Abstract

As an earlier emphasis on tourism development has been complemented by a more recent concern with managing the growth of tourism and ensuring destinations are sustainable and remain competitive it has become increasingly important to address how the concept of destination management is being operationalized. This paper addresses this issue by synthesizing then comparing the rapidly growing but still rather fragmented literature with an analysis of how the concept of destination management is articulated in tourism strategies and plans in New Zealand and how it is perceived by practitioners there. Commonalities and differences are identified in the literature and the empirical results. This comparison of literature and practice leads to the development of an open generalized conceptual framework which fosters systematic discussion of appropriate destination management alternatives and encourages destination-specific decision-making and management. The framework is based around four dimensions: approach, goals, functions and organizational structure.