Tourism in Post-Crisis is Tourism in Pre-Crisis: A Review of the Literature on Crisis Management in Tourism

In the light of the 2006 terrorist bombings in Egypt and Mumbai or in London in July and on Bali in October of the previous year, 'crisis in tourism' appears again to be a timely topic. So, is it then just the frequency of these negative events, which has brought 'crisis' to the front pages and also to the forefront of our minds? As it is not a new phenomenon, has only our perception changed? Tourism seems to be particularly susceptible to negative events and, since there is always a crisis somewhere in the world, the industry appears to be under an almost permanent threat with the certainty of yet another crisis already looming somewhere.A more systematic and conceptional approach to questions such as how tourism businesses react to crisis, which measures are taken and what impact they have, if and how businesses can prepare for such crisis situations and which strategies can be employed to overcome them, has therefore been long overdue. In this context, the paper aims to explore the literature on crisis management in tourism and to identify foci of the current academic discourse

Policy Networks and Good Governance A Discussion

Policy network research can be divided, broadly, into two schools of thought:the interest intermediation school (policy networks as an analytical tool) and the governance school (policy networks as a form of governance). Both schools have made significant contributions towards raising our awareness about policy networks through the development of concepts, theories and research methods. While acknowledging these achievements contemporary literature suggests that this research has been mainly descriptive, with few primary empirical studies being undertaken in particular to assess the effectiveness of policy networks. This paper reviews briefly the recent literature on policy networks. The literature review reveals that by combining and adapting the most relevant quantitative and qualitative research methods from previous studies, contributions can be made towards developing better standards for evaluating, and developing, the democratic quality of policy networks as a form of (good) governance

From Patient to Guest: Current trends in the German health care industry and their impacts on the tourism sector

Fuelled by demographic and psychographic change, the German health care system has been under increasing pressure over the past decades to a point where the system has been seen as no longer economically viable. This has set in motion a string of reform measures which have aimed to reign in the spiralling costs. Now, with a much greater focus on prevention, competition within the health care system and more personal responsibility, the German health sector is by many no longer perceived as a burden on the national economy but rather as an opportunity for furture economic growth. One important reason for this development has been an expansion in what is known as the second health care market. This paper outlines the shift from a public health insurance system to a modern health economy by focusing on the health tourism sector which has experienced a boom in recent years, driven particularly by strong demand in the senior market segment

Natural Resource Management in the South Australian Arid Lands Region: Methodological Considerations for a Policy Network Study

This paper discusses a specific combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods that may be suitable for a study that aims to investigate policy networks as an effective form of governance. The proposed context for this study is a Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre project that focuses on the establishment and operation of regional natural resource management boards and associated institutions. Under new Australian Government policy, and new South Australian Natural Resource Management legislation, it is envisaged that the regional boards may better deliver government policy and programs for management of natural resources. The primary outcome of this paper is a 'methods matrix', which may provide not only a summary of the most appropriate methods for use in this investigation but also a 'template' that could be used in related ongoing investigations

Regional tourism in transition: Western Australia's new concept for regional tourism

This paper explores regional tourism policy and planning in the context of the pressures and challenges regions have experienced in recent times. Regional tourism is often regarded as a powerful engine of the regional economy, particularly in times when many regions experience a decline in traditional industries and find it difficult to adjust to the resulting economic and social restructuring pressures. However, there appears to be consistent strategy to deal with the ongoing changes in the region and with the question of how tourism can contribute to regional development best. This creates some uncertainty an instability in tourism policy and planning at the regional level. It comes therefore as no surprise that the organisation of regional tourism is currently under review in many countries. In Australia, regional tourism is formally part of the role of the states and territories. At this sub-national level varying institutional arrangements, which are mainly based on the geography of government administration, have been put in place to manage tourism. Currently there is, however, a strong move away from the political-administrative boundaries to promote, develop and plan regional tourism. These changes in the regional organisation of tourism reflect a clear policy direction to enhance international competitiveness by pro-active destination marketing.This paper explores the effectiveness of such change, using Western Australia as a case study as the government there in 2004 replaced its eleven Tourism Regions with five Tourism Zones. The main purpose of this re-alignment of tourism boundaries was to better reflect travel pattern, visitor expectations and product availability as well as iconic experiences. Moreover, the new concept also aimed to create more efficient and effective administrative arrangements for Western Australian tourism with greater control and responsibilities at the regional level

Three Lenses of Analysis for the Study of Tourism Public Policy: A Case from Northern Australia

The main emphasis of this paper is directed to the interplay of three conceptual perspectives to the study of tourism public policy. To understand the tourism policy process in general, from demands via the policy-making system to outputs and feedback, Easton’s model (1965) of the political system is employed as a basic conceptual framework. With the adoption of a temporal dimension, which takes into account the dynamics of the tourism policy process, the policy cycle model is then applied as a heuristic structural frame. As an additional, third level of analysis the policy network concept is then discussed. This approach identifies the various and multiple ways in which the actors participate in tourism policy-making as well as the complexity of their interactions. It is argued that the interplay of these three models provides an adequate methodological framework, particularly process-oriented in focus, to better understand the complexity of tourism policy-making. The case study of the specific geographical and social formation of the Northern Territory of Australia illustrates the usefulness of this analytical approach.