A Level CIE Travel and Tourism: Destination Development and Management

195

parties involved in destinations development and management

• host population - local communities

• visitors - people who come to visit destination for leisure or business

• industry representatives - including NTOs, DMCs, NGOs that are present in the destination

tourism development

growth and maintenance of various aspects of the tourism industry e.g. creating tourist product from a basic idea to achieving the final outcome such as new hotel or resort.

policies and planning

integral to successful tourism development, as is working in partnership w diff sectors

strategies

must be made to boost and sustain tourism development in all destinations. 

organisations involved in destination management:

• national or local gov depts

• local authorities regional tourism orgs

• international companies (dmcs)

• ngos

• commercial orgs

what do govs, ministries and ntos do

they play an important role in encouraging tourism development. assist with development of tourist attractions and events and promote the destination as well as support development by providing essential infrastructure: access, services and amenities that allow dest to grow

• strategic development

• research, funding and budgets

• setting priorities and objs

strategic development

• govs have responsibility for managing tourism within budget

• provide research, development, funding in order to fulfil successful sustainable tourism strategy for destination

• aim to minimise negative impacts of tourism and maximise positive

• protect envionment while encouraging investment and develop econ bens of tourism

• NTOs can protect and manage areas by supporting passing of laws and by-laws such as designating area as national park or area of outstanding antural beauty (AONB). 

• encourage new bus and innovations to expand tourism provision to both mass and specialised/niche markets

• gov mins and ntos employ key mkting strats to develop tourisma dn rpomote positive images of area. 

• developing strong dest image is vital to promoting it to as many tourists as possible. 

• retaining tourism numbers and encouraging repeat visitors essential

research, funding, and budgets

• ntos rely on good research to show performance and collect data to see trends and improve prods and services by sharing w regional and local orgs. helps remain competitive.

• govs fund nto and offer grants to support regional and local tourism orgs and amt depends on econ wellbeing

• funds reduced if unfavourable global trends e.g. covid but other places e..g visit scotland offered support pakcages to tourism groups to help ensure survival at time hwen travel restrictions where orgs could share to receive money.

• each gov and nto keeps detailedd records of income and expenditure and responsible for setting and overseeing budgets w accurate targets e.g. on r&d and liaise w other orgs lcoal and regoinal to attarct more vis and generate more income = stronger econ

• gov collect taxes annually which is spent on public services + tourism industry

• amt money given often fluctuates and this means that each org must carefully plan how they spend their allocated money e.g. mkting, bus dev and supporting smaller toursim orgs thru adivec and guidance.

setting priorities and objectives

• govs have many priorities and objs

• attempt to strengthen their economy and improve lives and wellbeing of all citizens

• govs can take advantage of econ bens by encouraging tourism development and promo

• ntos try to stim demand for tourism thru r&d to assess potential markets

• prioritise mkting and promo work to encourage visitors to their destination.

• may also include supporting recovery after natural disaster, global econ recession or terrorist activity

what do local authorities and regional tourism organisations do

gov funded orgs that provide a service to both local and visiting pops. engage in activities that help boost image of local area and serviecs thru mkting and promo campaigns. ensure services provided for locals and businesses through overseeing land use planning, planning control, infrastructrue dev and control, and visitor mgement.

• land use planning

• planning control

• local infrastructure and dev control

• regional and local promo and mkting

• visitor mgement

land use planning

• process of regulating use of land

• prevents undesirable use of land and helps encourage better use of environmental resources

• land use planners consider both social nad environmental issues and attempt to make areas less congested and more sustainable

• there are 6 objs that can be carefully monitored

• prevents unwanted devs and ensures efficient use of land and resources

planning control

• local authorities can approve/refuse plans req by tourism devs

• oversee mgment of land and buildings to prevent inappropriate devs

• usually consultation process where plans are displayed for interested groups to assess suitability of new dev or change in function or operation e.g. factory → heritage

• regional tourism orgs can offer advice on completing plannig applications 

• planning reqs many permissions esp if dev involves tourist accom

• lcoals unhappy at proposal for new hotel if near residential area as more cars and visitors

• sensitive areas or environmental significant may have restrictions for any devs e.g. national park

local infrastructure development and control

• major infrastructrue devs in towns and cities allow for improvements in access and amenities that could support and develop employment opportunities

• tourism customers need good access to and around destinations otherwise cant visit and go elsewhere

• locals liaise w gov to organise building of power supplies including gas electric water hydro solar wind and thermal (sunstaionable)

• locals oversee work of waste collection, sewerage plants and sometimes destination plants

• develop sustainable transport e.g. electrib buses

• improve visitor and local lives

regional and local promotion and marketing

• carry sig amt of marketing and promo of dest. many local authorities brand destination to create image w strong identity or perceived identity = greater customer interest and dest propserity

• mkting promo forms: newspaper ads, competitions, magazines and journal ads, local or regional radio ads, public relations local stories, tv, online social media web blogs, cinema ads, billboards.

• work w nat govs and nat tourist boards so no duplication of efforts

visitor management

• each local and regional authority researches own area to assess and most visit places and manage environmentally sensitive sites

• tics used to educate tourists abt sensitive sites and give advice on how to prevent further damage

• local tourism vital to regional economy thru jobs and wealth but if too many visit can spoil resource and visitor experience

• authorities anticipate tourism demand thru data collection. fluctuates naturally thru seaosns, capcity and time of day but needs to be managed flows to ensure benefits

• most common managing = pricing mechanisms = entrace fees or parking. park and ride schemes → car park to bus so lses environmental impact.

• carying capcity = limited no. visitors to protect env. group sizes restricted in sensitiev areas and permits needed e.g. grand canyon usa

ngos

charitable ventures that rely on donations from their various supporters. they support a particular cause e.g. animal protection, empowering women in business or supporting responsible cultural and environmental issues. can support activities that increase profile of local dest

examples of ngos

wwf - focus on protecting environment, using renewable resources and reducing pollution and they encourage more local travel for holidays by asking tourists to reduce no. flights taken and supprot socio-cultural environmental protection of landscape

other:

• center for responsible travel (CREST)

• destination stewardship center

• green destinations

• sustainable travel international

• tourism cares

• the travel foundation

come together to set sustainability standards, prevent negative climate change and encourage ppl and orgs to act repsonsibily and protect resources.

ngo 6 functions

• research, fund raise, develop and finance projects

• provide specialist knowledge and expert staff to oversee projects

• provide guidance in regional planning for projcets

• provide assistance w training and education of local communities

• promote awareness of political, environmental, and socio-cultural issues

• promote awareness of demand for specialised tourism products

provide specialist knowledge and expert staff to oversee projects

• many ngos have highly qualified staff who can give advice and suggest practical solutions to new and established tourism orgs or communities

• conservation experts can provide alternative strats for local community to protect endangered elephants e.g. in asia, ngos support elephant rescue centres and fight illegal elephant tourist work

• ngo staff can give advice and suppport to help monitor and fund protected elephant habitats

• working w experts, local comm can establish good sustianable practices and learn solutions for future to protect their land and animals

provide guidance in regional planning for projects

• regional planning includes diff land use projects and activities that help to develop and grow an area including building of infrastructure to support rural or urban landscape and development of resrots,, shopping centres, offices and housing.

• ngos have an interest in usch projects to assist control of devs that may have historic and environmental significance

• regional planners consult ngos for guidance on preservation of buildings, landscapes or other items of arcaheological or historical significant e.g. bell towers, statues, old factories

provide assistance w training and education of local communities

• focus for many ngos is social/political influence had.

• role fo trainig and education is integral to main goal to spread knowledge and understanding of aims and objs which prevents possible exploitation of locals and resources e.g.:

  • educaiton for empowering local girls in rural dest offering them cahnce to learn how to support themselves and their families

  • assistance for schools thru provision of teachers, books and computer access, helping reduce illiteracy providing futures for many children

  • sustainable training projects including vocational skills that can be useful for dev young adults as well as children

research, fund-raise, develop and finance projects

• research conducted to assess suitabliity of area for sustianable tourism

• ngos offer expert knowledge of dest and may highlight negative issues affecing environment e.g. retaining important habitats for rare animals e.g. blakc rhino and snow leopard

• consultation w ngos by govs and commercial orgs very common

• partners, develoipers and DMCs also use ngo info to deliver sustainable prods and services

• research findings often allow for niche tourism projects to flourish such as agri-tourism (farm based)

• ngos may provide funding support in many LEDCs where locals given options to help poverty reduction including voluntourism (popular within africa and central america) where volunteers give assistance in setting up and running of sustainable tourism projects e.g. small guest houses which benefit locals w direct and indirect tourism employment.

promote awareness of political, environmental and socio-cultural issues

• main obj to to fulfill ethical/moral change by highlighting inequalities and attempting to improve lives of million

• ngo work e.g. planning native rainforest trees in brazil, protecting indigenous in south america.

• by bringin awareness of environmental or scoial injustices, ngo integral to dest dev and management

promote awareness of demand for specialised tourism products

• ngos support and work for benefit diff causes

• have influence to promote specialised tourism products that are associated w their philosophies

• some of most popular are nature absed oturism, community tousim and agri tourism.

• products aim to have long term viability thru their sustianable approach. 

• hope is to make dest offering specialised prods successful and competitive.

commercial organisations

privately owned businesses and their main concern is generating profit to pay dividends to owners or shareholders. they take part in all types of activity that adverties and promotes brand, raises awareness among potential customers and lead to increase in sales to boost revenues

e.g. tour operators, travel agents, accom providers, transport operators, attractions and guiding services. these put together packages that they market to public and sell

commercial org types

• overseas travel agents and inbound, outbound or specialist tour operators

• local businesses

overseas travel agents and inbound, outbound or specialist tour operators

• role of tour operator is put together the different components for a holiday and sell them as package to customer

• inbound and outbound tour operators such as TUI research destinations carefully and choose accom and transport methods suitable for each of their markets

• then package these products, set prices and undertake marketing and promotional work to sell their holioday prods to wide variety of customers

• specialist tour operators plan and organise tours that follow trends in industry

• catery for smaller markets and give advice and guidance on each products they sell. 

• specialist operators are similar to larger tour operators in that htey must be financially stable hav egood management structures and be able to effectively promote and sell products. they have expert knowledge and are educatosr as well as holiday providers. spend time collecting and researching appropriate activities. these are then placed online or in brochure ready to be targeted to specific niche market such as adventure, eco and culture

• each operator offers packages that theyve selected and checked. they then market holiday packages online. may be ancillar services associated e.g. activties, insurance, and car hire.

local businesses 

• tt industry made up of many diverse orgs from very small 1 person guiding companies to large multinational hotel chains. comoplex industry

• hundreds of diff accom providers in tourism industry from camping yurts to 7 star hotelsn, some local bus. 

• give customers place to rest and stay and may also provide food, cleaning and activtieis

• money made used to pay staff, maintain establishment and make profit. 

• sometimes accom work w local enterprises to support wellbeing of host population and may have missions to be ecofriendly 

• transport operators are integral to travel and tourism industry. without them industry wont funcntion bc passengers need to be moved from and within destination so local bus profit from doing this e.g. water taxis venice, tuktuk thailand, bike thailand and vietnam - local knowledge helps go faster. 

• some operators funded by gov e.g. bus in luxembourg and others private e.g. greyhound usa so depends on customer price, timing and competition

• loca bus also icnlude attractions. commercial attractions support dest and can be purpose of visit and satisfy range of interests and cultures including historic, cultural, sporting and entertainment venues. may also be local carnis or festivals

• guiding services may be provided by local bus often as part of organised trip. local guides have a detailed knowledge of area

• commercial orgs keen to dev and provide new p&s that keep them updated in competitive industry to satisfy new customers and offer current more choice.

• by expanding cusomter base, more chance of success and therefore economic benefits. indsutry has always been easily affected by trends, global events and new fashions, therefore dynamic approach to developing new prod and services prevents stagnation and offers chance of staying relevant particularly in struggling market

dmc

company that uses extensive local knowledge and resources to offer professional service including organising and runing events, assisting with transport, activities and sourcing accomodation. can organise meetings and book accom and restaurants to particular requirements.

by coordinating all plannign elements and logistics for any service required, such as excursions, conference,s events, dmcs can offer competitive fees as have established contacts within industry. through these services, visitors can experience unique, cultural, historic sites of interest

dmc roles

providers of ground services

conference and event organisers

providers of ground services

• holiday begins w airport - large commercial ventures w shops, restaurants, cafes, toilets, showers, car park, prayer rooms and must accomodate passaengers while waiting w safety measures and checks on luggage and indiviudla

• ground oeprations involves all aspects of aircraft handling at airporst e.g. refuelling, cleaning, catering and aircraft mogvement. air traffic control supervise craft for takeoffs and landnigns

• dmcs understand airport procedures at airports and this helps them provide range of ground services for cusomters at airport including norganising ticketing, easy check in, advising on oversized baggage handling and lost baggage.

• dms organise all aspects of ground services to ensure the smooth running of the holiday experience.

• customers use dmcs as they can rely on their experience to transport them safely to their destination and provide accom and catering services.

• offer range of excursiosn that customers can book.

• these companies have plenty of experience within dest and it is this expert knowledge that creates successful planning and trips all customer types

conference and event organisers

• dmcs can organise conferences and evnetson global scale

• Meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibition industry will be worht estimatied 14,293 billion USD by 2025.

• dmcs have many contacts w venues and orgs to assist w providing for needs of business tourist

• venues important for staging conference

• should have lal facilities and amenities to host many ppl w option of small meeting rooms

• bus customers have diff needs and wants to leisure customres and many of top destinations can facilitate bus centres, wifi, computer access, printing, audio, and visual equipmemnt

• dmcs also need to be able to include entertainment nad leisure activites for bus customers and their spouses.