Integrated Tourism: A Holistic Approach to Resolving Fragmentation Challenges in Tourism Governance

Abstract

At its core, integrated tourism is a public governance issue. The current fragmented state of local government organizational functions and public governance in China, coupled with the inherent complexity in tourism management, has led to fragmented governance subjects, fragmented resource allocation, and fragmented governance mechanisms in tourism practices. These existing governance challenges increase the cost of governance and, to some extent, hinder the development of the tourism industry. The emphasis on collaboration, co-governance, and sharing in "integrated tourism" aligns seamlessly with the principles of integration, public responsibility, and citizen demands proposed by the theory of integrated governance. It provides a new path for addressing the fragmented governance in the tourism industry. From the perspective of integrated governance, the diversification and comprehensiveness advocated by integrated tourism, along with the coordination and integration of tourism with other industries, and the innovation in operational mechanisms, represent novel approaches to overcoming the challenges of fragmented governance in the tourism industry.