The coordination of the tourism market through patron-client relationships

Abstract

During the course of research in the Hungarian region of Szatmár I investigated patterns of cooperation between actors in the field of tourism and looked into whether collaboration comes into being spontaneously, or if it is enforced. My findings suggest that wide cooperation with market actors does not arise spontaneously: good organizers who have authority and who are willing to enforce cooperation are needed. In this paper I illustrate a special example of enforced cooperation: in the village of Szatmárcseke, collaboration between actors is systematically organized by the mayor of the settlement. The leader of the village, having social authority, provides advice, convinces or even puts pressure on ‘potential entrepreneurs’ to enter the market. While this research site is exceptional, taking into consideration the depth and extent of the influence of central direction-giving it exemplifies well how market mechanisms can be completed through patron-client relationships.