Stakeholders in Maldives Tourism—Power, Legitimacy, Urgency, and Negotiation/Collaboration

ABSTRACT

This study deploys stakeholder theory and social exchange theory to investigate the long‐term viability of domestic resort tourism in the Republic of Maldives. Three variables were identified to assess the relationship between stakeholders: power, urgency, and legitimacy. To explain how stakeholders view themselves and their peers, a participant survey was administered for the gathering of data. The findings informed the extent of collaboration and/or negotiation around the development of domestic resort tourism. Different levels of power, legitimacy, and urgency were evident between local residents, resort management, government regulatory bodies, NGO/associations, and the media. The deployment of stakeholder theory offers insights about the importance of effective stakeholder relations. Against a backdrop of top‐end international tourism, such relationships will be essential for developing a domestic resort tourism sector in the Maldives.