Discuss the systems and structures of the tourism industry and the inter-relationships between the various sectors

G260544004 Tourism ConceptsDiscuss the systems and structures of the tourism industry and the inter-relationships between the various sectors.Word Count: 1,989

Contents

Introduction 3Section 1 Systems and Structures of Tourism3Leipers Basic Tourism System Model4Section 2 Defining the different sectors4Section 3 The Importance of Partnerships5Conclusion7Reference List8

Discuss the systems and structures of the tourism industry and the inter-relationships between the various sectors.

IntroductionAccording to Porter (2003), partnerships and collaborative ventures can help to unite the multiplicity of all interests throughout all three sectors of the tourism industry. This study will discuss the systems and structures of the tourism industry and the importance of partnerships between the three industry sectors according to research carried out by the regional Destination Management Organisation; Marketing Cheshire.

Section 1- Systems and Structures of TourismIn order to demonstrate the systems and structures of the tourism industry Leipers Basic Tourism System Model (1976) can be applied as a tourism framework. Leipers model considers: the activity of tourists, the geographical element which is inherent to all travel and it allows industry sectors to be recognised. Cooper (2005) states that it also places tourism in the context of a range of different external environments, such as: society, politics and economies. For example, Leiper outlines three geographical elements: the tourist generating region; transit route region and tourist destination region. The tourist generating region represents the market within which the tourist carries out research, makes bookings and departs. Tremblay (1998) suggests that it is this stage of the process which provides the initial push factor to stimulate within tourists an interest and motivation to travel. The transit route is the period of travel to reach the destination, it represents the transport industry and intermediate services which are visited en route for example, during a brief stop-over during long periods of travel tourists may use accommodation and facilities such as, restaurants. Whereas, the tourist destination region motivates the whole tourism system as it provides the pull factor for tourists to visit destinations. At the destination region the full impact of the planning and management strategies which were created in the generating region are received and carried out, thus creating the demand for travel in the generating region. Each element of the system interacts in terms of transactions between tour operators and travel agents within the generating region and accommodation, transport and attraction providers; in the transit and destination regions. This over- lapping of service providers ensures the successful delivery of the service product and that the level of demand and service quality is met and maintained to a good standard. Getz (1986) suggests that the firm relationship between the three parts of the model also combat against, and develops around, the external environments which impact upon the industry such as, economic downturn or the threat of terrorism. This is demonstrated through the simplicity and adaptability of the model, as it can be applied to fit the somewhat volatile and changeable tourism industry.

Leipers Basic Tourism System Model

Leiper, N. (1976)

Section 2 Defining the different sectorsResearch carried out by the regional Destination Management Organisation; Marketing Cheshire examines the importance of partnerships between the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. For example, the UNWTO (2012) organisation defines the private sector as being the part of the economy that is owned and controlled by private individuals and business organisations. The main objectives of the private sector are; to generate profit, gain market share and strive for organisational growth. The majority of the industry is also dominated by private SMEs and continues to encourage the development of partnerships amongst the public and not-for-profit sectors. The public sector can be defined by Medliti (1995) as the part of the economy consisting of central government, local authorities and public organisations and that the more important tourism is to a destination, the greater the level of public involvement which will be received. While, Silberberg (1995) defines the not-for-profit sector to consist of organisations where all profit generated is invested back into the charity organisations. Also known as QUANGOs or NDPBs, Non Departmental Public Bodies; not-for-profit organisations receive funding from government, regional and national organisations to support positive causes such as; local community projects, regional associations such as, Marketing Cheshire and national environmental issues such as, conservation and protection awareness supported by the National Trust.

Section 3 The Importance of PartnershipsAlthough the private, public and not-for-profit sectors each have independent goals and objectives, in reality they form essential partnerships necessary to develop tourism destinations both with the UK and internationally. For example, the research group Touche Ross (1995) developed a tourism strategy for urban tourism within York; the York Tourism Forum which is a variety of different partnerships consisting of private accommodation and attraction providers who collaborate with public sector organisations such as, York City Council, York Visitor and Conference Bureau and Yorkshire and Humberside Tourist Board. Due to the implementation of this strategy York is able to create a much stronger national and international identity by promoting their citys heritage which is supported by the development of the Castle Museum, thus further expanding to inbound markets and strengthening their domestic markets. The regeneration of the citys attractions such as; the reproduction of museums and galleries and preserving historic buildings is also supported by the not-for-profit sector; York Archaeological Trust, which creates awareness and preserves the citys heritage. Not only are partnerships crucial for maintaining a tourism destination but they are also essential when developing a new destination, for example the World Tourism Organisation (1996) states that partnerships within developing countries and destinations are crucial in order to with-stand the ever-increasing number of international tourists visiting these destinations. Therefore the coastal region of Batangas in the Philippines require their public sector government organisations to provide the necessary funding, planning and construction regulations for development of new attractions and leisure facilities in order to develop itself as a tourist destination. These infrastructural foundations then allow for private sector organisations to construct their desired services/ facilities. While, the not-for-profit sector supports the partnerships by raising the international, regional and local profile of the destination, as well as highlighting environmental awareness and socio-cultural development within the destination such as; protecting the natural environment, creating a cultural identity and promoting newly developed attractions. Clements, Schultz and Lime (1993) expressed that partnerships are vital to ensure that a high quality product is delivered, and because tourism experiences rely on all aspects of the community. An example of an excellent partnership is that of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Arctic Tourism Project, in which external tour operators worked with local government officials and environmental non-government organisations to develop tourism alongside conservation of the Arctic region. By largely involving the local community, it enables them to make a greater commitment to the generation of tourism which in turn encourages the local government to broaden the economic, societal and infrastructural bases within the region, directly benefiting the local community. Moreover, due to the multiple stakeholders within the partnership the environmental decisions made could offer more flexibility and sensitivity toward the destination which takes into consideration the vulnerability and changeable nature of the Arctic region which directly impacts upon the local community. The importance of partnerships when developing a tourism destination was recognised by Swarbrooke (1999) who suggested that not only the public and private sectors are key players within a partnership, but also the not-for-profit sector is becoming more influential, providing support through pressure groups, the media and professional bodies. However, Bramwell and Lane (2000) expanded further on Swarbrookes statement by suggesting that each stakeholder performs their own role within the partnership and that when developing tourism destinations they are becoming ever more important to successfully sustain both the tourism destination and the host community. The following example of Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory of Australia demonstrates the necessity for a variety of different stakeholders as the park desired to re-establish itself as a heritage site and reconcile interest in agriculture, mining, Aboriginal land, conservation and as a tourism destination. Therefore in order to achieve all of their objectives there was a great necessity for multiple stakeholders including: the local government, tour operators and environmental organisations to collaborate together to develop the area and fulfil all of the regions objectives while preserving the rural environment. In this case, the role of the non-governmental organisations played a more prominent role in comparison with the private and public sectors, due to a greater emphasis being placed upon the environmental and cultural awareness of the park, which is essential to encourage tourists to this remote location. Another example which demonstrates the importance of partnerships is the study carried out by Bergsma and Hann (2000) of the coastal resort Scheveningen in the Netherlands. This resort like many across Europe first developed during the nineteenth century and continued to flourish right up until the 1960s when tourist trends changed favouring new holidays overseas and, with the emergence and popularity of cars, which provided tourists with cheap and easy travel. As a result, coastal regions suffered a dramatic loss in visitor numbers. Also strong competition from the mass market segments such as, France, Spain and Italy caused Scheveningen to fall into decline as it could no longer satisfy the needs of tourists. However, it was not until the late 1990s that the process of revitalizing the resort began. The regeneration included: new motel complexes, a theatre, a cinema complex, shopping facilities and restoration of the Pier, therefore creating tourist appeal throughout the year. Due to the scale of the project multiple stakeholders collaborated together to form partnerships both during reconstruction and the long term management of the resort, with the following objectives for the resort: To attract not only tourists but offer recreational facilities for the local community, to appeal to a wide range of markets both national and international and to provide a better quality of living and working conditions for the local community. Partnerships between the three industry sectors are essential in order to develop tourism destinations such as that of the Exmoor Tourism Partnership (2009), which manages Exmoor National Park, West Somerset Coast and the Quantock Hills. The role of the partnership is to raise awareness of tourism and maximise the economic benefits it provides and minimise the negative environmental impacts. Their aims also include: enhancing the quality of the tourist experience; to improve the viability, sustainability and performance of tourism organisations; support the private stakeholders to enhance their profitability and to develop and promote the Exmoor brand into wider markets. Each sector has individual responsibilities to perform within the partnership for example; the not-for-profit sector such as; Exmoor Tourist Association, raises awareness of tourism and the impacts which act upon it. The public sector such as; West Somerset Council, monitors the performance of the private organisations and provides financial support to maintain the operating of them and the private sector such as; tour operators and attraction providers are responsible for satisfying the needs of the tourists. Thus, the collaboration of all three sectors provides a strong partnership which is important in order to develop Exmoor as a more attractive tourism destination. ConclusionTo conclude, the research carried out by the regional Destination Management Organisation demonstrates that partnerships between the three sectors are very important in order to develop a successful tourism destination. For example, the private sector requires financial support through public sector organisations and the not-for-profit sector work to conserve and promote the destination region. The development of a region not only provides tourists with new leisure services/facilities, but also the local community benefits economically and socially through the redevelopment of the local infrastructure. Tourism also revitalises the communitys cultural identity and provides a greater environmental awareness. Thus, the private, public and not-for-profit sectors collaborate to ensure that the region as both a host community and a tourist destination are protected and sustained equally. Reference ListBergsma, J., & Hann, T. (2000). Scheveningen: Successful Revitalization. In Anon.(Ed.), Resort Management in Europe. (pp. 129). Wiltshire, United Kingdom: Cromwell Press. Clements, P., Schultz, W,. & Lime, P. (1993). Tourism Impacts. In P. Smith (Ed.), Planning and Management (pp. 133). London, United Kingdom: Butterworth- Heinemann. Cooper, C., Fletcher, J., Fyale, A., Gilbert, D., & Wanhill, S. (2005). Tourism Principals and Practice (pp. 9). New York, USA: Prentice Hall. Exmoor Tourism Partnership. (2012). About Us. Retrieved from: http:www//www.exmoortourismpartnership.org.ukGetz, D. (1989). Models in Tourism Planning. Tourism Management, 7(1), 21-32.Leiper, N. (1976). The Framework of Tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 6(1), 390-407.Porter, L. (2003). The Evolution and Transformation of a Tourism Destination. Tourism Management, 24(1), 203-216. Ross, T. (1995). Introduction. In R. Youell (Ed.), Tourism an Introduction, (pp. 32). New York, USA: Addison Wesley Longman.Silberberg, T. (1995). Cultural Tourism and Business opportunities for museums and heritage sites. Tourism Management, 16(5), 361-365.Swarbrooke, J., Bromwell, T., & Lane, F. (2000). In P. Smith (Ed.), Planning and Management (pp. 133). London, United Kingdom: Butterworth- Heinemann. Tremblay, P. (1998). The Economic Organisation of Tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 25(4), 837-859.UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organisation). (2012). Private sector, Quality Standards in Tourism Services. Retrieved from http://www.cooperation.unwto.org.ukUNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organisation). (2012). International Tourism Overview. Retrieved from http://www.cooperation.unwto.org.uk

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