TH2304

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
Tourism and Development
Tourism comprises the activities of persons traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment
for not more than one (1) consecutive year for leisure, business, and other purposes (UNWTO, 2022).
Tourism can be analyzed through its costs and benefits or by simply weighing its advantages and disadvantages
to a country’s development. Before finalizing the implementation of any tourism-related project in an area, it
becomes mandatory to analyze its economic, environmental, and sociocultural costs and benefits. Table 1
shows tourism's economic, environmental, and social disadvantages and advantages.
DISADVANTAGES ADVANTAGES
Economic
• Inflation. It refers to the progressive increase in • Foreign exchange earnings. Tourism expenditures
the general prices of land, houses, and food, generate income for the host economy. A typical
which occurs when tourists place extra scenario for this involves foreign travelers trading
demands on local services in a tourist their original currency with the currency of their
destination. destination.
• Economic leakage. It occurs when money does • Government revenues. The continuous growth of
not remain in the country, limiting tourism’s tourism leads to the expansion of ventures and
economic benefits to the host community. It employment creation. Each sector in the tourism
happens when the local economy cannot meet industry provides significant taxes, which the
the tourist demand for specific products. So government uses for its development projects.
local suppliers look elsewhere, spending a • Generation of employment. With the increased
significant proportion of their income on tourist arrivals in a destination comes the
imported goods. creation of tourism jobs and businesses.
• Tourism overdependence. Some countries • Multiplier effect. It refers to how many times
become overdependent on tourism revenue money spent by a tourist circulates through a
that any change in demand will lead to a country's economy. For instance, the money
significant economic crisis. spent in a hotel helps create jobs directly in the
hotel and indirectly elsewhere in the economy.
The hotel, for example, has to buy food from local
farmers, who may spend some of this money on
fertilizer or clothes.
Environmental
• Improper waste disposal from tourism • Conservation of critical natural areas. Tourism
establishments can cause litter and can help conserve natural areas and develop
environmental health problems from vermin natural and regional parks that may serve as
and pollution. tourist attractions.
• Ecological disruption made by the tourists who • Conservation of archaeological and historical
overuse the natural environment. Examples are sites. Tourism can help preserve archaeological
the stunted vegetation growth in parks because and historical sites since these are offered for
tourists walk through them and the trees cut by tourist consumption.
hikers and campers to make campfires. • Enhancement of the environment and
• Environmental hazards caused by poor infrastructure. Tourism can help enhance rural or
engineering design for tourist facilities can

01 Handout 1 *Property of STI

 student.feedback@sti.edu Page 1 of 6
 TH2304

result in erosion, landslides, flooding, and urban landscapes by developing well-designed

avalanches. tourist facilities such as attractive hotels.
Sociocultural
• Overcommercialization of traditional arts and • Conservation of cultural heritage. Tourism can be
crafts. Commercialization and loss of a significant factor in conserving the essential
authenticity of traditional arts and crafts, elements of the cultural heritage of a tourist area.
customs, and ceremonies can result if these are These elements consist of preserving
changed/performed to suit tourist demands. archaeological sites and conserving and
• Cultural clashes may occur because of revitalizing traditional arts.
differences in cultures, ethnic and religious • Cross-cultural exchange. Tourism can promote
groups, values, lifestyles, and languages. cross-cultural exchange between tourists and
• Overcrowded amenities, shopping, and residents when they learn more about one
community facilities and congestion of another’s culture, resulting in mutual
transportation systems by tourists may lead to understanding and respect for their values and
residents being unable to use these facilities. traditions.
• Renewal of cultural pride. Tourists appreciating
the culture of a host community gives the
residents a renewed sense of pride.
Tourism offers great opportunities for emerging economies and developing countries. It creates jobs,
strengthens the local economy, and contributes to local infrastructure development. It also helps conserve
the natural environment, cultural assets, and traditions and reduces global poverty and inequality.

Global Tourism
Also referred to as international tourism, it is the largest-scale movement of goods, services, and people. It
catalyzes economic development and sociopolitical change. Tourists engaged in international tourism are
residents visiting places outside their home country. This type of travel requires documents such as passports
and visas before leaving the nation and permitted entry into a foreign country (Donesa and Aragon, 2020).
Passport
It is a major requirement in traveling outside one’s country. It is an official and legal document issued by the
government to its citizens to pass freely and, in case of need, to give them lawful aid and protection (Republic
Act No. 8239 or the Philippine Passport Act of 1996). These are the different types of passports in the
Philippines issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA):
• Regular passport is issued to all Filipino citizens who wish to travel abroad.
• Diplomatic passport – It is provided to diplomatic officials of the country whose post of assignment
requires using such passport to carry out duties like the President of the Republic of the
Philippines, the Vice President, the Senator President, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
• Official passport – It is issued to any permanent government official and employees on official
travel abroad, such as the Undersecretaries and Assistant Secretaries of the government
departments, Associate Justices, staff officers, and permanent employees of the Department of
Foreign Affairs assigned to the Philippine diplomatic and consular posts abroad and their spouses
and dependents, and persons in domestic service and household members of officials assigned to
Foreign Service establishments.

01 Handout 1 *Property of STI

 student.feedback@sti.edu Page 2 of 6
 TH2304

Steps in Acquiring a Philippine Passport:

1. Have a confirmed appointment through www.passport.gov.ph.
2. Appear personally at the DFA or any of their satellite offices on the confirmed appointment date
and bring the complete set of requirements appropriate to the application. The core requirements
for adult new applications include the confirmed online appointment, personal appearance,
accomplished application form, original and photocopy of Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)
Authenticated Birth Certificate, and acceptable identification (ID) with one (1) photocopy.
Additional requirements may be required as supporting documents.
Regular passports are expected to be released 12 working days after being accommodated for processing. The
expedited processing period is six (6) days for National Capital Region (NCR) applicants and seven (7) working
days for applicants outside NCR.
Under Republic Act No. 10928, all Philippine passports have a validity period of ten (10) years. But Philippine
citizens under 18 years old shall be issued a passport with a five (5) years validity period. DFA began to issue
the new 10-year validity e-passport on 01 January 2018. Passports issued before the said date have a five-year
validity.
Visa. It is a type of travel document that contains the period that a person is allowed to stay in a particular
country and is usually stamped or attached to a passport issued by the embassy of the country a person wishes
to visit as a condition of entry (Glosbe, 2013). Some visa-free countries for Filipinos include Singapore,
Thailand, Hong Kong, Morocco, Kenya, Zambia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Micronesia, Tuvalu, Colombia, Ecuador,
and Peru.
Politics and economic conditions can also play an essential role in the ease of travel, especially across
international boundaries. Governments can encourage or discourage tourism through passport and visa
requirements as well as through policies relating to taxation or the ease of currency exchange.

International Tourism Organizations

An international tourism organization is created to further the interests of the global tourism industry and to
bring together the various businesses involved in it. The following are the key tourism organizations globally.
World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
It is the United Nations agency responsible for promoting responsible, sustainable, and universally accessible
tourism. It is the leading international organization in the field of tourism. UNWTO promotes tourism as a
driver of economic growth, inclusive development, and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and
support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide (UNWTO, 2023).
World Tourism Organization Priorities
• Mainstreaming Tourism in the Global Agenda. It includes advocating the value of tourism as a
driver of socio-economic growth and development and its inclusion as a priority in national and
international policies.
• Promoting Sustainable Tourism Development. It supports sustainable tourism policies and
practices that optimally use environmental resources, respects host communities' sociocultural
authenticity, and provide socio-economic benefits for all.
• Fostering Knowledge, Education, and Capacity Building. It supports countries to assess and
address their needs in education and training and provides networks for knowledge creation and
exchange.

01 Handout 1 *Property of STI

 student.feedback@sti.edu Page 3 of 6
 TH2304

• Improving Tourism Competitiveness. It improves UNWTO Members’ competitiveness through

knowledge creation and exchange, human resources development, and the promotion of
excellence in policy planning, sustainable tourism development, marketing and promotion,
product development, and risk and crisis management.
• Advancing Tourism’s Contribution to Poverty Reduction and Development. It involves maximizing
the contribution of tourism to poverty reduction and achieving sustainable development goals by
making tourism work as a tool for development and promoting the inclusion of tourism in the
development agenda.
• Building Partnerships. It refers to engaging with the private sector, regional and local tourism
organizations, academia and research institutions, civil society, and the UN system to build a more
sustainable, responsible, and competitive tourism sector.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
It is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the
coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United
Nations system, and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment (UNEP, 2023).
UNEP’s mission is to inspire, inform, and enable nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without
compromising that of future generations. The following itemizes the focus of UNEP’s work:
• Helping countries transition to low-carbon and resource-efficient economies;
• Strengthening environmental governance and law;
• Safeguarding ecosystems; and
• Providing evidence-based data to inform policy decisions.
The following are some of UNEP’s projects:
• Climate change action in developing countries with fragile mountainous ecosystems. This project
aims to promote regional understanding and ensure a joint dialogue on mountain ecosystems in
the context of climate change and adaptation. These dialogues occur at the regional level, and
best practices are being shared globally.
• Powering an eye on the environment for Central Asia. UNEP works with partners in Central Asia
and draws from the expertise of several key institutions and organizations in the Russian
Federation to minimize tourism’s environmental impact.
• Paving new paths to biodiversity conservation. The project’s overall objective is to support
expanding the protected area system in Bosnia and Herzegovina and enable capacity conditions
for effectively managing and integrating biodiversity considerations into policies.
World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC)
It is the global authority on the economic and social contribution of travel and tourism that promotes
sustainable growth for the travel and tourism sector, working with governments and international institutions
to create jobs, drive exports, and generate prosperity. Council Members are the Chairs, Presidents, and Chief
Executives of the world’s leading private sector in travel and tourism (WTTC, 2023).

The WTTC's mission is to ensure the long-term sustainable and inclusive growth of travel and tourism. It
requires strong public-private collaboration and an enabling environment to address the sector's challenges
and opportunities.

01 Handout 1 *Property of STI

 student.feedback@sti.edu Page 4 of 6
 TH2304

WTTC focuses on three (3) key initiatives:

• Security and Travel Facilitation: Encouraging public-private collaboration, innovation, and
technology deployment to ensure that travel is safe, secure, and seamless.
• Sustainable Growth: Ensuring that travel and tourism growth benefits everyone, protects cultural
and natural heritage, and contributes positively to the environment.
• Crisis Preparedness, Management, and Recovery: Bringing together the public and private sectors
to enhance tourism’s preparedness and resilience to address the crises of today and tomorrow.
Aside from the three (3) key initiatives, during the COVID-19 pandemic, WTTC has been working to reopen the
travel and tourism sector with its members, governments, and other associations. This work includes the
creation of safe travel protocols and stamp initiatives, the future of travel and tourism report, and work
focusing on the sector's social impact.
Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)
It is a not-for-profit membership-based association established in 1951 that catalyzes the responsible
development of travel and tourism to, from, and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides
aligned advocacy, insightful research, and innovative events to its member organizations, including
government, state, and city tourism bodies; international airlines and airports; hospitality organizations and
educational institutions; and thousands of young tourism professionals worldwide (PATA, 2023).
The following are some of the missions of PATA:
• Support the right to freedom of movement without prejudice and intolerance in line with the
rights of each sovereign nation and the will of its people.
• Ensure all travelers have equal opportunity without discrimination or harassment based on race,
color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital status,
citizenship, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by relevant laws, legislation,
and regulations.
• Encourage all public and private industry stakeholders to embrace these principles and display the
tolerance that protects and enhances human society.
World Leisure Organization (WLO)
It is a global, non-governmental association of persons and organizations dedicated to discovering and
fostering those conditions best, permitting leisure to serve as a force for human growth, development, and
well-being (WLO, 2019).
The following are the roles of WLO:
• Foster Knowledge Transfer: To disseminate and concentrate research outcomes through different
educational events and publications; to provide exchanging and sharing opportunities for
academics, professionals, and citizens.
• Enhancing Research: To explore through research and scholarly activities the relationship of
leisure to the concept of identity, the process of transformation, and how leisure contributes to
enhancing the human condition.
• Advocating for Leisure: To advocate for leisure by creating and disseminating policy statements,
model legislative acts, and information regarding leisure benefits.

01 Handout 1 *Property of STI

 student.feedback@sti.edu Page 5 of 6
 TH2304

• Expanding Educational Opportunities: To provide educational opportunities and other learning

venues focusing on how leisure contributes to identity formulation, transformation, and
improving the human condition.
International Air Transport Association (IATA)
It is the trade association for the world’s airlines, representing 300 airlines or 83% of total air traffic. It supports
many areas of aviation activity and helps formulate industry policy on critical aviation issues (IATA, 2023).
IATA’s mission is to “represent, lead, and serve the airline industry.” These are further explained below:
• Representing the airline industry – Improve the understanding of the air transport industry among
decision-makers and increase awareness of aviation's benefits to national and global economies.
• Leading the airline industry – Develop global commercial standards upon which the air transport
industry is built.
• Serving the airline industry – Help airlines to operate safely, securely, efficiently, and economically
under clearly defined rules.
Tourism organizations play a critical role by providing leadership, strategic planning, marketing, and
operational support. They work with various stakeholders to create destinations that attract tourists, generate
income for local communities, and preserve the environment and culture.

References:
Cost-Benefit Analysis. (2021). In Tourism Beast. Retrieved 20 June 2023, from, https://www.tourismbeast.com/cost-
benefit-analysis/
Cruz, Z. (2015). Tourism planning and development (2nd ed.). National Book Store.
Donesa, L. and Aragon, L. (2020). Global culture and tourism geography (1st Ed.). Rex Book Store.
Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2023). Tourism: An opportunity for sustainable
development. In BMZ. Retrieved 15 June 2023 from
https://www.bmz.de/en/issues/tourism#:~:text=It%20creates%20jobs%2C%20strengthens%20the,to%20redu
ce%20poverty%20and%20inequality.
Glosbe. (2013). Travel document. Retrieved 18 April 2023 from, https://glosbe.com/en/en/travel%20document
IATA. (2023). IATA. Retrieved 21 April 2023 from https://www.iata.org/
PATA. (2023). Pacific Asia Travel Association. Retrieved 21 April 2023 from, https://www.pata.org/about-pata
Slocum, S., Aidoo, A., and McMahon, K. (2020). The business of sustainable tourism development and management.
Routledge.
The Republic of the Philippines. (2023). Core Requirements for Adult New Applications. Retrieved 14 June 2023 from
https://dfa-oca.ph/passport/passport-requirements/requirements-for-adult/core-requirements-for-adult-
new-applications/
Tourism Costs and Benefits. (2023). In Barcelona Field Studies Centre. Retrieved 20 June 2023, from
https://geographyfieldwork.com/TourismProsCons.htm
UNEP. (2023). About the United Nations Environment Programme. Retrieved 21 April 2023 from
http://www.unep.org/about-us
UNEP. (2023). Our Projects. Retrieved 14 June 2023 from, https://www.unep.org/regions/europe/our-projects
UNWTO. (2023). Responsible, sustainable, and universally accessible tourism. Retrieved 14 June 2023 from
https://www.unwto.org/about-us
WLO (2019). World Leisure Organization. Retrieved 21 April 2023 from, https://www.worldleisure.org/about-us/
WTTC. (2023). World Travel & Tourism Council. Retrieved 21 April 2023 from https://wttc.org/about/who-we-are

01 Handout 1 *Property of STI

 student.feedback@sti.edu Page 6 of 6