Patterns of physical development of tourism

Geographically informed discussions of tourism development (together with a range of spatial models)
have been established within the tourism literature for some time (see, e.g., Britton, 1989; Miossec, 1977;
Pearce, 1987, 1989). These studies generally reveal that the development of tourism in any given location
depends upon the existence of a set of prerequisites for growth and that the resulting spatial forms of
development and their geographical characteristics will reflect the interplay between several factors that
may be conceived as shaping the directions that development may take.

The essential prerequisites are:

● The presence of resources and attractions – which will include the natural attributes of climate,
landform, scenery and wildlife; the socio-cultural heritage of the destination area (such as places of
interest, historic sites, local cuisine or arts and crafts); as well as attractions such as entertainments, theme
parks or leisure complexes that may form part of a built environment.

● Infrastructure, primarily in the form of accommodation, transportation services and public utilities such
as water supplies, sanitation and electricity.

● Sources of capital investment, labour and appropriate structures for marketing and promoting the
destination.

The primary factors (or groups of factors) that are seen as shaping the physical development of tourism
are identified in Figure 4.1 which attempts an outline summary of what is actually a most complex pattern
of interrelations. Five primary factors are proposed:

● physical constraints;

● the nature of tourist resources and attractions;

● the state of the tourism market;

● planning and investment conditions;

● levels of integration

1. Physical constraints will often have a direct bearing upon forms of tourism development and
consequent geographical patterns. Topography, for example, can influence the availability of suitable sites
for construction, levels of access and the ease with which key utilities (water, power, sewage disposal,
etc.) may be installed or extended from existing settlements and their infrastructure.

2. Second, development patterns will reflect the state and disposition of the resources and attractions
around which tourism is based and affect, especially, the extent to which tourism becomes dispersed or
concentrated.

3. Third, it is suggested that patterns of development will be influenced by the state of development within
the tourism market. This will vary according to whether development is targeted at a domestic or an
international clientele.
4. Local planning and investment conditions will therefore provide a fourth primary influence upon forms
of development, and, as Figure 4.1 suggests, important factors include political attitudes towards tourism
and the levels of political control (including the extent to which effective land planning procedures are in
place); the extent to which investment is local or external to the region; and the levels of corporate
interest in tourism and the associated patterns of ownership.

5. Planning and investment conditions are closely allied with the final key factor, the level and nature of
integration. A structurally integrated development will bring together all the key elements –
accommodation, transportation, retailing, entertainment and utilities.

 Tourism and economic development

The physical development of tourism is, of course, linked with a range of environmental and social
impacts, but the closest ties are arguably economic in character. Tourism may:

● Aid economic development through the generation of foreign exchange earnings;

● Exert beneficial effects upon balance of payments accounts;

● Create substantial volumes of employment;

● Assist in the redistribution of wealth from richer to poorer regions;

● Promote and finance infrastructural improvements;

● Diversify economies and create new patterns of economic linkage.

Less positively, however, tourism’s economic effect may also:

● increase dependence upon foreign investors and companies;

● introduce instabilities and weakness in labour markets;

● divert investment from other development areas.

 Tourism and economic growth

1. Closely associated with the attraction of inward investment is the role that tourism may play in
encouraging new economic linkages and increasing the gross domestic product (GDP) of an
economy.
2. Tourism’s contribution to GDP will vary substantially according to the level of diversity and the
extent of economic linkages within an economy.
3. In a developed nation, tourism’s contribution to GDP is usually quite small.
4. In contrast, in emerging nations which lack economic diversity or which, perhaps through
remoteness, have limited trading patterns, contribution of tourism to GDP can be substantial.
5. Data provided by Wall and Mathieson (2006) show, for example, that in the highly developed
economies of Canada and the USA the estimated contribution of tourism to GDP is in the order of
2.4 and 2.2 percent respectively.
The concept of sustainable tourism development
Sustainable tourism is “Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and
environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host
communities".According to Wall and Mathieson (2006: 289) the key elements of sustainable development
are that it should:

● maintain ecological integrity and diversity;

● meet basic human needs;

● keep options open for future generations;

● reduce injustice;

● increase self-determination

Influence of tourism on environment:

Kind of influence Positive Negative

Ecological Development of new services Environmental degradation

Strengthening of local info Changes in biogeochemical cycles

structure
Degradation of architecture
Protection of natural
Change of biodiversity
recourses

Visitor management strategy

Socio-cultural Participation of local Commercialization of activity that is

community in activity and personal and emotional . Changing the
events nature of events and activity for better
satisfaction of touristic.
Preservation and promotion
of regional cultural heritage

Economic Employment possibility Inflation on the local level

Increase of work support An increase of real estate prices

Increase in life standard and Inability to attract investment

investments
Undesirable and unexpected costs
(traffic, health care funds and education)
Tourism is the Process of Socio-Economical Transformation:
Tourism is a cultural, social, and economic phenomenon that involves movement of people to places or
nations away from their day-to-day environment. The activities of these people involving expenditure, for
business, leisure, and other purposes involve tourism expenditure.

Positive socio-cultural influences of tourism

 The positive socio-cultural impact of tourism highlighted its role in poverty reduction in the host
country. Specifically, in the least developed countries, tourism helps in poverty reduction as it is
a labor-intensive industry.
 It allows creation of jobs in remote areas where even unskilled laborers can find jobs in this
diverse industry. These include increase in employment opportunities in sectors of transportation
services, accommodation, travel agencies, food and beverage establishments, tour operation
companies, cultural and natural attractions sites.
 In addition, the positive impact of socio-cultural tourism includes the benefits to the host
communities arising from, development of social networks, improved sense of belonging,
enhanced understanding and appreciation for the importance of the local area. These factors lead
to an increase in social capital flow along with increase in tourism.
 In addition, the positive socio-cultural impact of tourism includes community enrichment.
Tourism gives local communities the chance to meet people of different cultures, backgrounds,
and lifestyles.
 Other common devices arising include an increase in income level, ameliorated health care, and
education resources.
 Also, tourism helps in the improvement of the regional image of the host country.
 At the same time, it enhances the infrastructure construction in the region to become conducive
for tourists.
 This further contributed to the improvement of recreational activities and the quality of life of
natives.
 Furthermore, it identified that tourism helps in the protection of cultural heritage.
 It is beneficial culturally as it allows accurate interpretation of resources available to the native
and creates an authentic visitor experience.
 This further provides stimulation for an increase in revenues from cultural resources.
 It further promotes the transmission of cultural and historical traditions that contributes to the
protection of local heritage, cultural arts, and crafts.