Page 24 - Introduction to Tourism

host region understand and support tourism as a

long-term component of the socioeconomic

system.

Finally, a dimension of tourism that often

receives inadequate attention is the

overall system of governance within which the

tourism system functions. This topic is discussed

in greater detail in Chapter 15. For present

purposes, it should be noted that the system of

governance surrounding tourism (the legal,

political, and fiscal systems regulating its

functioning) has a profound impact on the ability

of a destination to compete in the international

marketplace and subsequently plays a major role

in determining the profitability of individual firms.

While the system of governance of a country or

region may be viewed as an evolutionary

dimension of overall culture, it is subject to

influence and change within an observable time

frame. Sometimes these changes can be quite

dramatic and can occur in a relatively short

period of time in cultural terms. Recent high-

24