Tourism management capacity of local government: an analysis of Victorian local government

Local Government is a key agent in sustainable tourism management through its roles in: planning; economic development; marketing; regulation; land and facility management; service provision; industry assistance; and community relations. Local Government, especially in regional Australia, is the public sector agency most closely linked to sustainable tourism agents in industry and community. A number of Local Government roles and responsibilities as they relate to sustainable tourism management are identified. Interventions aimed at improving sustainable touri sm management would be assisted by the capacity of Local Government to engage with these agents and perform these roles and responsibilities. The capacity of Local Government with regards to sustainable tourism management in Vic to ria may be hindered by issues of: isolation; access to resources; training and skills of key staff; internal conflicts; and the planning and governance of Local Government participation in tourism. Structures employed by Local Governments might be exploited to increase the capacity to implement sustainable tourism objectives. A survey was conducted to investigate these structures in terms of Local Government capacity to: integrate tourism related responsibilities within Council; conduct strategic planning; maintain relationships with external tourism stakeholders; implement tourism strategies; adequately resource tourism management; and maintain involvement with industry. Findings of the survey indicated that many of the core structures to enhance management capacity were in place in most Local Governments; however, there was a lack of understanding of the breadth of sustainable management implications arising from tourism activity. There was also a clear perception that Local Government did not adequately encourage sustainable tourism development. Local Government education programs may be developed to address these issues.