Collaborative Destination Management Planning: A Case Study of Byron Bay, Australia.

Tourism planning without a comprehensive consultation process is likely to reduce the effectiveness of the process. However, a comprehensive consultation process may not necessarily ensure effective outcomes if substantial differences exist between stakeholders. This paper presents a case study of the tourism planning process undertaken for the Byron Shire, Australia. Despite an intensive and innovative consultation process the plan failed to gain acceptance from all stakeholders. Although there was a high degree of consistency in terms of community values and aspirations amongst stakeholders there were substantial differences amongst some stakeholders on how to operationalise them. The analysis indicated that a 'dangerous' stakeholder (as defined within stakeholder typology) had a significant impact on the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]