Geography Tourism

Reason for travel

1. Leisure E.G. Visit tourist attractions
2. Business E.G. MICE- Meeting, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions
3. Niche areas E.G. Sports, medical, education

Tourist attractions
1. Environment
– Natural features E.G. Mountains, beaches, rivers, forests
– Climatic differences E.G. Tropical islands, snow-capped mountains
1. Culture/History
– Architecture E.G. Places of worship, monuments, memorials, buildings
– Cultural expressions E.G. Festivals, cuisine, arts & crafts, music, dances,
folklore
1. Man-made
– Human made features E.G. Theme parks, museums, city landscapes
1. Events
– E.G. Parades, carnivals, sales, meetings, conventions, sports center

Reasons for tourism growth

1. Disposable income
• It is the amount of money available for an individual to spend
• As economic conditions improve, people get more disposable income
to spend on travel
• However, in countries with high taxes or unemployment rates, travel is
considered a luxury, as people will spend on necessities instead.
1. Leisure time
• Leisure time is time available to spend outside the demands of work or
duty
• People with more leisure time (E.G. retirees) are more inclined to travel
2. Changing lifestyle
• Travel has become a form of relaxation
• Travel has also become avenue for self-discovery
○ Ancestry tourism helps the tourist to trace his/her ancestry, visit
the birth place of ancestors and sometimes get to know distant
relatives
○ Volunteer tourism is where tourist spend their vacation doing
volunteer work
3. Amenities
• Attractions E.G. theme parks, museums and leisure complexes
• Facilities E.G. Accommodation such as backpackers’ inns to high-end
luxury hotels, shopping and entertainment outlets
4. Accessibility
• A place which is easily accessible is more attractive due to reduction in
travel time
• E.G. Well-developed transport network (land, sea and air routes) and
transportation facilities
5. Affordability
• Cheaper fares due to competition between airline companies
• E.G. Air tiger, Jetstar, Tiger airways, Lionair
6. Subsidiary services
• It is the marketing, reservation and coordination among different tour
agencies operation within a country.
• Often, a nation body, such as a tourism board, is set up to promote
tourism and help coordination efforts.
• E.G. Singapore Visitor Center by STB, China Nation Tourism
Administration (CNTA)
7. Quality service
• It is the assistance and support provided to a customers
• Pleasant experiences might prompt tourists to make repeat visits or
even recommend the country to their friends.
• Excellence Service Award (ESA) and Go the Extra Mile for Service
(G.E.M.S) are strategies to improve the service sector in Singapore
8. Prevalence of media
• A country or place may promote itself as a favored tourist destination
by advertising through the various media
• E.G. Bus stops, Cabs, Movies
9. Information and communication
• Travel arrangements can be made online, phone or fax
• People can access information on other countries through the internet,
and make travel plans.
• E.G. Trip advisors, Blogs, Networking sites (Facebook)
10.Meetings & conventions
• This is MICE travel
• E.G. 117th International Olympic committee session held in 2005
• E.G. 2006 Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the
International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group
11.Reduction in political barrier
 • The erosion of political barriers has boosted tourist travel into and out
of countries which previously has strict travel restrictions
• E.G. fall of the ‘Iron Curtain’ in eastern Europe
• E.G. European Union (EU) has created a single market within member
states with a common trade policy and common currency (Euro)

Tourism impacts
Economic Impacts (Positive)
1. Contribution to revenue
○ Tourist spending enables, food, hotel, leisure, retail and transport
industries to make profit
○ Government then receives revenue through taxes paid by industries
○ Leading to an increase in GDP
○ E.G. Singapore GDP from $9.8 Billion in 2004, to $15.2 Billion in 2008
2. Development of infrastructure
○ Infrastructure is transportation, communications, attractions and
landscape development
○ When the government develops infrastructures for tourism sector, it
benefits the locals and improves their quality of life.
○ E.G. IR gives Singaporeans a casino and theme park
3. Job creation
○ A labour intensive industry
○ It creates jobs in other industries such as primary and secondary
industries
○ E.G. Hotels buy food from local farmers which may increase the
demand for local produce
○ Jobs are also created in the transportation and food & drinks industry.
4. Contribution to local economies
○ Tourism circulates money spent by tourism through the country’s
economy and promotes development
○ This effect is known as the multiplier effect
○ E.G. More food, Shopping outlets, better transportation
5. Diversification of local economies
○ Increase in various industries related to tourism hence diversifying the
economy
○ Thus, reducing overdependence on a certain industry
○ E.G. Tibet’s economy has been diversified from largely dependent on
agricultural (73.6% in 1959) to include tourism sector (55.5% in 2008)
6. Increase in foreign investment
 ○ Foreign investors are attracted to set up new businesses, which will
further enhance the host country’s attractiveness to foreign investors
of other industries
○ E.G. Singapore IR attracted world class investors like Las Vegas Sands
and Genting Group

Economic Impacts (Negative)

1. Loss of income to local economy
 Presence of foreign companies, TNC, leads to leakages.
 Money earned are usually sent back to TNC companies, and loss of job
opportunities for the local people due to competition with expatriates
 E.G. Airlines, Hotels, Tour agents. Disneyland in Hong Kong, Club-Med
in Malaysia.
2. Enclave tourism
 A form of tourism where tourists are provided with an ‘all-inclusive’
package
 This only allows limited economic benefits to the destination countries
and local communities.
 It may also widen the cultural and social gaps that already exist
between the tourists and local communities
 Characteristics: Tourists stay at same place, everything is provided for
them
 E.G. Cruises (Star Cruises), Resorts (Club Med)
3. High infrastructure cost
 Countries require a large capital to develop infrastructures like hotels
and transport networks
 Opportunity cost involved, as taxes and revenue used to finance these
constructions could be invested in other aspects of society such a
education and health.

4. Unequal development of industries
 Over-emphasis on tourism can result in resources being channeled
away from primary and secondary industries.
 Uneven development and overdependence on tourism industry for
economic growth results
5. Rising prices (inflation)
 Increasing costs of living usage near tourist populated areas
 As tourist have higher purchasing power, prices rise, thus locals cannot
afford the goods and services
 E.G. Sentosa, Orchard road
6. Vulnerability
  Dependent on season
 E.G. Eastern Malaysia is closed during Nov-Jan due to Monsoon
 Dependent on events beyond one’s control
 E.G. Epidemic ( 2003 SARS), Terrorism ( Sept 11 2001), Natural
disasters (Dec 2004 Tsunami)

Socio-cultural Impact (Positive)

1. Exchange od values and social awareness
Tourist-local interaction help societies and communities to come to a
common understanding
2. Preservation of cultural heritage
Heritage is anything of value inherited from past (Hardware and
Software)
Hardware: Buildings (Singapore shop houses) , architecture,
landscapes
Software: Events, festivals (CNY) , clothing, customs

Socio-cultural Impact (Negative)

1. Alteration/ Loss of identity and values
 Cultural is altered o suit tourist comforts and convenience
 Thus, pseudo-culture (inauthentic culture) is developed
 E.G. Artifacts turned into ornaments, Events can be staged to reflect a
false reality (Bail dance)
2. Conflict of resource use
 Competition for resource like water and electricity
 Thus local communities need to pay higher taxes
 E.G. 850 liters of water is consumed by a tourist a day
3. Economic inequality
 Foreigners hold higher paying jobs, while locals hold lower paying jobs
 Friction arises due to widening income gap
 E.G. The CEOs in MNC are foreigners
4. Clash of social values
 Differences in the values system of both tourists and locals
 Tourist demonstration may change local attitudes, values and
behavior.
 E.G. Scantily dressed tourists in Muslim regions, Alcohol consumption
in conservative countries
5. Crime generation
 Growth of tourism encourages proliferation of vices
 E.G. Red lights district, Legislation of gambling (Singapore IR)
Environmental Impact (Positive)
1. Preservation and conservation of natural environment
➢ Tourism as an incentive for governments and communities to protect
natural areas (Ecotourism)
➢ E.G. Chek Jawa in Singapore
2. Tourism organization and Eco-awareness
➢ Tourism organization promote ecological awareness/ education among
guests and local communities
➢ E.G. American Express Grants/ Awards, Banyan Tree

Environmental Impact (Negative)

1. Degradation and pollution
✔ Tourism brings about all types of pollution
✔ Environment deteriorates when carrying capacity of land is exceeded
✔ E.G. Transportation infrastructure (Jetties, airstrips), Accommodation
(Chalets, resorts), Tourist facilities (Golf courses, swimming pools),
Sewage and waste disposable (Water pollution)

Managing Tourism
Sustainable tourism
 Meets the present needs of tourists and the host country while protecting and
enhancing opportunities for future generations

People responsible for protecting tourist areas

1. Visitors
⇒ Responsibility on tourist to gather information about the area and it
population before they depart
⇒ E.G. Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures
⇒ Tourist should pay attention to local customs and cultural norms
⇒ E.G. Women covering up in Muslim countries
2. Tourism-related business
⇒ Economic success should not be only aim of businesses
⇒ Hotel businesses should
→Conserve energy and water
→Educate guests and staff on environmental management
→Purchase local products and employing local people where
possible
 →Provide means for guests to be involved in local community
development projects
⇒ Tour packages should
→Include briefing tourists on responsible behavior at destinations
→Help local communities make preparations for visitor arrivals
→Improve sustainability of the tourist activities
3. Planning Authorities
⇒ Governments may choose to develop a certain aspect of tourism as
part of their national development strategy
⇒ E.G. Singapore’s government has been proactively encouraging
tourism in specific areas, such as health and medical tourism, to
become a regional medical hub
⇒ Some countries face difficulty in enforcing laws and regulations on
proper tourist behavior, due to lack of funds and manpower
⇒ E.G. Nomadic Penan people, in Gunung Mulu National Park, in
Malaysia, have been displaced when the government declared it as a
protected area.
4. NGOs
⇒ Ecotourism
→Is responsible travel to natural areas that conserve the
environment and improves the well-being of the local people
→Is limited as,
〉 Profit driven tour operators offering nature based
packages that appear to be environmentally sustainable
〉 Laws are not strictly enforced to conserve environment
〉 Lack of control on tourist number due to attractiveness of
higher tourist income
〉 Destruction of pristine, untouched environments due to
competition between countries to be ecotourism
destinations
⇒ Community-based tourism
→Is the process of tourism development and management that
includes, consults, and benefits the local community.
→Is limited as,
〉 Certain parties of the community-based tourism fail to
share the same ideals
〉 Small scale community-based tourism drawn lesser
tourism revenues for local communities compared to
mass tourism
〉 Visitors have poor understanding of community-based
tourism may have unrealistic expectations of their trips.