ABSTRACT
Globalization has resulted in the emergence of large tourism corporations whose influence on the destinations in which they operate have been referred to as “the corporatization of place” (Rothman, 1998). Paradoxically, as the commercial power and market reach of these large tourism corporations have expanded, so has the mix of local authorities and non-government organizations (NGOs) that have emerged to contest or modify their actions (Norcliffe, 2001). This has led to calls for more collaborative approaches to engagement by corporations and destination stakeholders. The way in which these relationships unfold may be central to establishing not only the corporation’s social license to operate (Cunningham et al., 2003), but also the overall destination’s sense of place (Williams and Gill, 2004).
