Tourism metagovernance and the role of the state: Insights from post-blast Beirut

Abstract

This paper examines the institutionalised interests and values that underpin tourism governance (i.e., tourism metagovernance), to explain why certain governance arrangements appear and how they function. We examined the redevelopment of Beirut's tourism-dependent Mar Mikhael and Gemmayze neighbourhoods in the aftermath of the 2020 port blast. The chaotic post-disaster setting reflected and amplified the ineffectiveness of the already existing, strongly intertwined, metagovernance of urban development and urban tourism in Beirut. The state's absence resulted in enhanced community vulnerability, uncoordinated donor-led disaster responses, and limited strategic rebuilding of tourism and cultural activities. Even when the state as a key governance intermediary is absent, its relational and institutional roles affect tourism metagovernance and, therefore, influence the resilience of tourism governance and development.