- Aritro Dasgupta
Importance of Tourism Planning
Tourism Planning ď‚Ą
Tourism planning is the dynamic process of determining goals, systematically selecting alternative courses of action, implementing the chosen alternatives & evaluating the choice if it is successful
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Takes in to account inter-related & interdependent components like – political, physical, economic & social elements
Tourism Planning
Usually top-down approach but often bottom up as well
More on strategy side initially, less on tactical
Strives to achieve objectives by matching available resources & programmes with the needs & wants of people
Importance of Tourism Planning
Experience of many areas has clearly demonstrated that on long term basis, planed approach to develop tourism can bring benefits without significant problems
Tourism complicated activity overlapping several different sectors of society & economy
Can avoid unexpected & unwanted impacts of faulty tourism planning
Stages of Tourism Planning ď‚Ą
Macro Level: concerned with tourism development policies, structure plans, facility standards & institutional factors
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Micro Level: detailed plans for tourism attractions, resorts, urban, rural & other forms of tourism development
Major Benefits of Tourism Planning
Gives overall direction to purpose of tourism in the area
Maintenance of natural & cultural resources
Integrating tourism within overall development policies & establish linkage between tourism & other sectors
Providing rational basis for decision making by public & private players in tourism sector
Major Benefits of Tourism Planning
Making possible coordinated development of different elements in tourism sector; inter-relating tourist attractions, activities, facilities & services
Optimizing & balancing economic, environmental & social benefits of tourism
Providing physical structure to guide location, types & extent of tourism development of attractions
Major Benefits of Tourism Planning ď‚Ą
Offering baseline for continuous monitoring of progress of tourism development & keeping it on track
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Providing framework for effective public & private sector cooperation
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Guidelines & standards for preparing detailed plans
Approaches to Tourism Planning
Integrated System ď‚Ą
Tourism planning must be an integrated system
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Must balance supply & demand sides
Demand Factors
International tourist markets
Domestic tourist markets
Residents’ use of tourist attractions, facilities & services
Supply Factors
Attractions & activities
Accommodation
Other tourist facilities & services
Transportation
Other infrastructure
Institutional elements
Institutional Elements in Tourism ď‚Ą
Organizational structures like government tourism offices & private sector tourism associations
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Tourism related legislation & regulations like standards & licensing, requirements for hotel and tour & travel agencies
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Education & training programmes to enable students to work effectively in tourism sector
Institutional Elements in Tourism ď‚Ą
Availability of financial capital to develop tourist attractions, facilities, services & infrastructure and mechanisms to attract capital investment
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Travel facilitation of immigration, customs & other facilities & services at entry & exit points
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Marketing & promotion strategies to inform tourists about country/ region & induce them to visit those destinations
Planning for Sustainable Development ď‚Ą
Achieving sustainability i.e. long term development has now emerged as most crucial in the tourism industry
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Concept emerged in the early 1980s
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Involves preservation of natural & man-made tourist attractions so that tourism can be viable at the destination for as long as possible
Planning for Sustainable Development ď‚Ą
Not just reducing environmental degradation & footprint to the lowest level possible; also improving natural capital as that will ensure greater tourist returns
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Preserving local cultural heritage as much as possible
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Limiting chances of the commoditization of cultures
Techniques in Sustainable Tourism Development ď‚Ą
Environmental planning approach: environment carefully surveyed, analyzed & considered in determining type & location of development
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Emphasizes community based tourism; properties owned/operated by local community; instills feeling of ownership & reduces environmental & cultural erosion; reduces revenue leakage
Quality/ Niche Tourism
Offering of best facilities at exotic locales to niche target market only
Usually hyper expensive
Focus on quality at all cost
Greater product customization for individual tourists & strong personal touch
Long Range & Strategic Planning
Concerned with specifying goals & objectives over long range of time
10-20 years time span looking towards future
Need to take in to consideration future changes in climatic conditions, economic developments, political upheavals & social mores
Contingency plans a must as environment volatile
Strategy & Policy
Development actions
0-5 Years
Development strategy
5-10 Years
Long range policy & plan
10-20 Years
Tactical Planning
Tactics refer to the intricate details of narrow targets/projects
In tourism tactics involves details on accommodation, facilities, price range, cuisine etc.
Sometimes ignores the long term benefit in facilitating short term gains
Thus coordination between strategic policy makers & implementers becomes crucial
Top-Down Tourism Planning
Decision making by top management of area usually political representatives, senior bureaucrats & hoteliers of big chains
Strategic long term planning
Decisions made on basis of extensive data collected & analysis conducted
Decisions made for whole sums rather than small units
Advantages of Top-Down Tourism Planning
Long term plans can be implemented
Broad strategy can be framed taking into consideration various stakeholders
Greater good can be taken care of even if it results in some losses
Large areas can only be worked by this approach
Less time consuming during policy formulation
Disadvantages of Top-Down Tourism Planning
Sometimes ignores ground realities
In the name of greater good, populist decisions made to appease majority or more powerful stakeholders
Minute details may be overlooked leading to tactical problems while executing the plans
Greater chances of corruption at the top among policy makers
Bottom – Up Tourism Planning
Decision making by top management of area with extensive consultation with stakeholders i.e. local panchayat leaders, tribal chiefs, small business groups, consumer forums etc.
Short to medium term planning
Decisions made on basis of experience & gut feeling
Decisions made for small units one at a time rather than whole sums
Advantages of Bottom-Up Tourism Planning
Nitty-gritty & intricate details carefully studied
Small stakeholder groups’ considerations taken in to account as more democratic approach
Ground realities better understood as local provide inputs
Disdvantages of Bottom-Up Tourism Planning
Too much interference of small stakeholder groups may result in only narrow interest groups appeased at the cost of isolating other groups
Greater chances of corruption among stakeholders as they wield enormous power
To much focus on intricate details may ignore the bigger picture
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