Place-based Governance in Tourism: Placing Local Communities at the Centre of Tourism

With the globalisation of tourism and the mass tourism approach to development, many communities around the world find themselves in a state of vulnerable dependency on tourism (see Lacher & Nepal, 2010; Bianchi, 2018). This was true well before the COVID-19 global pandemic made this even more starkly apparent. This chapter will offer some analysis of existing cases that can demonstrate the meaning, value, approaches and limits to place-based governance in tourism. This includes the well-known case of Bhutan and its “gross national happiness” approach to managing tourism, the case of Lirrwi Tourism in Arnhem Land, Australia and the case of Kangaroo Island and its Tourism Optimisation Management Model.