Adaptive Co-Management for Regional Tourism Governance Under the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Greater Bay Area, China

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study examined the process of adaptive co-management (ACM) among actors and institutions in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) in China to rejuvenate the region’s tourism recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 19 key informants from various government departments within the region. Results demonstrated how actors and flexible institutions at multiple geographical scales and levels had joined efforts to cope with the various phases of uncertainty through a learning-by-doing process. Several essential factors leading to the success of the learning process within the region, its positive outcomes, and barriers encountered. This study contributed to understanding how the region, through ACM, was able to balance the pandemic control measures and restoration of its tourism industry during the crisis. Practical suggestions were also offered.摘要本研究探讨了中国大湾区 (GBA) 的各参与者和机构如何通过适应性协同管理（ACM）使其旅游业从新冠疫情大流行中复苏。研究对大湾区各政府部门的 19 位关键信息提供者进行了定性深度访谈。结果阐明了不同地理范围和级别的参与者和机构是如何通过边做边学的过程联手应对不同阶段的疫情带来不确定性。研究还阐述了导致该地区学习过程成功的重要因素、其正面成果以及学习过程中存在的障碍。本研究有助于理解大湾区如何通过 适应性协同管理平衡其疫情控制措施和在危机中恢复旅游业的努力。同时，研究也提供了一些实用的建议KEYWORDS: Adaptive co-managementCOVID-19 pandemicuncertaintiesregional and cross-border collaborationsGreater Bay areaChina关键词: 适应性协同管理新冠疫情不确定性区域和跨境合作大湾区中国 Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationFundingThe research is an institutional research collaboration between Macao Institute for Tourism Studies (IFTM) and Sun-Yat-Sen University, and is funded by IFTM under proposal 236/DP/2020 and supported by the IFTM Tourism Research Centre (ITRC).Notes on contributorsPenny Yim King WanPenny Yim King Wan is Professor in School of Tourism Management at the Macao Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao SAR, China. Her research interests include tourism governance and policy, tourism planning, accessible tourism, and integrated resort management (E-mail: pennywan@iftm.edu.mo).Jie LiJie Li is Associate Professor in School of Tourism Management at Sun Yat-Sen University, China. Her research interests include tourism development, health, and risk (E-mail: lijie269@mail.sysu.edu.cn).Virginia Meng-Chan LauVirginia Meng-Chan Lau is Assistant Professor in School of Tourism Management at the Macao Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao SAR, China. Her research interests include organizational behavior, branding, and tourism development (E-mail: virginia@iftm.edu.mo).Xiangping LiXiangping Li is Assistant Professor in School of Tourism Management at Macao Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao SAR, China. Her research interests include sustainable tourism development, tourist behavior, tourist experiences and destination marketing (E-mail: xiangping@iftm.edu.mo).