FACTORS AFFECTING TOURISM

Done By: DHELEEPAN 3rd Year BSc Geography, Travel and Tourism Management

FACTORS AFFECTING TOURISM

Tourism is said to be the worlds largest industry. Hence a large number of factors shape tourism. The major types of factors that affect tourism are given below: FACTORS: Attractions Physical factors Political factors Cultural Factors Economic factors Economic and regional development Social Factors Travel formalities and regulations Travel restrictions Tourism Policy Health issues Conflicts/wars Terrorism

ATTRACTIONS
A good number of attractions attract a good number of tourists. Different attractions attract different types of tourists and tourism. A hilly region attracts nature lovers. A beach resort attracts beach lovers and water sport enthusiasts. Pilgrim centers attract religious tourists.
Though attractions attract people they should be well maintained otherwise people would ignore it. The best example for one such case is Hampi.

PHYSICAL FACTORS
The physical features of a destination plays a major role in determining the tourist flow to that region. A contrasting physical feature in a geographical area attracts more people. For eg, Ooty is a hill station in Tamil Nadu. It attracts lot of tourists from the state as one can experience cool climate and scenery which cannot be experienced in the plains and plateaus of Tamilnadu.

For good inflow of tourists a region should have:

Moderate climatic conditions Good aesthetic beauty

POLITICAL FACTORS
The political factors play a major in determining the tourist inflow. The major political issues that affect tourism are: Political disputes between two countries Weak political situation Political conflicts. An example of a country neglected by majority of tourists because of weak political situation is Egypt.

At the same time political factors also have some good influence on tourism if There be good political relations between two countries Stable government provides security. Malaysia is a good example.

CULTURAL FACTORS
A country with good cultural background attracts large number of people. There is a desire to experience the different cultures in different parts of the world. For culture to be a major tourism resource the destination should pay more attention to: Preserve culture Preserve historical monuments Organize shows exhibiting culture Check cultural leakage.

Cultural leakage is a great hindrance for tourism.

Culture itself sometimes stops tourists visiting a destination when: The culture of the destination is primitive The culture of the destination is not tourist friendly. A good example could be Nicobar Islands. Culture is not preserved.

ECONOMIC FACTORS
The economy of a destination also plays a role in attracting tourists. The better the economic development better is the inflow of tourists. Better economy means better facilities, better transport, better the experience.

France could be a good example.

But however we must also note that incase of eco tourism or rural tourism the region should be remote, unexploited and should be less developed.
Sharavathi Valley in India is an example.

ECONOMIC AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

If a region is economically and regionally well developed then it means it has good infrastructure to attract tourists.

Good infrastructure is a key factor in building the image of a destination. Good infrastructure means: Good Transport facilities Good accommodation Good maintenance of the attractions Good connectivity, etc.
In general the more the region is developed the better the infrastructure. The better the infrastructure the better is the tourist inflow.

SOCIAL FACTORS
The social factors also are responsible in attracting tourists. The social factors include: Safety Security Friendliness Hospitality

In general everybody looks for safety that too when out of station. So safety and security are important factors in determining tourist arrivals. Good safety means good tourist inflow. Indians hesitate to visit Philippines, Pakistan or Australia because of safety reasons.

If the people are friendly the better is the tourist inflow.

TRAVEL FORMALITIES
The travel formalities play a major role in attracting tourists. There is generally a lot of formalities imposed on foreign tourists like: Passport VISA Travel Insurance Money exchange, etc

Visiting certain areas also require: Special permission Experienced escorts,etc. The obtaining of travel documents is expensive. Only the rich can afford it. Moreover obtaining special permissions is a difficult task. Hence too much of travel formalities again affects tourism.

TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS
There are also various restrictions imposed on a traveler. These affect tourism on a large scale. The major may include: Amount of liquor, cigars a person can carry Amount of cash a person can carry Restrictions on pets Restrictions on medicine The customs department takes care of these restrictions. Relaxation of restrictions will attract more tourists. The European Union has abolished customs among its member countries.

TAXATION
Heavy taxation and service charges result in less movement of tourists.

TOURISM POLICY
The Tourism Policy of a country plays an important role in the development of tourism. The more flexible and more friendly the policy is the more is the tourist arrival. More funds should be allotted for tourism for more tourists to come. France and Malaysia are some of the examples of countries having good tourism policy.

PAID HOLIDAYS
Certain governmental and private organizations provide paid holidays to their employees. This has resulted in considerable increase in tourism. The concept of LTC ( Leave Travel Concession) present in the Government of India is an example.

HEALTH ISSUES
The health issues affects tourism. If health conditions are good at the destination or the conditions of health in the home country of the tourist is good then better is the inflow of tourists. The prevalence of Yellow fever, etc in Africa has resulted in mandatory vaccinations against the disease. Similarly when tourists from infected countries come to a destination they are expected to undergo certain tests.

Spread of epidemics is another issue. People become scared to visit a destination and people from the infected countries are not allowed to enter unaffected countries. Best includes include: Swine flu Bird flu SARS Anthrax, etc. Though health issues pose threat to tourism providing alternative medicine and providing cure for illness has result in the development of health tourism.

CONFLICTS/ WARS
Civil wars within or between two countries always keeps tourism at bay. The best examples could be : Israel- Palestine conflict Libyan war

TERRORISM
Countries that are prone to terrorism are best avoided by tourists. The best examples include Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc.

CONCLUSION
The major factors that affect tourism both positively and negatively were discussed . For better inflow of tourists these factors should be kept at the required level.

THANK YOU