Public-private partnership and strategic documents for the development of regional tourism : an example of the voivodships in northern Poland

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to identify the place of public-private partnership in strategic documents of the local government policy of the voivodships of Northern Poland and – if PPP exists – to identify potential areas of its impact on the life of local communities.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The basic method used in this study is the analysis of the literature and the content of regional strategic documents in terms of identifying the partnership assumptions, on the one hand, and creating changes in the selected areas of tourism management and the quality of life of local communities.

FINDINGS: Public-private partnership is indicated as an important management instrument, including tourism in the studied voivodeships of Northern Poland. The provisions in the strategic documents of these administrative units do not provide sufficiently strong grounds for recognizing that this instrument will be widely used in the implementation of the assumptions of the region's strategy.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The results of this research may be a suggestion for a wider inclusion of public-private partnership both in the implementation of the current regional strategies and in the process of developing similar documents for future periods.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The article contributes to the discussion concerning the role of public-private partnership for socio-economic development of regions. Author of this work is aware that it would be worthwhile to conduct the study in a dynamic perspective, i.e. at the implementaion and monitoring stage, which would allow, to identify the real interest of regional governments on PPP in the toursim sector. However, this study reveals a gap in the scientific discussion about the place of public-private partnership in strategic documents at the voivodeship level in Poland.