TOURISM

TERTIARY ECONOMIC
ACTIVITY
 What is Tourism?

Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business

purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists
as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their
usual environment for more than twenty-four (24) hours
and not more than one consecutive year for leisure,
business and other purposes.
 Tourism as industry
Tourism can also be defined as a service
industry with three main foci:
Transport:
bringing people from one place to
another
Accommodation:
giving people a place to stay

Services:
offering goods and manpower in
order to fulfil the wishes of the
travellers
TYPES OF TOURISTS (purpose, TYPES OF TOURISM
length, scale)
Foreign tourists Eco-tourism
Domestic tourists Sports tourism
Day visitor Cruise tourism
Sustainable tourism

Ecotourism is responsible travel to fragile, pristine, and usually

protected areas that strive to be low impact and (often) small scale
(as an alternative to mass tourism).

Sustainable Tourism
The United Nations World Tourism Organisation defines sustainable
tourism as tourism that meets the needs of present tourists and
host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunity for the
future. The objective of sustainable tourism is to retain the
economic and social advantages of tourism development while
reducing or mitigating any undesirable impacts on the natural,
historic, cultural or social environment.
 IMPORTANCE OF TOURISM
Employment
Increase in GDP
Development of linkage industries
(agro-tourism)
Increase in standard of living
Conservation of the environment
CASE STUDY:
JAMAICA
FACTORS INFLUENCING
THE TOURISM INDUSTRY
 PHYSICAL FACTORS
1. Natural scenery: mountains, coasts,
beaches, corals, rivers, flora and fauna.
Dunns river fall Ocho Rios
Iguazu Falls
Smiley sponge; sponges suck in seawater via small holes on their sides and expel the filtered water
through large holes, in this case the mouth and two eyes
Jamaica Petrel
Blue Mountains
 2. Warm, sunny climate
 3. Closeness to 3 major markets
 HUMAN FACTORS
Diverse culture: music, food, sports
 ECONOMIC FACTORS
1. Employment, labour intensive
2. Availability of capital (government,
private investment)
3. CSME: Caribbean Single Market
Economy
4. Transport and accommodation
LEFT: Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Rain Forest Aerial Tram.
RIGHT: Sandals Negril beach Resort.
 TRENDS IN THE INDUSTRY
An expanding Tourism industry attributed to world population
increase and higher disposable incomes, affordable packages.
Developments in technology and communication have
increased peoples awareness and stimulated travel interests.
Hotels The number has been declining drastically except for
large resorts with extensive facilities. This has prompted more
elaborate forms of entertainment and recreation.
All-inclusive resorts have seen great expansion since the
1980s.
Condominiums and time-shares have increased in numbers.
Expansion of cruise tourism.
Private boating is growing with an increase in marinas, yachts
and mega-yachts.
 CHALLENGES FOR THE INDUSTRY

Sustainable tourism: due to widespread destruction of the regions

natural heritage. The Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism (STC)
was inaugurated in 1997 in recognition of the need for managing the
resources that sustain tourism.
Globalisation: has opened up the world market for trade and services.
There is the free movement of capital and labour. Investors, employees
are more mobile. The challenge is to retain skilled workers.
Competition from other destinations has caused the introduction of
modern technology which requires training of employees.
The number of tourist arrivals has decreased due to bad publicity,
crime, natural disasters, dependence on foreign airlines, labour shortages
(mentality of overwork and underpay). Increasing tourist arrivals is a
challenge - marketing the Caribbean and branding (MICE) are possible
solutions. Most islands lack a well-defined tourist product with few well
sustained attractions.
Lack of investment: local and international: role of government in
encouraging investment is unclear, lack of capital for local investment.