ABSTRACT
A tourist organization, as Medlik and Burkart explained it, ‘is defined by reference to the interests of a geographical area as a tourist destination, which may be a country, region or an individual town’ (Burkart and Medlik, 1981: 255). Within this context, ‘the term NTO is used to designate the organization entrusted by the state with responsibility for tourism matters at the national level. It may be a fully-fledged ministry, a directorate general, a department, or corporation or board’ (a neat definition adopted by McIntosh, 1972: 86). The principle of government support through official recognition and usually some funding is normal even in cases where the NTO is not part of the state administration.
