Airey and Chong Tourism Policy China.pdfVIP

Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 295–314, 2010 0160-7383/$ - see front matter 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Printed in Great Britain /locate/atoures doi:10.1016/j.annals.2009.09.004 NATIONAL POLICY-MAKERS FOR TOURISM IN CHINA David Airey The University of Surrey, United Kingdom King Chong The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China Abstract: This paper reports on a study of the key players and institutional processes involved in national policy-making for China’s tourism sector since 1978. Using the concepts of ‘policy-oriented learning’ with ‘coordination’, it explores how the policy-makers have developed and implemented policy during a period of change in ideologies, organizational values and interests. In doing so it reveals how the fragmented nature of tourism and the frag- mented power structure have meant that policy-making has been conducted by a variety of policy-makers, with a diversity of values and interests. It also shows how policy-oriented learn- ing has allowed the policy-makers to succeed in a number of key areas, often with support from the state leaders. Keywords: policy-makers, policy-oriented learning, coordination, China. 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. INTRODUCTION This paper explores and explains, from the policy-makers’ perspec- tive, the ways in which tourism policy-making has proceeded in China during a period of rapid change. In doing so, it aims to contribute to an understanding of the development of tourism in China itself, but also by using the experience of China in a period of change, it aims to contribute to knowledge about policy-making for tourism more gen- erally. The sheer importance for tourism of policy and policy-making has been emphasised by Richter 1989 who suggests that whether it succeeds or fails is largely a function of political and administrative ac- tions, rather than economics or business. But it is the comment by Kerr 2003, p.