ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the role of the government and other agencies in the facilitation and development of tourism. It mainly focuses on the reasons for public sector involvement in tourism, the activities of the sector and the mechanisms through which public sector objectives in tourism are achieved. The public sector plays a very significant role in facilitating, controlling and/or providing the context for tourism development. The public sector operates at a number of different geographic levels in tourism, including: Supra-national organizations, International organizations, National governments, Government-funded agencies and Local authorities. Public sector interest in tourism stretches across all of these organizational and geographic dimensions. There are 32 local authorities across Scotland, and the role that they play in tourism is of crucial importance to ensuring that visitors have a satisfying and rewarding experience in the area. The traditional rationale for public sector activity in tourism is to generate economic benefits, although in the new millennium a much wider rationale exists.
