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496 regulatory agency
tion ± the primary Acts of Parliament ± tend to
create the general framework and strategy for
dealing with issues, allowing for the development of
further, detailed rules at a later stage by delegated
authorities. Traditionally this delegation has been
given by statute to the government and the
detailed rules thus created within guidelines set out
in the statute are known as regulations. However,
while it is the government which formally promulgates
regulations, it is the minister responsible for
the subject concerned who has the carriage of
them. In turn, it is the public servants under the
minister who consult experts in the field and draft
the regulations. One advantage of this is that
theoretically the detailed standards can be altered
more quickly as need dictates without being
delayed in the formal procedures of parliament.
Other statutory procedures exist which have
developed in recent times into more subtle and
accommodating processes for allowing a degree of
negotiation, user input and even self-regulation.
The starting point is the licensing procedures
under various resource legislation. For example,
environment protection authorities grant authorisations
to undertake environmentally sensitive,
polluting activities on the basis of flexible responses
to the need to achieve a certain limit on the flow of
pollutants into the environment. Higher production
of pollutants may be allowed, for instance,
over the first six months on the basis of an
undertaking of safe storage in return for the cleanup
of past usage areas to new, stricter standards
and development of procedures to deal with
stored waste and maintain output thereafter at or
below the usual standard. Environment protection
legislation explicitly recognises this flexibility by
encouraging firms to undertake voluntary environmental
audits and for entering into environment
performance agreements and environment improvement
programmes of a contractual nature
between the company and the authority. The
original model for these consensual agreements
can be seen in heritage agreements which
allowed property owners to become willing protectors
of heritage sites in return for some
government assistance. Such agreements are now
used even for vegetation protection, and are the
forerunners of agreements and management plans
which encourage rural landowners to become
involved in and initiate the protection of their
properties against degradation in cooperation with
government agencies. During recent years, tourism
has more clearly understood its relationship in
respect to this theme and the resulting benefits
when policing its own plans and operations.
See also: conservation; precautionary principle;
preservation
DUNCAN HARTSHORNE, AUSTRALIA
regulatory agency
All countries have laws that influence the tourism
industry. Many of these laws are administered by
regulatory agencies. For instance, in the United
States a number of agencies have responsibility for
the quality of food. The United States Department
of Agriculture regulates the grading and
inspection of foodstuffs; the Food and Drug
Administration regulates food labelling and packaging,
adulteration and misbranding; and the
United States Department of Commerce operates
a voluntary grading system and inspection
process for fish and fish products.
See also: Federal Aviation Administration
relationship marketing
PETER JONES, UK
Relationship marketing is the business process of
establishing, developing and maintaining mutually
beneficial relationships with customers ± and also
with suppliers and other stakeholders ± on a longterm
basis. The objective is to learn about
customers and to develop and maintain a continuos
relationship which does not expire after, for
example, the hotel guest checks out. This is done
through the use of database marketing and
provision of customer-oriented services.
MARCO ANTONIO ROBLEDO, SPAIN