Administrative Principles for National Tourism Organizations

This thesis builds on the findings of the “NTO MARKET ORIENTATION PROJECT”, done in cooperation with the OECD Tourism Committee, The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry, and the Norwegian Research Council. The purpose of the thesis is to investigate alternative approaches to create incentives for National Tourism Organizations (NTOs) to become more market oriented, to allow such organizations to adapt a long-term planning perceptive, and give the organizations operational freedom to work on the tasks they are supposed to do. We believe these aspects will have an importance for the organizations’ market performance and the performance of the tourism industry NTOs promote. Based on the analyses of a survey completed during the summer of 1999, we have attempted to make policy recommendations that will be usable for both NTOs and National Tourist Authorities/Administrations (NTAs). We are confident that these recommendations will be of interest for the formation of tourism policy in most OECD countries and other countries interested in these issues.