TOURISM PLANNING: A Third Way?

Abstract

The left/right divide in late 20 th and early 21 st century politics acts as a metaphor for the debates surrounding aid-funded tourism masterplanning where the traditional right, framed by the values of neoliberalism, sees market forces as providing the only alternative. On the other hand, modern world problems have emerged that go far beyond the assumptions upon which the left was founded. This paper takes Anthony Giddens’ proposals for a Third Way in politics and applies them to tourism in the context of the developing world. Giddens’ framework, which goes beyond liberal democracy, reveals that a Third Way approach could help resolve social issues that have been largely neglected by “masterplanning” approaches to tourism.