This article explores the impact of governance on destination development, focusing on public-private relations, formal and informal networks as well as resource dependencies. The empirical contribution is based on a single case study of the Swedish ski resort of Åre. In the concluding section, some of the results are developed into suggestions about if and how the governance structure matters in terms of performance. The results indicate that trustful public-private relations, joint risk-taking, informal structures and strategic consensus can have a positive impact on the level of growth in a destination.