Stakeholder conflict and involvement in Aviemore

Extract: Several key tourism authors highlight the growing need for both stakeholder collaboration and community involvement in tourism development. The Highland resort of Aviemore suffered a period of dilapidation in the 1990's which saw a dramatic fall in reinvestment and visitor numbers. The beginning of the 21st century has seen levels of investment including the establishment of the Macdonald Aviemore Highland Resort however there have been reports of a level of conflict between this resort and the residents of Aviemore. This chapter investigates the levels of stakeholder conflict in Aviemore and the impact that this has or may have on the destination. The chapter also examines the level of stakeholder collaboration in its development and the general levels of development of Aviemore. Semi-structured interviews were used with 10 key stakeholder groups in Aviemore including public sector authorities, private sector businesses and with the Aviemore Highland Resort. A further 23 short survey interviews were conducted with residents of Aviemore which aimed to investigate opinions and attitudes towards the Aviemore Highland Resort. The results indicated that in regards to the development of Aviemore, there have been considerable levels of rejuvenation since the 1990's and the forecasted decline in skiing is not believed to be of a great threat to tourism in the area. However results into the development of the Aviemore Highland Resort supported the previously mentioned report of the resort-community conflict. This was said to be a result of the resort's poor public relations with the community and a lack of involvement in decision making. The chapter makes recommendations for the application of stakeholder collaboration theory as a way of implementing stakeholder involvement and to improve the resort-community relationship.