Tourism and the public sector in England since 2010: a disorderly transition?

Abstract

The recent financial crisis has reconfigured tourism production and consumption. Many states have cut public spending to reduce deficits. However, there has been no analysis of the nature, extent or outcomes of such changes to state support for, or mediation of, the tourism sector. This article examines how reforms since the Coalition Government came to power in May 2010 have impacted on tourism governance and administration in England, and how they have been experienced as they have been unfolding. This article argues, more generally, for a greater appreciation of sense making in critical studies of tourism and public policy. More specifically, rapid reforms to the preferred nature and scale of state intervention have had destabilising effects. New localism, sub-regional bodies, and a desire in central government to reduce public contributions to a minimum have introduced complexity and uncertainty to a previously ordered and understood system. The implications are that these reforms may frustrate other national policy aspirations they are intended to facilitate. As it is likely that other states will also downgrade their support for tourism in response to the crisis, the article points to the importance of developing a deeper understandings of what happens as public sector support is withdrawn.

Keywords:

• state
• policy
• public sector
• Cynefin
• sense making
• England

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in the UK in the form of a Placement Award (Hutchison) as part of its Capacity Building Cluster scheme (RES-187-24-002). The research benefitted in its early stages from the advice and facilitation of VisitEngland and DP: UK. The usual caveats apply, not least that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the research team alone.