Chapter 1:
Tourism Planning
Basic Concepts,
Approaches and
Techniques
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this chapter, you are expected to:
Define planning
Understand the need for tourism planning
Describe the tourism planning approaches and techniques
Explain the different levels of tourism planning
Be acquainted with the types of tourism planning
Discuss the process for tourism planning
Explain the major elements in planning a tourist destination
Describe the stages of tourism development
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Meaning of Planning
Planning is the process of setting goals, selecting
alternative courses or action to achieve those goals,
implementing the chosen alternative and evaluating
the choices to find out if it is successful.
Planning is the key to the success of any activity.
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The Need for Tourism Planning
• In tourism, success is neither guaranteed nor permanent.
• Many areas have experienced tourism cycles which start with
few rich visitors, proceed through a series of expansion
programs, attain saturation, then go into decline.
• If an eventual decline is to be avoided, responsible
planning and management are essential.
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Many success stories describe tourist destinations
which have undergone through planning supported by
strong commitments for their attainment.
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“Planning, Commitment and Management are
principal elements in determining the decline or
success of a tourist destination.”
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A tourism plan and development program can provide
guidelines for areas in which government and the
private sectors have little or no experience on how to
develop these areas.
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Since tourism is a complex, multisectoral activity, a
tourism plan is necessary to coordinate the different
sectors to better service the needs of tourism and the
general public.
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Through an integrated tourism plan, the various direct
and indirect economic benefits of tourism can be
achieved.
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A responsible tourism plan is a means to attain
environmental conservation objectives through the
development of tourist attractions, facilities, and
infrastructure.
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A careful tourism plan is a means to achieve cultural
conservation objectives and produce sociocultural
benefits.
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A good tourism plan is a means in which the natural
and cultural resources for tourism are maintained, not
destroyed, in the development process.
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The right type of tourism plan can be used to invigorate
poorly developed tourism destinations.
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Careful planning is necessary to develop specialized
training facilities for the education and training for
particular manpower skills and abilities.
Tourism Planning Approaches and Techniques
1. Systems Approach
2. Comprehensive Approach
3. Integrated Approach
4. Environmental and Sustainable Approach
5. Community Approach
6. Implementable Approach
7. Systematic Approach
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1. SYSTEMS APPROACH
Requires that adequate information about the system is
available to understand and analyze it.
Computer technology is needed to collect and analyze this
data.
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2. COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH
All aspects of tourism development are analyzed and
planned on a broad scope.
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3. INTEGRATED APPROACH
Tourism is planned and developed as an integrated system
within itself and integrated into the overall plan and
development pattern of the area.
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4. ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABLE APPROACH
Tourism is planned, developed and managed in such a way
that the natural and cultural resources are not used up so
that they are available for continuous and permanent use in
the future.
Carrying capacity analysis is an important technique
used in the environmental and sustainable approach.
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5. COMMUNITY APPROACH
Planning is for the residents of the area. The local residents
should be given the opportunity to participate in the planning
of their community’s future development and express their
opinion on the type of community they want to live in.
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6. IMPLEMENTABLE APPROACH
Tourism plan, policies and recommendations are
expressed in a practical and achievable manner.
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6. SYSTEMATIC APPROACH
Tourism planning is based on an orderly arrangement of
activities.
Levels of Tourism Planning
1. International Planning
2. National Planning
3. Regional Planning
4. Subregional Planning
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International Planning
• Involves:
– International transportation services;
– The movement and scheduling of the tours of tourists
among different countries;
– The development of major tourist attractions and facilities in
neighboring countries as well as the working strategies and
promotional programs of the many countries.
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• Usually takes place through:
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World Tourism Organization (WTO) and its regional commissions;
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO);
International Air Transport Association (IATA);
Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)
Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO)
Tourism Council of the South Pacific (TCSP)
Sub-Committee on Tourism (SCOT) of the Association of the Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN)
– Tourism Coordination Unit (TCU) of the Southeast Africa Development
Coordination Conference (SADCC); and the
– Tourism Committee of the Organization for the Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD).
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National Planning
• Concerned with the following components:
– Tourism policy
– Infrastructure facilities
– A physical structure plan which includes important tourist attractions,
selected tourism development regions, international entry points,
facilities, and services
– The amount, kinds, and quality of accommodation and other required
tourist facilities and services
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– The important tour routes in the country and their regional
connections
– Tourism organizational entities, laws, and investment policies
– Tourism marketing strategies and promotion
– Education and training programs
– Design standards and facility development
– Environmental, economic, and socio-cultural analyses
– National level implementation methods including the short-term
development plan and project scheduling.
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Regional Planning
• The regional level of tourism planning is for one region of a
country, usually a state or province or an island.
• It is often devised within the framework of an existing national
policy.
• The regional level of tourism planning is more specific
than the national planning level.
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• Emphasizes the following:
– Regional policy
– Regional entry points and transportation facilities and
services
– Kinds of tourist attractions and their locations
– The amount, kinds, and location of tourist accommodation
and other tourist facilities, and services
– Location of tourist development areas including resort
areas.
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– Socio-cultural, environmental, economic, and impact
analyses
– Education and training programs on the regional level
– Marketing techniques and promotion
– Organizational establishments, laws, regulations, and
investment policies
– Implementation methods which include project plans and
regional zoning regulations.
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Subregional Planning
• There is a need for subregional planning in some countries or regions.
• This level of planning is more specific than the regional level. However,
it is not as detailed as the resort land use planning.
• The elements of the subregional plan usually include tourist
attractions, location of accommodation and other tourist
facilities and services, entry points to the sub region,
transportation facilities, and infrastructure.
Types of Tourism Planning
• Land Use Planning
• Facility Site Planning
• Facility Design
• Special Studies
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Land Use Planning
Tourist development areas selected as tourist resorts,
resort towns, tourist attractions, and urban tourism
impose land use plans.
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This level of planning is more detailed and shows the specific
areas for hotels, and other types of accommodation, retail
shops, recreation, parks, roads, walkways, airport, railway line
and station, water supply, electric power, sewage, solid and
waste disposal and telecommunications.
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These plans include prefeasibility and feasibility studies,
evaluation of environmental and socio-cultural influences, and
development planning.
Zoning regulations, architectural landscaping and engineering
design standards, are often prepared for this type of planning.
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Facility Site Planning
Site planning is planning for individual buildings such as hotels,
commercial centers, and visitor facilities.
The actual location of buildings, recreation areas, streets,
walkways, parking, landscaping areas, and other land uses
are shown min maps.
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Facility Design
Designs for landscaping, architecture, infrastructure, and
engineering must be prepared for resorts, hotels, restaurants,
attractions, archaeological and historic sites, information and
cultural centers, visitor facilities at national parks and other
tourist facilities.
These designs may be based on good international standards.
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Special Studies
Special studies on tourism are often undertaken based on the
needs of the area.
These studies pertain to environmental, socio-cultural, economic
impact analyses, marketing analysis and promotion programs.
Special planning studies can also be done on specific
types of tourism development such as health and youth
tourism.
Process for Tourism Planning
Ten (10) step structural process:
1. Acquire understanding
2. Preliminary position statement
3. Commitment for tourism study
4. Market and resources analysis
5. Conceptual planning
6. Plan approval
7. Master planning
8. Final Commitment
9. Staged implementation program
10.Evaluation and direction
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Acquire Understanding
• The first step in tourism planning is education.
• Persons who will make the most significant decision must
acquire the understanding necessary to portray a framework
for their decisions.
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• This will involve securing the services of lecturers or
consultants for a series of presentations.
• It could also involve field trips to areas where tourism planning
and development have already taken place.
• Face-to-face contact should take place between
decision makers in an area, resort, or attraction.
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Preliminary Position Statement
• The responsible group should develop a formal statement of
interest.
• This would show the objectives they would like to obtain and
the result they wish to achieve.
• Also important are formal statements regarding
restrictions on tourism development.
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• The objectives and constraints can be stated in a general
manner but it is important that they are written on paper and
made known to all parties who will be involved.
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Commitment for Tourism Study
• There should be an intensive study which establishes
feasibility and serves as a basis for actual development.
• The importance of this commitment is based on the fact that
there is a tendency to shorten and minimize this activity and its
importance. Such tendency should be controlled and
suppressed.
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Market and Resources Analysis
• This activity gathers and correlates data on the
overall size of the destination or prospective market
and the share that market is expected to gain.
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• This activity also determines what percentage of the total
market any destination will attract such as:
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Cultural
Environmental
Recreational
Guest facilities
Transportation (to and within the destination area)
Support industries
Land availability
Availability of appropriate labor
Capital
Government attitudes
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• This survey will show the degree to which an area will attract a
part of the total number of tourists travelling within its region
and it’s ability to compete for a share of existing and projected
markets.
• This body of information will serve as the basis for a major
investment decision.
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• In market analysis, data on travel statistics, airline routes, fare
structures and other related reports are needed.
• Other data such as detailed review of the resources in the
prospective destination, surveys of travel origins, markets, as
well as the willingness of airlines to extend their routes are
required.
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• This activity involves a number of temporary conclusions
which are needed in a market forecast. The market forecast in
the final product of their activity.
• Examples of interim conclusions are:
– The total possibility of travel to the geographic area is or is not
large enough to support the development of a tourism
industry.
– Travel routes are or not adequate to support the development
of tourism
– The local culture in the area will or will not be able to attract
tourists
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Conceptual Planning
• This activity uses the results of the market forecast to
establish the image and identification for the project area.
• This is done at an overall, comprehensive but not-technical
level.
• This involves general description of what the area
should look like and how it will function after
development has taken place.
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• Conceptual planning includes definite statements of objectives
and policies for the proposed tourism project. These deal
separately with the following facts:
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The theme or character of the tourism project
The major resources to be developed
Environmental, social, and cultural aims and restrictions
Economic targets and returns
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• This activity also deals with the selection of areas appropriate
for tourism development, requirements for guest facilities,
tourist attractions, land-use, policies, architectural themes,
patterns of tourist movements, investment policies, education
and training policies, government policies, checklist of
necessary legislation.
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• Conceptual planning gives general estimates of benefits and
costs which will be the basis for a major decision on whether
to proceed with the expensive, detailed master plan or to
modify, redirect or cancel it.
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Plan Approval
• This is a recognition of the necessity of the plan. After a
thorough review of the conceptual plan, the responsible
decision makers should make a decision on whether the
tourism planning process should proceed to the master plan.
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Master Planning
• Master planning involves expenses of time and money which
are 5 to 10 more expensive than the previous activities.
• The reason for this is because a master plan is more details
and frequent changes take place because of the nature of
cooperation required between the private and public sectors.
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• Areas which are detailed in a master plan are:
– Performing an in-depth marketing study
– Designation and extent of land uses for tourism
– Planning infrastructure facilities including roads, airports,
walkways, drainage, sewage, water, power and other utilities.
– Selection of sites for tourist facilities including their sizes and
boundaries
– Establishment of architectural designs and standards
– Drawing master, overall landscape plans
– Establishment of zoning and other land-use regulations
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• Schedules or time requirements for the development of
tourist facilities
• Economic analysis and financial programming including
cost-benefit analyses
• Drafting investment codes, regulations, and necessary
legislation
• Personnel development programs which include
inventories of available skills, management and labor
requirements for the area as well as recruiting and
training programs.
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Final Commitment
• After the completion of a master plan, many commitments
are needed.
• The government must pledge legislation policies, funds and
programs to encourage tourism.
• Bankers and other investors must pledge money.
• Private and public sector agencies must pledge the
building of hotels and other facilities.
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• Final commitment must be closely coordinated.
• Failure to secure commitment within any sector will result in
failure.
• Commitment must be unchangeable to avoid unfavorable
results.
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Staged Implementation Program
• Implementation activities fill the gap between accepted
development plans and the creation of an operational,
integrated tourism industry.
• The different elements must be coordinated.
• Continuous planning is needed because tourism and
its elements tend to be dynamic.
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Evaluation and Direction
• Established operations must be monitored to assure
continuing quality of services and operating success.
• Mechanisms must be established to provide continuous
feedback on tourism volumes and levels of satisfaction
provided.
• Such programs will prevent the decline of resorts,
attractions, or destinations.
Major Elements in Planning a Tourism Destination
The major elements in planning a tourist destination are:
1. Market analysis
2. Assessment of available resources
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Visitor attractions
Culture
Infrastructure and superstructure
Transportation
Support services
Visitor accommodations
Marketing
Economic and financial analysis
Environment
Social impact
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• Other elements such as state and country planning and
zoning regulations, financing packages for destinations and
resorts and construction documents are often included in a
comprehensive master plan.
Types and Quality of
Facilities and Services
Available
Resources and
Labor Capital
Market
Analysis
Economic and
Financial Analysis
Infrastructure
Comprehensive
Master Plan
State and Country
Planning and
Zoning
Regulations
Transportation
Financing
Package
Superstructure
Construction
Documents
Elements involved in developing a destination
Construction
Starts
Historic and
Environmental
Constraints
Environmental and
Social Impact
Statements
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Marketing Analysis
• Market analysis requires a thorough study of past and present
trends, traveler profiles, traveler performances and habits, market
position, and destination images.
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Assessment of Available Resources
a. VISITOR ATTRACTIONS – the success of a destination depends
not only on its power to attract visitors but also on its ability to
maintain them. Destination planning must look at existing attractions
plus the possibility of building new ones such as marinas, theme
parks, and others.
b. CULTURE – destination planning encourages the inclusion
of cultural heritage in tourism. Native customs, dance,
rituals, foods, crafts, ceremonies, traditional architecture
should be included in tourism planning to enable a new
destination to preserve its native culture instead of
lessening its value.
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c. MANPOWER – in destination planning, an adequately trained labor
force is required. Tourism as an industry, is not only people oriented
but also people dependent. A pleasant experience for visitors is an
important factor for the success of a tourism destination. Appropriate
training and development are necessary in two specific areas of
employee qualification namely: attitudinal and technical. It may be
necessary to establish hotel and tourism schools and provide
scholarships for some students to study abroad.
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d. INFRASTRUCTURE and SUPERSTRUCTURE – this term
infrastructure refers to all underground and surface construction of a
region. It includes water supply, electric lines, sewage and drainage
systems, roads and highways, communication and other related
services. Superstructure are the facilities and services that are above
the ground such as hotels, resorts, restaurants, shopping centers,
airports buildings, museums, stores and similar structures.
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• The infrastructure comes before the superstructure. The lack of an
adequate infrastructure often hinders the development and growth of
a tourism destination. A country may have beautiful beaches but
these are worthless if they are not connected to major markets by
roads or air facilities.
• They are also valueless if adequate water, electricity and sewage
facilities are not available. The development of infrastructure facilities
are generally a government responsibility. Developing nations may
seek assistance from international agencies such as the United
Nations Development Bank in order to develop their infrastructure.
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e. TRANSPORTATION – a study of the present and future
transportation needs such as air, highways, rail, and water is
necessary in the movement of passengers and goods. This
information can help the government in planning the expansion of air
routes, assessing traffic patterns between terminals and destinations
and measuring the effect of congestion in major tourist attractions,
historical sites, parks and beaches.
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f. SUPPORT SERVICES – they include services such as maintenance
and repair facilities, police protection, fire protection, retail shops,
sports facilities, gaming, festivals, pharmacies, handicraft facilities,
bookstores, department stores, art galleries, museums and others.
Problems will arise if any of these services is not available. It is
important to plan these services can be provided.
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g. ACCOMMODATION – accommodation facilities are the places
where tourists stop being travelers and become guests. These are
also places where tourists spend most of their time and money.
Thus, planning for accommodation is very important to the success
of a tourist destination. A careful analysis of visitor accommodations
can help government officials in making decisions such as rezoning,
acquisitions of property, release of public property for other uses,
invitations for private capital investment.
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Marketing
• Marketing is the process of selecting a target, choosing strategies to
reach the market, establishing objectives, coordinating the efforts of
those involved in promoting the destination and evaluating successes
and failures.
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Economic and Financial Analysis
• It involves a careful analysis of economic conditions and financial
requirements such as feasibility studies, cash flow, available capital
and interest rates. On the international level, economic analysis also
includes balance of trade from inbound and outbound tourism.
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Social Impact
• Developers of a tourist destination should consider the effect of
tourist growth on the local population. Too much contact between the
resident population and visitors can lead to internal trouble. This is
the reason why many countries plan and develop resort areas away
from population centers to avoid congestion and to be able to
distribute tourism resources over a wide area.
Stages of Destination Development
• The product life cycle characterizes the stages of destination
development.
• This theory includes four stages of the product development from
inception to growth to maturity and finally to decline.
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• These stages are the following:
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I. Inception – discovery
II. Growth – local response and initiative
III. Maturity – institutionalization
IV. Decline – saturation and alienation
• A knowledge of these four stages will make the planner to
avoid problems related to mass development and ensure the
continuous success of a tourist destination.
Visitor
Arrivals
Rejuvenation
Maturity
Decline
Growth
Inception
Time
Hypothetical Evolution of a Tourist Area
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Stage I – INCEPTION - Discovery
• During this stage of development, a few adventurous tourist visit the
area. These are the allocentric type of tourists. Some of them decide
to stay in the area and become expatriates. These expatriates
establish restaurants, guest residences, souvenir shops and tour
services. Their business usually succeed because they offer services
that are more modern, more sanitary and more reliable than those
offered by the local population. These are the reasons why a greater
number of allocentrics are encouraged to visit the destination.
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• During stage I, tourists are generally welcomed by the
residents. There is a great amount of interpersonal contact
between the tourists and the residents.
• The tourists adjust to the local environment and the people.
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Stage II – GROWTH – Local Response
and Initiative
• For stage II, the number of tourists increases. The area has
developed a good reputation by word of mouth. Although tourism is
growing, the facilities and services are owned and controlled by the
residents.
• There is a lack of standardization of facilities. Tourism
development is uncoordinated and spontaneous instead
of planned. Tourist continue to adapt the local culture.
However, these are signs that the tourist industry is
beginning to adapt to the needs of the tourist. Motorboats
replace manually propelled boats. Increase attention is
given to sanitation and visitor comfort.
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• The increased interaction between tourist and residents
result in a desire of residents for better education, increased
awareness of the outside world, trend toward equality, and a
change of traditional lifestyles.
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Stage III – MATURITY Institutionalization
• Maturity is characterized by the increase in the number of tourists
and the formalization of services, itineraries, and roles. There is a
loss of local decision-making and control in the tourist industry.
• Many hotels, airlines and other services are associated
with international corporations who make corporate
decisions from offices outside the country. Hence, the
local population are economically dependent on
individuals or corporations who do not reside in the area
and yet own and control many tourist services. This
creates a feeling that outsiders have taken control.
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• During the Maturity – Institutionalization stage facilities and
procedures are standardized which results in greater efficiency. The
diets of the local residents improve because they are exposed to new
foods. Native crafts are revived since they are in demand by the
tourists. The increased production of native crafts generates more
income for the resident population.
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Stage IV – DECLINE – Saturation and
Alienation
• In the final stage, the destination has become saturated. The
residents have become disillusioned because tourism has not
produce at all the benefits they expected. For the visitors, the factors
that were responsible for the earlier success of the destination, such
as the hospitality of the residents, the clean and uncongested
environment, and the appeal of the new destination have
disappeared so the tourists begin to look for other unaltered
destinations.
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• A destination is not expected to pas through all these four stages.
Some do not move beyond stage I. There are destinations that move
directly from Stage I to Stage III as in the case of Guam and Fiji.
• Even in the decline stage, measures can be taken to rejuvinate a
declining destination. An example of this is the repositioning of
Miami, Florida as a gateway city to and from Latin America.
End of Chapter 1