A 'new' Newfoundland and Labrador sustainable tourism vision

Kennedy, Darrell Calvin (2014) A 'new' Newfoundland and Labrador sustainable tourism vision. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

In an attempt to promote sustainable tourism in Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada), leaders from the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation and Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador came together in 2006 to form a vision steering committee. Their efforts culminated in the release of a vision paper entitled “Uncommon Potential” in February 2009, which outlined overarching goals for tourism development in the province and created a high level of expectation for numerous tourism stakeholders. While the vision may be well articulated, the document lacks strategies about how to achieve them, raising some questions whether the goals will be realized. This thesis thus aims to illuminate what could cause some of its goals to fall short of expectations and what possibilities exist for the province to increase its potential to realize the vision. The study draws from the interactive governance perspective, which posits that what occurred before and during the development stages (or ‘step zero’) and what values, images and principles underlie such a vision play key roles in the implementation. Through interviews with key informants and document analysis, the study reveals some missteps in the vision’s development process, including lack of representation of key stakeholder groups such as volunteer organizations. Meanwhile, although Uncommon Potential reflected values, images and principles that key tourism stakeholders shared, some concerns were expressed about the absence of values like honesty and principles related to environmental health in the document. On the whole, the thesis brings, through these findings, further clarity to what the vision entails and also provides insights about the priorities and aspirations of the province’s tourism sector.

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