Inter-organisational relations and central-local interactions in tourism planning in Belek, Turkey.

Successful tourism planning depends on there being effective relationships between central and local government, non-governmental organisations, the private sector and other affected parties. Inter-organisational analysis can be used to examine these relations. While this type of analysis is quite common in other disciplinary fields, its application is less usual in the field of tourism planning. Moreover, most such analysis in tourism has concentrated on a single spatial scale rather than on several scales, and the specific relationships between central and local government have been the subject of little sustained research. This research gap is surprising when the application of tourism plans often depends quite crucially on supportive central-local government relations.This study examines the nature of inter-organisational relations around the development and implementation of a tourism development plan for Belek, a coastal area in Turkey's Antalya region. This case study is of an area experiencing substantial tourism development in a rapidly developing country with a centralised system of governance. The study develops a conceptual framework and seven key conceptual themes that are applied to tourism planning in Belek. The conceptual themes and the related assessment focus on inter-organisational relations, and in particular on relations between central and local government, in a multi-scale network that links the private and public sectors, non-govemmental organisations and local communities. There is consideration of inter-organisational communication, stakeholder involvement and consensus building, resource sufficiency and exchange, inter-organisational co-ordination, the relative roles of central and local government, and the potential for devolving tourism planning powers to the local area.Various participants in Belek's tourism planning process were interviewed in the study order to evaluate their views about inter-organisational relations, notably about relations between central and local government. The strengths and weaknesses of the tourism administrative system were considered, together with the potential to change its character. It was found that the inequalities in power and resources between stakeholders, and their differences in interests, ideologies and values, meant that it was difficult for them to reach mutual agreements about tourism policies. Resource scarcity had actually increased conflict rather than cooperation between organisations. There was much distrust and other negative mutual perceptions between the relevant parties. The study identified numerous barriers to cooperation and coordination.There were differing perceptions of the potential for more decentralised forms of administration, with various types of decentralisation also being considered, such as devolution, deconcentration and delegation. Many obstacles to effective decentralisation were noted.The study, including the conceptual framework and conceptual themes, is intended to assist other tourism researchers examining inter-organisational relations, administrative structures, and the relative merits of centralised and decentralised forms of governance in other developing countries.