Tourism GW2

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Forms of tourism

Mass tourism

Travel that involves large numbers of tourists visiting a particular place together

Packaged holiday

Increased affluence and leisure time are factors that lead to mass tourism

Package Holidays

Involves a tour usually arranged by a travel agent,with transportation,accommodation and most meals included in the package

Include the service of guides who speak the local language

Niche Tourism

Special-interest tourism based on a particular area,interest or activity

Can be done by independent travellers or combined with package tours

Ecotourism

A form of niche tourism

The International Ecotourism Society(TIES) defines ecotourism as responsible travel to natural areas that conserve the environment and improves the well-being of local people

The 6 principles of ecotourism: Minimise impact;Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect;Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts;Provide direct financial benefits for conservation;Provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people and raise sensitivity to host countries's political,environmental and social climate

Involves visiting relatively undisturbed natural areas so that travellers can better appreciate natural beauty and biodiversity

Provide funds for ecological conservation,enabling tourism to directly benefit local communities involved in tourism and fostering respect for different culture and lifestyle

Impose regulations to conserve natural environments for future generations

For example,Waitomo Caves in New Zealand benefited the local Maori as they receive income

Short-haul and long-haul destinations

Short-haul destinations

Destinations that are a short distance away from the tourist's home country.(reachable by car,bus,train or a flight of generally less than 5 hours)

For example,Hong Kong is a short-haul destination from Singapore.(Flight of 4 hours)

Long-haul destinations

Destinations that are a long distance away from the tourist's home country.(Reachable by a flight of more than 5 hours)

For example,Europe is a long-haul destination from Singapore(Flight of 12-15 hours)

Reasons for the growth of global tourism

Developments in technology(better and affordable transport)

Great improvements in safety ,shorter travelling time and lower travelling costs for the average person

Commercial air travel(jet aircraft)

Budget airlines have rapidly expanded within Europe,North and South America,and Southeast Asia since 1980s

Cheaper than commercial airlines because smaller and more fuel-efficient aircraft(Short-haul destinations)

Costs are reduced by selling tickets online than through travel agents

Examples of budget airlines include Jetstar Asia and Tiger Airways

Increase in budget airlines enabled more people to travel internationally and more frequently;Given travellers the opportunity to go on holidays farther away from home;and has enabled travellers to go to destinations not covered by major commercial airlines

Such destinations include Bhutan,The Pacific Islands etc

Developments in technology(More air routes and agreements)

Made various parts of the world more accessible

Produced the global pattern of air routes which makes the countries more connected

Key agreements and policies also helped tourist numbers to increase

Open skies agreement:

An agreement made between governments to remove restrictions on commercial flights between their respective countries.

Commercial airlines can freely decide the routes,capacity and price of their flights without interference from the government so as to create a free-market environment for commercial airlines to compete in

For example,Singapore has had an open skies agreement with the USA since 2001(A Singapore commercial airline can make a stopover in the USA on its way to a third country,such as Mexico;A US commercial airline can make a stopper in a third country,such as Japan.on its way to Singapore)

As a result,Open skies agreements have helped the growth of aircraft routes and flights;Increasing the number of commercial airline companies,including budget airlines and also helped reduce the prices of flights for passengers

Developments in technology(ease of access to information)

Helped promote air travel and global tourism

Online booking and research:

Enables travellers to buy their own tickets without going through travel agents

Gives tourists more options and control

Gives tourists better access to information at their destination,including places to see,social etiquettes to observe and train timetables

Allows travellers to view feedback and recommendations from other travellers

Enables travellers to do research to find out more about their destinations

Surveillance,electronic checks and other safety controls research:

Make tourists feel safer and more confident in travelling

Demand factors(disposable income)

Is the amount of income left to an individual after taxes have been paid(Income available for saving and spending)

Allowed people to spend more on goods,services or activities that improve their quality of life(leisure)

Has been increasing globally because of rapid income growth(China and India)

Demand factors(Leisure time)

When people have no work commitments(time for relaxation

Middle to high income groups,leisure time usually comes in the form of paid leave.With more income and paid leave,these people are more inclined to travel

For example,in Australia,many employees can exchange paid overtime work for leave,hence increasing the chance of taking longer weekend breaks

Demand factors(Changing lifestyle)

The change in the way people live throughout their lifetime from generation to generation

Travelling has become a way for people to relax and take a break from their fast-paced lifestyle at work and at home

Due to advances in medical technology and knowledge,people are now more physically fit to travel frequently(increasing number of healthy retirees)

Retirees are major contributors to the growth of tourism

For example,in Australia,there is a group of retirees called the grey nomads

Destination factors(attractions)

A feature or quality that makes a place interesting or enjoyable

Natural attractions like places of scenic beauty and built attractions like medical services,educational facilities and theme parks

For example,Dubai received more than 9 million travellers in 2011,according to the city's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing.(MICE facilities,luxury hotels,Palm Island etc)

Governments,tourist authorities and tourism business know the value of investing in attractions which can offer something spectacular,unique and interesting for both domestic and international tourists

Destination factors(Investment in infrastructure and services)

Infrastructure refers to the transport and communication networks,electrical frameworks ans systems for water and waste disposal

Services are a particular type of help or work that is provided by a business to customers

Airport expansion and development

Need to develop road and railway links to places in nearby countries

Examples include Singapore Changi Airport(New terminal 4) and Bangkok's Survarnabhumi Airport

Accomodation(Sufficient hotels;five-stars hotels)

Includes food outlets,entertainment and telecommunication link to other places in the world;Free Wi-Fi)

Need to train people from the tourism industry(tertiary and diploma courses on tourism,hotel management and catering)

Destination factors(Access to information)

The ease which information could be obtained

Attracts more tourists

Transport routes and schedules,weather conditions and available accomodation

Have access to the language that tourists could understand(English)

Sign boards usually displayed in different language

Local tour guides and travel agents are trained so that they could help the tourists(Geographical knowledge,history,culture etc)

Why is tourism subject to regional fluctuation?

Disasters

Can cause great damage to properties,injuries as well as death

poses greater risks of safety of tourists and disrupt essential tourist infrastructure

For example,in Japan,its total tourists arrivals drop drastically at the end of 2011(Tohoku Earthquake)

affect tourism industries in the nearby countries

A year after the Tohoku Earthquake,Japan recovered their tourists arrivals due to the promotion of Japan's scenic beauty

Regional and global recessions

Many people experiences a loss in income or jobs

Cause people to cut their expenses

Decline in demand for goods and services

Hence people are less likely to travel

Regional recession:affects only a region or group of countries(For example,the European Sovereign Debt Crisis.)

Global recession:affects many countries around the world(for example,Global Financial Crisis)

Increased in unemployment and increasing number of part-time workers

Cause visitors to spend lesser and in search of cheaper accommodation,hence result in loss of tourism receipts)

Many people tends to go for holidays in their own country rather than travelling abroad due to shorter distance(increased in domestic tourism)

Unfavourable political situation

Political conflicts refers to a state of disagreement between different groups of people that may result in wars

Disrupt services and cause damage to infrastructure cause tourists to postpone travels

Travel advisories discourages citizens from travelling to a particular region or country due to conflicts

For example,governments from most countries banned their citizens from visiting Libya in 2011(Civil war)

Places experience unfavourable political conditions need to rebuild their reputation through promotions,new infrastructure and improved tourist conditions(Bali)

Outbreak of diseases

Sudden and widespread occurrence of disease in an area

Tourists do not want to risk getting infected with a contagious disease

Government agencies may also advise travellers to avoid areas with disease outbreaks

H1N1,SARS have strong negative impacts on tourism(Cause business to postpone or cancel scale MICE-facilities)