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Lookup NU author(s): Ahmed Al Mahrizi, Professor Tim Gray, Professor Diana Gregory-SmithORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Oman is a country highly reliant on oil exports that wishes to expand tourism (among other industries) as a diversification policy. This paper assesses whether stakeholder participation (SP) in tourism planning decision-making would enhance or inhibit the country’s strategy of sustainable tourism development. Findings from 45 interviews and six focus groups with tourism stakeholders show that the current level of SP in tourism planning is limited; most stakeholders are keen to increase it; and the benefits of doing so include safeguarding Oman’s traditional environmental and cultural heritage. The paper contributes to the literature by demonstrating how the principle of SP is congruent with Oman’s political and cultural identity, and how, by supporting community-based tourism, SP can serve as an important factor in the country’s sustainable tourism development strategy.
Author(s): Al Mahrizi ASK, Gray T, Gregory-Smith D, Stead SM
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Tourism Planning & Development
Year: 2024
Pages: Epub ahead of print
Online publication date: 25/07/2024
Acceptance date: 08/06/2024
Date deposited: 27/06/2024
ISSN (print): 2156-8316
ISSN (electronic): 2156-8324
Publisher: Routledge
URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/21568316.2024.2379904
DOI: 10.1080/21568316.2024.2379904
ePrints DOI: 10.57711/e9nd-c515
Data Access Statement: Primary data are not available because of ethical restrictions. Participants in this study did not agree for their data (from interviews and focused groups) to be shared publicly.
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