The politics of tourism: The unsung role of trade associations in tourism policymaking

Tourism trade associations play a critical, though little understood role in tourism policy development and implementation. As the direct conduit between industry and government, associations seek to develop a reciprocal arrangement with government departments, senior bureaucrats and elected officials with the goal of influencing policy to either benefits their members or minimise damage to them. This paper examines the role of tourism trade associations in government relations activities by analysing the roles played by different types of provincial associations in Canada. The study found that, depending on their size, associations liaised with more than 20 different government departments on a wide array of issues. However, their direct links are closest with tourism departments.