The tourism industry is characterised by a highly competitive global market. Research suggests networks and clusters are efficient tools providing a framework for small and medium-sized tourism enterprises with opportunities to operate in this competitive environment. The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential contribution of clusters and networks in the field of rural tourism business. A review of the literature on the contribution of clusters to tourism destination and tourism business management and marketing is followed by three case studies of rural tourism-related projects in Greece. These case studies focus on the main management and marketing issues. Various management and marketing issues are investigated; the achievements and problems are stressed, and the factors crucial to the success of these rural tourism business clusters are identified. The paper provides recommendations for local planners and destination managers to enable them to successfully operate suc...

The purpose of this paper is to uncover the importance of the combination of the global promotion of the image of the Alonnisos National Marine Park through place marketing procedures. The main source used is a research program carried out by the Laboratory of Tourism Planning, Research and Policy from the Department of Planning and Regional Development, University of Thessaly. The goals of the program are the incorporation of the park into an international network of tourism promotion aimed at the strengthening and specialization of tourist attractions, as well as the development of the politics of dialogue between the relevant organisations and the local population.

This study is an interdisciplinary examination of Underwater Visitor-Accessible Archaeological Sites (UVAASs) and other organized diving sites including Diving Parks (DPs) and modern wrecks, with a short overview of their current status, focusing on the significant contributions of diving tourism to sustainable development and sustainable protection of the natural and cultural environment; a statistical evaluation of the results of the Greek Law 3409/2005 on the diving tourism in Greece; and discussing exceptional established UVAASs as well as DPs, as new tools and their benefits. We look at the problems facing these and propose immediate, specific and achievable solutions, particularly on the requirement that DPs must be located further than 3 nautical miles from UVAASs, a provision without merit and destructive for both institutions; the fact that tourists must be accompanied by civil servants, which has rendered UVAASs non-functional and meaningless. We propose fundamental institutional solutions to help deregulate and improve diving tourism in all countries. These include making use of existing, expert and monitored human resources in the sector (Greece maintains a Register of Providers of scuba diving services in accordance to Law 3409/2005 and we propose that this become a Chamber and that these providers work at DPs and UVAASs); instituting accompanied diving as a protection measure (empowering providers of diving services to accompany visitors to organized diving areas, notifying the Authorities digitally, so there is ongoing monitoring of the providers and the activity); creating a national and international network of organized diving areas (to provide opportunities for exchange of information, expertise and best practices; to contribute to sustainable regional development; to support the economy; and to protect, preserve and promote underwater antiquities, the environment, biodiversity and modern wrecks).

This paper examines how governance arrangements for marine conservation tourism in the new regency of Raja Ampat, Indonesia, have evolved as a result of Indonesia's decentralization policy and what role NGOs have played in this process. The analysis shows that over a period of two decades NGOs have played a major co-governance role by informing and mobilizing local communities, by establishing and managing marine protected areas, as well as by supporting the technical and financial capacity of the newly established regional government of Raja Ampat. Over time a patchwork of non-state governance and open co-governance arrangements in marine conservation tourism transformed into more integrated closed co-governance arrangements, in which state authority became more important. NGOs, however, continue to play a pivotal role in marine conservation tourism governance arrangements, even now that a recentralization in Indonesia's marine conservation governance is likely to take place.

The contribution of tourism to the world economy has grown so fast in recent years and it has become one of the leading foreign exchange awareness earners for many countries. With a growing interest to spend leisure time in nature and increasing of environmentalism, ecotourism has become one of the fastest-growing segments of the tourism industry (United Nations, 2001). Compared with mass or ‘old’ tourism, ecotourism is touted as providing better sectoral linkages, reducing leakage of benefits out of the country, creating local employment, and fostering sustainable development (Belsky, 1999; Khan, 1997). Thus, it has been popularly promoted as a means of reconciling wildlife conservation with economic development, particularly in developing countries (Campbell, 2002). Ecotourism is characterized by its natural attractions, wildlife and wilderness habitats. Many countries favor ecotourism as a form of economic development as it is perceived as a low impact form of tourism. Ecotourism operations are generally small-scale and relatively easy to set up. Carefully planned and operated ecotourism sites, especially if it is village-based and includes local participation, is able to provide direct benefits that might offset pressure from other less sustainable activities that make use of natural and cultural resources. Community-based Tourism is used to describe a variety of activities that encourage and support a wide range of objectives in economic and social development and conservation. Related to the increased sense of environmental and social responsibility in tourism plus sustainability, community-based tourism is also gaining popularity as part of strategies for conservation and development (The Mountain Institute, 2000).