The involvement of district councils in tourism in England and Wales

District councils have emerged as dynamic and innovative tourism agencies since the early 1980s. The aim of this paper is to examine district council intervention in tourism in England and Wales, based on an extensive survey of local authorities at this level. The results indicate the authorities' perceptions of resources and markets, organization and involvement in tourism marketing, planning, provision and encouragement. Geographical patterns in local government involvement in tourism are not especially well-defined, reflecting the spread of tourism activity to non-traditional destinations (such as cities and heritage sites) as well as traditional destinations (such as seaside resorts). Nevertheless, some spatial patterns are apparent. Local authorities in the more traditional and peripheral regions would seem to be more responsive to new markets and resources and have a greater faith in their influence over local tourism than those in the core and non-traditional tourist regions. The study also provides a review of district councils' tourism activities in the period immediately prior to the implementation of local government reform.