The Nature of Tourism


 


One of the most competitive industries that are prevalent in the international marketplace today is hospitality and tourism. It has quietly emerged to become an important force in many societies and economies in various parts of the world. Though not usually thought of as a single cohesive industry, the growth of tourism since the conclusion of World War II has nonetheless been dramatic. Today, the presence of higher discretionary incomes, smaller family size, changing demographics, lower transportation costs, improved public health standards, infrastructure development, and hospitable environments for tourists in many destinations have made tourism, especially long-distance tourism, an activity within the reach and desires of many members of many nations (Urry 1990; Eadington & Smith 1992; Ap & Crompton 1998).


            Tourism is a broad term covering a wide array of activities making it the largest industry in the world. There is no distinct way of determining whether a particular activity is deemed as part of tourism. Majority of authors define tourism within the context of leisure and recreation. According to Pearce (1987, p. 1) “tourism may be through of as the relationships and phenomena arising out of journeys and temporary stays of people traveling primarily for leisure or recreation purposes”. Moreover, Leiper (1995, p. 20) defined it as “the theories and practice of traveling and visiting places for leisure related purposes”. Thus, the concepts of leisure, recreation and tourism are realized in a variety of activities that offers the opportunity for people to experience enjoyment, satisfaction as well as self-expression making the overall experience motivational. Tourism is also designated from other activities due to its independence from activities involving employment or family care. People engage in tourism voluntarily and as a matter of choice because it is a want.   However, the WTO broadened the concept of tourism as “the activities of persons traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes” (Pigram 1996, p. 227).


The hospitality industry particularly of tourism is considered as the world’s largest operating industry (Hudson and Miller 2005) and the largest income generator and source of employment (Rita 2000). This industry serves millions of people from all places across the globe and generates multibillion-dollar revenues (Brymer, et al. 2005) specifically among developing global economies (Rita 2000). A report in June 2007 from the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer reported indicates that there is 6% (15 million) growth on arrivals of international tourist from January to April in contrast to the same months in 2006. This growing trend in the hospitality industry especially on the aspect of tourism reflects the need for people who belongs to middle up to upper classes to treat themselves through leisure and convenience, which are the key features of tourism.


            Numerous authors recognize the ability of hospitality and tourism industries to advance economic development. According to Lansing and De Vries (2007), the hospitality and tourism industries are opportunities for business and revenue accumulation set in a worldwide setting. It is also a very powerful sponsor of national socio-economic development (Tapper 2001). National economic development, income generation, and opportunities for employment are among the most promising opportunities eyed by many developing nations with a rich assortment of tourist attractions (i.e. natural resources, historical sites, cultural practices, etc.) to offer. This view is also supported by Ghimire (2001) where common view on tourism reflects the potentiality of many excellent ways of revitalizing and branching out national and regional economic base by means of creating new employment and income opportunities for immediate communities and simultaneously enhancing interpersonal contacts and regional cooperation in some special cases. Similarly, Holden (2003) avers that tourism is not simply the business of foreign environment destination but also involves dealings of divergent societal factors. With the identified benefits of hospitality and tourism industries, there are also undesirable consequences resulting from travel and tourism-related activities particularly on environment and nature and culture and people. These consequences impinge on the quality and sustainability of affected tourist destinations including the life of the immediate population of people comprising the permanent community. This is marked on the concurrent tourism initiatives and programmes of various countries and tourism-related institutions and organisations. Provided that hospitality and tourism industries particularly on worldwide perspective are placed on economic publicity against its negative consequences, the issue of long-term sustainability or sustainable development and its management turn out to be a challenge to all stakeholders including agents from national governments, international and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the whole of the industries itself (Rondinelli and Berry 2000). There is an urgent need and call for the effective performance of organizations and partnerships particularly those who are involved in the implementation of tourism policies and their success in moving towards a sustainable tourism and the factors and features of the destination.


            Tourism, particularly international tourism that includes all other types of tourism, remains a consistently productive industry in a volatile global economy. Tourism and travel make up one of the world’s largest industries. In 1999, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) also reports that across the global economy, travel and tourism generates directly and indirectly: 11% of GDP; 200 million jobs; 8% of total employment; and 5.5 million new jobs per year until 2010. World Tourism Organization (WTO) data for 1999 show that 663 million people spent at least one night in a foreign country, up 4.1 per cent over the previous year. Spending on international tourism reached US3 billion – a growth rate of nearly 3 per cent over 1998 (WTO 2002).  Ghimire (2001, p. 99) added that tourism is frequently perceived as an outstanding means of invigorating and branching out the regional economic base, creating new employment and income potentials for communities and fortifying interpersonal contacts.


            Many tourism studies have given much importance on knowing why people travel, which destinations they choose and the factors that play an important role in the selection of vacation destination (Orth 2002). Much of the tourism studies have been focused on the push and the pull factors (Mak & Moncur 1980; Um & Crompton 1990 in Orth 2002). Push or motivational factors enable potential tourist to develop attitudes toward traveling while pull factors refer to the attractions in destinations.


According to most studies (Aaker 1989; Porter 1990; Crouch & Ritchie 1999; Dwyer & Kim 2006), success in tourism marketplace lies on the overall attractiveness and the experiences a destination delivers to its visitors. The strength and weaknesses of a tourism destination can be recognized through determining the factors underlying destination competitiveness. Destination competitiveness determines the ability of a destination to attract markets and is linked to the ability of a destination to deliver goods and services that perform better than other destinations. Crouch and Ritchie (1999) develop a model that lists the factors that influence tourism.


Tourism is not just something that occurs in the environments of destinations overseas but is a function of the interaction of different factors in contemporary society (Holden 2003). Thus, there are many factors to be considered in dealing with such subject.


Tourism is a “hidden” industry, encompassing transportation, lodging, and entertainment (Harrill & Potts 2003). Unfortunately, tourism is also invisible to many planners, so tourism development is often left to private developers and leisure service providers. Scholarship on tourism planning remains scarce some 15 years after it was announced as one of planning’s “emerging specializations”. Given tourism’s substantial social, economic, and environmental impacts – positive and negative, planners can no longer afford to dismiss tourism as tangential to other planning functions. 


Socio-economic situations are crucial factor that influences tourism in a destination while society and economy is influenced by economic activities, jobs, industry, policy and law as well as the technological innovation and political stability in a country. The economy of a country may also provide and overview of what a destination can offer, the prices of the goods and services and the available resources that may satisfy travelers and tourists (Mak 2004). Thus, the particular recognition of socio-economic factors, there is a definite need to implement effective and efficient socio-economic planning.


Tourism’s excessive craving for basic resources like land, water and energy, has preordained that the tourism industry and government agencies are progressively finding themselves more in opposition over land rights and water rights by local individuals. Inadequacy of access by local residents to public beaches, contravention by hotels of environmental directives, and rough policies by local authorities to open beach regions for hotels’ employment have all been mentioned in legal disagreements all over the world. Therefore, the modern world is exemplified by mass concentrations of individuals, mass production, and mass actions. Assortment and magnificence of land and life are increasingly substituted by standardization and unattractiveness. Human settlements in their mad rush for growth have converted attractive tree-clad backgrounds into uninhabited concrete jungles, and rich lands with varied local foliage are ever more ruined by monocultures (Moli 2003).


The role of the civil society in tourism policy formulation and regulation is also recognized. In environmental tourism, civil societies serve as watchdogs and caretakers of the tourism activities and featured places. Most tourism planners consider maintaining and improving resident-tourist relations critical to the long-term viability of tourism destinations (Ap & Crompton 1998). Resident attitudes toward tourism development range along a variety from negative to positive. Milman and Pizam (1988) found that despite positive feelings toward tourists, residents often noted specific negative impacts. These impacts included increases in unsafe traffic conditions, crime, drug addiction, and alcoholism. Benefits perceived by residents included increased employment opportunities, income, tax revenues, and quality of life. Many tourism researchers have assumed that determining sources of negative impacts can result in policies that mitigate them and improve resident attitudes (e. g., Lankford 1994). McCool and Martin (1994) hypothesized that residents with strong feelings of community attachment were more likely to have negative attitudes toward tourism development than less attached residents, but their results refuted this notion.  


Thus, in formulation and regulation of tourism policies, the participation of the national leadership and the community must be taken at hand. Though tourism may perhaps bring about an assortment of potential advantages, unrestrained mass tourism (including environmental tourism), which is the most predominant structure of tourism nowadays may unavoidably boost the previously existing conflicts, in addition to generating new ones (Moli 2003).


In general, policy formulation and regulation is interconnected with the strategic planning being singled out by tourism authorities and other related participants. The plans are linked with the aims of providing profitable yet sustainable tourism. Tourism as a contributory factor to the national economy is regulated as to protect the welfare of natural and human resources. Majority of modern societies who venture in tourism consider the risks, limitations, challenges and opportunities that are related to the tourism activities and programs. In recognizing such factors, sustainability and development is guaranteed.


Although tourism is a familiar aspect of contemporary life, particularly for the majority of people living in the countries of the developed world, it is only relatively recently that it has emerged as a significant aspect of society. The growth in demand for tourism is a reflection of a range of changes that have occurred in society (Holden 2003). The significance of the mass participation in international tourism from an environmental viewpoint is that an increasing number and variety of physical and cultural environments are being exposed to tourism, with a range of consequences.


Development and promotion of tourism as well as the sustainability of a destination’s tourism lies in the hand of the government and tourism authorities as well as in the organizations that promote tourism in the region. Local authorities play a key role in the tourism industry. They provide funds to the area tourism boards, and offer a buffet of services to businesses and visitors. Their major responsibilities include transportation, planning, tourism signposting, health and safety, and licensing. These things have a direct impact on the potential success of an area to become a tourist destination. They also control the main public facilities such as museums and galleries, theatres, parks, sporting facilities, and conference facilities. Other local authorities have their own tourism officers who will take charge of the issues concerning to tourism within their respective local authority areas (ICLEI 2003).


Today, there are a handful of particular policies schemes have been in progress along these lines in different regions (Ghimire 2001, p. 99). In policy formulation and regulation, tourism authorities as previously stated are aiming for sustainable tourism. Thus, it equates that all policies and laws are directed to the mutual protection of tourists, the environment, inhabitants of the area, and others. Decision making and taking are extended from national to community level. Tourism development is a complex yet crucial dimension in policy formulation and regulation.


Tourism is a growing business and like other industries, it involves innovations for product/service differentiation and diversity. The quest for cutting-edge activities offering a high probability for customer patronage resulted to the development of venues and activities extremely different from the usual beach experience. Contemporary tourism targeted not only the leisure and recreational demands of people but ventured into people’s interests and love of nature and its resources.


 


References


 


— (2007 June) UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, 5: 2, 1-48 [online] (cited March 9, 2009) Available from <http://unwto.org/facts/eng/pdf/barometer/unwto_barom07_2_en.pdf>


 


Brymer, RA, March, L, Palmer, M, and Schmidgall, RS (2005 August ) ‘Cultural influences on ethical decisions of students enrolled in European hospitality programmes’, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 5: 4, 346-357


 


Ghimire, KB (2001) ‘Regional Tourism and South-South Economic Cooperation’, The Geographical Journal, 167: 2, 99-110


 


Holden, A (2003) Environment and Tourism, Routledge, New York City, NY


 


Hudson, S and Miller, G (2005) ‘Ethical Orientation and Awareness of Tourism Students’, Journal of Business Ethics, 62: 4, 383–396


 


Lansing, P and De Vries, P, ‘Sustainable Tourism: Ethical Alternative or Marketing Ploy?’, Journal of Business Ethics, 72: 1, 77–85


 


Rita, P (2000) ‘Tourism in the European Union’, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 12; 7, 434-436


 


Tapper, R (2001 September/October) ‘Tourism and socio-economic development: UK tour operators’ business approaches in the Context of the New International Agenda’, The International Journal of Tourism Research, 3: 5, 351-366


 



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