Title: Tourism policy agenda setting, interest groups and legislative capture

Authors: Jason R. Swanson; Gene L. Brothers

Addresses: Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Kentucky, 120 Erikson Hall, Kentucky 40506, Lexington, USA ' Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 8004, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA

Abstract: How interest groups develop advocacy agendas (i.e., agenda setting) is a fundamental piece in the tourism policy puzzle. Through in-depth personal interviews with lobbyists for tourism-related interest groups in the United States, specifically trade associations, this research seeks to understand how tourism policy actors develop advocacy agendas. Activities trade associations engage in to formulate public policy agendas are: understanding what politicians want, reflecting on the comparative advantages of the organisation and collecting input from organisation members. Data collected highlights conflicts between the special interests of tourism advocacy groups and the public interest. Although public interest is an imprecise concept, tourism may not always be in the public interest, which leads to the attempt by the tourism lobby to capture political decision-makers.

Keywords: tourism policy; agenda setting; interest groups; trade associations; legislative capture; qualitative research; capture theory; lobbyists; United States; USA; tourism advocacy; public interest; tourism lobby.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTP.2012.049719

International Journal of Tourism Policy, 2012 Vol.4 No.3, pp.206 - 221

Received: 05 Aug 2011
Accepted: 03 Apr 2012
Published online: 14 Nov 2014 *

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