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Importance of Tourism Planning

- Aritro Dasgupta

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Tourism Planning

Tourism planning is the dynamic process of determining goals, systematically selecting alternative courses of action, implementing the chosen alternatives & evaluating the choice if it is successful

Takes in to account inter-related & inter-dependent components like – political, physical, economic & social elements

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Tourism Planning

Usually top-down approach but often bottom up as well

More on strategy side initially, less on tactical

Strives to achieve objectives by matching available resources & programmes with the needs & wants of people

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Importance of Tourism Planning

Experience of many areas has clearly demonstrated that on long term basis, planed approach to develop tourism can bring benefits without significant problems

Tourism complicated activity overlapping several different sectors of society & economy

Can avoid unexpected & unwanted impacts of faulty tourism planning

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Stages of Tourism Planning

Macro Level: concerned with tourism development policies, structure plans, facility standards & institutional factors

Micro Level: detailed plans for tourism attractions, resorts, urban, rural & other forms of tourism development

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Major Benefits of Tourism Planning

Gives overall direction to purpose of tourism in the area

Maintenance of natural & cultural resources

Integrating tourism within overall development policies & establish linkage between tourism & other sectors

Providing rational basis for decision making by public & private players in tourism sector

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Major Benefits of Tourism Planning

Making possible coordinated development of different elements in tourism sector; inter-relating tourist attractions, activities, facilities & services

Optimizing & balancing economic, environmental & social benefits of tourism

Providing physical structure to guide location, types & extent of tourism development of attractions

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Major Benefits of Tourism Planning

Offering baseline for continuous monitoring of progress of tourism development & keeping it on track

Providing framework for effective public & private sector cooperation

Guidelines & standards for preparing detailed plans

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Approaches to Tourism Planning

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Integrated System

Tourism planning must be an integrated system

Must balance supply & demand sides

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Demand Factors

International tourist markets Domestic tourist markets Residents’ use of tourist attractions,

facilities & services

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Supply Factors

Attractions & activities Accommodation Other tourist facilities & services Transportation Other infrastructure Institutional elements

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Institutional Elements in Tourism

Organizational structures like government tourism offices & private sector tourism associations

Tourism related legislation & regulations like standards & licensing, requirements for hotel and tour & travel agencies

Education & training programmes to enable students to work effectively in tourism sector

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Institutional Elements in Tourism

Availability of financial capital to develop tourist attractions, facilities, services & infrastructure and mechanisms to attract capital investment

Travel facilitation of immigration, customs & other facilities & services at entry & exit points

Marketing & promotion strategies to inform tourists about country/ region & induce them to visit those destinations

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Planning for Sustainable Development

Achieving sustainability i.e. long term development has now emerged as most crucial in the tourism industry

Concept emerged in the early 1980s Involves preservation of natural &

man-made tourist attractions so that tourism can be viable at the destination for as long as possible

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Planning for Sustainable Development

Not just reducing environmental degradation & footprint to the lowest level possible; also improving natural capital as that will ensure greater tourist returns

Preserving local cultural heritage as much as possible

Limiting chances of the commoditization of cultures

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Techniques in Sustainable Tourism Development

Environmental planning approach: environment carefully surveyed, analyzed & considered in determining type & location of development

Emphasizes community based tourism; properties owned/operated by local community; instills feeling of ownership & reduces environmental & cultural erosion; reduces revenue leakage

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Quality/ Niche Tourism

Offering of best facilities at exotic locales to niche target market only

Usually hyper expensive Focus on quality at all cost Greater product customization for

individual tourists & strong personal touch

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Long Range & Strategic Planning

Concerned with specifying goals & objectives over long range of time

10-20 years time span looking towards future

Need to take in to consideration future changes in climatic conditions, economic developments, political upheavals & social mores

Contingency plans a must as environment volatile

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Strategy & Policy

0-5 Years

5-10 Years

10-20 Years

Development actions

Development strategy

Long range policy & plan

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Tactical Planning

Tactics refer to the intricate details of narrow targets/projects

In tourism tactics involves details on accommodation, facilities, price range, cuisine etc.

Sometimes ignores the long term benefit in facilitating short term gains

Thus coordination between strategic policy makers & implementers becomes crucial

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Top-Down Tourism Planning

Decision making by top management of area usually political representatives, senior bureaucrats & hoteliers of big chains

Strategic long term planning Decisions made on basis of

extensive data collected & analysis conducted

Decisions made for whole sums rather than small units

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Advantages of Top-Down Tourism Planning

Long term plans can be implemented Broad strategy can be framed taking

into consideration various stakeholders

Greater good can be taken care of even if it results in some losses

Large areas can only be worked by this approach

Less time consuming during policy formulation

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Disadvantages of Top-Down Tourism Planning

Sometimes ignores ground realities In the name of greater good, populist

decisions made to appease majority or more powerful stakeholders

Minute details may be overlooked leading to tactical problems while executing the plans

Greater chances of corruption at the top among policy makers

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Bottom – Up Tourism Planning

Decision making by top management of area with extensive consultation with stakeholders i.e. local panchayat leaders, tribal chiefs, small business groups, consumer forums etc.

Short to medium term planning Decisions made on basis of

experience & gut feeling Decisions made for small units one

at a time rather than whole sums

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Advantages of Bottom-Up Tourism Planning

Nitty-gritty & intricate details carefully studied

Small stakeholder groups’ considerations taken in to account as more democratic approach

Ground realities better understood as local provide inputs

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Disdvantages of Bottom-Up Tourism Planning

Too much interference of small stakeholder groups may result in only narrow interest groups appeased at the cost of isolating other groups

Greater chances of corruption among stakeholders as they wield enormous power

To much focus on intricate details may ignore the bigger picture

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Thank You