TOURISM
EQ1: How does the nature of tourism vary from place to place?
Definition: People who stay away from their normal place of residence for more than 24hrs, less than 1yr for leisure
International tourism: tourism outside a tourist's own country
Domestic Tourism: tourism within a tourists' own country.
Types of Tourism
1.) places of scenic beauty
Eg: mountain regions,
coastal resorts,
national parks
Honey Pot Tourism
EG: Places declared as UNESCO world heritage sites such as Halong Bay in Hanoi Vietnam, Machu Picchu in Peru.
Refers to tourism that attract a large numbers of people due to the site's scenic beauty
2.) Places with good facilities
a.) Places that have venues that can host large scale events
I ncentives
C onventions
M eetings
E vents
Educational facilities
Singapore has several venues such as the Singapore Expo, Marina Bay Sands and Suntec convention center to hosts large scale events
b.) Places with medical facilities
Medical tourism
When people travel to a destination to undergo medical procedures that will enhance or restore health.
People travelling to South Korea for cosmetic surgery,
people travelling to Singapore to undergo complicated surgeries such as heart bypass
c.) Places with Theme Park
People who are attracted to amusement park settings or attractions that have a central subject or theme, such as movies
People travelling to places with Disneyland such as Hongkong, Japan, USA
Wealthy people from LDCs
3.) Places with rich culture
Heritage Tourism
When people travel to locations to experience different cultures and cultures and to understand the history of the place better
London attracts over 15 million international tourists each year to sites such as the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace.
Many visit Beijing for the Forbidden City and other historical attractions in the city
Film Induced tourism
when people travel to see locations featured in films
South Korea K-drama filming locations
New Zealand's "Middle Earth tour" featuring the filming locations of The Lord of the Rings
Gourmet food and shopping tourism
when people travel mainly for food and shopping
Bangkok and Hongkong are popular destinations among Singaporeans for food and shopping.
Pilgrimage tourism
when people travel to take part in religious activity
Key religious sites attract an estimated 300 million pilgrims per year. like ;
Mecca, Saudi Arabia for muslims,
Vatican city for Catholic Christians and
Jerusalem for Jews
4.) Places of conflict
Dark tourism
when people travel to sites associated with death and tragedy
Cu chi tunnels in Vietnam
Ruins of Pompeii
WWII Concentration camps
Changi Chapel : Australian POWs
5.) Space
Space tourism
when people travel beyond the Earth's atmosphere into space
Russian Space Agency : organize trips to the International Spaces Station. These trip are exclusive and cost about US$20 million to US$35 million to be in space for 8-15 days.
Only 558 people have been to space ( Virgin airways )
EQ2: Why has tourism become a Global Phenomenon?
Trends in global tourism industry
International Tourism
Domestic Tourism
changes in choice of tourist destination
Origin countries of tourists
More than half of the international tourists still originate from developed parts of the world.
Increasing trend of tourists coming for rapidly developing countries like China and India
rise in number of domestic tourists
significant in larger countries like China and Philippines
Evolution of tourism
1.) Mass tourism ---> Niche Tourism
Mass Tourism
Definition: Refers to travel that involves large number of tourists visiting a particular place together.
Level of customisation:
Low
tour package itinerary is fixed and decided by tour agent, company. Tourists will have to follow itinerary even if its not their interests.
consequences of change from mass to niche tourism
Target audience
Attracts people who want to visit common attractions in the country of destination.
12- day tour to Eastern Europe
Little or no contact with local community
scale of operations environmentally damaging and unsustainable
Niche Tourism
Definition: refers to special interest tourism based on a particular area, interest or activity
Level of customisation:
High
tour package can be customised to suit individual or group traveller
Target audience:
attracts people who seek 'new' destinations, activities and experiences
Whale watching Hawaii
adventure holidays like whitewater rafting , bungee jumping in New Zealand
2.Rise in ecotourism
3.) Growth of long haul tourism
Short haul
refers to destinations that are a short distance away from the tourists home country
usually reachable by car, bus, train or flight
Generally less than 5 hours
Long haul
destinations that are a long distance away from tourist home country
by flight
more than 6 hours
try to preserve surrounding environment to experience nature
mounting concern people have for ecology and the environment
eg: Banyan Tree hotel ( recycle water, etc )