Resumen de Do tourism policy tools boost local tourism development?: the case of Portuguese municipalities

Claudia Costa, António Tavares

• Based on market failures theory and the tools approach, this research extends the analysis of local governments intervention in tourism activity, exploring the relationship between tourism policy tools and the development of local tourism (Duncan, 1995; Cooper & Flehr, 2006; Blake & Sinclair, 2007). The engagement of the public sector in the development of tourist destinations is seen as understandable, in particular, the case of local initiatives aiming at the mitigation of tourism market failures (Elliott, 2002; Pearce, 2011). The goal of this research is to identify which tourism policy tools provide the greatest contribution to the development of local tourism in Portuguese municipalities.