The interplay of governance, power and citizen participation in community tourism planning

Abstract

This research examines a unique case of tourism planning and explores the relationships between governance, power, and citizen participation in community decision-making. In less than two years, the community of Sitka, Alaska, undertook two separate tourism-planning processes in response to proposed tourism development. The first plan followed a participant-led governance structure; the second plan a council-led governance structure. The participant-led governance structure produced a plan through a collaborative process that empowered citizen participants and sought to limit growth, while the council-led structure utilized an external consultant and produced a more pro-growth plan that downplayed citizen concern for maintaining quality of life. The council-led plan was adopted as the guiding document for the community. Ultimately, the power over plan adoption and implementation lay in the hands of the local government, creating a stressful community environment for many involved in both planning processes. Evidence of the advantages and disadvantages of citizen participation in each planning process is presented.