Ministers' statements: a policy implementation instrument for sustainable tourism?

Abstract

Consistent communication of tourism policies by tourism ministers might raise public and industry awareness and promote support for sustainable tourism. The statements made by ministers containmessages that can inform the public and industry stakeholders and potentially these statements can draw attention to sensitive issues and bring about changes in practices that encourage sustainability in the tourism industry. Analyzing the statements of the five most recent tourism ministers in Turkey delivered between 2001 and 2009 this study identifies the ministers' priorities for tourism and compares them with the tourism policy objectives set out in Turkey's Tourism Strategic Action Plan. Further comparison is undertaken to see whether priorities changed within and between governments. The results of the content analysis indicate that the statements of the Turkish tourism ministers were economically driven and growth-oriented and that there were inconsistencies between the ministers' priorities and the corresponding policy objectives in the national tourism strategy. While the period between 2001 and 2009 saw changing governments and ministers the different ministers emphasized an almost identical set of priorities. Implications are discussed for public awareness of tourism policies and for sustainable tourism.