Governance and Community Advocacy in Tourism Development

367 Pages·2015·2.85 MB·English

Governance and Community Advocacy in Tourism
Development: An International Comparison

Brendan Paddison

Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy

The University of Leeds
York St John University

November, 2014
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The candidate confirms that the work submitted is his own and that appropriate
credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others.

This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and
that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper
acknowledgement.

The right of Brendan Paddison to be identified as Author of this work has been
asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

© 2014 The University of Leeds and Brendan Paddison
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Acknowledgements

I would firstly like to express my sincere appreciation to my supervisors, Dr Steve
Watson, Dr Andreas Walmsley, and Dr Debbie Davies, whose patience, guidance,
encouragement, intellectual insights and friendship have been invaluable. I would
also like to thank my friends and colleagues at York St John University for their
support and encouragement on completing this research. I am also grateful to my
fellow PhD students in the Graduate Centre for their camaraderie and friendship
throughout this process. A special thank you, also, to Rosa González and Manuel
Rey from Seville for their support and insights.

My appreciation is also extended to those who were involved in the research,
particularly all those who gave up their time to be interviewed. Without their
cooperation this research project would not have been possible.

I would also like to thank my family and friends for their support, encouragement
and patience during this project. A very special thank you is extended to Kirstin
Baxter for her love, encouragement and proof reading skills throughout this work.

This study is dedicated to the memory of Margaret Mason.
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Abstract

Different types of governance structures exist and operate in tourism, with these
approaches always changing as they develop into more suitable or effective forms
by adjusting to specific contexts and situations. Consequently, collaboration and
partnerships have become a key element of destination management, with an
increased recognition of the range of stakeholders who have an interest in tourism
planning and development. Ideally, these partnership arrangements would ensure
relevant stakeholders from government, business and voluntary sectors are
engaged in decision making. However, difficulty in accommodating a wide variety of
interests within collaborative governance structures is apparent, often culminating
in conflict and power imbalances between stakeholder groups. The structures and
representation mechanisms in place appear to be crucial in enabling a balanced
perspective and effective representation of the destination community. Therefore,
collaborative approaches need to be examined within broader notions of
governance, with an examination of the appropriate role of government and the
changing relationships and expectations between government and communities.

The purpose of this study was to analyse and interpret governance approaches in
tourism from an international perspective, addressing the need to understand the
relevant structures, processes and the implications for stakeholder representation
in the different approaches of governance. This study employed a qualitative
comparative case study methodology, with case studies explored from York (United
Kingdom) and Seville (Spain), involving a total of 42 interviews with key informants.
Two approaches to tourism governance were examined and were found to differ in
their representation and participation of stakeholders. The research identified a
framework for stakeholder collaboration centred on the engagement of networks
and associations within a destination governance approach. Finally, and as a
consequence of the analysis, a framework for evaluating tourism governance
structures is outlined and contributes both a method and a perspective that is
available to evaluate governance arrangements in other tourist destinations.
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements iii
Abstract iv
Table of Contents v
List of Tables x
List of Figures xi

Chapter 1 Introduction 1
1.1 Study Context and Purpose 1
1.2 Study Objectives 5
1.3 Structure of the Study 6

Chapter 2 Literature Review
Tourism Governance: the Changing Role of Local Government 9
2.1 Introduction 9
2.2 The Changing Role of Government: from Government to Governance 10
2.2.1 Government as an Enabler 14
2.2.2 Why Governments are involved in Tourism 22
2.3 Theorising Urban Tourism Governance 28
2.3.1 From Urban Growth Machines to Pluralistic Engagement 28
2.3.2 Collaboration and Partnerships 32
2.4 Managing the Tourist Destination 41
2.5 Stakeholder Theory 47
2.6 Tourism Governance and Community Representation 49
2.6.1 Destination Communities 51
2.6.2 Communities of Interest 53
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2.6.3 Attitudes towards Tourism 54
2.6.4 Social Exchange Theory 57
2.7 Conclusion 65

Chapter 3 Methodology 73
3.1 Introduction 73
3.2 Research Strategy 73
3.3 Qualitative Research 76
3.4 Case Study Methodology 79
3.4.1 A Comparative Case Study Approach 81
3.4.2 Case Study Destinations 82
3.4.3 Case Study Protocol 86
3.5 Data Collection Methods 87
3.5.1 Documentary Sources 87
3.5.2 Semi-Structured In-depth Interviews 92
3.6 Sampling 98
3.7 Study Participants 100
3.8 Data Analysis 105
3.8.1 Phase One – Familiarising Yourself with Your Data 106
3.8.2 Phase Two – Generating Initial Codes 107
3.8.3 Phase Three – Searching for Themes 108
3.8.4 Phase Four – Reviewing Themes 108
3.8.5 Phase Five – Defining and Naming Themes 109
3.8.6 Phase Six – Producing the Report 110
3.8.7 Computer-assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software 111
3.9 Positionality 113
3.10 Pilot Study 118
3.11 Validity, Reliability, and Trustworthiness 119
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3.11.1 Credibility 121
3.11.2 Transferability 122
3.11.3 Dependability 123
3.11.4 Confirmability 124
3.12 Ethical Considerations 125
3.13 Conclusion 126

Chapter 4 Tourism Governance in York 129
4.1 Introduction 129
4.2 Historic Analysis of Tourism Governance in York 129
4.2.1 Phase One – An Emerging Sector 131
4.2.2 Phase Two – Economic Restructuring 135
4.2.3 Phase Three – Forming Collaborative Partnerships 141
4.3 Current Tourism Governance Structure in York 153
4.4 The Coordination of Stakeholders 164
4.5 Interpreting Tourism Governance in York 172
4.6 Conclusion 185

Chapter 5 Tourism Governance in Seville 187
5.1 Introduction 187
5.2 Historic Analysis of Tourism Governance in Seville 187
5.3 Current Tourism Governance Structure in Seville 195
5.4 The Coordination of Stakeholders 200
5.5 Interpreting Tourism Governance in Seville 208
5.6 Conclusion 215
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Chapter 6 Discussion 217
6.1 Introduction 217
6.2 Recognising the Value of Tourism 218
6.3 Strategic Partnerships 221
6.4 Engaging Destination Stakeholders 227
6.5 Resident Stakeholder Engagement 232
6.6 Managing Stakeholder Tension and Conflict 235
6.7 The Meaning of Tourism Governance 241
6.7.1 The Degree of Stakeholder Engagement 241
6.7.2 The Diversity of Stakeholder Engagement 243
6.7.3 Responsiveness to Stakeholders 244
6.7.4 Strategic Focus 245
6.7.5 Conflict Acceptance and Tolerance 246
6.7.6 Accountability 248
6.8 Evaluating Tourism Governance 250
6.9 Conclusion 252

Chapter 7 Conclusion 256
7.1 Introduction 256
7.2 Destination Governance 256
7.3 Destination Management vs. Destination Governance 260
7.4 Research Contribution 265
7.5 Study Limitations 267
7.6 Recommendations for Future Research 270
7.7 Concluding Remarks 272

References 276
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Appendices 303
Appendix A – Case Study Protocol 303
Appendix B – Interview Protocol 305
Appendix C – Stakeholder Analysis 307
Appendix D – Codes and Key Themes 310
Appendix E – Relationship between the Codes and Themes 312
Appendix F – Pilot Study 314
Appendix G – Research Consent Form 321
Appendix H – York: Context of Case Study Destination 322
Appendix I – Seville: Context of Case Study Destination 340
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List of Tables

Table 2.1 Definitions of Governance Mapped against Rhodes’ (1996)
Six Typologies of Governance 11
Table 3.1 Study Objectives and Key Themes Explored 95
Table 3.2 York Study Participants 102
Table 3.3 Seville Study Participants 104
Table 3.4 Thematic Analysis Framework 106
Table 4.1 Categorisation of Tourism Governance in York 131
Table 4.2 Hotel Operators’ Comments on Representation in Visit York 169
Table 5.1 Respondents’ Comments on Relationship with Turismo de Sevilla 214
Table 6.1 Dimensions of Tourism Governance 252