National tourism organization and administration

National tourism organizations (NTOs) or administrations (NTAs) are country-level organizations established to foster or guide the development of tourism. In some countries and studies, the term NTA is reserved for national organizations having mainly administrative functions, while NTO refers to those having other national-level functions, particularly international marketing. However, the usage of these terms does vary, and international comparisons must be made carefully as these organizations take various forms, perform a range of functions, and evolve over time.

A core function is to provide policy and strategic advice to national governments. Other functions include international and domestic marketing, planning, research, development, regulation, and quality assurance (Pearce 1992). In some instances, all or most of these functions are undertaken by a single national organization. In other cases, not all functions are performed, or functions are distributed among two or more...