Topic 3 : Tourism Cluster

1. What is a tourism system?

1. Components of the tourism system

a) key components include tourist generating regions, tourist destination regions and transit routes

b) volume and direction of travel between regions are influenced by transit routes

2. Relationship between tourist generating and destination regions

a) push factors at tourist generating regions and pull factors at tourist destination regions

b) interdependence of tourists, businesses and organisations at tourist generating and destination regions

3. Interactions between tourism and the environment

a) tourism activity interacts with nature, communities and economies in their local environment and beyond

b) changes to one part of the tourism system affects the local and wider environment, and vice versa

2. What led to the growth of tourism?

1. Motivation to travel

a) individuals seeking relaxation, self-fulfilment and unique travel experiences

b) made possible by growth in individuals’ incomes

2. Ability to travel

a) growth in disposable incomes and increased leisure time due to paid vacation.

b) facilitated by business innovations, lower transport costs and accommodation costs

3. Mobility in travel

a) expansion of public transport services and infrastructure, and new modes of air, land and sea travel

b) increased private car ownership improving travel convenience to nearby locations

3. How do tourist destination regions develop over time?

1. Exploration and involvement stages

a) small number of tourists undertaking individual and irregular travel to visit the destination’s primary attractions

b) locals offer tourist services, advertising the destination, requesting for more public tourist amenities and facilities

2. Development and consolidation stages

a) increase in tourist numbers with destinations having more man-made attractions, advertisements and foreign labour

b) growth in tourist numbers slow and tourists outnumber locals resulting in a tourism dependent economy

3. Stagnation and decline or rejuvenation stages

a) tourist numbers peak as a destination’s carrying capacity is reached, resulting in negative impacts

b) tourist numbers decline as a destination loses its tourist appeal or is rejuvenated with new cultural or man-made attractions

4. How do different personality characteristics of tourists affect tourist destination regions?

1. Spectrum of personality characteristics

a) Dependables and Venturers, with a small proportion of tourists on both extreme ends

b) majority of tourists in the middle of the spectrum with a mixture of both extremes

2. Features of personality characteristics

a) Dependables spend cautiously, guided by authoritative figures, prefer structures in daily living and the company of friends and family

b) Venturers spend readily, guided by personal judgement, prefer different activities and being alone

3. Personality characteristics influence travel patterns

a) different types of tourist destination regions appeal to tourists with different personality characteristics

b) tourists who are more Venturer types influence travel decisions of those who are more Dependable types

1. What are the trends in tourism?

1. Globalisation and tourism

a) continued expansion in international tourist arrivals

b) tourism becomes increasingly diverse in tourist generating and destination regions

2. Diversity in tourism demand

a) growing popularity of lesser-known destinations that were not previously as popular or were less accessible

b) emergence of new experiences including adventure, heritage, sports and health tourism

3. Diversity in tourism supply

a) small specialist operators adding onto services of mass market tour operators

b) tourism marketing changing from traditional print and broadcast media to new online media

2. How does tourism affect the economies of places?

1. Economic impact in the tourism system

a) tourist generating and destination regions operate interdependently in the tourism system

b) tourism’s impact on the economy is experienced more significantly at tourist destination regions

2. Positive economic impact

a) increased employment in the formal and informal tourism sectors at tourist generating and destination regions

b) higher income generated from tourists’ spending on consumer goods and services at tourist destination regions

3. Negative economic impact

a) economic leakages resulting in less tourism revenue

b) overdependency on tourism increasing tourist destination regions’ vulnerability to a sudden fall in tourist numbers

3. How does tourism affect the society of places?

1. Social impact in the tourism system

a) tourists and local communities at tourist destination regions mutually affect each other

b) outcomes are shaped by the nature of interaction between tourists and local communities

2. Positive social impact

a) increased interest among tourists and local communities in preserving traditional cultural practices and art forms

b) environmental protection at tourist destination regions enhances cultural ecosystem services

3. Negative social impact

a) commodification of traditional cultural practices and art forms resulting in loss of values and conflict among locals

b) negative attitudes of local communities towards tourists including cultural clashes and tourists as victims of crimes

4. How does tourism affect the environment of places?

1. Environmental impact in the tourism system

a) natural environments provide important provisioning and regulating ecosystem services

b) environmental degradation due to tourism impact tourist destination regions significantly

2. Positive environmental impact

a) conservation of natural environments and preservation of biodiversity to maintain natural attractions

b) restoration of degraded aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems to create new natural attractions

3. Negative environmental impact

a) pollution caused by greenhouse gas emissions, inadequate sewage facilities and improper waste disposal

b) construction of facilities and attractions encroaches on nature, depletes natural resources and threatens wildlife habitats

1. How does tourism development help achieve sustainable development?

1. Economic sustainability

a) tourism development should continually provide employment opportunities and income growth

b) tourism development should result in more social services that raise local standards of living

2. Social and environmental sustainability

a) tourism development should respect authenticity of local communities, practices and art forms; and contribute to intercultural understanding and tolerance

b) tourism development should maintain essential ecological processes and conserve natural heritage and protect biodiversity

3. Sustainable tourism development

a) achieved when sustainability principles are applied to the economic, social and environmental aspects of tourism development

b) all three dimensions are balanced to guarantee tourism’s long-term sustainability

2. How effective are stakeholders in influencing sustainable tourism development?

1. Governments and international organisations

a) governments establish policies, create plans and enforce regulations to manage tourism development

b) international organisations offer consultancy, financial assistance and raise public awareness

2. Businesses, local communities and tourists

a) businesses and local communities could seek advice from others and participate in decision making

b) tourists could develop genuine interest in tourist destination regions and interact responsibly

3. Challenges faced by stakeholders

a) stakeholders may have conflicting priorities and needs

b) stakeholders have differing amounts of control over resources and may view how sustainability is measured differently from other stakeholders

3. How effective are the approaches in achieving sustainable tourism development?

1. Ecotourism

a) comprises diverse approaches that lie on a spectrum from hard to soft ecotourism

b) limitations include uncertainty over continuity of efforts in conserving nature and involving local communities

2. Community-based tourism

a) innovative small-scale tourism managed by local communities including homestays and agricultural tourism

b) limitations include the potential loss of local culture and competition from larger-scale tourism operators

3. Pro-poor tourism

a) focused on improving livelihoods of the poor through training and access to micro-finance

b) limitations include the inability to significantly reduce poverty as compared to direct investment in social services

4. How might tourism continue to develop sustainably?

1. Sustainable tourism production

a) when demands on ecosystem services do not exceed the supply of resources

b) when different stakeholders adopt a long-term, responsible and coordinated approach instead of short-term profit

2. Sustainable tourism consumption

a) when destination regions manage demand and tourism is consumed responsibly by tourists

b) when policies give local communities primary attention while considering needs of tourists

3. Equitable distribution of tourism benefits

a) effective tourism management to ensure benefits are enjoyed by all

b) minimising negative trade-offs within or between economic, social and environmental dimensions