David Andrews | The challenge of collaboration, partnership and trust: Assessing the operations of destination management organisations. A case study of tourism in Yorkshire (2001-211)

Supervisors: Professor Chris Cooper, Professor Jonathan Long and Professor Rhodri Thomas

David is a Lecturer in the Business School and part-time PhD student in the Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Management.

My research focuses on trust and power, using the social exchange perspective. The period from 2001 to 2011 was one of increased investment in tourism by the government-funded Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) in England, including the restructuring of the local tourism networks. Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) were created or re-shaped to form more dynamic private/public partnerships to assist the tourism industry to grow. Through semi-structured interviews with players involved in the Yorkshire DMO model, I explore the impact of shared goals, along with the personal disposition and the relationship stage of individuals and organisations. I scrutinise the effects of power and the local context on trustworthiness and the degree of commitment to collaboration by those in the partnership. My research offers an opportunity to consider whether there are lessons to be learned for transferring such practices more widely which may help make partnerships more sustainable in the tourism sector.