ABSTRACT
The intention of this chapter is to examine the origins and development of public-private sector partnerships in England, with particular reference to the tourism industry. The chapter puts forward the challenging proposition that, based on the English experience, public-private sector partnerships in tourism are best undertaken at the local level, where ‘arms-length’ local destination marketing bureaux provide a model organizational form to address the challenges and opportunities raised by tourism. This argument for the primacy of the local level runs counter to the conclusions that others have reached (e.g. Thomas and Thomas, 1998). Differing academic and practitioner perspectives were aired at a seminar organized by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI, 1999). My views reflect over a quarter of a century's work, both as an academic specializing in UK tourism and latterly as the head of city and tourist promotional agencies for Sheffield and for Coventry and Warwickshire. The primacy of the 274local level is something for which, over the years, I have consistently argued (see, for instance, Heeley, 1981).
