Tourism Tourism Policy, Planning & Management Manage ment Guidelines Formulating a tourism policy is essential to guide all tourism development, operations and management so as to meet the Government’s immediate and long-term objectives for tourism The policy should be based on the principles of sustainability and is in line !ith international practices to ensure the competitiveness of the national tourism industry !ithin a regional and global scenario The tourism policy features a consultative approach involving all sta"eholders and encompasses a detailed revie! and assessment of the current tourism scenario in the country, identifies policy constraints and challenges, and, identifies opportunities and benchmar"s for the future gro!th of the industry The issues to be addressed include# • • • • • • • • •
Policy and strategy$ institutional strengthening$ legislation and regulation$ product development and diversification$ mar"eting and promotion$ economic impact of tourism and tourism investment$ tourism infrastructure and superstructure$ human resource development socio-cultural and environmental impacts of tourism
%hy Plan 't is therefore imperative that !e understand !hat is planning Planning is the process of setting goals and developing developing strategies strategies to achieve them Planning Planning is a multidimens multidimensional ional activity activity and see"s to be integrative 't embraces social, economic and technological change and is concerned !ith the past, present and future The planning process regards the environment !hich includes political, physical, social and economic elements as interrelated and interdependent components !hich should be ta"en into account in considering the future of a destination if developed beyond the capacity of the environment, the resource base and the local population to sustain it, not only does it ceas to be a rene!able industry, but the (uality and authenticity of the visitor e)perience declines* Plog +.
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To determine the optimum level of tourism that can result in the achievement of environmental conservation objectives
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To ensure that the natural and cultural resources are indefinitely maintained in the process of development There must be careful matching of tourist mar"ets and products through the planning process !ithout compromising socio-cultural and environmental objectives Tourism can generate various socio-cultural benefits as !ell as problems Tourism is a multi-sectoral, complicated and fragmented activity such that planning and project development coordination are necessary Planning provides the rational basis for development staging and project programming To upgrade and revitali:e e)isting outmoded or badly developed tourism areas and plan for ne! tourism areas in the future$ and To satisfy the manpo!er s"ills and capability re(uirements of tourism development
5ac" of Planning, a conse(uence; Tourism, li"e other industries, leads to social and environmental conse(uences$ Many nations regarded tourism as a major economic (uic" fi)$ results in# • • • • • •
overpopulated destination overburdened facilities overbuilding of hotels polluted beaches cultural conflict dissatisfied tourists
Tourism Planning Process includes# • •
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Formulate the goals and objectives of the tourism development plan
6ccording to 8d!ard 'ns"eep =++>, planning for tourism is a step-by-step process !hich should be continuous, comprehensive, integrated, and environmental, focusing on achieving sustainable development and community involvement Gunn =?@@?> similarly suggests that tourism planning should be directed to!ards four main goals# sustainable use of resources, enhanced visitor satisfaction, integration of local community and area and improved economy and business success
Gunn and Turgut hypothesi:ed Goals for tourism planning !hich include # • • • • •
8nhanced visitor satisfaction
8d!ard 'ns"eep recommends national level of tourism planning focus on# • • • • • • • • • •
Tourism policy Physical structure plan Major infrastructure considerations Tourism organi:ational structures, legislation, and investment policies 2verall tourism mar"eting strategies and promotion programs 8ducation and training programs Facility development and design standards 1ociocultural, environmental, and economic considerations and impact analyses 7ational-level implementation techni(ues 5and use planning
Tourism
Merriam-%ebster 2nline has defined policy as A6 definite course or method of action selected from among alternatives and in light of given conditions to guide and determine present and future decisions’ Goeldner & 4itchie, ?@@B defined tourism policy by stating, ATourism policy can be defined as a set of regulations, rules, guidelines, directives, and developmentCpromotion objectives and strategies that provide a frame!or" !ithin !hich the collective and individual decisions directly affecting long-term tourism development and the daily activities !ithin a destination are ta"en’ Diederman =?@@> adds importantly to the definition of tourism policy the follo!ing thoughts, A6 tourism policy defines the direction or course of action that a particular country, region, locality or an individual destination plans to ta"e !hen developing or promoting tourism The "ey principle for any tourism policy is that it should ensure that the nation =region or locality> !ould benefit to the ma)imum e)tent possible from the economic and social contributions of tourism
The ultimate objective of a tourism policy is to improve the progress of the nation =region or locality> and the lives of its citi:ens’ 1ince the tourism industry is difficult to clearly define because of the involvement of so many different economic sectors, it tends to foster many major policy development challenges Fundamentally, tourism policy should present a set of guidelines, !hich, !hen combined !ith planning goals, charts a course of action for sound decision-ma"ing 2nly reliable and comprehensive research on tourism’s impacts !ill lead to good decisionma"ing and policy development 5ocal, stateCprovincial, regional and national tourism planners are recogni:ing the importance of a sound plan, coupled !ith visionary policies, as !e prepare for the future development of tourism Tourism policy should be future-oriented, balanced and comprehensive since it incorporates the interests of the tourism sta"eholders Policy issues need e)tension beyond those traditionally thought of as tourism, to be inclusive of such related public programs as transportation and !ater usage Policyma"ers should familiari:e themselves !ith all products, not just !ith those perceived as tourism products For instance, !ater management issues are usually a concern of local governments and residents, yet !ater par"s, large golf resorts, a(uariums and other tourism infrastructure can consume vast (uantities of !ater 5arge free-form s!imming pools in resort destinations are e)amples of potential drains on a community’s !ater supply if not properly planned and managed tourism policy evaluation stages
To understand "ey tourism policy issues in the largest possible conte)t, it is especially important to identify in !hat stage of tourism policy development a particular project or case resides •
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1tage + Formative phase tourism policy evaluation- The formative phase in tourism policy development means e)actly this E that tourism-related issues have arisen re(uiring ne! tourism policy formulation 1tage ?
%hy are ongoing evaluations of tourism policy issues in all conte)ts important 't is because of tourism’s integrative role in triggering gro!th E for better or !orse in some cases E across multiple sectors of local, regional, national and international commerce and services industries !orld!ide Tourism’s performance acts as an optimal gro!th multiplier in economic development for a large majority of modern economies
1hort 6ns!er uestions + The tourism industry is an industry that re(uires meticulous planning$ e)plain !hy effective planning is important for the industry ? Give one conse(uence of planning effectively for tourism development 5ist four sta"eholders !ho have to be represented !hen planning for tourism development . 9hoose t!o sta"eholders mentioned in (uestion above and e)plain !ould be their vested interest in tourism development
Tourism in destinations around the !orld fre(uently face challenges related to political, social, and environmental crises, and these factors that destination managers and tourism planners don’t have control over often play a critical part in influencing consumer choice 6ir travel after -++, the ?@@ /+7+ influen:a outbrea", and political instability and security concerns in many parts of the !orld have all given tourism businesses added headaches to deal !ith
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