Understanding Government Capacity in Tourism Development as a Poverty Alleviation Tool: A Case Study of Tanzanian Policy-Makers

Abstract

Good governance is a prerequisite in achieving sustainability objectives, especially in an industry such as tourism which is gaining support as a tool for poverty alleviation in developing countries. Good governance is described as a state's capacity to develop efficient and effective public management processes, and entails participatory, transparent, and accountable processes by government. Economic participation, such as job and small business creation, is dependent on support from federal policy and can be stalled by uncoordinated governments, both intentionally and unintentionally. Tanzania considers tourism to be a leading engine in economic growth and a catalyst in its fight to alleviate poverty. Therefore, tourism as a wage and self-employment option is dependent on policy directives that span many government agencies and are influenced by government advisors and industry partners. Drawing on Kooiman's socio-political theory of governance, this article, first, accesses the images, tools, and action potential held by policy advisors that dictate the use of the poverty alleviation resources, and second, investigates the diversity, complexity, and dynamics of the governance system within the growing Tanzanian tourism economy. Twenty-five interviews of Tanzanian policy-makers, including federal and local government officials, academic policy advisors, and non-governmental administrators at the national level were conducted and analyzed. Five themes were developed from the interviews including economic performance measures, barriers to economic participation, government actions, public/private partnerships, and tourism development. Policy-makers in Tanzania have a thorough understanding of macro-economic development and rural community needs; however, the lack of communication between departments often creates redundancy and gaps in development objectives. Tourism-specific knowledge is absent, and while community tourism initiatives are highly praised by Tanzanian officials, their unfamiliarity with the tourism value chain continues to exclude rural populations. Continued focus on foreign direct investment as a financing mechanism is creating foreign-owned monopolies in tourism destinations. Lastly, aid dependence has left many policy-makers searching internationally for poverty solutions. This paper concludes that while the intentions to solicit involvement of the poor is high, the practical application of poverty alleviation strategies through increased tourism expansion is log jammed by the very administrators tasked with finding solutions.