erm..please take note, everything come from textbook..
GEOGRAPHY NOTES-- TOURISM:) FULL AND UPDATED VERSION!
Geography chapter 6 the tourism industry
Some definitions:
A tourist is anyone who travels to and stays in a place outside his or her usual environment for not more than a year, regardless of travel purpose.
tourist destination area- place a tourist travel to
tourist generating area-place a tourist come from
tourism- activities of tourists and the industry that cater to their needs:)
Domestic tourism- In a country with large landmass (e.g. China), residents may travel withink their own country, still experience something diff from what they are used to. its cheaper too!
International tourism- movement of tourists from their own country to anohter country
Purpose of tourism! basically 5 big groups
1) natural attractions
type 1- natural featuresthat offer scenic views
-mountains, beaches, rivers, forests ect
e.g.
OH PAUSE!!! OMG ITS RAINING!!! WHOPEEEE!!!!:D:D:D
ok continue, e.g. At Victoria falls, tourists can enjoy a breathtaking view of a waterfall flowing into a gorge
type 2- climatic differences that offer new experiences. basically diff and nice weather:)
-tropical islands for sunny weather, snow capped mountains for skiing
e.g. Many ppl go Bali Indonesia for sunny weather and water sports like surfing!
2) Cultural historical attractions
type 1- architecture which reflects people's way of life and history
-places of worship, monuments, buildings with local architecture
e.g The Vaitcan city inEurope recieves many visitors interested to know more about Catholicism, Roman architecture and history
type 2- Cultural expressions through various means
-arts and crafts, music, dance:), folklore, cuisine, festivals
e.g. in Thailand, visitors may be entertained with a traditional Thai dance
3) human made attractions- human made features which may be historical or modern
-city landscapes, museums, theme parks
e.g. impressive buildings which frame the Victoria harbour form the beautiful Hong Kong city skyline
4) Event attractions-activities and events organised by poeple
-parades, carnivals, sales, meetingsand conventions
e.g. Beijing olympics!
5) niche tourism- appeal to specific groups of people seeking a particular experience
- sports orientated, educational, medical
e.g. Singapore has excellent healthcare system and is known to have pioneered srgeries in some specialised fields, people in need of complex may come to singapore and take a vacation at the same time
Reasons for changes in tourism
1) Improvements in transport
-enable people to travel from one place to another easily and cheaply
2) Improvements in IT
-made information about tourist destinations easily available to people, hlep themwiden choice of destinations--advertisements
3) mounting concern people have for ecology and the environment, ecotourism gain importance
4) rise in multicultural societies
5) people's quest for experiences in which educational and entertainment needs are met
Reasons for growth of tourism
Demand factors- factors that affect the demand for goods and services provides by tourism industry
1) Disposable income
-the amount of money left after taxes
-influenced by economic conditions of country
-economic conditions, generally improving, people have more disposable income, more money to spend on luxurious leisure activities, like tourism
-BUT, reductions in disposable incomemeans that people are less likely to travel, as money is spent on basic neccessities like food, not luxuries like tourism
2) Leisure time
-people have more leisure time, as more paid vacation in most countries, encourage people to take longer breaks and travel
-e.g. singapore, all govt ministries adopted the 5 day work week since 2004, take weekend trips to countires
3)Changing lifestlyes
-too fast paced and stressed modern lifestyle, need to travel to RELAX
-people are more educated and well informed, interested to see places they learn about from books
-ancestry tourism, help tourists trace their ancestry, visit birth place of ancestors and get to know distant relatives
-volunteer tourism, spend vacaion doing volunteer work, like building houses for the poor, orgnised by charity organisations like habitat for teh humanity help
Supply factors- factors that affect the willingness and ability of business to provide goods or services to satisfy a demand for tourists
1) Amenities
Attractions
-encourage travel, attract tourists
Facilities
- wide range of facilities to chooe from, like accomodations, e.g in singpaore, can find accomodation from $49 to $1000!! quality also depends on price
-shopping malls, provide shopping experiencethat is attractive to tourists
2) Accessibility
-the ease at which tourists cna reach the attractions
-the more accessible, the more attractive
-well developed transport network, arrive at destination in the shortest time possible
-e.g. singapore has established itself as a transportation hub, goodtransport network comprising of land, sea and air routes, MRT and large fleet of buses makes it easy to travel around the country.
-singapore changi airport serves 80 airlines, 180 countires, can accomodate the airbus A380, make singapore very accessible
3) affordability ( now this is what singpaore lacks in)
-air travel has become cheaper, with entry of low cost carriers
4) subsidiary services
- include marketing agents, coordinations among diff tour agencies, tourism board to coordinate efforts and promote tourism
-eg singpaore visitors centre, conveniently located in orchard road
5) quality service
-refers to assistance and support provided to customer, leave a favourable impression on tourists, prompt tourists to make return visits and recommend the country to their friends
-Go-the-Extra-Mile-for-Service (GEMS) is formed by the service quality division of singapore tourist board, to improve service levels in singapore
Other reasons
1) prevalance of media
-radio, television, internet, magazines etc
-attractive advertising allows a country to be promoted as a favoured tourist destination
-availablility of information let tourists plan their holidays more easily, knowing the local weater, cuisine and places of interests
2)ease of making travel bookings
-phone bookings
-faz bookings, internet
3) meetings and conventions
-with increased globalisation people travel MICE (meetings, incentives, ocnventions, exhibitions)
-e.g International monetary fund meting, world bank convention, host delegates from all over the world
4) reduction of political barriers
-collapse of iron curtain, increase tourism in Eastern europe
Geog chapter 7 - Impacts on tourism
ECONOMICAL IMPACTS!!$$$
Positive+ (economical impacts)
1. contribution to revenue
-when tourists visit a country, they spend on food, accomodation, entertainment, sightseeing, shopping etc
-allows these industries to make profit
-government of country will earn revenue from the taxes from these industries
-thus, if tourist expenditures increase, more revenue is generated by destination country
e.g. the UNWTO (united nations world tourism organisation) says: international tourist arrivals around the world has reached a record high of 808 million, international tourism earnings around US$715 BILLION!!! OMG!
in singapore, tourism industries generated about S$11 billion in 2005, 5% of country's GDP!
2. developement of infrastructure
-to attract mroe tourists, government will need to further develop country's infrastructure (better roads, railways and other ameneties)
-developements will improve accessibility and make it easier for tourists to move aroudn in the country
-part of the revenue can be used to upgrade places of interest and tourist facilities to attract more tourists
-part of it can also build more schools and hospitals
-will enrich the LIVES OF THE LOCAL PEOPLE!!:D
3. Creation of JOBS!
-tourism industry-> labour intensive, require huge number of workers to provide servce for tourists
-e.g. hotels employ chefs and receptionists, tour agents employ tour guides (clk, your job here..) and bus drivers --> these are jobs directly related to the tourism industry
-can also create other jobs in other industries, primary and secondaryindustries
e.g. hotels buy food from local farmers, increase demand for local products.
-tourist purchase goods andservices that are provided by the destination country, so growth of tourists result in more jobs being created
4. Contribution to local economies
-tourists spend on goods and services when they visit a city
e.g. tourists who go to Cairo, Egypt to visit the pyramids create demand for local tour guides or transport services, generate 52% of country's GDP
-cause the multiplier effect where the tourist's money circulate through the country's economy and promotes developement, as the tourist's money will go providing an income for some ofthe local people, and improve hteir standard of living, which in turn benefit other people who provide them wth goods and services and so on
5. diversification of local economies
-as tourism indstry grows, it encourages the growth of supporting industries which creates an economy with a variety of industries and businesses.
-tourism industry diverifies the economy of hte country and helps to reduce overdependance on particular types of industries
e.g. tourism benefited 300 rural families who traditionally make a living out of farming and animal HUSBANDRY??, by providing food and hospitality services, they earn 2000 yuan more each year than those who do not.
6. Increase in foreign investment
-tourism industry attracts foreign investments
-foreign investors may set up new hotel businesses, which further enhances the host country's attractiveness to foreign investors
-unregulate growth however can result in loss of developement opportunities
Negative- (economical impacts)
1. Loss of income and developement opportunities
-although growth of tourism generates wealth for the destination country, not all the money spendby tourists goes into the country's economy.
-some tour companies and hotels may be owned by FOREIGN companies, thus much of the profits earned GO BACK TO THE FOREIGN OWNERS INSTEAD OF LOCA WORKERS!
-this is tourism leakage
-ALSO, growth of tourism industry can create jobs, but NOT ALL jobs go to locals!
-foreigners with better qualification or more experienced may be employed over locals:(
-thus, leakage: loss of job opportunities and loss of income for the economy
2. Enclave tourism
- this is when people stay in resorts or take cruise package
-the inclusiveness where the management of resorts creates a CONTROLLED TOURIST ENVIRONMENT
-allow only limited economic benefits to destination countries and local communities
-may widen the cultural and social gaps between tourists and local community
3. high infrastructure cost
-tourism genrate large revenue, but also requires large capital to develop the industry
-many hotels, resorts, supporting infrastructure have to be built
-taxes used to build all these could have been used in other important aspects of the society instead (e.g. education)
-hence tourism may be unsustainable in the long run
4. Unequal developement of industries
-many local people expect to reap more benefits from tourism and move away from primary and secondary industries
-local people in tourism industry may not be well paid if they work as low skilled jobs eg porters/rickshaw drivers
-as a result of emphasis of developing the tourism industry, resources may not be channelled to the primary or secondary indsutries (thus these generate less revenue and create fewer jobs)
-unequal developement of industries, cause overdependance of country's economy on tourism industry
5. INCREASE IN PRICES!$
-influx in tourism may result in competition for local demand or basic good and services
-cause increase in prices of goods and services, which applies to tourists and locals
-however, for the tourists, the increase in cost doesn't matter because they are on HOLIDAy and have higher purchasin power than the locals
6. vulnerability to seasons and unforseen events
-tourism is subject to peak and off peak periods, thus affecting businessess that only cater to tourists
-e.g. penisular malaysia experiences heavy rain and floods due to the northeast monsoon season from october to february every year, beach resorts along east coast will close until the next tourist seasons, cause decrease in income during this period!!
-also vulnerable to events beyond control of country, like disease outbreak (swine flu!)
-take place on global/ regional scale, and directly impact tourist arrivals
-since tourism has far reaching impacts on economy of country, decline of tourism will disrupt the livelihood of those involved in tourism related businnesses
e.g. outbreak of sars affected hong kong and singapore's tourism industry very badly!
-other unforsee events like bali bombing in bali indonesia in 2002 and 2005 cause many potential visitors to avoid the place for fear of another bomb attack
-indian ocean tsunami dec 2004 devastated popular tourist destinations
ok jiayou..gonna finish soon:)
SOCIETY AND CULTURAL IMPACTS
positive+ (society and cultural impacts)
1. Exchange of values
-presence of tourists provide opportunity for interaction between tourists and locals
-promotes better understanding of cultures and social practices
-by learning and exchanging experiences with one another, tourists and locals will enrich their understanding of cultures of other people
-e.g. volunteer tourism in Rio De Janeir for the carnival in February allows visitors to experience culture of carnical
2. preservation of heritage
-as locals interact with the tourists, they may become more aware of their heritage as tourists show interest in teh local culture and history
-over time, locals may preserve customs and practices more actively, increase awareness, and this boost the preservation of cultual and historical traditions
-they also help boost preservation of cultural and historical sites (museums etc)
e.g. the area around arab street and sultan mosque was once home to the sultan of singapore, sites like these have been restored
e.g. events like Thaipusam, a hindu festival are still celebrated and customs, traditional practices or beliefs are preserved, like the vel kavadi that is an elaborately decoated portable altar up to 2 metres high!
negative impacts ( society and cultural) -
1. Loss of identity and values
-tourism can cause loss or change of local identity and values when demand for crafts, entertainment or other commodities start to exert influence on locals
-they might discard traditional activities for tourism related ones to make a living
e.g. some masaai may try to make a living by selling beads and crafts, dancing and performing for tourists although this is deemed improper and may cause friction within the tribe!
2. Conflict of resource use
-growing demand for tourism facilities may result in competition for resources like water and electricity between toursts and locals
-tourists attractions like water parks threaten water resources
-tourists and tourism facilities in spain use up to 850 litres of water per person a day!
-may result in local communities having to pay higher taxes to increase water supply
3. Economic inequality
-higher paying jobs in the tourism industry goes to foreigners while lower paying jobs owned by locals might cause conflict!
-toursits and local people might also have large gap in wealth status
-this might cause friction
4. clash of values
-tourists tend to bring with them their own behvioural norms and culture to destination countries
-they might exhibit behavior deemed inappropriate by locals
-some countries, poeple might frown upon scantily clad tourists, alcohol consumption and inappropriate dressing
5. Crime generation
-tourists may be attracted to availability of drugs in certain countries, drug trade might flourish!!!!)
- De Wallen in Amsterdam,Netherlands, Patpong in Bangkok etc are notorious for their... red light districts!!! (became TOURIST ATTRACTIONS!o_0)
-legalisation of casinos in some countries like macau and monaco (and singapore!) to attract tourists may adversely influecne the locals, the young esp mihgt get addicted!
-since tourists are rich, might increase the thefts going on
ENVIRONMENTAL!:)
positive impacts- conservation of natural areas
- natural environmentslike beaches, forests, mountains are potentially valuable tourists detination, thus encouraging conservation of these areas
e.g. the malasian govt has set up pulau payar marine park in kedah and the pulau redang marine park in terengganu to attract tourists keen on snorkellyng and diving, tourists are taught to abide by rules imposed to protect coral reef ecosystem
-by protecting the natural envt, destruction of habitats of plants and animals are kept to minimum
-e.g. serengeti national park in Tanzania has been experiencing conflict b/w wildlife and people who live close to protected areas
-admission fees charged to tourists contribute to creating in peopel an awareness of the value of the natural resourcesand wildlife.
negative impacts - Environmental degradation
- not all visitors to natural areas are ecologically conscious or aware of how their actions affect the environment
-they leave behind litter
e.g. some mountain trails, like those in andes in peru, have been nicknamed 'toilet paper trails' because VISITORS POLLUTE THEM!!
e.g. everest base camp has become a dumping ground for tents, food wastes and oxygen tanks
-LITTER MARS THE BEAUTY OF THE ENVIRONMENT, AND CAUSES PEST INFESTATION AND POLLUTION THAT HARMS PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE!
-vehicles and aircrafts also cause air pollution and noise pollution
-60% of air travel is for tourism (hmm.. what about the other 40% ahh??) aeroplanes contribute much carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide to ozone layer! this adds to greenhouse effect and worsen GLOBAL WARMING!
-tourist resorts that lack sewage treatment facilities often suffer from wter pollution cause by improper sewage disposal
-when no. of tourists exceed carrying capacity of the area, quality of environment will deteriorate
-e.g. in the Alps in europe, when erecting steel pylons, overhead cables, lifts and tows for the ski facilities, trees were removed, mountin slopes reshaped, increase likelihood for avalaunches!
CHAPTER 8-MANAGING THE IMPACTS OF TOURISM:)
Fragile environments
-natural environments easily and often irreversibly damaged by human action and mismanagement, such as coasts, forests and mountains
-very vulnerable to mass tourism
-damaged fragile environments put off tourists, tourists seekfor better undamaged natural environments, and if this pattern continues, MANY NATURAL ENVIRONEMENTS CAN BE IRREVERSIBLY DAMAGED!
Social cultural impacts
-socio-cultural problems in tourists destination can cause communities protective of their traditional values to develop resentment towards tourists
-when tourists feel that a destination no longer offers authentic cultural experiences, or face hostility from loal communities, they may stop visiting the area eventually--affect livelihood of those dependant on tourist arrivals
therefore, we need.......
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM!
where efforts are taken to maximise positive impacts and minimise negative impacts
principles for the sustainable developement of tourism
1. Make optimal use of environmental resources
-conserving the natural heritage and biodiversity of the tourist destinations
2. Respect hte socio-cultural authenticity of host communities
-conserving the cultural heritage and traditional values of hte local peolle
-contribution to inter-cultural understanding and tolerance
3. Provide economic benefits to all stakeholders
-Distributig economic gains among all stakeholders fairly
-ensuring stable employment and income earning opportunities
-contributing to poverty alleviation
Who should be responsible for conserving and protecting tourist area??
1. Planning authorities
2. Businesses
3. Tourists
4. Non government oranisations
Approaches to sustainable tourism
1. ecotourism
2. community based tourism
hahaaha i'm so sorry..lazy to type out everything! too much already!! all in tb..go read urself:D
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one heart, one mind,one dance