Abstract

This chapter seeks to examine the formal network relationships that influence the tourism policy making process. In order to illustrate the complexities of the tourism policy making process and the importance of networks within this context, the chapter provides an empirical analysis of formal tourism policy networks in two Caribbean countries – Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. The contributions of this chapter are that it provides both theoretical and methodological approaches for understanding the tourism policy making process. It suggests that policy making is a process that involves certain inputs of policy actors and an output of articulated policies in policy statements. In both Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago,the low influence of community actors belies the governments’ commitment to sustainable, responsible and more inclusive tourism development as enumerated in their tourism policy documents. In order to achieve this vision for tourism development there is a need for both countries to seek to develop and implement strategies that can empower communities so that they can potentially, have greater influence in tourism policy making and by extension, tourism development. With limited community involvement Jamaica’s tourism vision for an “inclusive, world class, distinctly Jamaican” industry can be challenged.