Tourism Planning: Goals and Objectives

• Achievement of objectives leads to achievement of a goal.
• Tourism planning relies on goals and objectives as necessary elements to determine the desired results or outcomes for developing tourism.

Goals vs Objectives

• Goals determine desired long-term outcomes (9+ years).
• Objectives specify short to medium-term achievements (3-6 years).
• Both goals and objectives clarify why a strategy or action is necessary.

Crafting Goals

• Two to three goals are sufficient for tourism planning and development but more can be developed if needed.
• Goals act as a guide for subsequent steps to avoid getting sidetracked.
• Goals and objectives must be clear for those in tourism planning and development to focus efforts.

Sustainable Development

• Tourism planning goals and objectives should contribute to the sustainable development of the destination.
• Sustainable development should cover economy, environment and society.
• Tourism should improve the living conditions of the local community near attractions.

Success Indicators

• Success indicators measure the extent of achieving the desired results/outcome.
• Actions leading to goal achievement are assessed qualitatively or quantitatively.
• This helps stakeholders measure progress once the plan is implemented.
• Success indicators should be simple and easy to measure; consider alternatives if an indicator is not feasible.

Target Setting

• The target is a definite statement of a desired result.
• It answers what you want to achieve specifically and when.

Baseline Data

• Baseline data refers to the current tourism situation that the plan addresses.
• Historical data over 3-5 years is advisable as a foundation.
• It is used for measuring tourism performance.
• Baseline data serves as a starting point for building scenarios and evaluating the plan's impact.

Scenario Building

• Scenario building visualizes possible futures by understanding a destination's environment.
• It identifies significant events, main actors/motivations, and the functional system within the area.
• Possibilities should be based on current knowledge and experience.
• It is recommended to only have 3-5 scenarios in a single tourism planning and development process.

Types of Scenarios

• Exploratory Scenarios highlight the interrelationship between factors that affect tourism.
• Normative Scenarios describe a single "desired future" that everyone agrees on.
• Scenario building is useful when past/present scenarios cannot guide future development.
• Problems are very complex and many factors must be considered.
• There is a high possibility of significant change in the destination.
• Dominant trends are unfavorable and need analysis.
• The time horizon for development is long.

Objective Analysis (OA)

• Objective analysis can be used to analyze tourism issues.
• An objective analysis tree identifies programs/projects/activities for achieving desired outcomes.
• Problem and objective analysis thoroughly examine tourism concerns.
• Those analysis are important starting points for appropriate actions to address current situation.

Steps in Objective Analysis

• Convert analysis of negative conditions into positive conditions of objective tree analysis.
• Identify goals, objectives, programs, projects, activities, and policies based on positive conditions.
• Validate these elements and revise if necessary.

Objective Tree Analysis

• Objective tree analysis presents the desired tourism destination achievements.
• This diagram expresses the opposite of the negative factors identified in problem analysis.
• Positive factors should be realistic and achievable within the projected timeframe.
• Problems may be revised or reformulated based on relevance/suitability.
• Diagrams might show some unachievable objectives.