Page 180 - Tourism The International Business

9. The management of tourism

In general there are two types of individuals who obtain leadership positions: (1) those who have something to
gain from the development, and (2) those who want to see the community grow and develop. Of course, one person
may fit into both groups.

Leadership emergence and the organizational process

A common pattern of leadership emergence can be found in many communities. Suppose you are involved
directly with the tourism and travel business, as manager of a resort. You see that tourism would increase through
more publicity, better streets, or a better reservation system. You share your ideas with friends from the Chamber of
Commerce or the local service club who have similar interests in increasing visitors to the community. Your friends
agree to then organize a group to seek a larger support base and additional help. Visits with governmental or
community committees, such as a planning and zoning committee, or the city council, might result in financial,
physical, or human resources needed to accomplish your goals. This is the first phase of leadership emergence.
The initial thrust to develop tourism will likely come from one individual organization or special interest group,
e.g. resort owners, hotel or motel managers, Chamber of Commerce members or an historical society. Regardless of

who stimulates the development, strive for early commitment from leaders already in place within the community.
The tourism industry will affect either directly or indirectly most community interests.
When your group sets out to achieve your objectives you see other things that could be accomplished to improve
tourism. A group larger than the original three is needed. You might organize a subcommittee of the Chamber of
Commerce on travel and tourism, a committee of the Rotary Club (a voluntary not-for-profit corporation), or an ad
hoc committee on tourism, either as a part of the industrial development group in the community or as a part of the
city council. This is the second phase in the organizational process.

The third phase comes when the committee realizes that some jobs can be done only by someone who shares
your priorities. So you form an association and invite all people of similar interests to join. In many communities
this is done through the Chamber of Commerce, particularly in those communities that have tourism as a major
economic resource. Certainly many if not most of the enterprises benefiting from visitors would be members. This
is the most common type of organization; other types may be directly under the city council as a part of the local
government, or independent, such as the Jonesville Resort Association.
This process may be completed in any time from a few months to a number of years. The originators may now be
encouraging others to take over positions of leadership, or, in the situation of phase three, official and formal
elections may be held, officers elected, and committees established.

At some point the workload begins to be exceedingly heavy in distributing publicity, answering incoming mail,
soliciting memberships—too heavy for a volunteer operation. Time does not permit some of the members with
other job responsibilities to continue to meet all the demands of the association. Therefore, a regular office is
established and a secretary is employed.
Many communities stop here. Others desire full-time tourism leadership and go on to hire a full-time executive
secretary or executive director. This is the fourth phase of organizational development. It is then that the
community begins to see its greatest growth, not necessarily because of the employment of a professional, but

because the ground work has been completed and the relationships involved in organization and cooperation have
gradually been smoothed out. With a knowledgeable and experienced person working full-time, the planning
process can be implemented at increased speed.

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