Collaboration Management in Tourism (3501MO3119/2020)
The high interdependence among many relevant actors in tourism destinations makes close co-operation amongst them a fundamental element of any tourism strategy. However, this need of cooperation is not restricted to the traditional tourism business, but is extended to all the economic sectors, the products and services of which are directly or indirectly used by tourists visiting the destination. Consequently, in this course we discuss some conceptual models and mechanisms available to the tourist product suppliers and/or destination managers, and the local communities, to try to implement effective tourism strategies by means of co-operation. In particular, the course focuses on Tourism as a System and on Value Chain Analysis (VCA). VCA investigates the structure and working of the tourism value chain in a destination, and the economic value generated, and plans and actions to enhance the local economic impact of tourism. In destinations that are concerned about poverty alleviation, specific attention is paid to analyzing the amount of income from all transactions in the tourism sector that is received by the poor, and to identifying which particular kinds of transactions are most pro-poor or have the potential to be made more pro-poor. The value chain analysis concludes with an action plan outlining interventions to enhance the local economic impact from tourism in the destination; especially interventions that will secure a significant increase in the flow of income and opportunities to the community.