TASK 5

5.1 Compare current issues associated with tourism development in a developing country and
an emerging destination where the impacts of tourism are different
The tourism sector is impacted by different factors which influence the tourism development
in developing countries differently as compared to emerging destinations. A comparison of
Nepal as developing tourist destination and Bulgaria as emerging tourist destination reveals
many similarities and differences on account of problems associated with development of
tourism. Both countries are facing economic issues in the global economic breakdown which
hit them negatively as number of tourists have decreased due to reduction in disposable
income. Financial crises left people with decreasing wealth so worry about their livelihood
and they are of course avoiding to spend the money on sightseeing at Nepal or Bulgaria.
Tourism is very climate-sensitive sector where effects of climate can be directly realized on
the other hand tourism also contribute to the climate change through greenhouse gases
emissions. Nepal is closely linked with Himalayas and shrinking glaciers and snow-capped
areas due to global warming present a cause to worry. The melting Himalayas issues is more
terribly felt at Nepal as compared to other emerging destinations located at coastal regions
like Bulgaria where water, forests and biodiversity are richer.
Poorly developed infrastructure hampers the development of tourism as many a times tourist
faces problems in reaching at tourist destinations. Although infrastructure is well developed
in Bulgaria, it presents different kind of issues like affordability due to expensive
accommodation. Language is also an issue for people not compatible with Bulgarian. Policy
implementation is another issue affecting Nepal lack of institutional capacity is the prominent
factor for poorly implemented policies; this holds true for not only the public policies but also
for tourism policies. In contrast there is no such issue in Bulgaria regarding policy
implementation, however the tourism industry is mainly affected due to not enough
advertisement of their tourism products. This is mainly due to non-seriousness of their
government is establishing administrative structure for tourism development.
Human resource management is another pertinent issue in the tourism development in these
countries which affect in a different manner due to different issues. For example, Nepal is
impacted due to shortage of skilled manpower and lower quality of human resources. On the
other hand Bulgaria is facing issues of retention due to lower salaries. Tourism evidently

plays a major role in economic development of both emerging and developing countries
however present many challenges which needs to be properly addressed.
5.2 Evaluate, with recommendations, the future development of tourism in these destinations
Despite of current issues, the future of tourism business is bright on account of recovery
potential of European and American economies. Encouragement of domestic tourism helped
Bulgaria to mitigate against global issues and Nepal is recommended to explore new tourist
attractions to reap benefits during the low season. The increased competition leads to price
wars in competing destinations by introducing various discount packages. However, value for
money is the important aspect to decide on a destination for tourist and these destinations
should consider to realize that advantage in highly competitive market.
Nepal should also put more efforts in engaging local citizens and provide greater economic
benefits for improving livelihood and comfort of community. Easy access to tourism business
and advancement in operational strategy would be of great help for the same. For Bulgaria,
the travel hubs like resorts areas should be developed in a planned way and presence of plans,
policies and a proper administrative set up for tourism would definitely help in increasing
footfalls. Better security provisions are recommended for both destinations as apart from
regular pickpocketing, other serious crimes are common in these destinations.
The issue of climate change has not yet obtained due focus by the other world community
and Nepal has to do a lot for bringing the issue in international forums. Integrated tourism
management is the need where a new tourism policy should give due importance to climate
change due to global warming. Development of infrastructure is also essential for Nepal as
neighboring countries like China and India are way ahead in this area therefore are
sustainable in economic growth of tourism business.
The last and important thing for Bulgaria is to raise salary to raise the living standard of
people working in tourism industry a little higher. Which would in turn help to keep the staff
motivated and attract more qualified people towards the employment opportunities in the
sector. Similarly, for Nepal permanent labor agreements and requalification of staff is needed
to tackle human resource issues. The surplus revenue generated by the tourism industry
should be invested back in community for improving educational infrastructure of the country
thus producing more qualified staff in future.