Tourism Planning

Tourism Planning CGG3O

Tourist Development Plan • Outlines how a location will: • Serve visitors • Adapt to growing numbers of visitors • Protect local culture and environment • When areas become major tourists draws spontaneously, without planning, trouble ensues • Poor services • Overcrowding • Decaying facilities

Example • Let’s say an object from space crashes into one of the fields behind the school one night • It leaves a huge crater, and many residents claim they saw what appeared to be a large, metallic, saucer shaped object in the center • Some people shoot video of the object, a few others scramble to grab pieces off the craft, but by the next day the military has come and removed the craft

Example • Soon, Metcalfe in being inundated with visitors interested in the so-called “Alien Landing” • The crater itself becomes a major tourist attraction, and soon other businesses sprout up to take advantage of the influx of visitors • A UFO museum • Several souvenir shops/kiosks • A few restaurants in town adopt alien-inspired themes

Example • As a result of all this, Metcalfe is expected to attract approximately 50,000 tourists a year, primarily in the summer months • Outline the facilities and services that the tourists would need • Outline the impacts these tourists would have on the local community • Social, Economic, Environmental, Political, Everyday Activities

Results of Poor Planning • Poor planning, or a complete lack of planning, can cause many problems for an area, including: • Physical effects • Human effects • Economic effects

Physical Effects • Damage to the natural environment • Pollution from increased vehicle traffic, water use, and littering • Sewage contaminating local ground-water or oceans near resort cities

Human Effects • Loss of local culture and traditions • Damage to historical landmarks from heavy pedestrian traffic and pollution • Overcrowding • Poor transportation access

Economic Effects • Overdependence on tourism • Seasonal employment rather than year-round employment • Longer term: • Reduced attractiveness as a tourist destination • Loss of tourists to competing destinations • Loss of investment on future projects

Traditional Planning • Primary goal is attract as many tourists as possible and make as much money as possible • Usually a “top-down” approach that does not involved all stakeholder groups

Stakeholders • Who might be effected by tourism development?

Traditional Planning Assess Current Situation and Future Demands Develop a vision for the final development Establish specific goals Implement Plans Evaluate Progress

Participatory Planning • The idea that plans are more effective if they involve all stakeholder groups from the beginning • Better plans (more ideas, better knowledge) • More buy-in (people more likely to help the plan succeed if they were a part of it)

Participatory Tourism Planning Involvement of locals in decision making Involvement of locals in benefits of tourism Residents’ goals and desires for tourism Educating the residents about tourism Other Stakeholder involvement Participation in the benefits of tourism

Traditional vs. Participatory • What’s the difference? • Pros and Cons of each? • Which would you prefer?

Activity • Planning a Resort Development • See. P. 378

Tourism Planning