The Sustainability of Whale-watching in Scotland

Scotland's tourism trade grosses £2.5 billion annually and supports 180,000 jobs; whale-watching is an important part of this activity. Whales and dolphins are the country's number one wildlife attraction and with 11,770 km of coastline the potential for the Scottish industry is huge. In rural areas it can provide as much as 12% of local income. During the tourist season of 2000, questionnaires and telephone interviews were used to investigate the sustainability of Scottish whale-watching. 48 operators cooperated providing economic and environmental information. Most operators were found to be local people (72.4%), supporting five or less full-time equivalent jobs (86.4%). Over half of those questioned (63.2%) had alternative incomes and no formal training in wildlife tourism or business management (70.8%); 89.5% of respondents stated that they follow a code of conduct. The East Coast and Western Isles show the best-perceived trends in tourist numbers. Whale-watching in Scotland is shown to have potential for growth but a need to be regulated and managed from within the industry to ensure environmental and economic sustainability into the future.     

Visitor spending and economic impacts of heritage tourism: a case study of the Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area

Heritage is regarded as one of the most significant and fastest growing components of tourism. The development of heritage tourism as a generator of income besides the enhancement of community pride and identity has emerged as an objective of both heritage sites and tourism planning. The discretionary nature of expenditures in heritage tourist places makes it crucial to understand visitor spending pattern. This is key in demonstrating the economic contribution to the community for the tourism planners. This presentation is based on an intercept survey of travelers to the Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area (SSNHA), comprising 37 counties in Northeast Iowa. Visitor spending pattern is discussed among four categories of heritage sites in the SSNHA: farms, museums, parks and gardens, and businesses. IMPLAN Input–Output Model is utilized to generate the direct, indirect and induced economic impact in the area.     

Tourism in Mauritius: an economic impact study with marketing implications

Tourism impact analysis is traditionally used to measure the volume of income, employment, public sector revenue and imports generated in a holiday area by tourist spending and to calculate the differential impacts made by visitors from various origins. This article on Mauritius shows how such analysis can provide useful marketing information to help maximize the economic impact of tourism in a small-island economy.     

International tourism demand in Asia: before and after the economic crisis

A subprime mortgage crisis erupted in the United States in 2007 and resulted in an economic crisis spread worldwide. This study focused on seven major Asian tourist destinations and investigated the changes in international tourism demand before and after economic crisis. The data period was January 2004 to December 2014. The results demonstrate the tourist numbers in each country was affected by the income variable. The decrease in tourist numbers was most significant during and after the economic crisis, indicating an increase in the sensitivity of tourists toward their economic-crisis-based income fluctuations, causing changes in their travel behavior.     

The impact of tourism on a dependent island: Gozo,Malta

Tourism for the 22,000 inhabitants of Gozo, Malta's underdeveloped sister island, means just over one hundred foreign residents, several hundred hotel visitors, and an annual stream of several hundred thousand day trippers from Malta. For Gozitans tourism has provided substantial earnings for a few catering and transport entrepreneurs, permanent employment for a few hundreds, and a modest income for some 1,600 women and girls producing handicraft souvenirs at home. However, the tourist connection to Gozo is controlled by Maltese, who obtain a disproportionate share of the industry's earnings. Increasingly Gozitans resent the way Maltese exploit their island, pollute it with picnic rubbish and treat them as backward. They compare their patronizating neighbours to the polite, free spending foreigners by whom they are treated with respect. Foreign appreciation of their rural environment and lifestyle has increased Gozitan self confidence, even as it has exacerbated their traditional resentment of Maltese cultural, social, and economic dominance. On balance, Gozitans from all walks of life regard tourism positively, especially its benefits to their underdeveloped economy.     

Showcasing Scotland? A Case Study of the MTV Europe Music Awards Edinburgh03

Abstract

This paper critically reviews the public policy framework underpinning the MTV Europe Music Awards Edinburgh03. It argues that, because local organisers did not advocate local cultural participation as a key policy, preferring an economic rationale of marketing and tourism, such involvement was limited. The organisers’ global and economic rationale led to the official view that MTV’s status within global youth culture re‐imaged Edinburgh as a dynamic and cosmopolitan city in the international tourist market, while providing a turning point in Scotland’s ability to host world class events. To them, the £750k subsidy to MTV facilitated significant local economic benefits and enhanced the city’s profile in the creative industries. However, the narrow policy framework meant local inclusion took place within MTV’s overriding emphasis on promoting celebrities and producing a spectacular television show. The Awards therefore had a largely superficial engagement with local youngsters and the Scottish pop industry, with the main beneficiaries being MTV and its sponsors, Edinburgh tourism, global pop stars, and major hotels and retailers. Protests over this were encouraged by MTV’s tight control of information, the event’s politicisation by a local newspaper, and a local actor’s ‘anti‐MTV Awards’ campaign.     

Poland's international tourism : Long-term growth: breakdown: rapid recovery

This article provides a synthesis of the factors governing Polish international tourism, set against a background of 40 years of post-war development followed by the political and economic crisis of the early 1980s. Tourism fell sharply in the early 1980s but had already begun a rapid recovery by 1983–1984. Official agencies, and cooperative and private-sector enterprises cooperate closely in the provision of tourism services and management. Poland has an “open-door” tourism policy and participates in a variety of international tourist organizations and agreements. This account demonstrates the close relationship between international tourism and the economic, political and social situation of the destination country.     

Determinants of demand for international tourist flows to Turkey

This article describes the development and findings of a set of models used to identify the most important of the following selected variables influencing international tourist flows to Turkey: per capita income; relative prices; relative exchange rate; promotional expenditure (the Turkish Government has invested a substantial amount in promoting foreign tourism) and ‘special events’, eg political unrest. The demand for travel was measured both by the number of tourists, and by the total tourist expenditure. Data were obtained from secondary sources, and analysis was by least squares multiple regression. Income, price and exchange rate were found to be important factors but the impact of promotional expenditure was minimal     

Assessing the economic impact of a UNESCO World Heritage designation

Grand Pré Historic Site in Nova Scotia (Canada) is in the process of applying for a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site (WHS) designation. Conventional wisdom is that such a designation would generate public awareness and increase visitation to the site. The goal of this paper is to estimate the impact of a WHS designation on tourist visitation and related expenditures. Various tourism statistics (covering 1990–2008) for Nova Scotia and its only other established UNESCO site – Lunenburg (designated in 1995) – served as data. Regression analysis produced an estimate of the tourist visitation impact that a WHS designation had on Lunenburg, and could be expected to have on Grand Pré. An increase of 6.2% in tourist visitors due to a WHS designation was estimated. Survey data collected at Grand Pré provided average spending per visitor. The economic impacts were analyzed under both a projected and a historical scenario of visitation. Based on its 10-year historic visitation average, a WHS designation for Grand Pré would generate an increase of 3000 visitors per year. These visitors would generate spending of approximately $200,000 annually in the local economy. Such spending would provide a boost to the local tourism industry, which has experienced significant decline in recent years.     

Ecosophy and tourism: Rethinking a mountain resort

This paper explores how an ecosophically inspired tourism strategy could enhance a Scottish mountain recreational site threatened by climate change. Drawing on qualitative data, the paper focuses on three research questions concerning: the impact of current infrastructure and management strategies on tourist experiences; tourists’ current interpretations and desires; and how the notion of an ecosophically informed tourist attraction might be realised in the light of these experiences, interpretations and desires. Conclusions indicate that the site is a long way from being an ecosophically inspired tourism resort which might foster an engagement with nature. Insights are provided as to how this might be achieved. Critical to the paper is a consideration of how the ‘packaging’ of tourist experiences militates against a meaningful personal connection with the mountain environment.     

Valuation of nature-based tourism resources using dichotomous choice contingent valuation method

The purpose of this paper is to measure the potential revenue from nature-based tourism resources in the environmentally sensitive area of Mt Minju, South Korea. A dichotomous choice contingent valuation method was employed to estimate the mean willingness-to-pay, contingent on a hypothetical market scenario. The empirical results show that the economic value of nature-based tourism resources was estimated at 5905 Won (ca US$ 7) per visitor. This implies that the significant economic value of natural resources will be lost from any large-scale development by degrading natural environments. In addition to the value of natural resources, nature-based tourism also provides the locally owned small tourist businesses with lower leakages than the externally owned large-scale ones. Low leakage implies that local residents gain more direct income from nature-based tourism.     

The perceived impact of tourism by residents a case study in Santa Marta,Colombia

Studies of the local population's perception of tourism impact are useful in setting up programs to minimize friction between tourists and residents, and in formulating plans to gain resident support of tourist ventures. This study identifies the positive and negative aspects of tourism as perceived by the Santa Marta residents, and the influence of selected variables on resident response. It is hypothesized that the perception of tourist impact varies with the distance a person lives from the tourist zone and with the resident's socio-economic status. It is found that despite the perception of some serious negative aspects, Santa Marta residents consider the overall impact of tourism to be beneficial. They want their government to offer more economic incentives and eliminate any restrictive measures in order to stimulate tourism in the area. The positive attitudes of the Santa Marta residents toward tourism may be a function of the incipient stage of tourism development in this area.     

Natural amenities, tourism and income distribution

Understanding the distributional mechanisms of aggregate amenity-led economic growth is a necessary prerequisite to informed rural tourism planning. This applied study develops an empirical county-level model for the US lake states that incorporates five alternative natural amenity types and other growth variables to explain the distribution of income as measured by Gini coefficients. Results suggest that certain types of natural amenities are clearly related to the distribution of income. This extends earlier work which hypothesized that amenity-based development creates a “hollowing out” of the income classes. Analyses of tourism impacts from the sole standpoint of employment and income growth neglect to account for key components of rural development structure.     

Tourism and gender (in)equality: Global evidence

This study investigates the nexus between tourism development and gender (in)equality in a global sample of 111 economies from 1995 to 2017. Notably, this study (i) examines mutual relationships between the two factors, and (ii) carries out a comprehensive and inclusive analysis of three kinds of tourism (domestic, outbound, and international), using two measures (spending, and number of tourists) and four dimensions of gender (in)equality (employment, education, health, and rights). First, there is a mutual relationship between tourism development and gender (in)equality. Second, domestic tourism spending, visitor spending, and number of tourist arrivals generally appear to improve gender equality in employment, education, and rights. However, outbound tourism spending seems to increase gender inequality in employment and rights. In turn, gender equality likely stimulates travel activities in terms of both spending and number of tourists.     

Making tourism more supportive of small state development : The case of St. Vincent

Britton, Robert A., “Making Tourism More Supportive of Small State Development: The Case of St. Vincent,” Annals of Tourism Research, Vol.IV, No. 5, May/September, 1977, pp. 268–278. With few resources and alternate sources of income, most Caribbean islands depend at least partially on tourism for foreign exchange and employment. The development of tourist facilities, however, has usually been controlled by the metropolitan travel industry rather than island people. High technology tourism is seen as inappropriate for underdeveloped islands. Capital- and energy-intensive hotels with high import requirements contribute little except poorly paid employment to the local economy. Enclaves of luxury surrounded by poverty produce deleterious social and cultural effects.     

The effect of tourism activity on housing affordability

Although researchers have confirmed the impact of tourism on housing prices in many destinations affected with overtourism, they do not consider housing affordability in relation to the population's income levels. This study explores the relationship between tourism activity and housing affordability, using a sample of Croatian municipalities. Specifically, the study investigates how tourist accommodation, concentration, seasonality and overall vulnerability to tourism influence housing affordability in this emerging tourism-driven European country. The results obtained reveal tourism intensification's deteriorating effect on local residents' abilities to afford housing. The findings indicate a particularly strong tourism seasonality impact, suggesting the presence of common negative externalities, such as employment fluctuations, difficulties in maintaining economic status, and revenue instabilities, in localities prone to seasonal tourism fluctuations.     

Tourists and retailers' perceptions of services

This paper describes a study which measures tourist and retailers' perceptions of service levels in a tourism destination. A service quality model was used to develop survey items and interpret the results. The service dimensions used to evaluate a tourism experience included reliability, responsive, assurance, and access. The results indicate tourists evaluate tourism services based on “who” delivers as opposed to the nature of the services (as outlined in the Service Quality model). This has implications for those who create and service tourism destinations, such as city planners and leaders, tourism convention and visitor bureaus, and retailers.     

The Role of Food Tourism in Sustaining Regional Identity: A Case Study of Cornwall,South West England

This exploratory paper examines the role of food tourism in developing and sustaining regional identities within the context of rural regeneration, agricultural diversification and the creation of closer relationships between production and consumption in the countryside. It focuses on Cornwall, South West England, an area with rural development issues, increasing tourism impacts and contested issues of regional identity. A literature and policy analysis, and in-depth interviews with 12 restaurateurs, were undertaken in four popular tourist locations. Correlation was found between increased levels of food tourism interest and the retention and development of regional identity, the enhancement of environmental awareness and sustainability, an increase in social and cultural benefits celebrating the production of local food and the conservation of traditional heritage, skills and ways of life. The paper draws attention to three issues: the role of food tourism in increasing tourist spending, the potential role of food tourism in extending the tourist season, and the re-examination of food tourist typologies within a sustainability framework.     

An overview of tourism and planning in the Federal Republic of Germany

German tourism research is an integral part of landuse and economic planning. This has led to the development and implementation of site attractivity and economic efficiency measures. Attractivity models incorporating a site's natural and artificial features are used to provide a comparative ranking of present and proposed tourist developments. Both cross-sectional and time studies indicate that the development of the tourist sector is not an efficient method whereby regional socio-economic disparties can be reduced.     

Examining the link between meetings,incentive, exhibitions,and conventions (MICE) and tourism demand using generalized methods of moments (GMM): the case of Singapore

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the impact of meetings, incentive, exhibitions, and conventions (MICE) on tourism demand in Singapore over a period of 10 years (2003–2012). Past studies have shown that MICE matters a great deal to host destinations but researchers have rarely conducted any empirical research to verify the significance of this sector to tourism demand. Our study intends to fill the gap by using Difference and System generalized methods of moments (GMM) estimators for dynamic panel models. Tourism demand is measured by tourist arrivals from the top 30 origins, and the influence of real income of the tourist generating country and real exchange rate is also examined. The GMM results show a significant positive relationship between tourism demand and MICE (with international meetings as proxies). Additionally, the findings reveal that tourism demand growth is significantly positive (negative) with respect to changes in income (relative prices). The coefficient of lagged tourist arrivals indicates a high level of habit persistence and revisiting.