Tourism Planning and Marketing
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CONTENTS
Lesson 1
Concept and Introduction........................................................................................................... 1
1
Concept and Introduction
LESSON
1
CONCEPT AND INTRODUCTION
CONTENTS
1.0
Aims and Objectives
1.1
Introduction
1.2
Concept of Policy
1.3
Formulating Tourism Policy
1.4
1.3.1
Objectives
1.3.2
Approach to Policy Formulation
Techniques of Plan Formulation
1.4.1
Consideration of Development Objectives and Policies
1.4.2
Survey and Analysis Inputs
1.4.3
Tourist Attractions
1.4.4
Tourist Facilities and Land Area Requirements
1.4.5
Transportation Facilities and Services
1.4.6
Other Infrastructure
1.4.7
Integrated Analysis and Synthesis
1.4.8
Land Availability
1.4.9
Major Opportunities and Constraints
1.5
Let us Sum up
1.6
Lesson End Activities
1.7
Keywords
1.8
Questions for Discussion
1.9
Suggested Readings
1.0 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
After studying this lesson, you should be able to:

Understand tourism policy and its goals

Present policy frameworks and contexts

Know about the current concepts of policy and its importance

Appreciate the approaches for policy formulation
1.1 INTRODUCTION

"A course or method of action selected from alternatives in light of given
conditions to guide and determine future decisions ".
( WEBSTER )

A normative science.

Goal-oriented planning.
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
A means of coordinating objectives to maximize benefits and minimize costs.

Both a micro-component and a macro-component.
The policy is important:

To provide overall goal stability in an organization or a destination.

To reduce repetitive thinking.

To improve consistency of decisions.
Tourism Policy is:

The complex of tourism related decisions which, integrated harmoniously with the
national policy for development, determines the orientation of the sector, and the
action to be taken. - Acerenza 1985.

Tourism policy development is a process that covers at least 3 elements:

Goals and objectives for the destination.

Available resources: economic, environmental, social, cultural, human
resources.

Consideration of the impacts of tourism on the destination; and their
measurement and monitoring.
1.2 CONCEPT OF POLICY
According to a dictionary definition, policy is “any course of action followed
primarily because it is expedient or advantageous in a material sense. When put into a
political theme – public policy is a concept, whereby the government or a political
party will determine decisions, actions and other matters that will prove advantageous
to society in general. Policies are the principles that underline the actions that will take
place to solve public issues. This may be administered through state or federal action
such as legislation, regulations and administrative practices”.
The starting point for anyone who is producing policies is to realize that there needn't
always be consistency in them. This is mainly because the values of society are
continuously changing, and policies being the representation of society's preferences
and ideals, must change with them. It is at this broad level that policy becomes a
complex interplay of "social and economic decisions, prevailing ideas, institutions and
individuals, technical and analytical procedures, and general theories about the way
policy is made”. All of these factors when taken into account will determine how the
new policy will affect the following:

Private Citizens

Companies

Corporations

Associations
In general, the purpose of government is to add value to the lives of the people it
serves, and through good policy making, this can be achieved. Policies should express
and embody society's needs and values, and this is achieved through the
comprehensive use of politics involving cooperation from groups outside the
government body.
The tourism policy of a country provides the most explicit indication of the
governmental approach to sustainable tourism development and the role that all
stakeholders in the tourism industry need to play. As part of tourism policy,
organizations can be set up which are able to set objectives, formulate plans and
implement programmes.
Policy makers also need reliable information and good-quality data on a timely basis in
order to appreciate the complex and long-term interactions that tourism has to maintain
with the rest of the economy. If information or data are lacking, then the importance
of the contribution of tourism to sustainable socio-economic development tends to be
overlooked.
In many countries of Asia and the Pacific, the national tourism organizations do not
receive enough resources, and their capabilities therefore remain limited. Tourism
policy and the work of the national tourism organization should be able to emphasize
the interrelationship that involves a number of concerns related to sustainable tourism
development, such as human resources development, the economic impact of tourism,
environmental management, infrastructure, travel facilitation and cooperation at the
regional or sub-regional levels.
1.3 FORMULATING TOURISM POLICY
Tourism emerged as the largest global industry of the 20th century and is projected to
grow even faster in the 21st century. India has immense possibilities of growth in the
tourism sector with vast cultural and religious heritage, varied natural attractions, but
a comparatively small role in the world tourism scene. A New Tourism Policy, which
builds on the strength of the national Tourism Policy of 1982, but which envisages
new initiatives towards making tourism the catalyst in employment generation,
environmental re-generation, development of remote areas and development of
women and other disadvantaged groups in the country, besides promoting social
integration is, therefore, vital to our economy. It would lead to larger foreign
exchange earnings and create conditions for more Foreign Direct Investment.
The mission is to promote sustainable tourism as a means of economic growth and
social integration and to promote the image of India abroad as a country with a
glorious past, a vibrant present and a bright future. Policies to achieve this will be
evolved around six broad areas, such as, Welcome (Swagat), Information (Suchana),
Facilitation (Suvidha), Safety (Suraksha), Cooperation (Sahyog) and Infrastructure
Development (Samrachana). Conservation of heritage, natural environments, etc. and
development and promotion of tourist products would also be given importance.
1.3.1 Objectives
The objectives of tourism development are to foster understanding between people, to
create employment opportunities and bring about socio-economic benefits to the
community, particularly in the interior and remote areas and to strive towards balanced
and sustainable development and preserve, enrich and promote India's cultural heritage.
One of the major objectives is the preservation and protection of natural resources and
environment to achieve sustainable development.
Given the low cost of employment creation in the tourism sector and the low level of
exploitation of India's tourism potential, the new tourism policy seeks to expand
foreign tourist arrivals and facilitate domestic tourism in a manner that is sustainable
by ensuring that possible adverse effects such as cultural pollution and degradation of
environment are minimized.
The New Tourism Policy also aims at making the stay of foreign tourists in India, a
memorable and pleasant one with reliable services at predictable costs, so that they are
encouraged to undertake repeated visits to India, as friends. This would be in tune with
India's traditional philosophy of giving the highest honour to a guest (Atithi Debo
Bhava).
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Tourism Planning and Marketing
Coherent and realistic tourism development policy establishes the basis for developing
and maintaining tourism and is an essential element of the national or regional tourism
plan. Applying decision making within the framework of adopted policy is much more
beneficial than taking ad hoc responses to opportunities and problems as they arise.
The types of tourism development policies examined in this section refer to the type
and extent of tourism that should be developed in an area and any special factors to be
considered in its development, including those for sustaining the natural and cultural
resources of tourism.
1.3.2 Approach to Policy Formulation
Tourism development policy is determined in the plan formulation stage of the
planning process. It is first formulated on a preliminary basis, with evaluation of
alternative policies, and then finalized after it has been tested for its suitability in
achieving the objectives of developing tourism and its feasibility of implementation.
In a large country or region, different policies may be adopted for different areas, but
these together comprise an overall policy statement for the area.
Policy is determined based on several considerations. The objectives of developing
tourism provide the most important basis for establishing policy because policy is the
expression of how the objectives can be achieved. For example, if the objective is for
minimization of socio-cultural impact, then the policy may be for highly controlled,
limited tourism development. More generally, tourism policy must reflect the overall
development policy and plan of the country or region so that tourism is an integrated
sector. The background review of existing policy and planning will have provided the
basis for this integration. For example, a general policy may call for increased
economic development in a particular region of the country, and therefore the tourism
policy will give priority to development in that region if it has tourism potential. The
political and economic ideology of the country or region also affects policy as related
to the respective roles of the public and private sectors in developing tourism.
Policy also evolves from the survey, analysis, and synthesis of any present tourism
development patterns and infrastructure, tourist attractions, and tourist markets. Socioeconomic and environmental factors are very important considerations in policy
determination, especially the social and environmental absorptive or carrying capacity
of the area. Although international tourism and often some aspects of domestic
tourism are developed primarily for their economic benefits, tourism policy must be
based on all considerations so that it is developed in a balanced manner.
The government should assume the lead role in determining tourism policy because
policy affects the entire country and its communities and must balance economic,
environmental, and social concerns. National and community objectives should
prevail over individual, group, or sector interests, while still recognizing the right of
those interests to be considered. However, the private sector should be involved in the
policy decision-making process, and the resulting policy should provide a framework
within which the private sector can effectively function. Just as importantly, the
government should also involve the community or its spokesmen in this policy
decision-making and not impose policy on the people.
Check Your Progress 1
What is the mission of the tourism policy in India?
………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………….
1.4 TECHNIQUES OF PLAN FORMULATION
In formulating the structure plan it is essential to apply a systematic approach to
provide a rational basis for planning, but the planner must also be imaginative in
finding new and different solutions to problems when necessary. The experience of
similar tourism areas or particular aspects of tourism development that are similar in
other places can often provide useful ideas in formulating the plan. Mapping is
essential and, as is the case with the planning analysis, the overlay mapping technique
(or use of computer mapping), which shows relationships of the plan inputs and
components is very useful. The various inputs to, and approaches applied in,
formulating the plan are reviewed in the following sections.
1.4.1 Consideration of Development Objectives and Policies
The objectives and policies set forth the overall parameters for the type of
development to be planned and provide a guide for formulating the plan. For example,
if the objective is to minimize socio-cultural impact and the policy is to greatly control
and limit development, then retreat resort, special interest, and alternative forms of
tourism can be considered; if the objective is to minimize environmental impact and
the policy is to maximize integration of facilities with the natural environment, then
low-density, low-rise accommodation can be considered; or if the objective is to
optimize economic benefits and the policy is to develop substantial tourism but still
with environmental and social controls, then large, well-planned, integrated resorts
may be the suitable development form. As indicated previously, the objectives and
policies at this stage are often preliminary and feedback from evaluation of the
alternative structure plans may result in modification of the objectives and policies.
1.4.2 Survey and Analysis Inputs
Survey and analysis inputs are very important in the systematic formulation of the
plan and must be considered in both the quantitative and qualitative sense. There are
various inputs found from the survey, analysis, and synthesis to make in the plan
formulation.
1.4.3 Tourist Attractions
The survey and evaluation of existing and potential tourist attractions and related
activities indicate the type and location of major attractions, which is a basic input to
the plan. If the major attractions are location-based, such as national parks or
archaeological or historic sites, they will obviously be a major consideration in
determining other recommendations such as the location of transportation facilities
and tourism development regions or areas. The type and location of tourist attractions
also largely determine the tour routes and tour programming for sight-seeing tourist
activities. If it has been decided to develop special types of attractions such as a large
convention center, theme park, gambling casino (as a primary attraction), or major
sports facility, a location analysis study for these features will need to be conducted.
1.4.4 Tourist Facilities and Land Area Requirements
The projected types and amounts of accommodation and other tourist facilities and
their land area requirements are important inputs for the plan formulation. The tourist
facility land area requirements are distributed in the plan, based on several
considerations:

The forms of tourism development to be applied;

The integrated analysis and synthesis of physical, economic, and social factors
(including carrying capacities of potential tourism development areas);

Type and location of tourist attraction features;
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Tourism Planning and Marketing

Location of existing and already planned tourist facilities;

Location of existing and already planned transportation and other infrastructure
development;

Present overall development policies and plans; and

Availability of land in the potential development areas.
1.4.5 Transportation Facilities and Services
Existing and already planned transportation facilities and services become an
important input to the plan because, in order to minimize capital investment
requirements, the existing major transportation system should be used to the greatest
extent possible for tourism. The transportation analysis will have indicated
improvements required to the existing system, as well as new transportation facilities
and services necessary to develop the projected level of tourism.
1.4.6 Other Infrastructure
The analysis of the availability of other existing infrastructure in terms of type, extent,
and location may be an influencing factor in the plan formulation, especially if the
principle is applied to tourism of utilizing existing infrastructure to the greatest extent
possible. The capacity and location of water supply systems and of water resources,
such as underground water resources, may be an especially important consideration.
1.4.7 Integrated Analysis and Synthesis
The integrated analysis and synthesis of environmental, social, and economic factors
along with the tourist attractions, facilities, and infrastructure, which shows the
interrelationships of the various elements in composite map form is basic input to the
plan formulation in order to decide where tourism development can be appropriately
located. Considerations deriving from the integrated analysis and synthesis may
include, for example:

The location of existing and planned urban areas, resource areas such as for
agriculture and mining, airport zones and significant conservation areas to be
preserved will generally preclude those places from being considered for major
tourism development;

The environmental analysis and especially the determination of carrying capacities will indicate optimum levels of tourism development that can take place
in potential tourism areas and identify those places that should not be developed
for environmental hazard reasons;

The climatic and topographic patterns will identify places more and less suitable
for tourism;

The socio-cultural patterns will indicate the present and projected population
distribution and areas where labor supply will be available and places where
attitudes or traditions of residents may be an influencing factor in deciding on the
type and extent of tourism; and

The analysis of economic patterns will show where economically depressed areas
are located that require development such as tourism.
1.4.8 Land Availability
The availability of land for tourism development in particular areas, even though they
are not currently developed with other uses or represent an important resource, must
be considered with respect to land tenure, that is, will its owner make it available for
development and, if so, will its cost be at a level to make the proposed development
economically feasible. In some cases of multiple ownerships of a major development
site, a consideration is determining how feasible it will be to assemble the separately
owned parcels into a single unit necessary for integrated planning and development.
1.4.9 Major Opportunities and Constraints
The determination of major opportunities and problems or constraints for tourism will
provide a focus in the plan preparation for taking advantage of the opportunities and
trying to resolve the constraints. For example, if there is an outstanding type of tourist
attraction unique to the country or region, it should be given much emphasis in the
plan formulation, or if a significant constraint is accessibility to and within the area,
transportation would be given major emphasis in the plan's recommendations.
Check Your Progress 2
State True or False:
1. Coherent and realistic tourism development policy establishes the basis for
developing and maintaining tourism and is an essential element of the
national/ regional tourism plan.
2. Tourism development policy is determined in the plan formulation stage of
the planning process.
3. It is stated that domestic tourism must be established first in a developing
country before planning for development of international tourism.
1.5 LET US SUM UP
Policy has a major role in the process of development and it fosters understanding
between people, to create employment opportunities and bring about socio-economic
benefits to the community, particularly in the remote or interior areas, as a result of
which it strives towards balanced and the sustainable development to enrich and
promote the tourism industry. Another major objective is the preservation and
protection of natural resources and environment to achieve the goal.
1.6 LESSON END ACTIVITIES
1. Prepare a specimen format of policy statement for the development of tourism
industry in your region.
2. Keep yourself constantly updated about tourism policies from newspapers and
industry journals or newsletters.
1.7 KEYWORDS
Resources: Supplies of goods, raw materials etc.
Impacts: Strong effects
Destination: Place to which somebody is going
Monitoring: Supervising any task
Sustainable: Maintainable
Conservation: Prevention from loss/damage
Heritage: That may be inherited
Environment: Surroundings
Facilitation: Making easy
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Tourism Planning and Marketing
Integration: Combining
Cultural: Social affairs of people
Evaluation: Find out
Carrying capacity: Strength of the place
Accessibility: Entry
1.8 QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. What do you mean by Tourism policy? Explain the major role played by it in the
process of development.
2. Describe the role of all the stakeholders in the process of formulation of tourism
policy.
3. What is a tourism policy and how is it prepared? What are the contents of a master
policy? Is it needed for developing every tourist spot?
Check Your Progress: Model Answers
CYP 1
Mission of the Tourism Policy: The mission is to promote sustainable
tourism as a means of economic growth and social integration and to promote
the image of India abroad as a country with a glorious past, a vibrant present
and a bright future.
CYP 2
1. True
2. True
3. True
1.9 SUGGESTED READINGS
New Inskeep, Edward, Tourism Planning: An Integrated and Sustainable Development
Approach, (1991) VNR, New York.
Ashworth, G. J., The Tourist Historic City. Retrospect and Prospect of Managing the Heritage
City, (2000) Pergamon, Oxford
Dept. of Tourism, GOI Investment Opportunities in Tourism (Brochure).
Sharma, J. K., Tourism Development. Design for Ecological Sustainability, (2000) Kaniska
Publication, New Delhi.
Maclean, Hunter, Marketing Management (Tourism in your business)