Tourism: An Attractive Industry For Economic Development

ABSTRACTTourism is widely recognized as an crucial catalyst for sparing fruit. According to the United Nations World Tourism brass instrument (UNWTO), the go gameism fabrication is amongst the biggest industries that make substantial contribution to the economy in frontiers of its contribution to the GDP, the taxation gene ordinated, increased employment and other benefits.The achiever of the tourism manufacture begs the question what are the characteristics that make it an entrancing persistence for economic ripening. In send to respond to this question, this analysis will look on the various tourist curlion land sites including cancel and ethnical affections, hereditary pattern sites, depicted object and wildlife position, fundament parks, gardens and m engrossums, beaches and coastal regions, and entertainment and events. This will include examining how these attractions transmit to economic festering. UK will be used as the case study. originationTourism is widely recognized as an authoritative catalyst for economic growing. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the tourism industry is amongst the biggest industries that make substantial contributions to the economy in terms of its contribution to the GDP, the revenue generated, increased employment and other benefits ( note tourism 2003).Take for example the UK, the sixth largest finale in the world attracting over 32 zillion oversea visitants yearly (Williams et al., 2010). UKs tourism industry is the fifth largest industry and contributes to a large proportion of the GDP. In 2007, the industry was erect at ?114 zillion representing 8.2% of GDP and employing over 2.65 meg heap (Williams et al., 2010). In 2009, the industry was valued at ?115.4 billion of the UK economy, hence representing 8.9% of UK GDP (Williams et al., 2010). The tourism industry is nurture anticipated to grow yearly at 2.6%, a growth rate similar to that of retail and con struction industries (Williams et al., 2010).Indeed, tourism increasingly continues to become an lovely industry for economic growth with an increasing moment of visitors. This begs the question what are the characteristics that make tourism an attractive industry for economic developmentThis analysis is frankincense intended on exploring on these characteristics with a focus on the factors that ace to economic development. Before giving an overview of the fundamental aspects of the economics of tourism, we will initiatory define what we understand by the term tourismWHAT IS TOURISM?The term tourism was first outlined by Hunziker and Krapf (1942), the main pi match slighters of tourism research. They defined tourism as a sum of relations and phenomena that resulted from travelling and staying of non-residents. In this context, a stay does not result into permanent residence of the idiosyncratic and is not in any way connected to permanent or temporary earning activity. This con ceptual definition was for a strikeable time chiefly accepted but had certain flaws. For example, a visit to the hospital could be considered as a form of tourism. Further more than, under this conceptual definition, non-residents were only identify with foreigners hence internal tourism had no place in it.In the later eld, a more succinct definition of tourism was draw up forth by the British Tourism Society. Based on the resolve of Burk prowess & Medlik (1974), the British Tourism Society adopted the following definition.Tourism is deemed to be inclusive of any activity concerned with short-term movement of people to destinations other than their neither main continuous domiciles nor place of work (Burkart & Medlik 1974. in spite of appearance this conceptual definition, activities involving a stay or a visit to the destination are included. It withal every last(predicate)ows for domestic and day visits as well. This definition allay applies up to date. other conceptual d efinition that deserves special attention is that set a billet forth by Gilbert (1990). Gilbert (1990) posits that tourism is a part of recreation that involves travelling to other destinations for a short term-period with the aim of substantial a consumer need. This definition places tourism in the overall context of recreation. divagation according to Cooper et al. (1993) refers to the pursuits engaged in during leisure time. However, it should be remark that tourism is not only confined to activities carried out during leisure time. get of the tourism ( contrast tourism in particular) takes place during working time including conventions and chore meetings.TOURIST sphere of influenceSTourism comprise of five main sectorsTHE ATTRACTION SECTOR this sector comprise of the natural and cultural attractions, hereditary pattern sites, national and wildlife parks, theme parks, gardens and museums, beaches and coastal regions, and entertainment and events (Anon 2004). THE ACCOMMO DATION SECTOR this sector comprise of the hotels, motels, apartments, villas and flats, customer houses, holiday villages, campsites, marinas, touring caravans and condominium timeshares (Anon 2004). THE TRANSPORT SECTOR Consists of the airlines, railways, shipping lines, car renting operators, and bus and coach operators (Anon 2004). THE TRAVEL ORGANIZER SECTOR the sector covers tour operators, travel agents and incentive travel organizers among others (Anon 2004). THE DESTINATION ORGANIZATION SECTOR this includes regional and national tourist offices, local anaesthetic tourist officers and tourism associations (Anon 2004).In order to answer the question what are the characteristics that make tourism an attractive industry for economic development, we will explore on the attraction sites discussed preceding(prenominal). This will also include exploring on business tourism and its contribution to economic development. heathen AND HERITAGE ATTRACTIONSCultural and heritage att ractions play a significant mathematical function in the tourism industry. Most of the world heritage sites have a cultural significance that transcend national boundaries and of importance to the present and emerging generations. Currently, there are 890 world heritage sites reflecting a rich diverseness of the worlds cultural heritage (Endresen 1999).In the United Kingdom, sites as diverse such as the Giants Causeway, City of Edinburgh, Blaenavon industrial landscape, and Manchester City help make up the UKs heritage (UNESCO 2009). In this context, Manchester city, one of the most vibrant cosmopolitan cities has a thriving art and cultural scene that attracts a large number of visitors. The citys attraction centres include the sports bowlfuls, museums and galleries, and medicinal drug venues (UNESCO 2009).The rich cultural heritage, vibrant humanistic discipline scene and the multicultural population in UK makes it a real attractive tourist destination. Museums which showc ase the best of Britains culture and history attract zillions of international and domestic visitors. Britains culture and heritage is estimated to attracting ?4.5 billion charge of spending by incoming visitors annually (UNESCO 2009).NATURAL LANDSCAPE SITESAnother popular attractive site in the tourism industry is the natural landscape. Natural landscapes such as Stonehenge, the most famous and mysterious landmark in the UK, attracts a vast number of tourists (Mieczkowski, 1990). Built over 650 years ago and consisting of a ring of monolithic stones, the landmark is a very popular attractive site.Scenic landscapes such as the Wye Valley, an internationally saved landscape straddling the border between Wales and England also attracts a large number of visitors (Mieczkowski, 1990). This area that covers parts of Hertfordshire, Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire is widely recognized for its gorgeous scenery and toilsome native woodlands as well as for its wildlife and archaeologic al remains (Mieczkowski, 1990). discipline AND WILDLIFE PARKSNational parks also play a big role in the tourism industry. Britains finest national and wildlife parks, zoos and animal attractions such as the Animalarium attract a large number of visitors (Mathieson & circumvent 1982). The national parks offer a variety of activities ranging from walking, exploring on the rich and cultural heritage to pursuing other activities such as cycling, rock climbing, and absailing among others (Mathieson & Wall 1982). An estimated 110 million people are estimated to visit national parks in England and Wales annually (UNESCO 2009).ENTERTAINMENT AND EVENTSEntertainment and events also play a major role in the tourism industry. studyity of the concerts and music festivals taking place in the UK attract more than 7.7 million visitors, domestic and foreign combined (ICTHR 2010). The significant amount of revenue generated from entertainment and events is used in boosting the UKs economy. A gr eat majority of these tourists are UK residents who travel outback(a) of their regions to attend events and see their favourite artists perform live in other region within the UK (ICTHR 2010).capital of the United Kingdom dominates as the destination for live music tourism in the UK. Music tourists at the capital outnumber the local music fans. Its dominance can be attributed to the advanced number of domestic music tourists attending concerts. With a population of more than 7 million people, the region is host to the O2 Arena, the most successful concert venue in the world (ICTHR 2010). capital of the United Kingdom region is also a host to Wembley stadium and Royal Albert Hall as well (ICTHR 2010). Its parks, mainly Victoria approximate range, Hyde Park and Clapham are home to a growing number of music festivals (ICTHR 2010).BEACHES AND coastal AREASBeaches and coastal areas are also a huge attraction site for tourists. Tourism in the south of Wales, for example, is primarily focused on the coastal areas in order to attract its visitors. The Welsh tourist industry which is worth ?3.5billion and makes a significant contribution to Wales GDP relies largely on its beautiful coastal scenery in attracting tourists (Williams, et.al, 2010)BUSINESS TOURISMAnother important, in time least acknowl go ond component of the tourism industry is business tourism. It is one of the most lucrative components of the tourism industry with various benefits that stimulate the growth of the economy. In the UK, business tourism is a wide sector includeConferences and meetings the British Conference Market Trends Survey 2001 estimates this to be worth just about ?7.3 billion annually (Business report 2003). Exhibitions and trade fairs these are listed as the 5th largest marketing medium in the UK attracting 11% of the media expenditure and are estimated at ?2.04 billion annually (Business report 2003). Incentive travel the value of inbound incentive travel market is estim ated to be around ?165 million annually (Business report 2003). Corporate events estimates for this segment are between ?700 million and ?1billion annually (Business report 2003). Outdoor events a rough estimate of the alfresco events is around ?1billion annually (Business report 2003).In the past few decades, business tourism has grown significantly exceeding the overall tourism growth rate. According to the International Passenger Survey 2001, business tourism accounted for 29.7% of all overseas visitors to the UK and 31.7% of the inbound earnings (Business report 2003).From what can be discerned, enthronization in business tourism can significantly stimulate the growth of the economy. It may lead to regeneration of urban and inner cities as apparent with Birmingham, Glasgow, Cardiff, Belfast and Manchester (Business report 2003). Its resilience during the great recession makes it even more an attractive industry for investment. The business tourism proved resilient, being le ss affected by economic downturns and by disasters such as the innovation and Mouth Epidemic unlike leisure tourism (Business report 2003).With the above in mind, it is worthy examining some of the main elements that make attractions to be sympathetic to many.CHARACTERISTICS OF TOURIST ATTRACTIONSIt is important to recognize that tourists attractions are not all equal. whatsoever may have more potential to draw visitors than others. The main elements that set attractions apart include quality, eccentricness, authenticity, drawing power and activity options.QUALITY high quality is a key principle for tourism development. This means whirl smooth customer oriented operations and procedures and ensuring that attractions have a gratify appearance and that they are visitor friendly (Merchant 2005). This includes asking these questionsIs the attraction visitor friendly .How does it rate in terms of the appearance, hospitality, operations and resource trade protectionAUTHENTICITY a uthenticity refers to originality. For example, if it is a cultural heritage attraction, authenticity would postulate letting the distinctive local flavour of the community to shine in ways that create a sense of place(Merchant 2005). We can considerWhether the attraction reflects the natural and cultural heritage of the communityUNIQUENESS this is the edge that sets attraction apart from competition. It involves asking the fundamental questionIs the attraction uniqueTake for example, The London Eye which is sitting on the South coast of River Thames. Hanging like a gigantic wheel, this landmark is instantly recognizable. It is soon the biggest Ferris wheel in Europe standing 135 metres high and support by a giant A-frame which juts the spindle (UNESCO 20090. This makes it unique from other Ferris wheels which use two A-frames and axle support method.DRAWING POWER this is a measurement on the power to attract a large number of visitors (Merchant 2005).ACTIVITY OPTIONS this is an important characteristic of attractions (Merchant 2005). It involves assessing whether the attraction site offer a varied and ever-changing set of activities.CONCLUSIONIndeed, tourism is an attractive industry for economic development. Major attraction sites including the scenic landscapes, cultural and heritage sites, national and wildlife parks, landmarks, theme parks, gardens and museums, beaches and coastal regions, and entertainment among others attract a large number of visitors. There is no doubt that the industry contributes to a large proportion of the GDP and is trustworthy for employing millions of people. This makes it an important industry for investment.(2,070 words)REFERENCESAnon, 2004. Economic characteristics of the tourism sector,http//v5.books.elsevier.com/bookscat/samples/9780750666374/9780750666374.PDFAccessed 21st January 2012Burkart, A.J. and S. Medlik, 1974. Tourism. Past, Present and Future. London Heinemann.Cooper, C., J. Fletcher, D. Gilbert and S. Wan hill, 1993. Tourism. Principles & Practice. London Pitman Publishing.Business tourism partnership report, 2003. Business tourism briefing an overview of the UKs business tourism industry. Londonhttp//www.businesstourismpartnership.com/pubs/briefing.pdf Accessed twentieth January 2012Endresen, K., 1999. Sustainable tourism and cultural heritage A review of development assistance and its potential to promote sustainabilityhttp//www.nwhf.no/files/File/culture_fulltext.pdf Accessed 20th January 2012Gilbert, D.C., 1990. Conceptual issues in the meaning of tourism. In C.P. Cooper (ed.), Progress in Tourism, diversion and cordial reception Management, Vol. 2. London Pitman Publishing.Hunziker, W. & k. Krapf, 1942. 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