Socio-political participation in tourism planning

Abstract

This article raises questions related to the involvement of social players, i.e. the government, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations and local communities, in tourism planning. The concept of participation is addressed, with emphasis on its political content. It discusses the implications of the values and ideologies that are present in tourism planning, a discussion which, despite its importance, is virtually absent in the literature on tourism planning in Brazil. Next, it carries out a theoretical analysis of the conceptual models relating to the various types of possible participation and their probable implications in empirical situations. Key words: Tourism, tourism planning, participation and development.