Abstract
Leadership in tourism management plays a critical role in shaping stakeholder interactions, fostering coopetition, and ensuring sustainable destination development. This paper explores the impact of public-sector leadership on coopetition among tourism stakeholders in postcolonial developing economies, with a specific focus on the Grand Agadir region. The findings reveal that while the literature emphasizes transformational, ethical, and participatory leadership as essential for fostering innovation and stakeholder engagement, leadership in the region remains predominantly bureaucratic and hierarchical. Conceptual ambiguity, weak communication, and postcolonial administrative structures contribute to a form of delusional leadership, where decision-makers perceive their leadership as effective despite structural inefficiencies and limited and ineffective stakeholder engagement. This study contributes to the discourse on leadership and coopetition by highlighting the need for inclusive and adaptive leadership approaches to address postcolonial leadership challenges.