Aligning institutional frameworks to achieve sustainable and balanced tourism

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the dimensions of integration between tourism policies and urban planning in Arab cities, through examining the institutional gap between the two sectors and its implications for achieving sustainable and balanced tourism development.

The paper is grounded in the assumption that the absence of coordination between institutional frameworks concerned with tourism and urban planning leads to the loss of development opportunities and the distortion of the urban fabric. It adopts a comprehensive critical review of a range of academic studies, specialized reports, and practical experiences related to urban tourism and the revitalization of urban fabric, with the objective of providing an in-depth analysis of Arab experiences in this field. This includes identifying institutional shortcomings, legislative gaps, and planning challenges that hinder effective integration between the two sectors, with particular emphasis on the dimensions that can serve as an entry point for improving coordination and enhancing efficiency in managing the interrelation between tourism and urban development.
The paper concludes by presenting a practical roadmap for integrating tourism policies with urban planning, encompassing six levels: institutional, legislative, planning, financial, community, and digital. It also highlights the proposed implementation mechanisms for each level. In addition, the paper seeks to enrich the developmental discourse on urban tourism and to strengthen policymakers’ orientation towards a participatory, integrated, and sustainable planning model.