Tourism Development - Trends, Impacts, and Examples

2.1 Trends in Tourism

Globalization's Influence on International Tourism

  • Globalization has led to the growth of international tourism and diversification of tourist destinations.
  • Increasing Ability to Travel
    • People can search for and buy tourism services from anywhere.
    • Greater competition among businesses leads to more value-for-money travel experiences.
    • Tourists enjoy more affordable tours.
  • Increasing Motivation to Travel
    • Greater access to new ideas on tourism destinations via online media (e.g., social media).
    • Example: London's Kings Cross Station became popular due to the Harry Potter film series.
  • Increasing Mobility in Travel
    • Increased connectivity via various transport modes makes traveling more convenient.
    • More direct flights between cities are available.

Diversification of Tourist Regions

  • European countries remain popular, but developing countries, especially in the Asia Pacific region, are becoming increasingly popular.
  • Example: China, Thailand, and Malaysia are popular tourist destinations.
  • Increasingly, more international tourists are coming from rapidly developing countries in the Asia Pacific and South America, such as China, India, and Brazil.

Changing Demand for Tourism

Increasing Popularity of Lesser-Known Destinations

  • Tourists seek new destinations for unique travel experiences.
  • Globalization facilitates information flow about these destinations.
  • Tourists share experiences online, enticing others to visit 'second cities'.
  • These experiences can be easily planned and booked online.
  • Advancements in transportation make these destinations more accessible.
  • Examples:
    • Antarctica has become increasingly popular due to cruise services.
    • Tourists are visiting 'second cities' to avoid crowds and lower costs, fueled by online media.
    • Manchester, UK, is visited instead of London to experience its arts and architecture.
    • Fans visit Manchester to see football clubs like Manchester City and Manchester United.

Emergence of New Experiences

  • Tourists seek new experiences to satisfy curiosity and interests.
  • New forms of tourism based on specific interests or activities have emerged, fueled by online media.
  • Sports Tourism
    • Tourists observe or participate in sporting events.
    • Participants seek personal growth, while observers seek enjoyment and escape.
    • Locations are places where sporting events are held with sporting facilities.
    • Example: Thousands of overseas football fans visit Manchester during the English Premier League.
  • Health Tourism
    • Tourists seek medical care or wellness activities.
    • Motivations:
      • Cheaper medical procedures than in their home countries.
      • Shorter waiting times.
      • Procedures may not be available in their home country.
    • Medical procedures contribute to self-fulfillment by improving well-being and self-esteem.
    • Activities include yoga retreats and hot-spring tours.
    • Locations are places with renowned medical services or wellness facilities.
    • Examples:
      • Bali, Indonesia, is known for yoga and wellness resorts.
      • South Korea received over two million health tourists in 2018 due to advanced medical technologies and services.

Trends in the Supply of Tourism

Small Specialist Operators Adding to Mass Market

  • Mass tourism experiences are supplied by mass market tour operators via tour packages.
  • Small specialist operators are increasingly adding to the services by offering tours for niche travel experiences.

Shift to Online Media for Tourism Marketing

  • Tourism marketing is changing from traditional print and broadcast media to new online media due to advances in information and technology.
  • Up to 70% of tourists use the internet to research and plan their trips.
  • Example: Klook promotes tour packages on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

Tour Operators

  • Mass Market Tour Operators
    • Supply tour packages for large groups, which include transport and accommodation.
    • Attractive to tourists because:
      • Relatively cheaper due to bulk buying.
      • Reduces hassle of individual bookings.
      • Tour operators' knowledge and ability to provide assistance.
    • Example: Klook offers various tours at affordable prices.
  • Specialist Tour Operators
    • Supply tours for niche travel, specializing in specific destinations or experiences.
    • Tours are not widely purchased compared to package holidays.
    • Experts provide advice and recommendations.
    • Becoming popular due to online media creating interest.
    • Often customizable as they cater to small groups.
    • Example: Quark Expeditions specializes in tours to the Arctic and Antarctica.

2.2 Economic Impacts of Tourism

How Tourism Impacts the Economy

  • Tourism affects economies of tourist generating and destination regions, which are interdependent.
  • Positive Economic Impacts
    • Employment opportunities in formal and informal tourism sectors.
    • Income generation from tourists' spending.
  • Negative Economic Impacts
    • Economic leakages resulting in less tourism revenue.
    • Overdependence on tourism, increasing vulnerability to sudden falls in tourist numbers.
  • Economic benefits and costs vary across the world, with destination regions feeling them more significantly.

Positive Economic Impacts

  • Employment Opportunities
    • Tourism is labor-intensive, creating many job opportunities.
    • Jobs include:
      • Transport (operators, service staff).
      • Accommodation (hotel staff).
      • Leisure activities (tour guides, staff in amusement parks).
    • Formal Employment
      • Fixed hours, stable monthly wages, written contracts, medical benefits, income tax contribution.
      • Example: hotel receptionist.
    • Informal Employment
      • Irregular hours, fluctuating wages, no written contracts, no income tax contribution.
      • Example: street-side performer.
    • Tourism reduces national unemployment rates.
    • In 2019, tourism accounted for 330 million formal jobs worldwide (10% of the global workforce).
    • Between 2015 and 2019, tourism created about 25% of all new jobs.
  • Income Generation
    • Tourism generates income for locals and governments.
    • Tourists' spending increases incomes for locals.
    • Taxes on tourism spending can fund infrastructure and services, raising living standards.
    • Tourism alleviates poverty by transferring wealth to poorer regions.
    • Example: Maldives' economy grew due to tourism, resulting in low poverty rates.

Negative Economic Impacts

  • Economic Leakages
    • Revenue lost to other countries when tourist businesses pay for imports.
    • Reduces income earned by locals and government revenue.
    • Can wipe out economic benefits in developing countries.
    • Example: For every US\$100 spent by a tourist in a developing country, only US\$5 remains in the local community.
  • Overdependence on Tourism
    • Vulnerability to sudden falls in tourist numbers due to unexpected events.
    • Unexpected Events
      • Natural Disasters:
        • Can damage tourism infrastructure.
        • Example: In 2017, hurricanes in the Caribbean caused 1 million fewer tourist arrivals and an estimated loss of over US\$700 million.
      • Unfavorable Political Situations:
        • Leads to riots and protests, closing hotels and attractions.
        • Governments may issue travel advisories.
        • Example: In 2020, protests in Thailand led to travel advisories and reduced tourist arrivals.
      • Economic Downturn:
        • Companies cut costs and people lose jobs.
        • Reduces disposable incomes, causing people to reduce travel spending.
        • Example: The Maldives suffered a 4% drop in tourism arrivals in 2009 due to the global economic crisis.
      • Outbreak of Diseases:
        • People postpone or cancel travel plans.
        • Governments may close off affected areas or issue travel advisories.
        • Example: The COVID-19 pandemic caused international travel to shut down, resulting in a global fall in tourist arrivals.

2.4 Environmental Impacts of Tourism

How Tourism Impacts the Environment

  • Tourism impacts society both positively and negatively, which are known as the social impacts of tourism.
  • Nature provides provisioning and regulating ecosystem services, which could be damaged by tourism.
    • Positive Environmental Impacts
      • Conservation of natural environments and preservation of biodiversity.
      • Restoration of degraded aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
    • Negative Environmental Impacts
      • Pollution.
      • Depletion of natural resources and threats to wildlife habitats.

Positive Environmental Impacts

  • Conservation of Natural Environments
    • Local communities and governments maintain pristine environments to attract tourists.
    • Tourism revenue may fund the protection of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity.
    • Possible strategies:
      • Establishing protected areas or National Parks where development is restricted.
      • Employing and training specialised staff to run these parks.
      • Setting up environmental education programs for tourists to encourage them to care for these ecosystems.
    • Example: An entrance fee of US\$100 is charged to visitors entering the Galapagos National Park in Ecuador, which funds park conservation.
  • Restoration of Degraded Ecosystems
    • Aquatic and terrestrial sites have the potential to be tourist attractions providing motivation to restore degraded ecosystems to create new natural attractions such as marine or national parks.
    • This can be done by stopping and reversing degradation to these ecosystems through reforestation.
    • Example: Coral reefs are economically significant for local livelihoods. Therefore, a regional project led by the United Nations Development Fund has been initiated to restore the coral reef ecosystem.

Negative Environmental Impacts

  • Pollution
    • Greenhouse Emissions:
      • Traveling by air, sea, or land requires large amounts of fossil fuels to be burned, which generates a significant amount of greenhouse gases.
      • Services provided by tourism such as air-conditioned accommodation can also contribute to the increase of greenhouse gases, which can lead to enhanced greenhouse effect.
      • Greenhouse gases such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can also cause respiratory illnesses such as asthma.
    • Inadequate Sewage Facilities and Improper Waste Disposal:
      • The tourism industry generates a significant amount of waste.
      • In places with no proper waste disposal systems, tourists may leave litter behind, leading to environmental degradation such as land and water pollution.
      • The chemicals from the trash can contaminate the soil and groundwater, thus leading to land and water pollution.
      • Many accommodations in tourist destination regions may not have the proper sewage systems, such as wastewater treatment facilities.
    • Example: Climbers that climb Mount Everest discard tents, food containers and even human waste on the slopes in the area, leading to land and water pollution.
    • Example: Boracay Island is a popular tourist destination in the Philippines, the degradation of the sea water from local businesses discharging waste into the ocean threatened aquatic ecosystems..