Untangling the “messy” legislative basis of tourism development planning: five cases from Australia

Abstract

This article reports on a scoping study examining the legislative basis for tourism development and planning in Australia. While planning is vital to facilitate strategic decision-making regarding the appropriate nature and scale of tourism-related developments within a destination, the legislative frameworks that provide for, control and regulate many aspects of tourism development have neither been identified nor collated in an integrated manner. This research used a case-study methodology to examine the range and scope of legislation impacting tourism development in Australia. The study identified 285 current Acts that were categorized into five broad themes. On the basis of these findings, a number of recommendations for identification, collaboration and education regarding the legislative environment have been postulated.

Keywords:

• legislation
• tourism development and planning
• case study

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the many people who contributed their time and experience to this project, with a particular note to Professor Michael Davidson and Ms Sarah O'Grady. The Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC), established and supported under the Australian Government, funded this research. Members of the Industry Reference Group (IRG) are also thanked for their guidance on this project.