Abstract

MACHADO, Virgílio Miguel  and  COSTA, Carlos Manuel Martins da. Tourism systems and power: an overall view to tourism accommodation law. Encontros Científicos [online]. 2009, n.5, pp.9-24. ISSN 1646-2408.

The problem raised by this research was based on a wide revision of literature on Tourism, Organisations, Power, Law and its projections and inter-relations, that has allowed us to establish the concept of ‘tourism accommodation enterprises’ as power organizations. The concept constitutes a comprehensive picture of an organisation, as well as a power system which can be applicable to Tourism. It was made operational through variables that allow the maintenance and reproduction of those system’s relations. The variables, based on system elements and juridical and economical efficiency measures, allowed a static and dynamic evaluation of the power systems, including an understanding of the network of connections between Law and Economics, established in the maximization, efficiency and effectiveness of those same systems. The methodology of the paper has highlighted the detection of homologies in the functioning of power systems, resorting to the historical and structural methods, and in their usage in tourism accommodation law and tourist territorial administration plans of Madeira and Azores. That order is characterized by the concentration of power efficiency variables in resort organizations, with consequent apprehension of regulatory power of the State in favour of market organizations, thus harming the tourism systems, the tourism organisations and the maximization of the benefits to society, attained from Law´s planning and development processes.

Keywords : Organisations; Power Systems; Tourist Territorial Administration; Tourism Accommodation Law.

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