Uncovering Tourism Destination Governance in Cities: A Grounded Theory Approach

Author Information

Huiying Zhang, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
Xi Yu Leung, University of North TexasFollow
Billy Bai, University of Nevada - Las VegasFollow
Joseph Lema, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow

Author Bios (50 Words for each Author)

Huiying Zhang is a Ph.D. candidate at UNLV with research interests in sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and technology applications in destination marketing and management.

Xi Y. Leung, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at UNT. Her fields of expertise include information technology, social media, hospitality management, and destination marketing.

Billy Bai, Ph.D., is a professor and Associate Dean of Research at UNLV. His current research interests focus on consumer decision-making, destination marketing, and branding.

Joseph Lema, Ph.D., is a professor and Chair of the Food & Beverage and Event Management Department. His current research interests focus on sustainability, Asia-Pacific tourism, and food and beverage.

Abstract (150 Words)

Tourism destinations (cities) are recognized as complex governance contexts involving multi-stakeholders in producing and delivering products and services. However, minimal research has been done to explore tourism destination governance in cities. This research explores this topic with a qualitative design through interviews with major stakeholders involved in five US destinations. Applying the grounded theory, researchers propose a collaborative governance framework in tourism destinations consisting of eight themes and 18 subthemes. The framework uncovers collaborative governance structure and mechanism in tourism cities and discusses the complexities and contradictions. The contextual impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism governance are also examined. The findings provide practical implications for collaboratively governing tourism destinations for sustainable operation and resilience to crises.