Tourism planning and planning theory: Historical roots and contemporary alignment

• Published in: Tourism management perspectives 2020-07, Vol.35, p.100703, Article 100703
• Main Authors: Rahmafitria, Fitri, Pearce, Philip L., Oktadiana, Hera, Putro, Heru P.H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Business imperatives; Compartmentalization; Knowledge production; Planning theory; Tourism planning
• ISSN: 2211-9736; 2211-9744
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tmp.2020.100703

The timelines of planning theory and the approaches to tourism planning are compared from the early twentieth century to the present. The researchers address two specific questions; what are the links between these two timelines and what are the contributions to tourism planning knowledge? Unlike general planning theory, a distinctive business and profitability ethos influenced foundation tourism approaches until the impacts of the sector prompted attention to the need for more stakeholder communication and attention to sustainability concerns. Now, communication based planning and sustainability imperatives tend to co-exist in both domains with strong roles for stakeholder involvement and compartmentalized plans in tourism. Disciplinary contributions from geography and politics are more marked in general planning theory, while business and marketing orientations infuse the tourism perspectives. Tourism planning knowledge is usefully contextualized and advanced by considering generic planning theory, but remains very substantially influenced by tourism industry issues and shocks. •Knowledge production about tourism planning in the context of planning theory has not been widely addressed•Tourism planning is largely project-oriented, but the way (social) science is used in this planning world remains obscure•Reviewing the links between planning theory and the development of tourism assists in building knowledge in tourism planning.•disciplinary contributions to planning theory are geography, urban studies, sociology, political and environmental science•Business and tourism realities serve as a persistent influence on tourism planning thinking.