Participative Planning and Governance for Sustainable Tourism

Advocates of sustainable tourism development often indicate that the participation of destination communities in decision-making is important for sustainability. This paper indicates some of the ways in which research on local participation in tourism planning has furthered our understanding of governance for sustainable tourism. A number of suggestions are made concerning a future direction for research on participative planning and more generally on governance for sustainable tourism in destinations. It is argued that we should examine participative planning critically and also that we should see it fully as a reflection of our times and of contemporary economic, social and ideological circumstances. It is also suggested that we should devote more research attention to the broad range of contexts and activities of tourism governance. Finally, it is contended that the adoption of holistic and critical frameworks may benefit research in this field. One such framework is also outlined briefly.