Sustainability Principles

Sustainable Development

• Sustainable development should maintain the cohesion of society and meet individual needs, such as health, nutrition, shelter, education, and cultural expression.
• It requires the extraction of renewable resources not to exceed the rate of renewal, and the extraction of non-renewable resources to be minimized and not exceed agreed minimum strategic levels.

Social Sustainability

• Social sustainability maintains the cohesion of society and its ability to work towards common goals.
• It requires meeting individual needs, such as health, nutrition, shelter, education, and cultural expression.

Economic Sustainability

• Economic sustainability occurs when development is financially feasible and moves towards social and environmental sustainability.
• Sustainable tourism presents a paradox, as it is a success in terms of concept diffusion, but a policy failure in terms of environmental impacts.

Local Governance and Plan for Development

• Tourism has positive economic impacts, but may also have negative effects, particularly on the environment.
• The role of tourism on environmental and human development is ambiguous, and unplanned growth can result in environmental deterioration.

Renewable Energy

• Options for using renewable energy include generating renewable energy on-site, purchasing green power through renewable energy certificates, and purchasing renewable energy from an electric utility through a green pricing or green marketing program.
• Benefits of renewable energy include generating energy with no greenhouse gas emissions, diversifying energy supply, and creating economic development and jobs.

Implementing On-site Renewable Energy Projects

• On-site power generation provides local governments with direct access to renewable energy and can hedge against financial risks and improve power quality and supply reliability.
• However, local governments may face technical, financial, and regulatory challenges.

Environmental Education

• Environmental education must integrate the concepts of human development, sustainable natural resource use, and environmental protection in a holistic, inter-disciplinary framework.
• The National Environmental Education Action Plan for Sustainable Development focuses on identifying education, awareness, and training activities that enhance knowledge, values, skills, and action on broad issues relating to human interaction with the environment.

Global Code of Ethics for Tourism

• The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism was adopted in 1999 by the World Tourism Organization and aims to help maximize the sector's benefits while minimizing its negative impact on the environment, cultural heritage, and societies.
• The Code features a voluntary implementation mechanism and 10 principles covering the economic, social, cultural, and environmental components of travel and tourism.
• Article 1 of the Code focuses on tourism's contribution to mutual understanding and respect between peoples and societies.

The Development of International Tourism

• Travel has occurred for various reasons throughout history, initially for survival and later for curiosity and adventure.
• The Empire Era ( Egyptians to Roman Empire) marked the beginning of tourism as an industry, with people traveling for governmental, commercial, educational, and religious purposes.

The Middle Ages and Renaissance Era

• Travel declined during the Middle Ages (5th-14th centuries AD) due to the breakdown of the Roman Empire, resulting in fragmentation of transportation, currencies, and languages.
• The feudal system replaced Roman rule, making travel difficult and sometimes dangerous.

The Grand Tour Era (1613-1785)

• This era marked the height of luxurious travel and tourism activities, originating with the wealthy English and spreading to other individuals who had time and money.
• Travel became a status symbol, representing the ultimate in social and educational experiences.
• Grand Tour participants traveled throughout Europe, seeking to experience cultures and acquire knowledge.

The Mobility Era (1800-1944)

• Growing economic prosperity, leisure time, and affordable travel led to increased travel to new and familiar locations.
• The tourism industry began to increase, with new roads, stagecoaches, passenger trains, and sailing ships becoming common.
• Thomas Cook introduced the tour package, making travel accessible to the general public.

The Modern Era

• The desire for immersion in destinations and giving back through educational and volunteer programs has become a key aspect of tourism.
• Widespread internet access, opening of previously closed international borders, and increased wealth and mobility in countries like China and India have opened new venues for travelers.
• However, challenges like terrorism, political and economic instability, and health scares have discouraged travel.

Tourism Generating and Receiving Areas

• Economic determinants, social determinants, and political determinants influence demand from tourist-generating areas.
• Economic determinants include personal income, distribution of income, and exchange rates.
• Social determinants include demographic variables, such as age and lifestyle, and the desire for cheaper products.
• Political determinants include government intervention in pricing and regulation.

Factors Influencing Tourism Demand

• Personal income is a significant factor in determining tourism demand, with higher income leading to increased demand.
• Distribution of income within a tourist-generating region affects tourism demand and supply.
• Exchange rates have a significant impact on tourism demand, with favorable exchange rates increasing demand.
• Demographic variables, such as age and lifestyle, also influence tourism demand.
• Seasonality and attraction are geographic factors that influence tourism demand.

The History of Tourism Development

• Grand Tour participants travelled throughout Europe, seeking to experience cultures and acquire knowledge through the arts and sciences of the countries they visited.
• The Mobility Era (1800-1944) saw increased travel to new and familiar locations, both near and far, due to economic prosperity, leisure time, and affordable travel.

The Mobility Era

• Thomas Cook introduced the tour package in 1841, making travel accessible to the general public.
• The introduction of automobiles and air travel in the early 20th century further increased mobility.
• Henry Ford's mass production of the Model T in 1914 brought individual freedom to travel, opening new horizons for millions of people.

The Modern Era

• The seeds of mass tourism were planted in the first half of the 20th century with the introduction of paid vacations, believing that annual breaks from work would increase productivity.
• Following World War II, factors like car production, gas availability, and prosperity contributed to the growth of tourism.
• The introduction of jet travel in the 1950s and credit cards in 1950 further accelerated growth in both domestic and international travel.

Types of Tourists

• Mass tourists can be classified into two groups: organization mass tourists who buy packaged tours and individual mass tourists who visit popular attractions independently.
• Many travellers now seek more than just visiting a destination, wanting to become truly immersed in the destination and give back through educational and volunteer programs.

Challenges and Opportunities

• The tourism industry faces challenges like terrorism, political and economic instability, and health scares.
• Widespread Internet access, opening of previously closed international borders, and increased wealth and mobility in industrialized countries are opening new venues for travellers.

Tourism Generating and Receiving Areas

• Economic determinants, social determinants, and political determinants influence demand from the tourist generating area.
• Personal income, distribution of income, and value of currency are key economic determinants.
• Social elements, such as demographic variables, also influence tourism demand.
• Geographic factors, like seasonality and attraction, affect the supply level of the tourism industry.

History of Tourism Development

• The seeds of mass tourism were planted during the first half of the 20th century when industrialists such as George Westinghouse created the paid vacation, believing that annual breaks from work for employees would increase productivity.
• Following the end of World War II in 1945, several additional factors helped encourage the growth of tourism, including the production of cars, the availability of gas, and the return of prosperity to industrialized countries.
• The introduction of jet travel in the 1950s and its growing popularity in the 1960s further accelerated growth in both domestic and international travel.
• The 1950s also saw the introduction of credit cards, which provided travelers with purchasing power anywhere in the world without the risk of carrying cash and the hassle of currency exchange.

Types of Mass Tourists

• Mass tourism now includes two different groups of travelers: organization mass tourists who buy packaged tours and follow an itinerary prepared and organized by tour operators, and individual mass tourists who visit popular attractions independently but use tourism services promoted through the mass media.

Factors Influencing Tourism Demand

Economic Determinants

• Personal income and distribution of income within a tourist generating region affect tourism demand and supply.
• Exchange rates have a significant influence on tourism demand from generating areas and international tourism.
• Economical options are often preferred when dealing with the cost of travel, and competitive prices can lead to an increase in tourism demand.

Social Determinants

• Demographic variables, such as age structure, influence tourism demand, with different age groups preferring different types of travel products.
• Education level and employment nature can also impact income earning potential and influence tourism demand.
• Holiday entitlements and stage in the family life cycle can lead to an increase in tourism demand.

Political Determinants

• Government tax policies and controls on tourist spending can influence tourism demand and supply.
• Exchange control, currency export, prohibition, taxation, visa regulations, and other government approaches can impact tourism demand.

Geographic Factors

• Tourism demand goes up and down throughout the year due to seasonality.
• The supply of tourism products and services is influenced by seasonal patterns, affecting occupancy rates of accommodation and resulting in changes in price.

The Grand Tour

• Participants travelled throughout Europe to experience cultures and acquire knowledge through arts and sciences.
• Their travels took them to various locations in France, Switzerland, Italy, and Germany for extended periods.

The Mobility Era (1800-1944)

• Characterized by increased travel to new and familiar locations due to growing economic prosperity, leisure time, and affordable travel.
• Tourism industry activities increased with the advent of new roads, stagecoaches, passenger trains, and sailing ships.
• Thomas Cook introduced the tour package in 1841, making travel accessible to the general public.
• The introduction of automobiles and air travel further increased mobility.

The Modern Era

• Mass tourism was encouraged by industrialists like George Westinghouse, who introduced paid vacations to increase productivity.
• Following World War II, factors such as car production, removal of gas rationing, and prosperity contributed to the growth of tourism.
• The introduction of jet travel, credit cards, and franchising further accelerated tourism growth.

Mass Tourism

• Includes two groups: organization mass tourists who buy packaged tours and follow an itinerary, and individual mass tourists who visit popular attractions independently.
• Tourism suppliers price their goods and services independently, but closely watch their competitors to stay competitive.
• Government intervention helps control prices.
• Demand increases influence the supply level of the tourism industry, with factors like seasonality and attraction affecting occupancy rates and prices.

Geographic Factor

• Seasonality affects the tourism industry, with peaks and troughs in demand influencing supply and prices.
• Supply is perishable, leading to lost business during off-peak seasons.
• Seasonal employment and welfare problems result from seasonality.

Types of Tourism

• Cultural Tourism: Attending festivals and ceremonies to gain a better understanding of people, their beliefs, and practices.
• Nature Tourism: Environmentally responsible, low-impact tourism that includes activities like ecotourism, nature treks, and bird watching.
• Pleasure Tourism: Trips that refresh the soul and spirit, including yoga workshops and detox vacations.
• Sports Tourism: Targeting destinations for specific sporting facilities, such as skiing, or attending sports spectacles like the Olympics.
• Religious Tourism: Traveling to religious locations to follow the footsteps of founders or attend religious ceremonies.
• Medical or Health Tourism: Traveling to improve one's health, physical appearance, or fitness, often including cosmetic procedures.

Tourism Components

• Involves primary transportation, local transportation, accommodations, entertainment, recreation, nourishment, and shopping.
• Related to travel for leisure, business, and visiting friends and relatives (VFR).

Sustainable Tourism

• There is a broad consensus that tourism development should be sustainable, but the question of how to achieve this remains an object of debate.

Incentive Tourists

• Receive a holiday package as a reward from their company for good work or achieving targets.
• Incentive tourists draw inspiration from these tours to work harder, improve work relations, and focus on team bonding.

Alternative Forms of Tourism

• Aims to establish a connection between visitors and the local community.
• Focuses on preserving the natural environment, authentic atmosphere, and local traditions.
• Types of alternative tourism include:
  • Ecotourism
  • Food tourism
  • Agro-rural tourism

Types of Tourists

• Classified into four broad categories based on their needs and reasons for traveling:
  • Business and professional tourists
  • Leisure and holiday tourists
  • Tourists traveling to visit friends and relatives (VFR)
  • Youth tourists, including backpackers and gap year travelers
• The tourism industry tries to meet the needs of all types of tourists by providing suitable facilities and services.

Business Tourists

• Travel is related to business and the world of work.
• Includes meetings, exhibitions, and special events (MESE).
• Example: A salesman who travels to another city to attend a trade show and promote products.

Education Tourists

• Travel to attend a place of learning in another town, city, or country to study for or improve a qualification.
• Example: A clinic nurse who travels to another province to attend a workshop about infectious diseases.

Global Distribution Systems (GDS)

• GDS allows travel agencies to access multiple airlines, hotels, and car rental companies in one place, making it quicker and more efficient.
• GDS systems were some of the first electronic commerce businesses, owned and operated by big companies, including airline companies.

Capabilities of GDS Systems

• System platform capabilities:
  • Operational 99.9% of the time, with access available when it's up and running.
  • Handles up to 17,000 messages per second during peak traffic times.
  • Uses advanced enterprise systems architecture for fast response to user commands.
  • Enables large numbers of reservations in a short time.
  • Can use over 1 billion fare combinations.
  • Has access to over 95% of available seats worldwide, representing over 750 airlines, 50,000 hotels, 400 tours, and 30,000 car rental sites.
• Benefits of GDS:
  • Provides access to a worldwide distribution network.
  • Links to many airline and travel agency businesses.
  • Allows users to search for specific times and destinations.
  • Returns availability and reservation options from linked businesses.
  • Improves business efficiency by reducing wait times and errors.
  • Finds the cheapest prices, a strong advantage to using the system.

Major GDS Systems

• Sabre:
  • One of the oldest GDS systems, operational since 1960.
  • Acquired by AMR (American Airlines) in 1996.
  • Has access to businesses in 45 countries.
  • Focuses on logistical efficiency and optimization of the value chain for the travel industry.
  • Owns Travelocity.com and GetThere, a web-based corporate travel procurement provider.
• Amadeus:
  • The youngest GDS system, operational since 1987.
  • Created by four airline companies (Air France, Iberia, Lufthansa, and SAS).
  • Works through e-Travel to provide more business to corporate clients.
• Travelport:
  • A corporation that owns and operates Galileo and Worldspan GDS systems.
  • Owns subsidiaries, including Shepherd Systems, aiRESTM, and THOR.
  • Operational in over 145 countries.
• Worldspan:
  • Founded in 1990 by Delta Air Lines, Inc., Northwest Airlines, and Trans World Airlines.
  • Currently owned by Delta Air Lines, Inc. (40%).
  • Entered the internet technology arena in 1995.
  • Has grown in web-based travel distribution to 90 countries and territories.
• Galileo:
  • Has access to businesses in every part of the world, including North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asian Pacific area.
  • Operational in 115 countries, with over 49,000 travel agencies, 500 airlines, 227 hotel companies, 33 car rental companies, and 368 tour groups.
  • Became a publicly traded company in 1997 and was acquired by Cendant Corporation in 2001.

Recent Developments

• There is a concern that CRS (Computer Reservation Systems) favor major airlines, which can be a problem for smaller and regional carriers, independent CRSs, travel agents, and consumers.

Development of a Tourism Destination

• Travel refers to the act of moving from one place to another, whether by car, train, plane, or ship, for leisure or pleasure.

5 A's of Tourism

• Attraction: factors that attract tourists, such as natural beauty, monuments, or beaches.
• Accessibility: ways to reach a destination, including transportation infrastructure.
• Accommodation: places to stay, including hotels, guesthouses, and resorts.
• Amenities: services that support comfortable travel, such as food, water, and sanitation.
• Activities: experiences offered at a destination, such as nature walks, history tours, or boating.

What Makes a Successful Tourist Destination?

• Environment: a key aspect of a tourist destination, including architecture, cleanliness, beauty, and uniqueness.
• Presentation of a place is crucial in creating a successful tourist destination, as people judge a destination quickly upon arrival.
• Industry: provision of land, utilities, and services in tourism priority areas is essential for private sector growth.

Government's Role in Tourism Development

• Governments should identify and develop tourism infrastructure, such as hotels and restaurants.
• Governments should provide public funds for awareness programs and preservation efforts to protect the environment and heritage.
• Governments should regulate tourism development to ensure social, cultural, and environmental sustainability.

Investigating the Travel and Tourism Sector

• Private sector organizations aim to make a profit, leading to provision of basic services that benefit local residents.
• The developing tourism industry leads to a definable pattern of seasonal variation.

6 Stages of Tourist Area Evolution

• Stage 1: Exploration - small numbers of tourists, based on primary attractions, no secondary tourism facilities.
• Stage 2: Involvement - local residents become involved, emergence of secondary facilities, tourism season develops.
• Stage 3: Development - large numbers of visitors, local involvement and control decline.
• Stage 4: Consolidation - tourism becomes a major part of the local economy, rate of increase of visitors declines.
• Stage 5: Stagnation - peak number of visitors, capacity levels exceeded, environmental, social, and economic problems.
• Stage 6: Decline or Rejuvenation - destination reaches peak capacity, either declines or rejuvenates through renovation or reintroduction of new attractions.

International Tourism Expenditure

• China spent €236 billion on international tourism in 2016, the highest in the world.

EU Tourism

• The EU was the world's most-visited tourism destination in 2016, with 499 million international arrivals (40% of the world total).
• The number of international arrivals in the EU is expected to reach 557 million by 2030.

Emerging Economies

• A large proportion of tourists visiting the EU until 2030 will originate from emerging economy source markets in Asia, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East.

Asia-Pacific Region

• The EU currently receives 26 million arrivals from the Asia-Pacific region.
• This is expected to rise to 34 million arrivals by 2030.

Americas

• The number of tourists from the Americas is predicted to increase by 2.2% year-on-year, with 37 million visiting EU countries by 2030.

Africa

• The number of tourists from Africa is expected to grow by 5.5% year-on-year, with 9 million arrivals from Africa expected in the EU by 2030.

Middle East

• Approximately 4 million tourists from the Middle East currently visit the EU per year.
• This is expected to increase to 5 million by 2030.

Constraints on Tourism

• Tourist costs, strict tourist policy, demographic factors, and worsening political and environmental conditions abroad can act as restraints on tourism.

Emerging Markets and Destinations

• Emerging economies are leading the growing demand for international tourism.
• The number of people with access to greater wealth is rising, and these countries will gradually expand their market share until 2030.

BRIC Countries

• Brazil: 8.2 million trips worldwide in 2016, with 2.9 million trips to Europe, and international tourism expenditure of €13.1 billion.
• Russia: 18.9 million trips globally in 2016, with 13.9 million trips to Europe, and international tourism expenditure of €21.6 billion.
• India: 16.4 million trips in 2016, with 2.3 million trips to Europe, and international tourism expenditure of €14.8 billion.
• China: 84.9 million trips in 2016, with 10.5 million trips to Europe, and international tourism expenditure of unknown.

Tourism Trends

• Visitor profiles and preferences will become increasingly fragmented, and destination competitiveness will depend on their ability to develop and market tourism products.
• Economic factors have a major impact on the tourism industry globally and locally.
• Fluctuations in the global and local economies can affect the level of demand and supply in tourism.

Demographic and Economic Factors

• Increases in income differentials across countries often lead to increases in tourist flows.
• Strong tourist networks have historically played a large role in enhancing tourist flows.
• Tax and government transfer policies can also impact tourist flows.

This quiz tests your understanding of sustainability principles, including the extraction of renewable and non-renewable resources, and the importance of social sustainability.