Abstract

The increasing need to forge partnerships to accomplish collective and organisational goals in tourism has been theorized at length in recent literature. However, limited research has been published to apply such ideas to existing collaborative forms. Within the context of inland waterway boating holidays in Britain this paper explores the inter-organisational behaviour of a contemporary case, the inland Waterways consortium, an initiative led by the British Tourist Authority. The paper considers the findings of a series of in-depth interviews and survey work with members of the inland Waterways consortium, which is comprised of local authorities, government agencies, and private firms. Theoretical contributions from the literature are used throughout to identify predictive possibilities and advance existing knowledge of the internal dynamics of an inter-organisational collaborative tourism initiative. The first half of the paper compares theoretical perspectives on the origin and development of collaborative action to the genesis and development of the Waterways case. The second half of the paper addresses the inter-organisational dynamics and structure of the inland Waterways consortium with consideration of the future potential of this new collaborative entity. The paper concludes with a set of specific recommendations for the consortium as well as offering general directions for future research.