Introduction to the Geography of Tourism

Part 1: Introduction to the Geography of Tourism - Conceptual Aspects

• Introduction to the geography of tourism, focusing on conceptual aspects.
• The course is offered by Dr. Nachatter Singh Garha.
• A Bachelor's Degree in Tourism program at the Barcelona school of Tourism, Hospitality and Gastronomy (CETT), University of Barcelona.

Part 1: Introduction to the Geography of Tourism - Conceptual Aspects

• Sections
  • Introduction to geography of tourism: conceptual aspects
  • Geography and tourism
  • Climate change and tourism
• Tourism space
  • Concept and characteristics
  • Evolutionary models and identification of tourism development phase
  • Tourist resources, attractions and products
• Tourist spaces and product diversity
  • Rural tourism
  • Mountain tourism
  • Urban tourism
  • Coastal tourism

2.1 The Tourism Space: Concept and Characteristics

• Geographers analyze the world in parts to understand how human and physical systems interact.
• This division is critical in understanding tourism.
• Geographic space is defined as a location without social connections, simply a location.
• A place, however, is a location given meaning by human experience and interaction.
• Places are interconnected, which impacts tourism.

Spatial Distribution

• 'Spatial' refers to geographic space, and spatial distribution refers to the way something is distributed across a specific area. This includes the distribution of phenomenon and elements
• Example: Distribution of Libraries in Barcelona.

Location

• Absolute location refers to a precise geographic position using coordinates.
• Relative location describes the position of a place in relation to other places and their connections.
• Examples provided: coordinates of a building and distance between two locations.

Environment

• Environment is the totality of circumstances, objects or conditions surrounding an area or thing. 
• It interacts with human life and plays an important role in human life and societies.
• Consideration of the environment in tourism: geological, atmospheric and edaphic processes among others.
• Environmental worldviews and population, economy and technology amongst others, affect how people perceive their environment.

Territory

• A portion of geographic space claimed, managed, or occupied by people or institutions for needs.
• It is distinct from "space".

Scale

• Spatial scale (spatial) refers to how phenomena and problems are examined in areas;
• Cartographic scale represents a feature on a map proportional to its real size;
• Phenomenon scale refers to the size of physical earth structures or processes.

Region

• Regions organize and communicate spatial information by groups of places.
• Helpful for analyzing areas with common characteristics (natural or artificial).

Concept and characteristics

• Space-related concepts through tourism
• Place
• Spatial distribution
• Location (absolute & relative)
• Environment
• Territory
• Scale
• Region

Tourism Space

• The core of geographical space
• Defined by the presence of tourist attractions and infrastructure.
• Not a singular definition; there are multiple views regarding it.

Boullón Theory of Tourism Space

• A theory of tourism space presented by Roberto C. Boullón.
• Tourist space is a result of attractions, businesses and infrastructure.
• This framework classifies tourist components by size: zones, areas, complexes, centers, units, cores, clusters, corridors, transit corridors and visiting corridors.

Tourist Zone

• Largest units for an area's tourism analysis.
• Includes attractions and infrastructure connecting them.
• Examples provided: Chateau's Loire Valley and Costa Brava.

Tourist Area

• Parts of a zone.
• Smaller than zones, with transport and communication infrastructure
• Minimum of ten tourist attractions.
• Example provided: South zone of Gran Canaria.

Tourist Center

• Entire urban conglomerate with tourist attractions.
• Attractions should motivate travel (approx. 2 hours away).
• Categorized by how long tourists stay there (distributary, visiting, scale, excursion)

Tourist Complex

• Larger groupings than tourist centers but smaller than zones.
• Consists of one or more significant attractions.
• Stays of three or more days are common.
• Example provided: Iguaçu National Park

Tourist Units

• Concentrations of smaller facilities focusing on one or more attractions nearby.
• Example provided: water parks and gardens.

Tourist Nucleus

• Grouping of tours with 2-9 attractions isolated within a region.
• Connectivity issues and hampering of operation are common.

Tourist Corridors

• Routes connecting components of a tourist space (transit or visiting).
• Transit: country's road network, aiming for smooth flow
• Visiting: acts as both center and corridor, such as routes by rivers, lakes and seas and sometimes scenic routes off highways.

2.2 Evolutionary Models & Identification of Tourism Development Phase

• Many contributions from the geography of tourism have helped to explain the evolutionary theories of tourist spaces.
• Several factors affect this, including changes in demand preference, degradation of the physical environment and change of natural and cultural attractions.
• Two models will be covered:
  • The Tourism Development Model of Miossec (1977)
  • TALC: Tourism Area Life Cycle of Butler (1980)

Miossec's Model

• Theoretical model focused on cost, displacement, and land price affecting a tourist space. The model also looks at the evolution of the number of tourists over time.
  • Three theoretical assumptions/categories:
  • Emitting centre
  • Nearby periphery
  • Distant periphery
• Causes for the deformation of concentric circles include: - Circumstantial factors (bioclimatic conditions, historical origin, economic and political factors). - Structural factors (tourist information, scale, economic differences and evolution).
• Five phases of tourism development are covered in the model: - Pre-tourist - Pioneer - Development - Organisation - Saturation - Restructuring

Butler's TALC Model

• The model is based on the behavior of demand and the carrying capacity of the tourist space.
• Six evolutionary phases that destinations go through are included:
• Exploration
• Involvement
• Development
• Consolidation
• Stagnation
• Decline
• Rejuvenation

2.3 Tourist Resources, Attractions, and Products

• Existence of tourist resources is crucial for development.
• Tourism products require reconfiguration of pre-existing resources to meet national and international customer needs.
• Tourist resources have to be consumed in situ.
• Tourist location impact their value.
• Different types of resources exist (tangible and intangible)
• Tourism resources are a collection of factors including tangible (attractions, accommodations, transportation), intangible (image, culture, prestige), human (training, experience), and financial (investments, public capital).
• Multiple classifications of resources include those based on their nature, functionality and spatial characteristics.

Inventory and Assessment of Tourist Resources

• Inventories are essential before development.
• The UNWTO recommends cataloging resources
• Two phases:
  • Inventory: classifying places, objects, etc
  • Assessment: evaluation and ranking of tourism resources

Tourism Resource Classifications

• Classifications based on nature, including UNESCO Heritage sites (tangible and intangible resources).
• OAS (1978) classification and some based on function: - Tour circuit and longer-stay attractions - Resource-based and user-oriented attractions - Original and complementary resources.

Test your knowledge on key concepts from the course 'Introduction to the Geography of Tourism'. This quiz covers various aspects such as tourism corridors, phases of tourism development, and theoretical models related to tourism geography. Understand the essential characteristics and types of tourism spaces while exploring significant theories in the field.