Global Journal of Management and Business Research, F: Real Estate, Event and Tourism Management, Volume 23 Issue 3

governance practices at international and national levels. a) Tourism Governance at International Level Governance in tourism remains a laborious task because it involves a plethora of elements that need to be brought together in order to ensure its survival. It also involves a variety of players who sometimes have little understanding of what tourism is all about. This arduous task observed throughout the world is due to the fact that, the tourism industry cannot be governed as an isolated entity, because it is an organised set of interactions from which emerge the functional properties of the whole exceeding the parts. According to (Banengaï-Koyama et al., 2021), throughout the world, the tourism sector is very complex, as it brings together interdependent and inseparable activities, both tangible and intangible, such as transport networks, accommodation, catering, guided tours, not forgetting related services such as banking, insurance and security. In many countries, responsibility for tourism lies with central government. As such, its role in the governance of tourism should not be overlooked. Central government seeks to harmonise regional tourism policies to ensure that all sectors are not faced with different policies in the regions in which they operate. It is also generally involved in the development of many important policy areas such as border control or aviation arrangements, and in the development of a national brand which can provide a kind of umbrella under which sub-national brands can operate. Indeed, given the complexity of the tourism sector, in Europe, for example, the emphasis is on the stability of political institutions, because it is this ultimate stability that attracts tourists, who will then feel safe (Neumayer, 2004), unlike in African countries, where corruption and political instability cause tourism revenues to fall and reduce the number of visitors (Banengaï-Koyama et al., 2021). In terms of tourism governance, Europe continues to dominate. But new destinations, such as Croatia, the Dominican Republic and Vietnam, are emerging on the market with remarkable growth over the last decade. A study by the OECD (2010) on tourism governance in member countries reveals that governance applicable to tourism proceeds through a planning process involving many parts of the administration at national ministry level, as well as partnerships with industry and with the private sector, whose representatives are often best placed to determine the areas in which government intervention is most needed. Tourism strategies are therefore increasingly driven by the need for an integrated approach to tourism development (OCDE, 2010). In France, for example, the State implements a national policy and establishes the guiding framework for the tourism sector. The tourism sector is organised at national level by the Ministry of the Economy, Industry and the Digital Economy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development. The sector is steered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development via the Directorate General for Globalisation and Partnership Development, which is responsible for promoting France as a destination, and by the Ministry of the Economy, Industry and Digital Technologies via the Directorate General for Business, which has a sub-directorate specifically dedicated to the sector : the Tourism Sub-Directorate. These entities therefore help to guide tourism policy (Allias-Denis & Baroin, 2016). In some Asian countries, such as Japan, a cultural tourism programme has been set up based on the rationale that, in order to attract and keep more tourists coming back, it is important to provide information that is interesting and easy to follow, and to offer an experience that awakens a deep interest in the country's history and traditional culture (OECD, 2010). Let's not lose sight of the fact that nowadays, thanks to globalisation and the digital economy, many countries around the world have opted to digitise the tourism sector. The advent of the Internet has fundamentally changed the international tourism sector and its relationship with consumers. All tourism services positioned in the value chain can communicate directly with their customers. As a result, consumers are now at the heart of the value chain, rather than outside it. Consumers now have direct access to what's on offer, thanks to the websites of tourist offices, which feature advertising and the presentation of different tourism offers classified by unifying themes (cultural and historical heritage, hotel accommodation, campsites, bed and breakfasts, regional and local culinary and craft specialities, sporting and cultural activities, ecotourism, seasonal events, folklore, festivals and so on) (Mandou, 2002). A wide variety of means are available to help them make their choices. They can switch from a direct to an indirect travel distribution network, benefit from relative cost transparency online, make informed comparisons and sometimes even specify the price of the tourism product they are looking for (OECD, 2010). b) In Cameroon in Particular The purpose of the tourism sector is to stimulate a country's economic growth by creating jobs and combating poverty, on the one hand, and to preserve the cultural and natural heritage while promoting the empowerment of local communities, on the other (UNCTAD, 2017). Some emerging and developing countries have made tourism their primary export activity. For this reason, governments are creating a legal framework to support and develop this sector. Tourism Governance in Cameroon and the Challenges of Modernity : An Overview Global Journal of Management and Business Research ( F ) XXIII Issue III Version I Year 2023 17 © 2023 Global Journals