Integrated Rural Tourism in the English–Welsh Cross-border Region: An Analysis of Strategic, Administrative and Personal Challenges
2010; Routledge; Volume: 45; Issue: 8 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/00343404.2010.486785
ISSN1360-0591
Autores Tópico(s)Migration, Aging, and Tourism Studies
ResumoAbstract Ilbery B. and Saxena G. Integrated rural tourism in the English–Welsh cross-border region: an analysis of strategic, administrative and personal challenges, Regional Studies. Cross-border tourism development is fraught with tensions, as is evident in the English–Welsh cross-border region. This paper examines strategic, administrative, and personal challenges in developing and promoting integrated approaches to rural tourism in the region. It is argued that the concept of integrated rural tourism could be useful to agencies already engaged in promoting coordination through enterprise and innovation. However, findings suggest that, whilst integrated rural tourism was welcomed by respondents as an opportunity to foster partnership modes of working across the border, limitations posed by existing administrative boundaries and weak inter-sectoral collaboration greatly impede the growth of a strategic vision. Ilbery B. et Saxena G. Le tourisme rural intégré dans la région transfrontlière anglo-galloise: une analyse des défis stratégiques, administratifs et personnels, Regional Studies. Le développement du tourisme transfrontalier est lourd de tensions, ce qui est évident dans la région transfrontalière anglo-galloise. Cet article cherche à examiner les défis stratégiques, administratifs et personnels quant au développement et à la promotion des façons intégrées d'aborder la question du tourisme rural dans la région. On affirme que la notion de tourisme rural intégré pourrait aider les agences qui s'engagent déjà à la promotion de la coordination par moyen de l'esprit d'entreprise et de l'innovation. Cependant, les résultats laissent voir que les horizons délimités en fonction de circonscriptions d'action administratives et par la collaboration inter-sectorielle faible entravent sensiblement la naissance d'une vision stratégique, alors que les personnes interrogées ont accueilli favorablement la possibilité de promouvoir un partenariat transfrontalier. Tourisme rural intégré Point de vue relationnel Initiatives transfrontalières Frontière anglo-galloise Agences institutionnelles Ilbery B. und Saxena G. Integrierter ländlicher Tourismus in der Grenzregion von England und Wales: eine Analyse der strategischen, verwaltungstechnischen und persönlichen Probleme, Regional Studies. Wie in der Grenzregion von England und Wales deutlich wird, ist die Entwicklung eines grenznahen Tourismus mit Spannungen verbunden. In diesem Beitrag werden die strategischen, verwaltungstechnischen und persönlichen Probleme bei der Entwicklung und Förderung von integrierten Ansätzen des ländlichen Tourismus in der Region untersucht. Es wird argumentiert, dass das Konzept des integrierten ländlichen Tourismus für Akteure nützlich sein könnte, die sich durch Unternehmungen und Innovation bereits an einer Förderung der Koordination beteiligen. Allerdings legen die Ergebnisse nahe, dass ein integrierter ländlicher Tourismus von den Umfrageteilnehmern zwar als Chance zur Förderung einer partnerschaftlichen grenzübergreifenden Zusammenarbeit begrüßt wurde, zugleich aber das Entstehen einer strategischen Vision durch Einschränkungen aufgrund der vorhandenen verwaltungstechnischen Grenzen und einer mangelnden Zusammenarbeit zwischen den Sektoren erheblich behindert wurde. Integrierter ländlicher Tourismus Beziehungsperspektive Grenzüberschreitende Initiativen Grenzregion von England und Wales Institutionelle Akteure Ilbery B. y Saxena G. Turismo rural integrado en la región transfronteriza de Inglaterra y Gales: un análisis de retos estratégicos, administrativos y personales, Regional Studies. El desarrollo del turismo transfronterizo está plagado de tensiones, tal como se observa claramente en la región transfronteriza de Inglaterra y Gales. En este artículo analizamos los retos estratégicos, administrativos y personales al desarrollar y fomentar enfoques integrados para el turismo rural en la región. Sostenemos que el concepto de turismo rural integrado podría ser útil para las agencias que ya se ocupan de fomentar la coordinación mediante negocios e innovación. Sin embargo, los resultados indican que si bien el turismo rural integrado era bienvenido por los entrevistados como una ocasión para fomentar los métodos de colaboración transfronteriza, los obstáculos planteados por las limitaciones administrativas existentes y la débil colaboración intersectorial dificultan en gran medida el crecimiento de una visión estratégica. Turismo rural integrado Perspectiva relacional Iniciativas transfronterizas Frontera de Inglaterra y Gales Agencias institucionales Keywords: Integrated rural tourismRelational perspectiveCross-border initiativesEnglish–Welsh borderInstitutional agenciesJEL classifications: D7D74D85O18 Acknowledgements This paper is based on a collaborative programme of research funded under the European Union's Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources programme (QLK5-CT-2000-01211 – SPRITE). The research was undertaken by universities and research centres in six countries: Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the Czech Republic. The authors wish to acknowledge the help of those participating in the interviews as well as the anonymous referees for their constructive comments on an earlier draft of this paper. Notes The cross-border Benelux partnership comprises three neighbouring countries: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, and was first formed in 1946 to promote the free movement of workers, capital, services, and goods in the region (O'Dowd, Citation2003). 'Suremind' is a recently launched initiative aimed at facilitating a broader range of multinational, multi-agency responses to major incidents including maritime, air traffic, and terrestrial misadventures. It builds on the previous LinguaNet project (1994–1998) which was supported by the European Commission as a six-nation Framework 4 Telematics project with a budget in excess of €2.5 million (Johnson, Citation2003). The EUREGIO project has contributed to the setting up of networks, as well as to a direct transfer of know-how, among partner institutions in the areas of Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea Region, Central and Eastern Europe, North-West Europe, and the region of the Alps and the Danube (EUREGIO, Citation2008). Kliot et al. Citation(2001) discussed the growing significance of collaborative arrangements impacting on the shared use of international water resources and providing a platform for institutions jointly to discuss solutions to their water conflicts. Similarly, with the implementation of cross-border programmes and the introduction of a joint marketing initiative to promote the island of Ireland as a single tourist destination, the level of cooperation has substantially increased over the last two decades (Greer, Citation2002). INTERREG III is a European Union-funded programme that helps Europe's regions form partnerships to work together on common projects. By sharing knowledge and experience, these partnerships enable the regions involved to develop new solutions to economic, social, and environmental challenges. The idea is that politics does not have to be territorially bounded because 'place' (city, region or rural area) is continuously being made, unmade, and remade by continual, open-ended change, wrought by the incessant regrouping/overlapping of networks and the mutating relationships contained within them (Amin et al., Citation2003, pp. 20–98). This refers to the previous European Union structural funds period 2000–2006, where Objective 2-denoted regions affected by rural or industrial restructuring, rather than the current 2007–2013 funding period under which new Objective 2 programmes are called 'Regional Competitive and Employment' and focus on increasing regional competitiveness and employment, which is under the new Objective 3 on regions in Europe. Presently, Powys County Council is seeking support through these new programmes for various complementary economic regeneration projects within the Severn Valley. Similarly, both Herefordshire and Shropshire Councils are using these programmes to fund actions aimed at improving agriculture, forestry, and the environment, promoting rural diversification in regeneration zones, and developing clusters (for example, food and drink, environmental technology and tourism and leisure) (Shropshire Council, Citation2009; Herefordshire Council, Citation2009). It is worth noting that since most interviews involved relatively informal, relaxed discussion based around project themes, respondents' bias was 'tested' against the information available from agencies' websites, annual reports, and management plans. Also, their responses were cross-referenced with data collected from surveys with other actor-groups – for example, tourists (100), excluding residents and including day visitors and second-home owners; gatekeepers (ten), including those individuals and agencies that market the region and provide information to tourists; businesses (fifty-one), from a mix of sectors such as accommodation, hospitality, travel and transport, and retail; resource controllers (twenty), mainly from the non-profit sector, but which play an important buffering role in environmental, social, cultural, economic, and political issues at destinations (Saxena and Ilbery, Citation2008); and residents (fifty), both old (longer-term) and new residents (incomers). In some cases, respondents themselves clarified when a response reflected their personal opinion and wanted it to be treated as such. Respondents from other actor-groups either work closely with agencies included in the surveys or are impacted directly/indirectly by their policies. It is based in London. All three are part of the Destination Management Partnerships (DMPs), also referred to as Destination Management Organisations (DMO), that have been set up to act as catalysts and facilitators for tourism development. The Countryside Agency no longer exists. In 2006, parts of it were assimilated into what is now known as the Commission for Rural Communities and the rest into Natural England. The choice of the interview protocol and interview questions was adapted to suit the characteristics of the institutions selected. The transcripts were carefully read to identify major themes. The themes were revised after annotating the first few (approximately five) interview transcripts and were explored for consistency within and between accounts. Some themes (such as administrative challenges to achieving integration) were identified at an early stage of analysis, whilst others (such as psychological impediments to integration and cooperation) emerged only later. Once a theme (for example, the significance of social networks) was identified from some interviews, the data were reanalysed to establish whether it figured in other transcripts, and in what context, and to look for counter examples (Seale, Citation1999, pp. 99–127). Data retrievals were carried out on the basis of themes, summaries written for each, and tabulations made of interviewee characteristics in relation to these. The data excerpts used in this analysis were chosen as representative of the themes and counter-examples provided. This research ran parallel to the SPRITE project at the time of the regional seminar. Herefordshire Rivers LEADER+ programme was initiated under the previous funding period 2000–2006 to support local community activity that found new ways to enhance, interpret, utilize, and record the natural environment and historical resources of the countryside. The programme has now ended and has been replaced by a new scheme called 'VITAL Herefordshire LEADER Programme' (effective from 2009 to 2013), the main priority of which is to ameliorate social exclusion caused by poverty and rural isolation. In contrast, Shropshire Hills LEADER is ongoing and hopes to improve well-being through better access to services, support, places, transport, and facilities throughout the Shropshire Hills by 2013. Also, Glasu in Powys, which focuses mainly on encouraging confidence in renewable energy and sustainable practices, is still active and part funded through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2008–2013, which is financed by the European Union and the Welsh Assembly Government as well as by Powys County Council. See http://www.cultural-enterprise.com/. See http://www.herefordshire.gov.uk; http://www.shropshireenterprise.co.uk; and http://www.powysprp.org.uk/. Again, this is a respondent's personal perception rather than the view of Powys County Council. 'Sectoral' organizations are characterized by remits limited to one or a few sectors, while 'territorial' organizations are defined by a global remit addressing all or most of the issues in a specific geographical area, through a function of government or through objectives in integrated development or integrated management. For instance, while local authorities are examples of 'territorial organizations', agencies with a sector-specific remit (for example, tourism, culture, agriculture, environment, and education), are examples of 'sectoral organizations'.
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