Governance research has discussed the role of flexible structures and partnerships between the public and the private sector, often inviting residents and other stakeholders to become part of the process. The aim in those collaborative processes would be to strengthen acceptance decisions and a democratisation of the process and thus contribute to sustainability. However, a number of scholars have criticised governance models as eventually diminishing the role of governments and of the public sector to public management and enabler of private plans and thus enhance neoliberalism. Metagovernace has developed around that critique aiming to foster a more critical understanding of government and governance in the complex, globalised world that tourism operates.
Similarly, research around governance and resilience has focused on networks, human agency (both individual and collective), diversity, and social learning to examine policies and planning for destination sustainability. Nevertheless, also resilience has been criticised for boosting neoliberal understandings with its focus on individual agency while it might also relate to robustness and resisting change instead of transformations for sustainability.
In this research we employ a theoretical framework based on resilience, governance and metagovernace to critically discuss governance structures and strategies’ focus in Munich. We use data collected from on of the researchers during the period 2018-2022 through qualitative interviews with DMO representatives of Munich. We take this critical perspective on governance to look at Munich and the role of the local government as well as its relationship to actors (understood broadly as businesses, individuals, residents or tourists). We critically discuss also how resilience is understood in that context. We aim to contribute to the discussions of reliance and governance in tourism destinations.