Understanding the concept of governance in tourism policy development : a case study of Taiwan (1895-2008)

Abstract

This research purported to look into the governance mechanisms that had driven the Taiwan government's policy and its influence in the development of its tourism industry. The research focused on the country of Taiwan as a case study. Given the complex and the unique nature of the industrial development in Taiwan including tourism, the research attempted to capture the key elements of change at policy and industry levels in Taiwan tourism by developing an integrative framework. This theoretical framework aimed to integrate elements of literature of coordination (Thompson, Frances et al.,1991),public policy (John,1998),development theory (Amsden and Chu,2003) and literature of tourism policy (Hall and Jenkins,1995). This framework was used as a theoretical tool to analyse and deconstruct historical data about the evolution of Taiwan tourism industry and detailed the policy information as specific programs. A critical part of this analysis was the identification of governance mechanisms in tourism policy and their influence in the development of the tourism industry. The research found that hierarchical top-down modes of governance dominated policy development in the period 1950-2000,and this type of governance has been at least responsible for the lack of development of tourism, particularly as an export-oriented sector. Since 2000,a dramatic change has been initiated in the way the government had viewed the tourism industry in Taiwan. The government had encouraged more collaborative and networked governance model, at least in terms of policy implementation. The main reason for this change was the complexity and size of the new plan where the government had recognised the fact that it did not have the capacity to make a successful implementation. Political objectives, however, were important drivers of the content of the new plan. Finally, this research suggested some policy initiatives which may suit better Taiwan's tourism development.

Date of Award	2011
Original language	English
Supervisor	Robert Inbakaran (Supervisor) & Phil Larkin (Supervisor)