In m any of the form er socialist countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), the concept of developing wider involvement w ithin decision making-processes remains inherently problem atic. Prior to 1989, public participation was a limited and often ignored aspect of policy making. However, m ore recently throughout the region, tourist agencies, new regional organisations, a range of non-governmental organisations, and community groups have em erged in response to potential growth in new tourism industries, thus expanding the number of stakeholders involved. This paper investigates collaboration and partnership working in two rural regions of Bulgaria and Romania, countries unable to m atch the perform ance of their CEE counterparts w here tourism development is concerned. It provides a reflective analysis of achievem ents within a fram ew ork of prerequisites to successful partnership working. A lthough both examples illustrate the emergence of new development practices, the paper questions their sustainability. The analysis identifies a num ber of elements, comm on to both cases, that illustrate the need to focus the evaluation of partnership w orking on long-term processes rather than short-term , m ore m easurable outcom es.

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. a focus of tourist activity and is widely considered a compulsory part of any visit to Prague. In short, there is clearly a definable historic core which has long been the overwhelming focus of tourist activity in the city (see Fig. 1).Since the collapse of communism at the end of the 1980s, cities in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe have undergone a process of rapid transition. With the opening up of these countries to the influence of mass international tourism, related land-use change in historic city centres has emerged as a key aspect of post-socialist urban restructuring. Whilst sharing common themes, the impact of tourism in historic cities is inherently place specific. Prague's historic env¢onment is imbued with significant social, political and cultural meanings, which have become all the more important as the Czech Republic struggles to maintain its cultural identity within the processes of globalization and European integraiion.The complex intelplay of tourism and historic preservation lies at the centre of the management of urban conflict in historic European cities (Ashworth and Tunbridge, 1990). In the first instance, tourism can be regarded as a threat to the historic fabric. Conversely, however, the economic gains incurred by tourism's accompanying development can directly and indirectly finance the required conservation measures. iC 1999 The Royal Geographical Society PRAGUE, KNOWN AS 'THE CITY OF A HUNDRED SPIRES', has a historic built environment which is internationally renowned for its quality and unique ambience. The central area comprises four towns. Hradcany, the castle district, is located at the top of a hill on the western side of the River Vltava which runs through the heart of the city. Mala Strana, the Lesser Quarter, which was established during the earliest years of growth of Prague, spreads downhill from Hradcany to the banks of the Vltava. Further south of Mala Strana, the treecovered Petrin hill overlooks the Vltava, its open aspect contrasting with the medieval close-knit street pattern of the adjacent built up area. Stare Mesto, the Old Town, which lies across from Mala Strana on the eastern bank of the Vltava, is the largest of the four historic towns. Staromestske namesti forms its centre, where the Old Town Hall and the astronomical clock are the focus of tourist attention. Josefov, theJewish Quarter, although officially within Stare Mesto, maintains a history and identity of its own despite comprehensive redevelopment having been carried out at the end of the nineteenth century. The Charles Bridge links the streets which make up 'Karlova' (the Kings' Way) to form a central route linking the castle in Hradcany with the Municipal H...

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This paper aims to: critically evaluate the notion, role and use of local 'community'; assess the concept of community-based tourism development within a rural context; examine the role of partnerships, collaboration and networks in embedding small and medium enterprise-based tourism and recreation development within rural 'communities'; and evaluate the implications of such processes for rural development. It is indicated that rural tourism must be integrated with community-based development initiatives. Collaboration and cooperation are required of businesses in the development of networks, partnerships and regional bodies that can work in collective interest.