Stakeholder collaboration: A means to the success of rural tourism destinations? A critical evaluation of the existence of stakeholder collaboration within the Mournes, Northern Ireland

Tourism has long been pursued by governments as a means of development in rural areas. Negatively, rural areas have certain characteristics that inhibit their ability to achieve the full benefits of tourism. Consequently, many rural tourism destinations to date have found that the benefits to be gained are over-stated. Stakeholder collaboration has been deemed critical for the success of sustainable tourism. In fact, in the context of rural tourism destinations stakeholder collaboration can be particularly advantageous in addressing specific factors relevant to rural tourism destinations that may inhibit the success of the destination. However, successful attempts to implement stakeholder collaboration have been limited. A growing body of literature reveals that successful stakeholder collaboration relies on numerous elements, which have to be incorporated for the success of the process. The paper reveals how simply attempting to implement stakeholder collaboration is not enough for its success, instead various components need to be incorporated throughout the continuous process, in particular attention is paid to establishing trust across the various stakeholder group.