Evolving roles for local government in tourism development: a political economy perspective

ABSTRACT

This paper interrogates the changing role of local government in tourism development. It does so through the examination of the Hurunui District, a rural district in New Zealand which has experienced significant transformation in the tourism sector and a concomitant increase in public sector input over the past 25 years. By situating this interrogation within an evolving neoliberal public policy context, this paper explores the tensions at play between tourism stakeholders and decision-makers, and it critiques the way in which local government involvement in the sector is manifested as regulation, promotion, and ownership of key tourism resources in the District. The significance of this paper is that it extends our understanding of the role of the state in tourism and of the influence of public policy on tourism development, potentially including sustainable tourism development. Specifically, it draws our attention to the rationality, roles and activities of public sector engagement in the tourism sector, particularly at local government level. We conclude that the nature and extent of debate evident in the case study, and verified in the literature, indicates that the boundary of government activity and intervention in the tourism market is, and will continue to be, socially contested and mediated.

旅游发展中当地政府的不断进化的职责：一个政治经济观点

该文章对当地政府在旅游发展中不断变化的职责提出问题。这是通过检验新西兰一个乡村区域，胡鲁努伊区，这是在过去超过25年里经历了旅游业的重大改变同时政府的投入不断增加。通过将对一个不断进化的非自由公共政策内容的审查，该文章探讨了在旅游利益相关者和决策者之间的矛盾，也批判了当地政府在产业里的参与显示为法规，宣传，和对园区主要旅游资源的所有权。该文章的重要性是它延伸了我们对于政府在旅游中的职责的理解，公共政策对旅游发展的影响，潜在地包括了可持续性旅游发展。特别是，文章将我们的注意集中到公共部门在旅游业参与中的理性，职责，和活动，特别是在当地政府水平。我们总结了案例中讨论的性质和程度，并在文献中验证了，显示了政府活动的边界和在旅游市场中的介入，将持续成为社会可竞争的和可调节的。

KEYWORDS:

• Tourism development
• local government
• stakeholders
• neoliberalism
• policy and planning

关键词:

• 旅游发展
• 当地政府
• 利益相关者
• 非自由主义
• 政策和规划

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Michael C. Shone

Michael C. Shone is a lecturer in tourism and recreation at Lincoln University, New Zealand. His research interests are aligned with tourism policy, planning and development, and destination management.

David G. Simmons

David G. Simmons is a professor of tourism at Lincoln University. His research interests are aligned with tourism planning and sustainable dimensions of tourism yield.

Paul Dalziel

Paul Dalziel is a professor of economics at Lincoln University. His research interests are aligned with regional development.