The effects of power, Ideology, Interest Groups, and the government on tourism policy making—A Conceptual Model

This article offers a conceptual model that can be utilized to examine the political and bureaucratic natures of the mechanism of the making of tourism policies in the Chinese context. Following the paradigm of stakeholder theories, the constructs of the model can be categorized into two groups. The first group is the political system, encompassing the constructs of political power, political ideology, and interest groups. The second group of components of the framework is the government as the bureaucratic system, consisting of both the institutions and the institutional arrangements. Meanwhile, existing discussions on the applications of the respective components in tourism studies are also undertaken. The conceptual model as proposed in this article, with methodological issues addressed in the literature review, can serve as a holistic framework based upon which further empirical studies can be carried out to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism of tourism policy making, particularly in the contemporary Chinese context, taking cognizance of both the significant influences of government policies on tourism development in China and the unique Chinese political and bureaucratic factors. At the same time, the particular areas where this framework can be applied in Chinese tourism policy studies are also explored.