THEME NO. 1.

THE SUBJECT OF STUDY OF THE TOURIST RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Introduction to the TRM. The position in the system of economic and geographical sciences. Principles, methods, and means of study. The categories of the TRM. The factors influencing the tourist phenomenon.

1. INTRODUCTION TO THE TRM

Being under the influence of financial efficiency, the research of the tourist techniques moves once and for all into the economic sector. At the dawn of the 3rd millenium, the tourism will sooner become, following the general tendency of human social evolution, the most effective economic field (it is sometimes called the smokeless industry). Thats why the study of this discipline must receive all the information concerning the stage of tourist phenomenon. The scientist FREULER (Manual of Swiss peoples economy, 1905) shows that tourism is a phenomenon of our days based on the increasing need for recovery and change in home environment, on birth and development of a feeling for nature. It can be noticed that a high proportion of tourist resources (especially of human origin) is ignored. It led to the wording of an incomplete definition. From the view of the German scientist POSSER tourism represents a local or regional concentration of foreigners on a temporary basis which generates mutual relationships with the native population. The tourist phenomenon includes the all the motivations and activities of a leisure and health nature extended in a given place and a given moment. This way it can be pointed out three main aspects of tourism: the tourist resources; the infrastructure; the tourist flow (or the influx of tourists).

Any tourist activity is based on flow of people geared to tourist resources during which the consumption of tourist product and the infrastructure are put to work.
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2. THE POSITION IN THE SYSTEM OF ECONOMIC AND GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCES

Tourism as a human activity is inconceivable without the presence of human factor, actually the human being. The development of tourist phenomenon, in addition to leisure and physical recovery, has an importance of an economic nature. Considerable incomes are obtained through the consumption of the tourist product. There is a tendency to estimate the efficiency of the tourist activity, besides its beneficial effects on human being, by the income resulting from the development of this one. Consequently, tourism is becoming a top economic field. The natural factors (relief, climate, and hydrography) often participate proportionally in the setting up of the tourist resources potential of many regions of the world, determining the rhythm and the intensity of tourist phenomenon. In many cases, the TRM course was included in the framework of economic and geographical sciences. Its field of study is the environment through its attractiveness and the socioeconomic phenomena influenced by the its development. Tourism, being a particularly human activity, is aimed at different age groups, professions and social classes. Therefore, demography and peoples geography play a major role in the definition of the human tourist potential. There are close links with sciences concerning nature (geomorphology, hydrography, climatology, etc.). Through natural resources potential (relief, water, climate, vegetation, fauna, etc.) tourist activity is in interaction with transportation and foreign trade. Tourism is a dynamic activity taking up a lot of space. It involves different transport links. Tourism, through its final outcome of an economic nature, is an integral part of material and spiritual values exchanges. Tourist activity has in common with such sciences as geology, history, biology, which also participates in the setting up of tourist potential of a given region. Tourism function is indissolubly related to statistics, marketing and other economic sciences. After all, tourist activity is a question of the psychological insight of each individual.

3. PRINCIPLES, METHODS, AND MEANS OF STUDY

Tourist activity uses a series of principles, methods, and means of study such as:
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The principle of spatiality, according to which the research of the

tourist phenomenon makes use as a key method of observation, and as mean of representation of description. Due to this pattern the descriptive model is being widely used to inform the potential tourists.

The principle of causality, which aim is the study of appearance,

assertion1 and development of tourist process. As activity method, it has recourse to the detailed analysis of phenomena, carried out by means of explanation that can be accomplished by a mathematical model (formula, equation).

The principle of integration of characteristic phenomena in logical

structures, designed to show the objective aspects (activity method synthesis, operation means graphic representations (cartographic models). Between the principles there is a close link. The first principle serves as a basis for the second one, while the latter for the third one.

4. THE CATEGORIES OF THE TRM

The tourist phenomenon is defined by a series of notions. The most used are: tourist, tourism, tourist infrastructure, tourist potential, tourist product, tourist supply and demand. Tourist and tourism. There is a close link between these notions. The tourist is the driving force of the tourist phenomenon as a whole, while tourism is the result of this activity. Even in English the word tour can refer to route, circuit, itinerary, excursion, trip, visit. In Hebrew the word tourism means a discovery journey. Tourist represents any person who travels to a place, outside his/her usual environment for a period not exceeding 12 months and whose main purpose of visit is other than the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited. There are also other words describing the people traveling, such as: national tourist, domestic tourist, internal tourist, visitor, traveler, same-day visitor (excursionist) etc. Tourist resources. They represent all the attractive elements of a territory without taking into account their origin and the connections between them. There can be distinguished two groups of objects that make up the tourist resources, that is to say:
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Tourist natural resources (relief, climate, etc.);

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Tourist human resources (museums, religious erections, etc.).

Tourist infrastructure. It consists of all the tourist endowments, such as: accommodation and catering capacity; tourist services network; spas and resorts; transport links; electricity network and heating system; water supply and mains2; postal and banking services, etc., etc. Tourist potential. It consists of tourist resources and infrastructure. Tourist flow. It represents the movement of the visitors from their place of residence to the place visited. It is a dynamic category, which considers human factor by its number and financial opportunities. The special features of the tourist flows are: the direction; the rhythm; the intensity.

Tourist product. It represents all goods and serves that facilitate the tourist activity. Tourist market. It represents the place of interference or contact of tourist product with its consumers, in other words, of supply with demand.

5. THE FACTORS INFLUENCING THE TOURIST PHENOMENON

Demographic factors. Human factor is the origin and development condition of tourism (population growth, increase in life expectancy, the growth of young people, etc.). Economic factors. They are of great importance for tourist phenomenon. Only people that have a certain standard of living and savings can take part in tourist activity. Political factors. They often contribute to the development or the restriction of tourist activity (different systems of government, armed conflicts, etc.). Psychological factors. They determine the need for travel. It involves the mental activity of people concerning its interest for nature, health and beauty. Social factors. They are the leisure time of people.

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