Consensus policy formulation in tourism. Measuring resident views via survey research.

Abstract Methods available for the acquisition of data required for the tourism planning process are discussed. A reasonable degree of consensus is needed for long-term success and this can only be achieved where the planners have a thorough knowledge of the views held by the host population. A structured survey of the people of Alberta, Canada, was carried out with a view to developing a methodology capable of providing an operational basis for tourism consensus policy formulation, and of identifying significant differences within the host population. Comprehensive results providing an insight into the residents' views on all aspects of local tourism were obtained.