OVERVIEW OF TOURISM PLANNING

Lecture 1

from the book Tourism Planning and Development

by Dr. Zenaida Cruz

• PLANNING

– The process of setting goals & objectives, selecting alternative courses of action to
achieve those goals, implementing the chosen alternative and evaluating the choices to
find out if it is successful
– A key element in the life of any destination and occurs at many levels ranging from the
planning decisions made by individual firms to collective planning involving all
stakeholders in the destination (Gunn, 1988)
• Tourism Planning: Process of coordinating land use planning, economic development and
community participation to develop or improve tourism in a nation, region and /or a
destination.
• Tourism Development Plan: A plan that outlines how a location will serve visitors, adapt to their
growing numbers, and protect local cultures and environments in a sustainable manner.

THE NEED FOR TOURISM PLANNING

• To avoid eventual decline of a destination
• A tourism plan and development program can provide guidelines for areas, in which the
government and the private sectors, with little or no experience, on how to develop these areas
• A tourism plan is necessary to coordinate the different sectors to better service the needs for
tourism and the general public
• Through an integrated tourism plan, the various direct and indirect economic benefits of
tourism can be achieved.

THE BENEFITS OF TOURISM PLANNING

• A responsible tourism plan is a means to attain environmental conservation objectives through
the development of tourist attractions, facilities and infrastructure.
• A careful tourism plan is a means to achieve cultural conservation objectives and produce
sociocultural benefits.
• A good tourism plan is a means in which the natural and cultural resources for tourism are
maintained, not destroyed, in the development process
• The right type of tourism plan can be used to invigorate poorly developed tourism destinations
• Careful planning is necessary to develop specialized training facilities for the education &
training for particular manpower skills & abilities
TOURISM PLANNING APPROACHES AND TECHNIQUES
• SYSTEMS APPROACH
 Computer technology is needed to collect and analyze data
• COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH
 All aspects of tourism development are analyzed and planned on a broad scope
• INTEGRATED APPROACH
- Tourism is planned and developed as an integrated system within itself and integrated into
overall plan and development pattern of the area
• ENVIRONMENTAL & SUSTAINABLE APPROACH
– Tourism is planned, developed and managed in a way that the natural and cultural
resources are not used up so that they are available for continuous and permanent use
in the future.
• COMMUNITY APPROACH
– The local residents should be given the opportunity to participate in the planning of
their community’s future development and express their opinion on the type of
community they want to live in.
• IMPLEMENTABLE APPROACH
– Tourism plan, policies & recommendations are expressed in a practical & achievable
manner
• SYSTEMATIC APPROACH
- Tourism planning is based on an orderly arrangement of activities

LEVELS OF TOURISM PLANNING

INTERNATIONAL PLANNING
• Involves international transportation services
• Movement and scheduling of the tours and tourists among different countries
• Development of major tourist attractions and facilities in neighboring countries as well as the
working strategies and promotional programs of many countries
• The main international organization is the WTO which has been appointed by the United
Nations as the agency which enforces tourism related projects sponsored by the United Nations

NATIONAL PLANNING
• Tourism policy
• Infrastructure facilities
• A physical structure plan which includes important tourist attractions, selected tourism
development regions, international entry points, facilities and services
• The amount, kinds, and quality of accommodation and other required tourist facilities
and services
• The important tour routes in the country and their regional connections
• Tourism organizational entities, laws and investment policies
• Tourism marketing strategies and promotion
 • Design standards and facility development
• Environmental, economic and socio-cultural analyses
• National level implementation methods including the short-term development plan and
project scheduling
• Education and training programs

REGIONAL PLANNING
• Regional policy
• Regional entry points and transportation facilities and services
• The amount, kinds and location of tourist accommodation and other tourist facilities and
services
• Location of the tourist development areas including resort areas
• Socio-cultural, environmental, economic and impact analyses
• Education and training programs on the regional level
• Marketing techniques and promotion
• Organizational establishments, laws, regulations and investment policies
• Implementation methods which include project plans and regional zoning regulations

SUBREGIONAL PLANNING
- The elements of the sub-regional plan usually include tourist attractions, location of
accommodation, and other tourist facilities, entry points to the subregion, transportation
facilities and infrastructure

TYPES OF TOURISM PLANNING

LAND USE PLANNING
• Includes prefeasibility and feasibility studies, evaluation of environmental and socio-cultural
influences, and zoning planning.
• Zoning regulations, architectural landscaping and engineering design standards are often
prepared for this type of planning

FACILITY SITE PLANNING

– Actual location of buildings, recreation areas, streets, walkways, parking, landscaping
areas and other land uses are shown in maps

FACILITY DESIGN
– Designs for landscaping, architecture, infrastructure and engineering must be prepared
for resorts, hotels, restaurants, attractions, archaeological and historic sites, information
and cultural centers, visitor facilities at national parks and other tourist facilities
SPECIAL STUDIES
– These studies pertain to environmental, socio-cultural, economic impact analyses,
marketing analyses and promotion programs
PROCESS FOR TOURISM PLANNING

ACQUIRE UNDERSTANDING
– Education, field trip, attendance in lectures and seminars,
PRELIMINARY POSITION STATEMENT
- Formal statement of interest, formal statements regarding restrictions to development
COMMITMENT FOR TOURISM STUDY
- There should be an intensive study which establishes feasibility and serves as a basis for
factual development
MARKET AND RESOURCES ANALYSIS
- Gathers and correlates data on the overall size of the destination and the share that the
market is expected to gain
CONCEPTUAL PLANNING
- Involves a general description of what the area should look like and how it will function
after development has taken place
PLAN APPROVAL
– The responsible decision makers should make a decision on whether the tourism
planning process should proceed to the master plan
MASTER PLANNING
- Considered a very expensive process because it is more detailed and frequent changes
take place because of the nature of cooperation required between the private and
public sectors
FINAL COMMITMENT
- The government must pledge legislation policies, funds, and programs to encourage
tourism. Private and public sector agencies must pledge the building of hotels and other
facilities
STAGED IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM
- Fills the gap between accepted development plans and the creation of an operational,
integrated tourism industry
EVALUATION AND DIRECTION
- Mechanisms must be established to provide continuous feedback on tourism volumes
and levels of satisfaction provided to prevent the decline of resorts, attractions or
destinations
MAJOR ELEMENTS IN PLANNING A TOURISM DESTINATION
• MARKET ANALYSIS
– Requires a thorough study of past and present trends, traveler profiles, traveler
performances and habits, market position and destination images

• ASSESSMENT OF AVAILABLE RESOURCES

– A. Visitor attractions
– B. Culture
– C. Manpower
– D. Infrastructure and Superstructure
– Infrastructure refers to all underground and surface construction of a region
– Superstructure are the facilities and services that are above ground such as hotels,
resorts, restaurants, etc.
– E. Transportation
– F. Support Services
– G. Accommodation

• MARKETING
– The process of selecting a target, choosing strategies to reach a market, establishing
objectives, coordinating the efforts of those involved in promoting the destination and
evaluating the successes and failures

• ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

– Careful analysis of economic conditions and financial requirements such as feasibility
studies, cash flow, available capital and interest rates

• ENVIRONMENT
– The aim of tourism planning is to develop the natural resources of the area without
destroying them and to improve the natural beauty of the area

• SOCIAL IMPACT
– The reason why many countries plan and develop resort areas away from population
centers is to avoid congestion and to be able to distribute tourism resources over a
wider area
 STAGES OF DESTINATION DEVELOPMENT

INCEPTION
• During stage 1, tourists are generally welcomed by the residents. There is a great amount of
interpersonal contact between the tourists and the residents. The tourists adjust to the local
environment and the people.

GROWTH
• The increased interaction between the tourist and residents result in a desire of residents for
better education, increased awareness of the outside world, trend toward equality, and a
change of traditional lifestyles

MATURITY
• During this stage, facilities and procedures are standardized which results in greater efficiency.
The diets of the local residents improve because they are exposed to new foods. Native crafts
are revived since they are in demand by the tourists. The increased production of native crafts
generates more income for the resident population.

DECLINE
• In the final stage, the destination has become saturated. The residents have become
disillusioned because tourism has not produced all the benefits they expected. For the visitors,
the factors that were responsible for the earlier success of the destination, such as the
hospitality of the residents, the clean and uncongested environment, and the appeal of the new
destination have disappeared so the tourists begin to look for other unaltered destinations.

END OF LESSON 1