
Collaborative Processes | DMO Level (%) | Public Body Level (%) | Entrepreneurial Level (%) | Local TA Level (%) | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Face-to-face Dialogue | 23.81 | 38.46 | 30.77 | 40.91 | 23 |
Shared Understanding | 28.57 | 15.38 | 7.69 | 18.18 | 13 |
Trust-Building | 23.81 | 7.69 | 30.77 | 13.64 | 13 |
Commitment to process | 9.52 | 15.38 | 23.08 | 13.64 | 10 |
Intermediate Outcomes | 14.29 | 23.08 | 7.69 | 13.64 | 10 |
number of documents | 5 (25%) | 4 (20%) | 7 (35%) | 4 (20%) |
Drivers | Collaborative Processes | Barriers |
---|---|---|
| Trust-Building |
|
| Shared Understanding |
|
| Commitment to process |
|
| Face-to-Face Dialogue |
|
| Intermediate Outcomes |
|
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Bichler, B.F.; Lösch, M. Collaborative Governance in Tourism: Empirical Insights into a Community-Oriented Destination. Sustainability 2019, 11, 6673. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11236673
Bichler BF, Lösch M. Collaborative Governance in Tourism: Empirical Insights into a Community-Oriented Destination. Sustainability. 2019; 11(23):6673. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11236673
Chicago/Turabian StyleBichler, Bernhard Fabian, and Magdalena Lösch. 2019. "Collaborative Governance in Tourism: Empirical Insights into a Community-Oriented Destination" Sustainability 11, no. 23: 6673. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11236673