An analysis carried out in 2015 by the World Travel & Tourism Council, on government tourism policies, surveyed the various designations of the ministries in which Tourism was integrated.
Of the 41 countries studied at the time, it appears that there were a total of 10 countries with the designation of “Ministry of Tourism” in their governing structure, and of the rest, most consider Tourism in the Ministries of Economy, Industry and of Commerce.
There are also references to links with Transport and Civil Aviation. And there are also some countries where Tourism is associated with Cultural Heritage, Arts and Sport.
In our neighboring Spain, which is one of the world's top tourist destinations, the Ministry is called the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism.
Portugal, until today, had a single Ministry of Tourism, under the leadership of Telmo Correia, with an ephemeral duration of close to one year, during the term of the XVI Constitutional Government (2004 to 2005), whose Assistant Secretary of State – Carlos Martins – had its base in the Algarve.
The tradition, over time, has been the integration of Tourism into the Ministry of Economy, with rare cases of State Secretariats directly reporting to the 1st Minister.
From 1976 to 1981, from 1983 to 1985, from 1985 to 1987, and from 1990 to 1995, we had the Ministry of Commerce and Tourism. Among the Secretaries of State who remained in office longer is Dr. Victor Cabrita Neto (1995 to 1999).
In addition to those already mentioned, Dr. Luís Filipe Madeira was also Under-Secretary of State for Tourism, replacing Álvaro Barreto, when he assumed the position of Minister of Commerce and Tourism in the 23st Constitutional Government. Luís Filipe Madeira left the executive on January 1978, 30. We have counted almost 1974 secretaries of state since XNUMX.
Does ministry mean a greater degree of commitment?
The speed of transformation of this activity and its global economic weight have led many countries to determine, in their governance models, increasingly divergent forms of organization.
More incipient stages of development give the public sector a dominant weight in determining tourism policy, but from the 80s onwards, the process of economic globalization led us to models increasingly based on public and private partnerships. In Portugal, in 2013, an Interministerial Commission for Tourism was created.
Will the autonomy of the Ministry of Tourism mean a greater degree of government policy commitment to the development of Tourism?
According to the WTTC and its analysis report, this is not an observable fact. The Travel and Tourism sector needs to have physical, legal, fiscal and social support, as well as the environment to develop sustainably, offering benefits to all parties involved, including the community.
France will have been a pioneering country by creating, in 1910, a National Tourism Council, which included more than 300 top members of tourism-related organizations, supporting the decision-making of politicians with responsibilities in the sector over several decades.
In the last 20 years, however, this Council has lost vitality, and has been replaced by the Tourism Promotion Council, which depends on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Certainly it seems to be that, among the main concerns of tourism policy, should be issues such as: infrastructure; incentives for private investment; accessibility and facilities for circulation and obtaining visas; policies that promote sustained growth in demand; and a smart tax policy (WTTC, 2015). And I would also add the dimension of the qualification of the sector's human capital.
The inability to participate in the Council of Ministers is often alleged as an incapacitating element for decision-making and for the development of inter-ministerial policies. In our opinion, the ability to influence decisions on Tourism does not depend on having an autonomous Ministry.
The establishment of inter-ministerial means of communication, recognized forms of communication and collaboration between the various levels of administration, and clear mechanisms for exchange and consultation between the public and private sectors are essential factors.
Approaches such as Australia, in which all agents (public and private) participate in defining the strategy and actions to be developed, in a holistic and integrated manner, are among the most widely mentioned success cases.
Finally, a note just to acknowledge that, if Ana Mendes Godinho's appointment as Minister of Tourism is confirmed, she will be the first woman to occupy this position in the history of the Governments of Portuguese Democracy. Best wishes for good luck!
Author: Alexandra R. Goncalves
Professor and Researcher at ESGHT/University of Algarve
Tourism in the governments of the world:
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