Developing integrated rural tourism : actor practices in the English/Welsh border

Saxena, Gunjan; Ilbery, Brian

Abstract

This paper examines community attitudes and distinctive practices that shape local responses to integrated rural tourism (IRT) development in the lagging rural region of the English/Welsh border area. The focus is on how actors acquire attributes as a result of their relations with others and how these assumed identities are performed in, by and through these relations. The location of this lagging rural region is particularly interesting as it is divided by a national boundary which not only impacts on administrative, planning and tourism marketing structures, but also contributes to the construction of fluid place identities (Murdoch and Pratt, 1997 describe 'fluid space' as having 'no fixed points of reference, no privileged points of view, simply a swirling, viscous, partially stable, partially enclosed movement of social entities' (p. 64) that may be described as Welsh, English, or a mixture of both. In order to reflect the variety of opinions and concerns in the region, responses were drawn from different actor-groups: local businesses, resource controllers, gatekeepers, institutions, community members and visitors. Results indicate that, while most were in favour of a greater integration of tourism with actors' aspirations, local resources and activities, there was an element of longing for a deux ex machina to put in place real change in the region. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd.

Citation

Saxena, G., & Ilbery, B. (2010). Developing integrated rural tourism : actor practices in the English/Welsh border. Journal of rural studies, 26(3), 260-271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2009.12.001

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Jan 13, 2010
• Publication Date: 2010-07
• Deposit Date: Nov 13, 2014
• Journal: Journal Of Rural Studies
• Print ISSN: 0743-0167
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 26
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 260-271
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2009.12.001
• Keywords: IRT; English/Welsh border; Sub-regions; Community; Relational framework; Dramaturgical approach
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/466357
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0743016709000709?via%3Dihub