Tourism Topic 2: Tourism Development

It refers to the increasing connections between places and people across the globe, established through trade, politics and cultural exchanges, and helped by technology and transport

International tourism has been growing & Tourist generating regions have become more diverse

• Motivation: Global spread of media/internet —> greater access to information about overseas destinations —> increases desire to travel. • Mobility: Increased global connectivity and advancements in transport networks —> travel becomes faster, more convenient, and more accessible.

• Tourists: Shift from primarily developed nations —> rapid rise in international travelers from emerging economies. • Destinations: Traditional focus on Europe/North America —> developing nations globally are increasingly popular.

Increasing popularity of lesser known destinations that were not previously as popular or easily accessible & The emergence of new experiences including adventure, heritage, sports and health tourism.

They are areas a long way from urban centres where people live in small settlement or isolated places, lacking infrastructure and employment opportunities.

• Global media/social platforms ⁠(e.g., Instagram)⁠ —> widespread sharing of travel experiences —> increases awareness/desire for exotic places. • The internet allows direct, seamless booking of remote accommodations/tours. • Advancements in transport like new modes of travel —> makes destinations more accessible

• Lesser-known destinations in a country that offer tourism experiences, Promoted to divert tourists away from over-crowded hotspots —> prevents exceeding carrying capacity —> allows the environment to recover

These destinations are becoming more popular, especially among younger travellers, as social media and online platforms increase tourists’ awareness of these places

• Tourists travel to natural environments and participate in challenging physical activities e.g mountain climbing as they seek to achieve personal growth and self-fulfillment • These activities mainly occur in places of natural beauty with scenic backdrops

• It is where tourists participate in activities to experience its culture and learn about its history —> fulfulling their need for unique travel experiences —> understanding the rich and diverse global cultures outside of their home country

• People observe / participate in sporting events. —> enjoy the event and escape the stress of work / seek to achieve personal growth and self-fulfillment, respectivley. • These places come with facilities like stadiums, courts and race tracks.

• Tourists travel to seek medical care or activities to seek physical, mental or spiritual wellness —> giving them self-fulfillment or personal growth often occuring in places with renowned medical services or wellness facilities

People or companies that supply tour packages to cater to larger groups of people, aka mass tourism.

• All-inclusive packages ⁠(e.g., transport + accommodation)⁠ —> eliminates the hassle of booking separate services. • Bulk-buying services at wholesale prices —> lowers operational costs —> cheaper retail prices for tourists. • Established brand expertise —> instills tourist trust in operators’ destination knowledge and emergency crisis support.

• People or companies who supply tourism for niche travel with specialisations in specific destinations or tourism experiences that many mass market ones do not offer —> get fewer sales

• Greater interests in them due to globalisation and social media • Greater expertise in specific destinations allowing them to tailor advice and recommendations to tourists. • Tours have high customisability as they cater to small groups of tourists

• Traditionally, tourism is marketed through traditional print • Now, it’s being replaced by new online media as more tourists are researching their trips online

• The tourism industry is labour intensive —> creates a large number and wide range of employment opportunities for people of varying skills and qualifications, reducing the national unemployment rate

In 2019, tourism accounted for 330 million jobs worldwide representing about 10% of the global workforce and between 2015 - 2019 about 25% of all new jobs were created by the tourism industry

• Tourism generates income for locals and governments in tourist destination regions and taxes generated from tourism can be spent on improving infrastructure, education and healthcare —> increasing the country’s standard of living, alleviating poverty

In the 1980s, Maldives was one of the poorest countries. Today, its economies has grown due to the tourism opportunities offered by its natural landscape, resulting in low poverty rates.

• Tourism revenue generated in a region is lost / returned to foreign economies. • Happens by: Profits being kept by foreign-owned businesses • Cost of importing goods/services to meet tourist demands • Wages paid to foreign managers/workers instead of locals, wiping out economic benefits in developing countries

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, for every USD 100 spent by a tourist on a holiday to a developing country, only USD 5 remains in the local host community

Unexpected events cause sudden drop in global tourist arrivals and tourism revenue & lack of alternative industries to fall back on causes massive economic fluctuation and loss of local livelihoods.

• Natural disasters such as earthquakes, can cause significant damage to tourism infrastructure in destination and generating countries —> people put off or cancel their travelling plans in fears of their safety

In 2017, parts of the Caribbean Islands were struck by as succession of powerful hurricanes causing the destruction of 95% of the buildings resulting in one million fewer tourist arrivals and an estimated loss of revenue amounting to 700 million USD

• Unfavourable political situations —> riots and protests in a country —> closures of hotels and tourist attractions with people fearing for their safety —> postponing or cancelling their travel plans. • Governments may close off the affected area / issue a travel advisory to discourage travelling to the affected area for safety, reducing tourist arrivals

In 2020, there were protests in Thailand against military rule. Several countries issued travel advisories to its citzens to dissuade them from visiting Thailand during that period of time, reducing tourist arrivals

• During an economic downturn, the economies of countries are negatively affected —> Companies attempt to cut costs —> people may lose their jobs and receive pay cuts —> reducing disposable incomes —> people choose not to travel to reduce spending

The Maldives, which is highly dependent on tourism, suffered a drop of 4% in tourism arrivals in 2009 due to global economic crisis then.

• People may postpone or cancel their travel plans in fears for their safety. • Governments may also opt to close their borders to ensure the safety of their own residents, further reducing the occurence of travelling

The COVID-19 pandemic that started in 2019 infected over 205 million people and caused over 4 million deaths. Many countries responded by going into ‘lockdown; causing international travel to shut down. In the Maldives, tourism arrivals in 2020 was only about a third of arrivals in 2019

• Tourism boosts local economy, gives incentive to protect cultural practices • Planning may invest in encouraging such practices • Preserving culture passes knowledge and cultural practices to future generations

• Provides tourists & locals aesthetic, educational, recreational and spiritual benefits

• Caused by high demand for heritage toursm • Weakens cultural value • Cultural rituals mass-produced, staged, condensed • Rising conflict as some want culture to be used for tourism while others want it to be preserved

• Tourists insensitive to local norms and leaving negative impacts e.g. pollution, congestion on local communities and environments create negative sentiment towards them among locals

• Tourists are prime targets for pickpocketing since they carry a large sums of money and valuables • Tourists are relaxed and unlikely to be alert of criminals • Negative sentiment among locals targets tourists and increased crime rates make locals feel less safe

• The relationships between tourists and local communties are unequal • Tourists are more privileged than the locals • Local communities have to accomodate the tourists and meet their needs while disregarding their own • The greather this difference, the higher the liklihood of negative social impacts occuring

• Natural environments provide important provisioning and regulating ecosystem services • Environmental degradation due to tourism impacts tourist destination regions negatively

• Tourism revenue generatied in destination regions funds protection of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems • Done via: Establishing protected areas or National Parks with restricted development to protect habitats

• Aquatic and terrestrial sites can be tourist attractions incentivising the restoration of such ecosystems • Can be done by reforestiation to stop & reverse degradation

• Travelling via air, sea or land requires large quantities of fuel to be burned releasing GHGs • Air-conditioned accomodation releases GHGs leading to enhanced greenhouse effect • GHGs eg sulfur dioxide & nitrogen oxide cause respiratory illnesses and spread over large areas

• Lack of trash infrastructure —> massive tourist littering —> physical degradation of natural landscapes. • Resorts/hotels without wastewater treatment plants —> dumping of raw sewage into the sea —> severe water pollution

• Overuse of natural resources eg water can be caused by tourism —> Negative environmental impacts eg droughts which may harm people and terrestrial aquatic ecosystems

• Construction of tourist facilities may enroach on natural areas destroying natural environments & threatening wildlife habitats • Careless tourists may trample on plants or make noise —> disturbing and scaring off animals