Quality of Life and Public Policy Development for Tourism Destinations

Abstract

The nexus between tourism and quality of life (QoL) has been widely discussed in the literature. There is an extensive research that examines the connection between tourism activities and QoL. Although the existing studies converge in that QoL and well-being should be incorporated and made a central aspect of tourism policies and strategies, the current literature lacks an integrated comprehensive approach to how QoL can be incorporated into tourism decision-making. Tourism decision-making organizations have yet to integrate QoL into the assessment of important strategy-related benchmarks (e.g., performance, tourism satellite accounts, demand, and resource integration). Thus, the objective of this article is to offer a conceptual framework integrating QoL and tourism public policy. The suggested model provides guidelines regarding the implementation of QoL at different stages of policy development. The framework will provide a guide for tourism destinations in formulating and implementing policies with a focus on improving the community’s QoL.