Tourism

TOURISM

What is tourism

Since the beginning of time humans have traveled. Food, water, safety or acquisition of resources (trade) were the early travel motivations. But the idea of travel for pleasure or exploration soon emerged. Travel has always depended upon technology to provide the means or mode of travel. The earliest travelers walked or rode domesticated animals. The invention of the wheel and the sail provided new modes of transportation. Each improvement in technology increased individuals' opportunities to travel. As roads were improved and governments stabilized, interest in travel increased for education, sightseeing, and religious purposes. One of the earliest travel guides was written by Pausanias, a Greek, which was a 10 volume Guide to Greece, for Roman tourists in 170 A.D..

Tourism is a collection of activities, services and industries that delivers a travel experience, including transportation, accommodations, eating and drinking establishments, retail shops, entertainment businesses, activity facilities and other hospitality services provided for individuals or groups traveling away from home.

Reasons for Travel

When people decide to leave the comforts of their home and venture to other locations there is usually a reason behind it. Whether the cause to travel was a last minute whimsy or had an actual purpose, it makes one think about all of the reasons why people travel. Reflect on the last time you left your location and ventured to another one. Did it have a purpose behind it? Let's look and see if your motive to travel matched any of the one's listed below. These are not listed in any particular order.
1. Romance- There are thousands of people who are involved in long distance relationships. At some point though, they need to see each other. For the sake of love, people will travel for hours to spend as much time as they can with the love of their life.
2. Relaxation- All work and no play is not a good thing. People need to get away from the stress of everyday life, and a nice sunny location with a beach might just be what the doctor ordered.
3. Family/ Friends -Many people have family/friends that are located in different parts of the world. They need to visit with them even if it's for a short period of time.
4. Religion- There are places in the world that hold religious importance for many people. Religious travel is often related to a purpose such as seeing where the last pope was buried, or traveling to the town where Jesus was born.
5. Death- A relative, friend or acquaintance has passed away and travel is required to attend the funeral which is located out of town.
6. Honeymoon- You're getting married and are going somewhere special to celebrate. This usually occurs right after the wedding, but there are many occasions where people celebrate a honeymoon years later.
7. Education-You're getting your education somewhere other than where you live or you are going away on an educational school trip.
8. Celebration- Wedding, Anniversary, Birthday, Birth- There's always something to celebrate and it doesn't always happen where you live.
9. Medical/Health- Sometimes the treatment you need isn't available in the city/town where you live. Often the best medical care is costly and requires travel to receive it.
10. Work- Job requirements might mean a fair bit of travel is involved. Even if the travel is within your own country it still has a purpose attached to it.
Overall, traveling can be a wonderful experience or it can be draining, expensive and just plain torture. Nonetheless if you need to go then embrace it for what it is, and try to make the best of it even if it wasn't planned.

Types of Tourism
Tourism can be classified into the following types:

 International inbound tourists (overnight visitors) are the number of tourists who travel to a country other than that in which they have their usual residence, but outside their usual environment, for a period not exceeding 12 months and whose main purpose in visiting is other than an activity remunerated from within the country visited. When data on number of tourists are not available, the number of visitors, which includes tourists, same-day visitors, cruise passengers, and crew members, is shown instead. Sources and collection methods for arrivals differ across countries. In some cases data are from border statistics (police, immigration, and the like) and supplemented by border surveys. In other cases data are from tourism accommodation establishments. For some countries number of arrivals is limited to arrivals by air and for others to arrivals staying in hotels. Some countries include arrivals of nationals residing abroad while others do not. Caution should thus be used in comparing arrivals across countries. The data on inbound tourists refer to the number of arrivals, not to the number of people traveling. Thus a person who makes several trips to a country during a given period is counted each time as a new arrival.

Article Source http://www.indexmundi.com/facts/jamaica/international-tourism

Outbound International tourism   is a term that is used to refer to visitors from outside the financial territory of the country of reference and provided by non residents. It does not comprise of goods and services acquired for or after the trip within the country of orientation.

Domestic tourism:

Also called internal tourism domestic tourism involves staying in your own country but visiting a different city in which you do not live in. It may be due to motivation by the natural urge for new experiences, adventure, education and entertainment. It may also be inspired by social, cultural and business interests.

Leisure Tourism

Leisure travel is the kind of travelling that is not objective in making money but rather spending it. It can also be referred to as tourism as it is a means of unwinding from ones day to day activities. Most people go for leisure travel far from their countries of residence with an aim to be off from their daily hustles. Leisure travel can be long or short term depending on one's financial budgets. It is usually a moment to connect with nature, have fun and visit historical sites

Business Tourism

The tourism industry can be devided into leisure tourism and business tourism. IMEX uses the following definition for business tourism: "Business tourism is the provision of facilities and services to the millions of delegates who annually attend meetings, congresses, exhibitions, business events, incentive travel and corporate hospitality". Please note that as is the case for many terms in the meetings industry, there is not one commonly used definition.                                                                                        

Medical Tourism

Medical Tourism involves people who travel to a different place to receive treatment for a disease, health condition, or a surgical procedure, and who are seeking lower cost of healthcare and higher quality of care. Favorite procedures in medical tourism include Cardiology, Cardiothoracic, Cosmetic Surgery, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Weight Loss, Neuron, Eye, Orthopedic Surgery, as well as Organ Transplants (kidney).
Medical Tourism services include medical facilitation, travel arrangements, accommodation, transportation and tour packages.

Cultural Tourism
Cultural tourism or sometimes referred to as heritage tourism is the division of tourism concerned with the region’s culture, specifically the lifestyle and history of the people, their art, architecture, religion and other elements. Cultural tourism includes cultural facilities such as museums, theatres and festivals. This is one of the most popular types of tourism and attracts tourists from different parts of the world.

Adventure Tourism

Adventure tourism is an outdoor activity that generally takes place in an unusual, remote or a wilderness area. This adventurous activity can take place in the sea, in rivers, in the air, in mountains and is associated with low or high levels of physical activity. There are many types of products and services that fall within the Adventure Tourism category such as:  bungee jumping, mountaineering expeditions, rafting, rock climbing, diving, wind surfing, paragliding and many more.

Wellness Tourism

Wellness tourism is one of the fastest growing forms of international and domestic tourism. This form of tourism involves people who travel to a different place to pursue activities that maintain or enhance their personal health and wellness, and who are seeking unique, authentic or location-based experiences. Wellness tourism include massages, body treatments, facial treatments, exercise facilities & programs, weight loss programs, nutrition programs, pre- and post-operative Spa treatments and mind/body programs.

Eco Tourism

Ecotourism is “Responsible travel to natural (unspoilt) areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.” The purpose of ecotourism is to educate the traveler about natural destinations, to provide ecological conservation and awareness, to benefit economic development, the political empowerment of local communities and respect for the local culture. Here the traveler can experience the natural way of life surrounded by natural circumstances.

Sports Tourism

Sports tourism refers to international travel either for viewing or participating in a sporting event. Examples include international sporting events such as the Olympics, world cup (soccer, rugby, and cricket), tennis, golf and Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Religious Tourism

Religious Tourism or faith tourism are people of faith who travel on their own or in groups to holy cities or holy sites for pilgrimages,  crusades, conventions, retreats, religious tourist attractions or missionary work.

Wildlife Tourism

Wildlife tourism is the observation of wild (non-domestic) animals in their natural environment or in captivity.  It includes activities such as photography, viewing and feeding of animals. This form of tourism offer tourists customized tour packages and safaris and is closely associated with Eco-tourism and sustainable-tourism.
Other minor forms of tourism include Slum tourism, Luxury tourism, Agri- tourism, Geo-tourism, Culinary tourism and many more.
Tourism is also a profitable industry for the following sectors: accommodations venues, tour guides, recreation, attractions, events and conferences, food and beverage, transportation and the travel trade.


The Tourism Product

                             
                                      

Tourism Assets

Tourism Product

To increase its revenue- earning capacity ,the tourism sector must attract more visitors.The increase in tourist arrivals is dependent on the appeal of the tourism product. In promoting tourism,advertisers or marketing specialists sell a product to the supply country or region. the tourism product includes transportation, accommodation,shopping facilities, entertainment or recreation, food and beveridge among a wide range of other goods and services  that are constantly being developed.  

Article source:Essential Social Studies for CSEC 

Tourism assets
They are the factors of attraction of the tourism destination which determines the choice of the tourist in favour of the destination. Normally, a tourism destination has different assets such as natural, historic-architectural, socio-cultural, gastronomic, infrastructural (sport systems, congress buildings, etc.) and their combination makes the holiday more attractive and interesting.

• Transport: it is the accessibility of the tourism destination. It has to be assured by both the infrastructures (roads, motorways, railways, ports and airports) and the transport organization towards the area (number of flights and trains, road conditions, etc.). The easiness of access to the tourism destination obviously makes the commercialization (and interest) of the tourism product easier.

• Tourism services: they are all services provided by local and international operators in order to make the tourism assets of the tourism destination available to the tourism demand. They are public services (public transport, environmental hygiene, safety, traffic/roads, sanitary service, etc.) and private services (accommodation, customer service, airport/rail transfer service, tourist guides, animator staff and entertainment, car rental /bike services, events and festivals, etc.). In modern tourism strategies the tourism services are very important in order to specialize the tourism product following the particular needs of the targeted tourism segments.

• Information: it is very important for the tourism product because it permits the connection between the holiday motivations of the tourist and the tourism assets of the destination. The role played by the information system is as follows: i) to allow the knowledge of the tourism assets (factors of attraction); ii) to create a good image of the tourism assets; iii) to influence the tourist choice; iv) to create added-value to the tourism supply.

• Tourism demand: this is the element that influences the organization of the other aspects of the tourism product. The different characteristics and requirements of the several tourism segments have to be taken into account by the tourism suppliers in order to organize a competitive tourism supply. 

This URL will lead you to: A Guide to Tourism Careers, Education and Training in the Caribbean

http://www.onecaribbean.org/content/files/CTOGuidetourismcareersmanual.pdf

Use of Profits

Tourism is one of the world’s fastest growing industries and is a major source of income for many countries. Being a people-oriented industry, tourism also provides many jobs which have helped revitalise local economies.

The Effects of Tourism on the Natural Environment

Environmental Threats and Tourism

The environmental threats created by tourism in the Caribbean have been the subject

of considerable attention. Tourism often brings large groups of people to destinations,

and they, and the supporting infrastructure they require, create a variety of threats for the environment.

Solid Waste

Tourists generate substantial amounts of solid waste. Tourists in the Caribbean have

been estimated to generate twice as much solid waste per capita as local residents

Liquid Waste

Tourists also generate substantial amounts of liquid waste, much of which goes

untreated. According to some estimates, as much as 75 percent of waste water

treatment plants operated by hotels and resorts (so-called package plants) in the

Caribbean did not comply with basic effluent discharge criteria in 1996.

Coral Reefs are important to the marine environment

Tourist facilities are often built in environmentally sensitive areas. In the

Caribbean, the majority of tourism facilities are located within 800 meters of the high

water mark, and most tourist activity takes place in the area between the back bays

and fronting reefs.

 Tourists place high demand on energy and freshwater resources. Tourists typically use much higher amounts of both energy and freshwater than local residents.

 Dying Coral Reef

The simple presence of tourists can have adverse environmental impacts in some

particularly sensitive ecological systems. In the Caribbean, a common example is

the impact on coral reefs from various recreational users.

In some locations, health and environmental health issues may be important,

particularly those related to water-borne and sexually-transmitted diseases.

Government Policies to Promote Tourism

The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) is an agency of the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment. As a result, the JTB is affiliated with a number of other agencies under the Ministry, for example the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) and Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF); the JTB also works closely with other organizations such as the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) and Jamaica Trade and Invest (JTI) in  the marketing of Destination Jamaica.

Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment

The primary responsibility of the Ministry of Tourism is to develop coherent sustainable policies which respond to the needs within the portfolio areas.  Heavy emphasis is placed on consultation with all stakeholders, including the private sector.  As it relates to tourism, the Ministry aims to:

Develop policies and pilot legislation which facilitates sustainable development of the tourism product and investment in the industry as a whole

Develop policies and pilot legislation which would ensure the maximization of the social and economic benefits of tourism for the Jamaican people

Tourism Product Development Company

The Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo.) Limited has the mandate of developing and improving Jamaica’s tourism product. Its main responsibilities are:

Returning the national budget to a surplus position

Acting as a catalyst and facilitator in developing and implementing plans to improve the main resort areas

Identifying and prioritizing the area with potential for enhancing Jamaica’s tourism product, and to plan, develop and implement initiatives, in order to improve Jamaica’s competitiveness as a preferred tourism destination

Facilitating the best practicable reconciliation of aesthetic, cultural, architectural, economic and environmental considerations, all of which must be taken into account in securing co-operation from all parties concerned, in any specific project.

Tourism Enhancement Fund

The “Tourism Enhancement Act, 2004” was passed by Parliament in December 2004.

This Act provided the legal basis for the Ministry of Tourism to establish a mechanism for the collection of a small fee from incoming airline and cruise passengers.

Specifically, the Act allows for:

A Tourism Enhancement Fee of US$10.00 to be charged to incoming airline passengers and US$2.00 to be charged to cruise passengers.

The monies collected is paid into a dedicated Tourism Enhancement Fund

The fund was established on May 1, 2005 for the sole purpose of implementing the recommendations emanating from the Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development, 2002.

The Tourism Master Plan provides the framework in which TEF will fulfill its mandate of promoting growth and development in the tourism sector, encouraging better management of environmental resources in the Island, enhancing the overall tourist experience in the Island, and providing for the sustainable development of the tourism sector.

Vision

The Vision of the Tourism Enhancement Fund is to see Jamaica as the most sought after tourist destination because of the following attributes:

• Natural beauty
• Warm and friendly people
• Well designed and attractive resort towns
• Diverse attractions
• Environmentally friendly posture
• Organizational Structure

The Fund is managed by a Board of thirteen Directors who are experienced in matters relating to tourism and finance. There is a small, tight, highly qualified management team which works synergistically with the TPDCo and other relevant government agencies to carry out the mandate of the Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development.

Jamaica Trade and Invest (JTI)

The mandate of JTI is to initiate and coordinate the development of plans, programmes and policies for the economic and financial development of Jamaica.

In order to achieve this mandate JTI provides a wide range of services, which includes conducting research on national development issues and the provision of technical support to the Cabinet. JTI also undertakes consultancy activities for government entities; manage external cooperation agreements and interfaces with funding agencies, while maintaining a national socio-economic library.

Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA)

Established in 1961, the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association is the organisation, which represents Jamaican hotels, other visitor accommodations as well as most suppliers of goods and services to the tourism industry. The main aim of the JHTA is to promote the development of Jamaica’s hospitality industry and to represent the interests of its members in all fora, locally, regionally and internationally. 

JHTA promotes the interests of its members with government and its agencies, with other elements of the private sector and with international organizations. Through its association and representation on the Boards of Directors of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) and the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) it ensures a strong voice for its membership in the development and marketing of Jamaica’s tourism. The JHTA is a major member of the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ). Its participation ensures a leading role for the private sector’s interests in the policies and programmes of the PSOJ.

Internationally JHTA is affiliated with the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA), the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AH & LA) and the International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IHRA). These valuable liaisons provide the JHTA with the opportunity to secure critical information and exposure for its members.

Article Source: http://www.jtbonline.org/tourism_jamaica/Pages/TourismAgenciesAffiliates.aspx

Factors that influence the development of tourism in host and supply countries

Factors influencing tourism are found in both the host country, which is the country to which the tourists are travelling, and the supply country, which is the country in which they normally reside a host country has to make efforts to be appealing to potential visitors in a number of ways. Conditions in the supply country have: be suitable to enable people to make visits elsewhere.

Factors in the host country

In addition to developing new tourism products that will continue to attract visitors, a host country has to acknowledge the requirements for meeting tourists' more practical needs.

Accessibility

A major consideration for tourists is the accessibility of their destination. This means how easy or otherwise it is to travel to the host country. For international tourists travelling by air, a major consideration would be whether or not there was a direct flight from their home country and, if there was not, how simple the transfer from the nearest international airport to their final destination would be. To cater for cruise ship passengers, the host country must have a suitable seaport.

Availability, cost and quality of tourist services

A host country needs to have an organised and regulated tourist industry. This includes having a tourism organisation, such as a ministry of tourism, to develop industry policies and guidelines, and a tourist board to focus on marketing the country and the tourism products on offer.  
The individuals and businesses who work in the industry to provide the actual facilities, services and amenities, such as accommodation, restaurants and attractions, must ensure that a variety of these are offered at a high level of quality and at reasonable prices. Personnel .working in the industry should be trained in the skills necessary to perform their particular function.

Tourists need to feel that they will be safe from crime, violence
or harassment when they are in public places

 'Perception of safety and security

when people travel they often feel vulnerable. They will want to know that levels of crime or violence in the host country are at acceptable levels and be reassured that they will not be exposed to any threat or risk.

'Political stability

Political stability means that there is good governance within the country and a respect for law and order. There should be healthy relationships between political parties and a sense of social harmony among the general population. Without this political stability, tourists are less likely to be attracted. Political instability would also make it more difficult to attract foreign and local investment to develop the tourist industry.

Infrastructure

A host country needs to have modern sanitation arrangements. Sanitization is mainly concerned with a system for the provision of clean water for washing and a system for efficient removal of solid waste and sewage.

A modern, safe and well-maintained road network is also important 'or tourism. Tourists sometimes want to travel to different sites within the host country. Facilities such as hotels and restaurants also rely on the efficient delivery of such things as food supplies.

Host countries also need an adequate and reliable electrical supply system and modern internet and telecommunications systems.

Airports and sea ports

Air and sea ports need to be modern and capable of handling modern aircraft and ships, as well as accommodating large numbers of passengers. In the Caribbean, steps were recently taken to upgrade airport facilities.

Factors in the supply country

The tourists that the host country is hoping to attract must:

• have a disposable income that allows them to travel on holiday

• be made aware of the destination by tourism promoters from the host country and travel agents in the supply country

• have specific and detailed information about transportation, accommodation, attractions and amenities at the destination

• have easy access to affordable and reliable transportation to and from the destination.

How does tourism contribute to the Commonwealth Caribbean economy?

 

The economic impact of tourism

The tourism industry is a major element of the economy of most Caribbean countries. The industry earns foreign exchange and produces other revenues for governments. Tourism provides employment directly, for workers in the industry, and indirectly, through associated industries such as agriculture and construction.

Foreign exchange earnings

Tourism is the largest foreign exchange earner for most Caribbean countries. These foreign exchange earnings pay for a country's imports and repayments on international loans.

Employment

Tourism provides direct employment for workers in tourist facilities such as hotels, restaurants, clubs and specific tourist attractions. There are also many more indirect employment opportunities through links with other industries that support tourism, for example:

• agriculture - providing local produce for hotels and restaurants

• transportation - providing access to and from destinations and movement within a country

• construction - building tourist accommodation and associated facilities

• distribution - delivering items to hotels and restaurants

• general services - helping to maintain facilities in safe, reliable and clean conditions.

Government revenue

Tourism contributes significantly to a government's revenue through:

• landing fees for aircraft and berthing fees for cruise liners

• taxes on goods and services purchased by tourists

• taxes on wages of those employed in the tourism industry

• taxes on businesses in the tourism industry, for example hotel and restaurant taxes 

• import duties on items brought into the country for the tourism industry

• head and departure taxes on visitors.

This revenue is used to pay for services provided by government, for example health, sanitation, welfare and education. It also contributes to infrastructure programmes such as road-building or housing development.

Government expenditure

Governments also spend a good deal of their revenue in developing the tourist industry, for example in improving or expanding airports. It is important that such expenditure does not simply benefit the tourists But residents as well. Programmes promoting tourism, where visitors are encouraged to stay in smaller, family-run hotels away from the major resorts, would help to ensure this happens.
Developing good infrastructure systems in resort areas, for water supplies and sewage disposal for example, can generate employment and also provides the possibility of improvements to such systems in other parts of a country. Again, it is important that such improvements in the resort areas do not come at the expense of improvements elsewhere.

A craft person is employed indirectly in the tourism industry, while
 a person while a person working in a hotel is employed directly

The agricultural sector

An economic link is formed when the output of one industry becomes an input for another. The link between agriculture and tourism forms when local agriculture is able to supply hotels and restaurants with produce. The link exists but is not particularly strong given the requirement of most tourists to consume items that generally need to be imported.

The tourism industry also has some potentially negative effects on the agricultural sector. The tourism sector can offer higher wages and so workers leave the agricultural sector, meaning that there can be an inadequate supply of labour. The development of tourist sites, such as hotels and golf clubs, can often take place on prime agricultural land, reducing the amount of land available for food production and having possible implications regarding food security.

Imports
Large quantities of food are imported to feed tourists, which increase a country's food import bill. It is necessary to balance the income from tourists and tourist consumption against these additional costs. The tourists' consumption habits often reinforce messages contained in foreign media and together these may influence local residents' tastes and habits over time.

Real estate values

When facilities in popular resort areas are to be developed or expanded, the land on which they will be built becomes increasingly expensive and unaffordable for local people. A similar situation arises in resort areas where real estate prices can rise due to expenditure and improvements in the area. Real estate prices are pushed beyond the reach of local residents.

Rents charged for some tourist accommodation in residential areas can affect the rents charged to local residents.

 
Economic leakage of foreign exchange

Some foreign exchange earnings from tourism go back out of the country. This is known as economic leakage.
Economic leakage happens when money is spent on importing food items for tourist consumption or importing materials to produce items to meet tourists' demands, for example souvenirs. Leakage also occurs if tourist facilities are owned and operated by foreign companies. In such a case, profits from the business go back to the country from where the owner operates.

Reference and Further Reading:

Lunt, Pat: Buckle-Scott, Lena:  Davis-Morrison, Vilietha: Louis, Ancilla (2012)

Social Studies for CSEC: A Caribbean Examinations Council Study Guide