Destination place identity and regional tourism policy

Abstract

Tourism is essentially place-based and involves the productionof destination identity at different scales. At any one time, organizationsat national, regional and local levels are actively engaged in presentingand promoting place identity in order to attract tourists and increasemarket share. The drive to establish distinct destination identityin the tourism market place is derived from a range of complex andcompeting interests manifested at global and local scales. Thispaper focuses upon interconnections between place identity and theinstitutions of tourism planning and policy-making at the regionallevel. In New South Wales, Australia, regional tourism organizationsare contentious. It is argued that more profound insights into the problemsand challenges of regional tourism organizations can be gained byexamining the global–local dialectic.