Tourism

Introduction and definition of tourism

Tourism is the largest industry and will become the world’s leading business, according to the growth rates foreseen by WTO.
International arrivals will increase from 700 million in early 2000 to 1.6 billion by the year 2020. From 1950s to 1980’s, the international arrivals and receipts rose from 25 million and 2 billion US$ to 284 million and 103 billion US$.


Importance, volume and dimension of tourism have been increasing tremendously in present day of globalisation. The figure above is just some indication of the phenomena. The development of tourism will still continue in future and even we cannot ascertain the form of tourism couple of decades later. With the process of development, tourism as a disciple, its meaning and scope has been changing as well. Nevertheless, during the study of tourism, a clear concept and more precise definition of tourism is to be undertaken. Hence, an effort has been drawn to distinguish between the concept and specific ‘technical definitions’.


The concept of tourism is broad in nature and includes necessary characteristics. It gives an overview of tourism industry. Following example can be taken as a concept of tourism industry:


¨ “Tourism is the sum of the phenomena and relationships arising from the travel and stay of non-residents, in so far as they do not lead to permanent stay and vocational travel. - Hunziker a. Krapf


We can draw 5 characteristics of tourism from the definition;

· It is a movement of people,


· Movement is temporary,


· Movement is not for employment purpose,


· It includes the journey to the destination and all activities during the stay over there,


· And It rises various activities which are different than tourist’s original place and destination’s residents.


During the study of tourism, tourism has to be interpreted in various ways according to various situations. The broad definition of tourism might not be suitable for these purposes so particular definitions are made which we can call technical definition. These technical definitions are prepared under the basis of 3 aspects; purpose of travel, time element and particular situation. For instance, definition of tourism was drawn on Rome conference on travel and tourism (1963);


“Tourists are the visitors staying at least twenty four hours in the country visited and the purpose of whose journey can be classified under one of the following headings:
Leisure( recreation, holiday, health, study, religion and sports)
Business, family, mission, meeting”

Development of tourism

The notion appear in our mind that the tourism is a modern phenomena but it was in existence since the early phase of human civilization. The great Silk Road flourished the movement of numerous traders from Asia to Europe and exchange of knowledge and skills like ice cream, noodle/pasta, tea etc occurred. Briefly, we can divide the development of tourism into 3 phases;

Ancient Period

Similar outlook of pyramids in Egypt and Maya’s temple in Mexico shows the link between two civilisation which could be only possible with travel. Exploration and inhabitation of new places are result of travel indeed. With the development of civilisation, people started to travel for pilgrimage and other religious purposes. Life of Buddha, Christ and other prophets show that their life were full of travelling. Later, people started to travel for holiday and recreational purpose as well. Although there were limited means of travel like walking, boats, coaches and animals; Travelling was an integral part of life.

Period after Industrial Revolution

19th Century brought the milestone in human civilisation. With the steam and coal engine, railways and navigation became far more efficient for travelling. People began to travel for pleasure, resorts were started, and organised tours were initiated. Provisions of paid holidays came into existence in the beginning of the twentieth century.

Post Second World War Period

After Second World War, there was a significant increase in the living standard and economic status of people in western countries. As a consequence, the volume of tourism grew rapidly. Another significant factor was the development of transport system; surface, air and sea transport. High speed trains, jet airplanes and private cars contributed a lot for the growth of tourism. Besides the western countries, other regions also emerged as major tourist generating countries. Legal provisions of paid holiday for workers and global economic improvement boosted the increase in the number of tourists. Furthermore, Technological development of internet, travel information system and widespread existence of travel agencies/tour operators enhanced the tourism development.

Sustainable Tourism Development

Sustainable: The responsible use of natural resources in order to improve the quality of living of present human population as well as the future generation. Development that meets the need of present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs is sustainable development. Improving the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems.

Tourism: The word tour is derived from the Latin word ‘tornare’ and the Greek ‘tornos’ meaning ‘a lathe circle’, the movement around a central point on axis. It modern English it means ‘ones turn’. So, when the word ‘tour’ and ‘ism’ or ‘ist’ are combined, the ‘y’ suggest the action of movement around the circle. One can argue that a circle represents starting point, which ultimately turns back to its beginning. Therefore, like a circle, a tour represents a journey that is a round trip i.e. the act of leaving and then returning to the original starting point, therefore, one who takes such a journey can be called a tourist.

According to Ministry of culture and tourism, which has adopted the definition recommended by the UN guidelines for a tourism statistics-1971, New York says,

All foreign tourists visiting Nepal on foreign passport both by air and surface and Indian tourists traveling by air are regarded as tourists, but the Indian tourists entering Nepal through land routes are not included in the category of foreign tourists.

Development: It is the natural resource based economic growth.

Sustainable Development of Tourism
Conceptual Definition (UNWTO, 2004)

"Sustainable tourism development guidelines and management practices are applicable to all forms of tourism in all types of destinations, including mass tourism and the various niche tourism segments. Sustainability principles refer to the environmental, economic and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development, and a suitable balance must be established between these three dimensions to guarantee its long-term sustainability.

Thus, sustainable tourism should:

1) Make optimal use of environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity.
2) Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and living cultural heritage and traditional values, and contribute to inter-cultural understanding and tolerance.
3) Ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders that are fairly distributed, including stable employment and income-earning opportunities and social services to host communities, and contributing to poverty alleviation.

Sustainable tourism development requires the informed participation of all relevant stakeholders, as well as strong political leadership to ensure wide participation and consensus building. Achieving sustainable tourism is a continuous process and it requires constant monitoring of impacts, introducing the necessary preventive and/or corrective measures whenever necessary.

Sustainable tourism should also maintain a high level of tourist satisfaction and ensure a meaningful experience to the tourists, raising their awareness about sustainability issues and promoting sustainable tourism practices amongst them."

The definition most used normally for the sustainable development continues being that of the report of the World Commission of Environment and Development (1987), that is to say, the sustainable development is " a process that satisfies the needs of the present without compromising the aptitude of the future generations to satisfy his own needs ".

The sustainable development therefore treats of the creation of a better life for the whole population in such a way that it is so viable in the future since it is in the present.

In other words, the sustainable development is based on suitable beginning of management of the world resources, on a just utilization of these resources and on an equitable distribution of the positive things obtained of them.

The concept has evolved from the definition of 1987, especially from the Agenda 21, the plan of action originated in the Conference of the United Nations on Environment and Development (Rio, 1992), and the plan of implantation of the World Summit on the Sustainable Development (Johannesburgo, 2002).

Nowadays they recognize and emphasize three dimensions or "props". These are:
Economic Sustainability, which involves the creation of prosperity in the different levels of the society, considering in addition the profitability of all the economic activities. Fundamentally it is a question of the viability of the companies and of his(her,your) activities and of his(her,your) aptitude to be kept long-term.
Social Sustainability, which implies the respect of the human rights and the equality of opportunities for all the members of the society. It needs a just distribution of the positive things, which centres on the reduction of the poverty. He devotes himself principally to the local communities and to the maintenance and reinforcement of his systems of subsistence and to the recognition and respect of the different cultures, avoiding any form of exploitation.
Environmental Sustainability, which implies the conservation and management of the resources, specially those that are not renewable or that are fundamental for the subsistence. It needs performances to reduce the pollution of the air, of the land and of the water and to preserve the biological diversity and the natural patrimony.

Core issues of sustainable development
Women Empowerment
Sustainable mountain development
Sustainability at world heritage sites
Sustainable agricultural and rural development
Population control
Population reduction strategies
Sustainable communities and the environment
Health
Technology and communication
Planning and management of land resources
Combating deforestation
Conservation of biological diversity
Encountering desertification and drought To achieve the sustainable development means to obtain a balance among them.

What economic impacts does tourism have?

Tourism has a variety of economic impacts. Tourists contribute to sales, profits, jobs, tax revenues, and income in an area. The most direct effects occur within the primary tourism sectors --lodging, restaurants, transportation, amusements, and retail trade . Through secondary effects, tourism affects most sectors of the economy. An economic impact analysis of tourism activity normally focuses on changes in sales, income, and employment in a region resulting from tourism activity.

A simple tourism impact scenario illustrates. Let’s say a region attracts an additional 100 tourists, each spending $100 per day. That’s $10,000 in new spending per day in the area. If sustained over a 100 day season, the region would accumulate a million dollars in new sales. The million dollars in spending would be distributed to lodging, restaurant, amusement and retail trade sectors in proportion to how the visitor spends the $100. Perhaps 30% of the million dollars would leak out of the region immediately to cover the costs of goods purchased by tourists that are not made in the local area (only the retail margins for such items should normally be included as direct sales effects). The remaining $700,000 in direct sales might yield $350,000 in income within tourism industries and support 20 direct tourism jobs. Tourism industries are labor and income intensive, translating a high proportion of sales into income and corresponding jobs.

The tourism industry, in turn, buys goods and services from other businesses in the area, and pays out most of the $350,000 in income as wages and salaries to its employees. This creates secondary economic effects in the region. The study might use a sales multiplier of 2.0 to indicate that each dollar of direct sales generates another dollar in secondary sales in this region. Through multiplier effects, the $700,000 in direct sales produces $1.4 million in total sales. These secondary sales create additional income and employment, resulting in a total impact on the region of $1.4 million in sales, $650,000 in income and 35 jobs. While hypothetical, the numbers used here are fairly typical of what one might find in a tourism economic impact study. A more complete study might identify which sectors receive the direct and secondary effects and possibly identify differences in spending and impacts of distinct subgroups of tourists (market segments). One can also estimate the tax effects of this spending by applying local tax rates to the appropriate changes in sales or income. Instead of focusing on visitor spending, one could also estimate impacts of construction or government activity associated with tourism.

There are several other categories of economic impacts that are not typically covered in economic impact assessments, at least not directly. For example:

Changes in prices -- tourism can sometimes inflate the cost of housing and retail prices in the area, frequently on a seasonal basis.

Changes in the quality and quantity of goods and services – tourism may lead to a wider array of goods and services available in an area (of either higher or lower quality than without tourism).

Changes in property and other taxes – taxes to cover the cost of local services may be higher or lower in the presence of tourism activity. In some cases, taxes collected directly or indirectly from tourists may yield reduced local taxes for schools, roads, etc. In other cases, locals may be taxed more heavily to cover the added infrastructure and service costs. The impacts of tourism on local government costs and revenues are addressed more fully in a fiscal impact analysis.

Economic dimensions of “social” and “environmental” impacts - There are also economic consequences of most social and environmental impacts that are not usually addressed in an economic impact analysis. These can be positive or negative. For example, traffic congestion will increase costs of moving around for both households and businesses. Improved amenities that attract tourists may also encourage retirees or other kinds of businesses to locate in the area.

Sustainable Development

In the 1980s, increasing concern about the effects of economic development on health, natural resources and the environment led the United Nations to publish the Brundtland Report. This defined Sustainable Development as "development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." In June 1992, the Rio Earth Summit declared that "the right to development must be fulfilled so as to equitably meet developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations." Sustainable Development is not just about the environment, but about the economy and our society as well.

Sustainable Development encourages the conservation and preservation of natural resources and of the environment, and the management of energy, waste and transportation. Sustainable Development is development based on patterns of production and consumption that can be pursued into the future without degrading the human or natural environment. It involves the equitable sharing of the benefits of economic activity across all sections of society, to enhance the well-being of humans, protect health and alleviate poverty. If sustainable development is to be successful, the attitudes of individuals as well as governments with regard to our current lifestyles and the impact they have on the environment will need to change.