Chapter 1 Principles of Tourism

Featured Destination: Ilocos Norte

Core Concepts and Definition of Terms.
Getting to Know Your Visitors
Tourism and Geography
The Tourist Geographic Regions
Regions of the Philippines - Tourist Attractions of Various Provinces and Cities.
Tourism Planning, Management, and Marketing
Promotions as a Function of Marketing

CHAPTER 2 INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY

Featured Destination: Zambales

Definition of an Information System and Classification of Information
Sources of Information in the Tourism Industry
Information from Tourism-Related Businesses and Government Offices.

Overview of Global Distribution Systems

Computer Reservation Systems
Validating Information from Various Information Sources
Data Protection and Privacy

CHAPTER 3 TOURISM PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Featured Destination: Puerto Princesa, Palawan

Understanding the Tourism Product....
The Tourism Product Defined from the Supply and Demand Side
Tourism Products and Services in Specific Sectors

Basic Terminology in Tourism Operations

Common Terminologies in Hotels and Other Accommodation Establishments
Introduction to Airline and Airport Codes
Other Useful Terms in Tourism Services

CHAPTER 4 SALES AND MARKETING OPERATIONS IN TOURISM

Featured Destination: Negros Oriental

Introduction to Sales: The Value of Products and Services.
Value in the Context of Tourism
Marketing Tourism Products and Services
The Marketing Mix in Tourism (4-7 P's)

Promotion: The Communications Part of Marketing

Communication Principles Useful for Tourism,
Tools for Tourism Promotion in the Digital Age
 Market Research and Customer Feedback
Issues and Considerations in Tourism Sales and Marketing

CHAPTER 5 CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGEMENT

Featured Destination: Camiguin

Customer Service in the Tourism Industry
Classification of Service Providers
Understanding the Customers

Consumer Behavior in Tourism

Achieving Customer Return and Loyalty
Efficient and Quality Service
Dealing with Customer Service Challenges

CHAPTER 6 THE TOURISM INDUSTRY PROFESSIONAL.

Featured Destination: Davao City

Carper Opportunities in Tourism.
The Workplace Environment
Useful Tools for Tourism Practitioners.
CHAPTER 1 - PRINCIPLES OF TOURISM

In this chapter, you will learn what travel and tourism is all about. You will encounter discussions on the
definition of tourism, its importance, and the different theories that explain the concept of tourism as an
industry, form of business, and activity of human life.

OBJECTIVES

By the end of this chapter, the learner should be able to perform the following:

 define tourism and describe the factors that comprise the industry;
 identify the kinds of travelers and the different forms of tourism movement; and
 identify the national and international tourism geographic regions.

LIKE AND SHARE

Reflect on the questions below and write down your answers. After reading this chapter, review what
you have writer and see if you can add more to your answers.

1. Have you ever visited relatives or friends in other places? Describe your experience
2. What are the things that you usually do when you are on vacation?
3. Have you ever experiences welcoming a visitor?
4. What are the things that you do whenever you have a visitor?

CORE CONCEPTS AND DEFINITION OF TERMS

Traveling is an inevitable part in the life of a human being. People have traveled to places for various
reasons and duration. Traveling can be seen in the simplest form of going to school, place of work,
visiting relatives or friends, and even when one would like to explore new places or experience new
things. Vacation, rest, and relaxation are often used to describe a pleasurable travel experience.
Traveling becomes more special and is lifted out of the mundane context when the purpose of travel
goes beyond being transported from one place to another. This is where the concept of tourism comes
in. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is an international organization and an
arm of the United Nations (UN) that works on travel- and tourism-related international policies, research
and intelligence, management, development, and collaboration in relation to the attainment of the
millennium development goals of the UN. As a matter of definition, UNWTO describes tourism as:

A social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to
countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business and/or professional
purposes (UNWTO, 2014).

In tourism, the people's movement is voluntary or out of their personal desire by which pleasure,
leisure, or attainment of personal objectives are the main motivating factors. There is no payment or
remuneration to perform the mere act of traveling. Common examples of these are families on a
summer holiday, friends going on a shopping trip, or foreign students in a student-exchange program.
Doctors, lawyers, business people, and other professionals who travel to attend a conference or
convention, for example, are also included because they are performing a function of their profession
during the act of traveling. An example of a travel activity that does not entail pleasure or leisure would
be courier and cargo service providers because they are paid to transport goods from one place to
another.

CRITICAL THINKING

If given an opportunity to travel to a local destination for free, where would you go? Why?

Traveling is more special when its purpose goes beyond being transported from one place to another.

WHAT MAKES PEOPLE TRAVEL?

One theory that could explain why people travel is Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. To
understand this, Maslow explains that a person's needs has different levels that can be illustrated in the
shape of a pyramid. The biggest portion of the pyramid is comprised of the basic needs, such as food,
shelter, clothing, and other physical needs. This also indicates that the bottom level is the biggest need
of a person in order to live. As the size occupied in the pyramid decreases, the level of need also
decreases. Only when the basic needs are met do the needs rise beyond physical necessities. Traveling
for leisure is not an essential need as important as food or shelter. In this context, tourism can be placed
at the higher level or top portion of the pyramid wherein it is not a priority. Of course, this also depends
on the situation of a person. Some people engage in tourism for their enjoyment while some see it as a
source of living. Therefore, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs cannot fully support the travel motivation and
behavior of people. It is only a guide to understand and put into perspective where tourism comes in the
minds and needs of people.

Different factors motivate people to travel. A theory that explains why people go to different places is
the Push-Pull Factor Compendium Theory (Sign-Gestalt Paradigm) of Tolman (1959) followed by Dann
(1977) as discussed by Uysal, Li, and Sirakaya-Turk (2008). This theory asserts that different situations
from the home and tourism destination affect one person's decision to travel. These factors are
considered by the person intending to travel. Should a decision to travel be made, it is actually a
response to a psychological or physical objective.

While a person is traveling, there are services consumed which make the travel possible. One
example would be transportation or the mode by which a person gets from point A to point B. Another
example would be accommodation or the places where one person can stay temporarily while away
from home. Moreover, part of the services would be the food and beverage available in an area as well
as the attractions like leisure and entertainment activities, tours, shopping, and many more. In studying
Tourism, it is important to identify the different components that make up the industry, which are the
people, places, and services.

DEFINING THE INDUSTRIES OF TRAVEL, TOURISM, AND HOSPITALITY

Tourism is the movement of people from one place to another outside of the usual places that a person
goes to. The differentiating factor of tourism from an ordinary travel is the motivation or purpose of
conducting the travel. Tourism greatly involves the component of leisure, pleasure, and attainment of
personal objectives as part of the travel activities. In tourism, there will always be a return to the home
or origin after the trip to one or more destinations. Figure 2 illustrates this movement. For example, let
us say that your home or origin is Bulacan. Meanwhile, Destination A is Cavite, Destination B is Laguna,
and Destination C is Metro Manila. From Bulacan, you can travel to Cavite to go swimming and spen d
the night in Puerto Azul. After Cavite, you can head further to Laguna and check in at a hot spring resort
near Mt. Makiling where you can stay for the night. The next day, you can start heading to Manila to
visit Rizal Park, Intramuros, and the National Museum. After a day exploring Manila, you can spend the
night in a hotel in Manila and head back to Bulacan the next day. In this itinerary, the movement of
travel was from the Home or Origin toward Destination A, B, and C and then back to the origin. It is also
possible that after visiting Destination A, you can already go back to your home and no longer continue
visiting Destinations B and C. The important thing to understand here is that tourists should not stay in
one destination for a long period. Tourists should either go back to their origin or proceed with their
onward destination/s.

A tourism destination is a specific place that is accessible for people to visit for a duration or
given period of time. Tourism destinations can vary in size and location. They can be as big as a
continent, such as North America; a region, such as Southeast Asia; a city, such as Manila; or even as
small as an island destination, such as Boracay. Tourism can either be part of or the major economic
activity in a destination. It can also be the catalyst to spark development in certain places.

The hospitality sector is often related to tourism because of its service characteristics that
provide for the necessary services and amenities that a visitor or tourist may need while at a certain
destination. This requires a different set of study and expertise. However, it should be noted that
hospitality industry does not necessarily equate to tourism because the complexity of the tourism
system entails more than hospitality services. Nevertheless, the hospitality industry needs to be studied
because it is an important component that makes successful tourism operations possible. Hotels,
resorts, spas, beauty salons, restaurants, cafes, bars, and pubs are examples of organizations that
involve the hospitable interaction of the staff or service provider to the customer. The keyword here is
"hospitable," wherein the service providers show clients that they are welcome. This service has to meet
the expectations of the clients and must be performed at a friendly but professional mode using warm,
welcoming, and courteous language, actions, and interactions with the customers.

The terms "travel" and "tourism" are interchangeably used by industry practitioners and other
experts. This is widely understood along with the concept of travel trade, which can be simply described
as the business side of tourism. This includes the exchange of payment with products and services that
are needed by the people traveling.

SUPPLY AND DEMAND IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY

In tourism, it is important to identify the difference of the supply and demand sides in the tourism
system. This can also be understood with the concepts of tourist-generating areas or regions and
tourist-receiving destinations. The places that generate tourists can be related to the demand side while
the tourist-receiving destinations can be understood as the supply side. The supply and demand in
tourism exists because there are economic activities in tourism. It provides avenues for livelihood, trade,
employment, business, and income.

At the same time, tourism is a platform wherein people can purchase products in the form of hospitality
services. The supply side is composed of suppliers who are people, groups of people, or organizations
that provide the needs of clients who are currently traveling or will be traveling to a certain tourism
destination. Several examples of suppliers and business units in the tourism industry are:

 Accommodation Sector - hotels, resorts, inns, guesthouse, bed and breakfast

 Transportation - cars, busses, railways, ferries, ships, airlines
 Food and Beverage - restaurants, cafes, pubs, and bars
 Attractions - destination, man-made structures, festivals, events, natural scenery
 Entertainment and Recreation - staged performances, musical concerts, cinema, theme parks
 Ancillary Facilities and Services - travel insurance, money changer, guide services

More discussion on the categories, characteristics, and functions of the supply side will be tackled in the
latter portion of this book.

The demand side, on the other hand, is composed of the people visiting a certain destination
who avail of the suppliers' services. The demand side can also be simply understood as visitors or
tourists. They are the important elements that enable the tourism industry to exist and their needs and
wants should be given enough consideration in creating tourism-related plans, marketing, and
promotions.

STOPOVER: REVIEW ACTIVITY

1. What are the similarities and differences of the tourism and hospitality industry?
2. Who are the suppliers in tourism?
3. Describe the demand side in tourism

GETTING TO KNOW OUR VISITORS

The questions above are directed to your personal experiences. However, they may very well be applied
as a guide in the study of tourism industry. Just like in your home or even at school, visitors are
welcomed and entertained because their presence represents a purpose. This purpose should be
achieved as much as possible because it will benefit the guest as well as the hosts. Filipinos are known
for a unique hospitality trait, wherein we treat visitors with utmost respect and good service. This
explains why as hosts, we would like our guests to feel at home and relaxed. In order to know and
understand our guests or visitors, definitions should be put in place to assist you in differentiating the
various characters in the tourism industry and respond to their needs and wants.

A visitor is someone who travels or takes a trip to a certain place, which is not the usual
environment that person normally goes to. During this travel or trip, said visitor will stay in the
destination for a limited period. This period can range from an hour to a day, week, month, or even a
year. After the vacation or travel period, visitors are bound to go back to their place of origin or home
location. The duration and purpose of visit gives further distinction to the types of visitor. These
classifications are:

Business Visitor - in this classification are people whose main purpose of travel is to perform a specific
job, business function, or roles related to their profession. The terms business traveler and business
tourists are interchangeably used because it connotes that the main objective of performing official
business duties are certain and the leisure component may or may not be part of the travel agenda. An
example of this would be when a person visits a destination to attend a conference, but later on later on
have the option to join tours around the destination's tourist attractions. It can also be the person's
personal decision to explore the destination at leisure (on his own arrangement) when the official duties
are not called for.

Leisure Visitor - the main purpose of travel is for pleasure, which can either be aimed to maximize and
enjoy one's holiday, take a vacation, rest, or relax. A leisurely visit can last for a day to even months.
With this, the term day-trippers or excursionists are also used giving emphasis on the short-period stay
the visitors. Examples of leisure visitors are families on a summer vacation, friends on a group tour, and
couple travelers or honeymooners.

Visitors for other Personal Purpose - in this classification, the visitors have reasons other than leisure
and business as their main purpose of travel. These reasons may include but are not limited to medical
reasons, health and wellness, education, religious practices, volunteer works, and immersion. They are
classified in a separate group because the reason for travel can be linked to one's physical,
psychological, emotional and/or socio-cultural conditions or personal situations that require a specific
travel purpose. Examples would be people aiming for medical treatment in USA, Korean students
enrolling in English classes in the Philippines, people going for a religious retreat, and volunteers building
houses in far-flung communities. With the definition of a visitor well in place, the next important term
that needs to be defined would be tourists and the forms of tourism movement.

Tourists are people or groups of people who visit places within and outside their countries of
citizenship and residence for recreation or leisure reasons. For statistics purposes, a visitor will only be
considered a tourist if there is at least an overnight stay or the duration of visit is at least 24 hours. A
tourist should not be remunerated for the travel performed. In some countries, tourists are allowed to
stay for several days, some countries allow up to six months or even one year. Beyond the prescribed
period of the country in reference, the tourists need to either exit the country or apply for a residence
permit.

Domestic tourists are Filipinos who visit tourism destinations within the Philippines, implying
domestic travel. The term foreign tourists is also interchanged with international tourists because both
refer to non-Filipinos, citizens of other countries traveling internationally outside of their country.

To understand these concepts better, we need to study the types of tourism movement which
can typically be categorized as inbound or outbound.

The important consideration here is the country of reference or the country by which the
measure is being done. For example, let us discuss the inbound and outbound tourists of the Philippines.
The country of reference is the Philippines. If we would like to find out the number of Filipino outbound
tourist, we would look at people who travel to tourism destinations outside of the Philippines--to
Singapore or Hong Kong, for example.

On the other hand, the inbound tourists to the Philippines can be counted by the number of
nonresidents and noncitizens who enter the Philippines, such as nationals from Singapore or Hong Kong
visiting famous attractions like Cebu and Bohol.

Nowadays, traveling has become more convenient and places have become more accessible.
Therefore, it is not surprising that majority of tourists prefer to go about their vacations or holiday on
their own with minimal assistance from tourism service providers like travel agents or tour guides. These
types of tourists can be classified under the FIT category. Some tourism practitioners define FIT as
Foreign Independent Tours or Travelers. Today, it is more practical to use the definition of FIT as Free
Independent Travelers or Tourists because of the growing number of independently traveling tourists,
whether local or foreign.

The option of traveling in a tour group or in a full package tour still happens in most countries,
especially in Asia. For tour groups, most if not all of the arrangements needed by the traveler are
arranged by a travel agent and the number of people joining the group from start to finish is established
right from the start. The arrangements include but are not limited to the roundtrip flights, hotel
accommodation, sightseeing tours, meals, entertainment and other activities. For some tour groups,
flights can be chartered or specially arranged to match the group's schedule.

STOPOVER: REVIEW ACTIVITY

Fill in the missing information by determining the type of visitor or tourist. You must also
provide examples of origin and destination places (countries, provinces, cities, etc.) based on the
information supplied. The first item serves as your example.

CATEGORY DESCRIPTION ORIGIN DESETINATION

Tourist A visitor with at least Manila, Philippines Cebu, Philippines
an overnight stay to a
place outside his usual
environs
A person who travels New York, USA
to fulfill one's
profession or job

Domestic Tourist Tourists who travel

to places within their
country of residence or
Citizenship
Paris. France Bejing, China
 Inbound Tourist Baguio, Philippines

This traveler's purpose Tokyo. Japan

is something beyond
leisure, entertainment,
and the fulfillment of a
business engagement

TOURISM AND GEOGRAPHY

After a brief review on the basic definitions in tourism, we now look into geography and how it is
connected to the tourism industry. At the end of this portion, you will hopefully be able to answer the
questions given.

We know that geography is the study of the Earth's physical features, atmosphere, arrangement
of places, and effect of human activity that go along with it, including the formation of societies, political
structures, resources, and economic activities. In tourism, we talk about various places along with the
interrelationships of the people and groups of people within a place and its culture, political, and
economic scene, among others. These places are the locations of tourism activities or simply tourism
destinations. Moreover, these places and the general society and environment in it are also the sources
of the tourism products and services that are being presented to the tourists.

With this, we can say that geography is a big factor in the study of tourism because we need to
have an understanding of the different places along with the physical features that are inherent to these
places and tourism destinations. These physical features have shaped the way societies have lived and
fostered their economy. Tourism-as a rising economic driver-_deals with the total value of a destination
from the natural attractions, people, customs and traditions, local products, infrastructure, etc.

Practical Examples that Further Explain the Relationship of Tourism and Geography:

 Most hotels in USA have heating and air-conditioning facilities.

In the Philippines, our hotel rooms only have air-conditioning units or electric fans. Since Philippines
and USA are located in different geographic regions, there is a difference in the hotel amenities being
provided even though the same accommodation service is given.

 Turkey regards itself as a European country even though 95% of its land mass is within Asia (West
Asia/Middle East). However, Turkey's largest city, Istanbul, is located in the 5% land area situated in
the European region.

With the country's proximity to both Asia and Europe, Turkey serves as a "bridge" for both
continents. Turkey has influenced different civilizations because throughout the historical development
of the country, the Turkish culture was shared and replicated in other places. The geographic location
signifies a big contribution in Turkey's influence to other cultures.
 Traveling from Manila to Bangkok takes about three hours. Traveling from New York City to Houston,
Texas takes four hours.

The travel time between different states in the USA can easily be an international travel from a
different point of reference or location.

 A luxurious Boracay resort with a beachfront deluxe room is priced starting at P° 18,000 per night. In
Hawaii, one of the most popular resort has a basic room with ocean view priced starting at 128,000
per night.

In some resorts, rooms without a window are priced slightly lower than rooms or suites that have a
nice view of the ocean, skyline, or other landscapes. In this example, both high-end resorts offer more or
less the same type of room with the same type of view (ocean/sea view). However, the resort in Hawaii
is more expensive. This can be traced again to the location of the resort--as a popular tourist
destination, Hawaii puts a premium on its attractions and tourism facilities.

As a tourism industry professional, it is important for you to have a good command of geography.
This does not mean that you have to be able to memorize the geographic details of each place or
country; rather, this section's goal is for you to grasp the relationship of tourism and geography and to
familiarize yourself with the different tourist geographic regions in the Philippines all over the world.

STOPOVER: REVIEW ACTIVITY

Get a Philippine Map and a World Map. Study the maps within a small group. Share experiences and
stories using these key questions as your guide:

1. What places have you been to in the Philippines?

2. What places in the Philippines or in other countries do you dream of going to?
3. Have you been to other countries? Locate them on the map.
4. Which places around the world would you like to go to and why?

THE TOURIST GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS

As you may already know, the world has different continents and international regions. The same
geographic regions apply in international travel and world tourism. As a matter of standard and
uniformity, tourism professionals usually refer to the International Air Transportation Association's
(IATA) grouping on the tourist geographic regions.

 Africa
 Middle East & North Africa
 Europe
 China and North Asia
 Asia and the Pacific
 Americas (North & South)
 The map is labeled with the different IATA Regions. This regional grouping is organized as such
because the countries have similarities in geography as well as other considerations, such as time zone,
weather, language, culture, and ports of entry, among others. Therefore, it is relatively easier when the
association and its members would like to relay and exchange information or formulate and implement
plans and policies.

REGIONS OF THE PHILIPPINES - TOURIST ATTRACTIONS OF VARIOUS PROVINCES AND CITIES

Tourism in the Philippines also makes use of regional grouping as a guide when it comes to promotion
and management of tourism services. Since the Philippines is an archipelago, not all provinces or cities
are easily accessible from the capital. Therefore, it is crucial for provinces to know which region their
place belongs to as well as the potential of their areas.

The table below contains the different regions of the Philippines, including the provinces and cities that
are in the region and the attractions and possible tourism activities that exist in the area. All over the
Philippines, it is common for tourists to most likely find historical, cultural, natural, and man-made
attractions in the different provinces.

NUMBER REGION PROVINCES/CITIES ATTRACTIONS & ACTIVITIES

Ilocos Region Pangasinan, La Union, Beaches, surfing, churches,
1 Ilocos Norte, locos Sur historical landmarks, museums,
aquaculture, and marine parks
Cagayan Valley Region Nueva Vizcaya, Churches, landscapes, beaches,
Quirino, Cagayan, cliffs, caving, spelunking, river
2
Isabela, Batanes cruise, heritage houses

Central Luzon Region Bulacan, Pampanga, Agriculture, churches, historical

Tarlac. Aurora, landmarks, cuisine and delicacies,
3 Zambales Bataan handicrafts, beaches, mountain
climbing, surfing, bird watching

Southern Tagalog on IV A (CALABARZON) Arts and crafts, historical

Region Cavite, Laguna, landmarks, culture and heritage
Batangas, Rizal, attractions, churches, Cuisine,
Quezon natural protected areas, wildlife,
Region IV B rivers, beaches, lakes, not springs,
4
(MIMAROPA) diving, mountain climbing, hiking,
Occidental Mindoro, caving
Oriental Mindoro,
Marinduque,
Rombion, Palawan
Bicol Region Camarines Norte, Marine wildlife, beaches, mountain
Camarines Sur, climbing, hiking, hot springs,
5 Masbate, agriculture, cuisine, arts and crafts,
Catanduanes, Albay, geological tourism
Sorsogon
6 Western Visayas Iloilo. Aklan, Antique, Seafood, cuisine, fruits, sugar
Capiz. Guimaras, plantations, historical landmarks,
 museums, beaches, diving
Central Visayas Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor, Historical landmarks, diving cuisine,
delicacies, fruits, arts and crafts,
7 furniture, industrial tours,
geological tourism

Eastern Visayas Leyte, Southern Leyte, Seafood, historical landmarks

Biliran. Northern museums, seafood, beaches,
8 Samar, Eastern Samar, diving, caves, volunteer tourism
Samar

Zamboanga Peninsula Zamboanga Del Norte, Historical landmarks, museums,

9 Zamboanga del Sur, beaches, diving, theme park,
Zamboanga Sibugay cuisine
Northern Mindanao Bukidnon. Camiguin, Beaches, diving, agricultural, hot
Miamis Occidental, springs, fruit and vegetable
10
Misamis Oriental, plantation, mountains
Lanao del Norte
Southern Mindanao Davao del Sur, Davao Beaches, diving, mountain
Davao Region del Norte, Davao climbing, hiking, rivers, seafood,
11
Oriental, Compostela fruits
Valley
SOCCSKSARGEN (North) Cotabato, Agriculture, seafood, Islam cultural
(South Cotabato, Cotabato City, South structures, historical landmarks,
12 Cotabato, Sultan Cotabato, General caving, beaches, lakes, indigenous
Kudarat, Saranggani, Santos City, Sultan communities
and General Santos) Kudarat, Saranggani,
CARAGA Region Agusan del Norte, Marsh lands, wildlife, rivers,
Agusan del Sur. beaches, rock formations, marine
13 Dinagat Islands, sports, surfing
Surigao del Norte,
Sungao del Sur,
Autonomous Region Lanao del Sur Historical landmarks, museums,
of Muslim Mindanao Maguindanao, Basilan, Islam cultural structures, Beaches,
(ARMM) Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Sharif falls, island hopping, mangrove
Kabunsuan areas
Cordillera Abra, Apayao, Mountain climbing, hiking,
Administrative Region Benguet, Mountain trekking, rice terraces, river rafting,
(CAR) Province, Kalinga, indigenous communities,
Ifugao agricultural products, and farm
tourism (flowers, coffee,
Strawberry and other fruits, etc.)
National Capital Cities of Manila, Metropolitan cityscape, museums,
Region (NCR) Makati, Pasay churches, historical landmarks and
Paranaque, Las Pinas, national parks, shopping,
Muntinlupa, Taguig, entertainment, arts and crafts
Municipality of
 Pateros, Pasig,
Mandaluyong, San
Juan, Quezon City,
Caloocan, Malabon,
Navotas, Valenzuela
Negros Island Region Negros Occidental, Agriculture- especially sugar
(NIR) Negros Oriental plantations, culture and heritage
18 trails, religious sites, Historical
landmarks, arts and crafts, diving,
beaches, caves

Fortunately, all of the regions in the Philippines can be visited by tourists both domestic and
foreign. However, there are places that are more preferred than others. People from other countries
can only access the Philippines via sea or air travel using a gateway city as the point of entry,

A gateway city is one that serves as an entry point for travelers, whether domestic or foreign.
The Philippines currently has three gateway cities with international airports that can handle a high
volume of flights from within the Philippines and overseas. They are located in each of the island groups,
namely, Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila (Luzon), Mactan Cebu International Airport in
Cebu (Visayas), and Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao (Mindanao).

Apart from the main gateway cities, there are also other cities or ports of entry that have the
capacity to receive visitors from the Philippines and from overseas. Some of them are Laoag
International Airport in llocos Norte, Clark Freeport Zone (also known as the Diosdado Macapagal
International Airport) in Pampanga, Kalibo International Airport in Aklan, Iloilo International Airport in
Iloilo province, New Bacolod Silay International Airport in Negros Occidental, and Laguindingan
International Airport (Cagayan de Oro) in Miamis Oriental, among others. The Philippine government
continuously develops airports as part of the infrastructure development. New and existing airports are
being developed to accommodate the growing needs of local and foreign passengers.

STOPOVER: RESEARCH ACTIVITY

A. Using your world map and the internet, find out what these tourist attractions are and where they are
located. Specify the IATA Region, country, and city.

a. Sentosa Island
b. Burl Khalifa
c. Hagia Sofia
d. Nairobi National Park
e. Sydney Opera House
f. Buckingham Palace
g. Machu Picchu
h. Kona Island
i. The Forbidden City
j. The Parthenon
B. Using your Philippine map and the Internet, give recommendations on the provinces and/or cities
that should be visited if a person would like to experience the activities listed below. In your answer,
indicate the region number and name. You can use more than one province or city as long as it is within
the same region.

a. Cultural activities like visiting historical places, museums, arts appreciation

b. Sun and sea activities like surfing, beach swimming, and diving
c. Adventure activities like mountain hiking, trekking, and caving
d. Cultural interaction with locals or indigenous people
e. Food trip of seafood, local cuisine, delicacies, and fruits

Success in businesses do not happen instantly or overnight. Careful planning and good management is a
requirement. Same is true for organizations within the bigger spectrum of tourism as well as the key
players in the tourism industry itself.

Tourism needs to be understood from the wider perspective of the industry movers, such as the
National "Tourism Organization (NTO) or the government agency in charge of managing a country&
tourism activities and the Destination Management Organization (MO), which is composed of the local
organizations in charge in the overall development and management of tourism in a certain locality. For
the Philippines, the NTO is the Department of Tourism (DOT). DMOs, on the other hand, can be
public/government organizations or private institutions. The difference is dependent on the tourism
destination or area.

An example of a government body DM is the Province, City or Municipality Tourism Office that
can be seen in most places in the Philippines. For example, the Province of Capiz has the Capiz Provincial
Tourism Office which represents the public office DMO.

However, it should be noted that not all cities or municipalities in the Philippines have tourism offices.

For a private sector DM at the business level, an example of such would be amusement park
developers like Disneyland. The business of recreation and hospitality services is privately owned by a
corporation. In most cases, the NTO and DM have the decision-making, enforcement, and monitoring
powers within their jurisdiction. The individual businesses or establishments operating in the tourism
industry, such as the suppliers as well as the intervening organizations like the media and other travel
intermediaries, are at the micro level of the tourism industry.

Whether you are operating at the bigger context or at the micro level, proper tourism planning
and management is vital for any organization. Tourism planning is not as simple as planning for a trip
wherein one prepares the itinerary and other related information. According to Gunn and Var (2002),
tourism planning is important for the development of a destination or tourism area because it is a
means of assessing the needs of a tourism destination and it ensures that income and employment are
generated, resources are conserved, and satisfaction of travelers is maintained. Tourism planning is a
process that considers the direction that a tourism destination would like to achieve based on the vision
of the NTO or DMO. The objectives of the organization need to be set and mechanisms to achieve these
have to be dear and doable. This is where the aspect of managing the destination comes in.
 Tourism Management deals with putting the functions and powers of different departments in
an organization or tourism players into proper perspective, proactive, and usable procedures and
programs. This also involves constant monitoring and improvement of the products and services being
offered to the clients. Part of tourism management is research and marketing. Again, research goes
beyond what should be done prior to a trip or travel.

Tourism Research talks about the scientific and systematic way of collecting data or information
about the tourist-generating areas, tourist-receiving destinations, and the tourists themselves. With
reliable research, tourism professionals can address the gap between what the tourists currently have
and those that they would like to have. When used properly, these information can help determine the
appropriate management decisions and actions especially when it comes to fulfilling the needs and
wants of the tourists or clients, which is the main goal of tourism marketing.

Marketing is often confused with the process of selling or simply referred to as Sales. It should
be understood at a different perspective because generating sales is a transactional process wherein
there is a direct meeting of the need and a medium of exchange or payment, such as money. Once the
sale has been made, the person buying and the seller no longer have to go through the process of
ensuring that both parties were equitably compensated from the transaction. The act of marketing,
however, gives importance to these aspects along many other aspects before a sales is actually made.

Marketing is defined by Kotler (2015) as the art and science of exploring, creating, and delivering
value to satisfy the needs of individuals or groups- or what is often called as the target m/ ket. This act of
delivering value often comes at a profit level for the marketers or the people End/or organizations
involved in marketing. Furthermore, Kotler discusses that the process of marketing involves the
identification of the desires, needs, and wants of the clients or target market by making measurable and
quantifiable factors or standards in order to create the appropriate products and services.

If the information on the desires of the customers is already at hand, these must be processed
and integrated into the products or services being offered by a specific company. This is done with the
objective of providing the desires of your market, therefore making the product or service desirable or
sellable. If all marketing firms perform in this ideal manner, how then can one company make sure that
their offers are preferred over the others? Most professionals and experts suggest that to address this
challenge, an organization should find and develop their unique selling point or proposition (USP). The
USP is what will make a specific product standout from the competition. From the perspective of the
sellers, this could be a feature of the product. For consumers, on the other hand, the USP is often
associated with a brand name.

In the context of tourism, the term unique destination proposition was used by Morgan,
Pritchard, and Pride (2004) to describe something that differentiates and uniquely connects a place or
destination to the consumer at any point, whether now or in the future. Morgan, Pritchard, and Pride
(2004) further suggest that this proposition can be something that other destinations or competitors
would want to also have or replicate in their own places but it should be difficult for the others to truly
own and outshine.
 As a common example, there are a lot of restaurants who add "The Original," "The First," or
"The Best" in their brand names. The subtext of this phrase could probably be interpreted as "Nothing
beats the first one or the original" wherein the other restaurants may be very good but maybe not as
good as the restaurant who holds the original recipe.

The previous portion discussed the difference of marketing from selling. However, this
difference does not mean that the two concepts are not related. In fact, when done properly, sales and
marketing are complementary processes that deliver the desired income of an organization. In order to
generate the desired income, the specifications, value and USP of the product or service should be made
known to the people or the consumers. This is where the act of promotions comes in as an integral part
of marketing.

In your hometown or city, is there a DM0? if none who do you think it should be? Is there a
tourism plan or tourism research data available in your hometown? Do you think they are useful for
planning, marketing, and management?

PROMOTIONS AS A FUNCTION OF MARKETING

Promotions is often associated with marketing. Most of the time, promotions is also called marketing
communications because it serves the literal purpose of being the "voice" of marketing. "Promo fares"
or "promotional price" are very enticing words that sales and marketing people use in order to attract
buyers. You may have visualized promotions as a means of inviting more customers through lower
prices, discounted items, or a value-added bundle of products and services. However, this is not the only
way by which promotions work. Especially in the tourism industry, promotions extend far beyond
competitive prices.

Morrison (2013) describes marketing communications as "the way we would like to tell our
story" and the culmination of all the research, analysis, and decisions of an organization in order to
attain the main objective of generating sales or actual purchase from the market or people. In this sense,
promotion enables the desired effects of marketing by connecting to the market or consumer's senses in
order to gain recognition. There must be a meaningful exchange of information so that the organization
performing the marketing task will know that the messages they are sending out are received and
interpreted the way they intended it to be (McCabe, 2009). Effective promotions or communication of
the values of a product entails a well-prepared communications plan matched by the appropriate skills
and capabilities of the people working on promoting a specific product or service.

Do you have a favorite restaurant? Research on their promotional activities and evaluate the
message that you are able to interpret from their commercials, advertisements, or even just the logo or
signage. As a customer, do you think that they are able to provide your needs and wants?

CHAPTER SUMMARY

In this chapter, we have discussed about the definition of tourism, which is a synonymous to leisure
travel. In tourism, people travel to a place outside of their usual residence or place of work because they
would like to engage in activities for leisure or in fulfillment of a business or professional purpose.
Tourism is a system composed of the demand and the suppliers.
The suppliers of the tourism industry can be categorized as the sectors of accommodation,
transportation, attractions, and ancillary services. The demand, simply referred to as tourists, are the
main characters in tourism because if not for their needs would the tourism suppliers exist. Tourism
highlights the role of geography because it affects how places develop into unique destinations. Tourism
professionals should be familiar with the tourist geographic regions in the Philippines and the rest of the
world. Being able to grasp the geographical placement of destinations will help tourism professionals
provide the appropriate service to their customers. This chapter has also introduced the concepts of
tourism planning, management, and marketing. Although quite theoretical, it is important to study
these aspects of the tourism industry because of the very nature of the products and services that we
can offer in tourism

Destination Insights: Did You Know?

In the hopes of promoting Ilocos Norte's distinguishable sites and delicacies, the province launched its
tourism campaign called the "Paoay Kumakaway" on March 1, 2011. Showcasing the provinces" various
attractions, the campaign incorporated the kaway (hand gesture of saying hl or hello) and a curly black
mustache as its official trademark. The mustache was chosen to pay homage to Juan Luna, a Philippine
national artist who was best known for his painting Spollarium. In 2012, locos Norte Increased its foreign
arrivals by 121.60%, a big part of which was attributed to the said campaign.

ARE YOU GOOD TO GO?

Answer the following questions by encircling the letter that represents the best answer

1. Which of the following statements best define tourism?

a. A major global industry synonymous to leisure travel and is composed of the transportation,
hospitality, and recreation sectors
b. Describes the whole travel industry, specifically those dealing with organizations that promote
and provide travel and hospitality services to a certain destination
c. Both A and B
d. Neither A nor B

2. Which of the statements is NOT true about tourism?

a. There is a trio to the destination and a return or movement to another destination

b. Movement of people to places outside their usual environment for leisure
c. An industry that deals purely with services in hotels and airlines
d. A strong economic driver both in the local and international arena

3. A tourist can be described as...

a. Someone who travels because of the remuneration for such activity

b. Someone who travels and stays in the destination for more than one year
c. Day trippers and excursionists who travel for recreation and fun
d. Visitors whose main purpose of travel is for leisure

Essay
 1. Describe the different factors that will motivate a person to travel.
2. How will you differentiate a visitor from a tourist?
3. What is the importance of understanding the supply and demand sides of tourism?

TOURISM IN YOUR HANDS

Suppose you are already working as a Sales and Marketing Associate in an international travel and Tours
Company and you were asked to recommend must-see destinations and activities in the Philippines.

You know that this assignment is not an ordinary question that can be easily answered; thus,
you carefully prepare for the actions needed from you.

a. What will be your first step in order to accomplish your task?

b. Among all the provinces and cities in the Philippines, what will be your top five, and why?

c. As a Sales and Marketing Associate, what would you recommend your company do to market and
promote these places?

Discuss and share your answers in class. Act as If you were already presenting to your company.