New Public Management in tourism: a case study of York

ABSTRACT

Issues concerning destination governance continue to engender much interest and debate in the development of more sustainable forms of tourism. This study explores the implications of a New Public Management approach to tourist destination governance in the historic City of York. Using secondary data, as well as drawing on interviews with a range of destination stakeholders, this study seeks to understand how market ideology is, via the notion of New Public Management, transforming tourism governance in the city. Rather than leading to greater levels of stakeholder engagement, the study demonstrates how the outsourcing of destination management functions to a private sector organisation has had the opposite effect, including a weakening of accountability and the widening of a democratic deficit. The paper provides a unique insight into how public policy discourses manifest themselves at the local level, with implications for tourist destination governance. A critique of New Public Management is offered which extends our understanding of tourism governance structures and stakeholder engagement, with implications for sustainable tourism development discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Tourism governance
• destination management
• New Public Management
• stakeholders
• accountability

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and feedback.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Brendan Paddison

Dr Brendan Paddison is a senior lecturer in business and management at York Business School, York St John University. His main research interests include tourism, urban geography, destination governance, public policy and public sector management.

Andreas Walmsley

Dr Andreas Walmsley is an associate professor (Reader) in entrepreneurship at Plymouth University. His main research interests relate primarily to employment within the tourism and hospitality industry, responsible tourism, and career development, especially graduate entrepreneurship, more generally.