Category: Tourism

Introduction

Notably, traveling has become one of the most popular leisure activities of the twenty-first century, thanks to the deregulation of air travel and the introduction of low-cost airlines. It is increasingly seen as a vital learning experience and a treatment for stress, sadness, and burnout. People spend weeks or months immersed in various cultures in order to get genuinely authentic experiences. Nevertheless, whether authenticity is operationally attainable is debatable. Firstly, individuals frequently travel to distant places in search of spiritual development. Westerners travel to undeveloped countries with the specific expectations that experiencing economic suffering would increase their appreciation for their privileged situations. This orientalist lens objectifies indigenous cultures by seeing them as the exotic other, understood as the antithesis of the West rather than on their terms (Mackie, 2000). Second, the pursuit of authenticity has culminated in the ‘Disneyfication’ of local cultures, rendering the idea of a genuine tourism experience paradoxical. In order to attract more customers, a location becomes a fabricated and exaggerated representation of itself.

Authenticity has been a critical term in analyzing and evaluating the travel experience. Nonetheless, given the varied interpretations of the concept, its precise definition is not discernible. Lunchaprasith and Macleod (2018) acknowledge that early definitions of authenticity are associated with tourism’s inability to depict actual customs and traditions or with a getaway from inauthentic working lives. Rather than striving to give accurate descriptions of practices and rituals, tourism is about presenting culture to fit visitor demands and expectations (Lunchaprasith and Macleod, 2018). Hence, recent research has shifted toward viewing authenticity as a representation of stakeholders’ worldviews. The contrast between authentic and inauthentic experiences should be considered visitors’ perceptions rather than tourism’s capacity to convey objective truth. Thus, the paper investigates the issue of authenticity of tourism in Thailand to demonstrate the answer to whether a tourist experience can be truly authentic.

The Presentation of a Case Study: Thailand

Tourism is an essential aspect of the Thai economy; hence, Thailand was selected as a case study. Hipsher (2021) states that international tourists provide eighty percent of travel and tourism’s contribution to the Thai economy, with domestic tourism accounting for the remaining twenty percent. Thailand is a popular tourist destination owing to its beaches and other natural attractions, inexpensive pricing, and spicy food. Furthermore, the impression of Thai friendliness attracts many international tourists. These frequently adopted concepts found in Theravada Buddhist teachings to overcome the strains of tourism’s sociocultural repercussions and, therefore, Thais typically thought tourism offered more advantages than issues (Hipsher, 2021). According to World Data (n.d.), Thailand received forty million tourists in 2019, placing it fifth as the most popular tourist location globally in absolute numbers. The country has five cities among the leading hundred most famous tourist destinations (World Data, n.d.). Moreover, Bangkok ranked second in 2019 with more than twenty-five million visitors.

Discussion

For many years, Asian countries have utilized food to distinguish and advertise themselves as destinations by asking tourists to eat and experience local culture. Berno et al. (2021) emphasize that Thailand is one country that has been exceptionally effective in promoting its native food. Food, gastronomy, and culinary traditions are among the most fundamental aspects of culture. Cuisine is a powerful transmitter of traditions, customs, history, social bonding, and celebration; it is more than the sum of its components (Berno et al., 2021). Thus, culture and gastronomy are inseparable; culture may be reflected in the cuisine, and cuisine can represent individual and group cultural identity.

This link between food and culture underpins many tourists’ aspirations to discover local foods when traveling as an effective method of learning, enjoying, and comprehending the country’s culture. Food is one of the most significant resources in each tourist location, as it contributes to a sense of authenticity and belonging (Berno et al., 2021). Although dining in Thailand is linked with rice, it is much more than that. Rice is integrally linked to the Thai people’s life cycle in terms of geography, consumption, religious belief, and ceremonial practice (Berno et al., 2021). Thus, rice is a holy meal for Thais, inextricably related to human existence.

Although rice is an integral part of Thai food and culture, many tourists dismiss it as nothing more than a starchy side dish. Berno et al. (2021) state that rice’s cultural and culinary value is not recognized or acknowledged. Despite the significance of rice in Thai culture and its role in Thai cuisine, stories about the interconnectedness of Thai life and rice have been underutilized and underexplored in tourism (Berno et al., 2021). Thailand’s tourism growth has been chiefly focused on community-based tourism and agro-tourism. Rural scenery and farms serve as backgrounds for more immersive components such as coconut culinary routes, Thai silk communities, and regional ateliers (Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration, 2017). Nonetheless, the Thai government has recently launched the Thailand 4.0 economic structure. This innovative approach to development emphasizes respect for Thai native customs and authenticity, including Thai farmer traditions, healthy countryside lifestyles, and the development of sustainable farming (Prayakavichiet, 2017). Berno et al. (2019) argue that old patterns are difficult to overcome despite the rhetoric about providing possibilities for a more profound sense of Thainess through food. Consequently, tourists may fully experience Thai culture by eating rice, the very core of Thainess and what makes Thais Thai.

Geographic viewpoints have also been used to investigate the intricacies of authentic tourism encounters. Rickly (2018) suggests that slum tourism, a sort of pro-poor tourist activity, is renowned for promising real experiences. Tourists are not only promoted slums as proper areas where they could witness actual poverty but also feel philanthropic towards the local population through the tour price charged (Rickly, 2018). In Thailand, for instance, trekking visitors seek an authentic experience, not just viewing another culture but also experiencing closeness with someone completely different from them (Rickly, 2018). Therefore, authentic experiences have been discovered to be multi-layered through a geographic lens, such that physical closeness and perceiving and enacting place are flexible and adaptable.

A significant example of staged authenticity is the interaction between resorts and eco-tours in Phuket, Thailand. Rickly (2018) investigates the spatial exclusivity of mass tourism and ecotourism. In this area, ecotourism enterprises may increase their clients by using the market of visitors currently on the island while also pushing towards stricter limits limiting tourism expansion (Rickly, 2018). In other words, companies can use faked authenticity to attract tourists who are primarily interested in mass tourism resorts to participate in eco-tours that help conservation programs. Pookhao Sonjai et al. (2018) claim that the problem of power imbalance in Thailand tourism impacts how the community commodifies its sociocultural distinctiveness of people and location, turning them into products for the enjoyment of tourists. The community-based approach’s goal is to transfer power to the local community to manage, preserve, and revitalize the culture or determine what to display and sell to tourists (Pookhao Sonjai et al., 2018). Nonetheless, external power continues to affect local sociocultural commodification through stakeholder collaboration.

Additionally, the Thai community has also become connected to the identity offered to foreigners by the media in terms of self-reliance and solid local collaboration. Pookhao Sonjai et al. (2018) argue that the villagers have eventually linked with the identity provided by the tourists. As a result, in the open settings, the villagers act as expected by visitors, yet they behave differently within the limits of their restricted space. Thus, a tourist experience in Thailand cannot be truly authentic. Postmodernism, according to Larsen (2014), blurs the boundary between “representations” and “reality” (p. 306). People are said to live in a highly saturated image world in which representations are ubiquitous and sometimes more fascinating than actuality. Tourists are more interested in representations than reality in the contemporary ‘hyper-mediated’ era. Indeed, travelers frequently visit sites that the media have elevated.

Conclusion

Authenticity has long been used to describe and evaluate the travel experience. Tourism nowadays is about exhibiting culture to meet tourist requirements and desires, rather than providing accurate representations of history and traditions. Tourism fails to recognize that culture is continually evolving because the people who form it are constantly changing. Consequently, the global travel business cannot be authentic because it objectifies and commercializes culture, making it appear manufactured; most travelers visit tourist attractions, which in most cases do not represent the authenticity of culture and are customized for foreigners. People live in a “hyper-mediated” world where omnipresent representations are often more exciting than reality. Therefore, authenticity may be viewed as a representation of stakeholders’ ideas and viewpoints.

Thailand was chosen as a case study to evaluate the prospect of providing tourists with a genuine experience. Based on findings, the Thai community became associated with the identity, which is subject to various stakeholders’ demands, and finally falls into the commercialization of fake, or in other words, staged authenticity. Through stakeholder engagement, external power continues to influence local sociocultural commodification. Rather than attempting to provide authentic experiences of customs and rituals, tourism is about showcasing culture to meet the visitors’ expectations, desires, and requirements, and Thailand is a prime example.

Reference List

Berno, T., Dentice, G. and Wisansing, J. J. (2019) ‘Kin kao laew reu young (‘have you eaten rice yet’)?: A new perspective on food and tourism in Thailand’, In Park, E., Kim, S., and Yeoman, I. (eds.) Food Tourism in Asia. Perspectives on Asian Tourism. Singapore: Springer, pp. 17-30.

Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration. (2017) Community benefitting through tourism report. Bangkok: Perfect Link Consulting Group.

Hipsher, S.A. (2021) ‘Tourism in Thailand: Exploitation or opportunity?’, International Journal of Asian Business and Information Management (IJABIM), 12(3), pp. 26-42.

Larsen, J. (2014) ‘The tourist gaze 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0’. in Lew, A. A., Hall, C. M., and Williams, A. M. (eds.) The Wiley Blackwell companion to tourism. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, pp. 304-313.

Lunchaprasith, T. and Macleod, D. (2018) ‘Food tourism and the use of authenticity in Thailand’, Tourism Culture & Communication, 18(2), pp. 101-116.

Mackie, V. (2000) ‘The Metropolitan gaze: Travellers, bodies and spaces’, Intersections: Gender, History and Culture in the Asian Context, 4.

Pookhao Sonjai, N., Bushell, R., Hawkins, M., and Staiff, R. (2018) ‘Community-based ecotourism: beyond authenticity and the commodification of local people’, Journal of Ecotourism, 17(3), 252-267.

Prayakavichiet, P. (2017) Rice road.

Rickly, J. M. (2018) ‘Tourism geographies and the place of authenticity’, Tourism Geographies, 20(4), pp. 733-736.

World Data. (n.d.). Tourism in Thailand.

Executive Summary

Tourism has a number of social benefits to the host communities. From one end, it assembles people of different cultural affiliations together. The act of sharing and learning from each other’s culture fosters cultural understanding. This understanding is an incredible ingredient towards embracing the spirit of multiculturalism.

However, when cultural inferiority and superiority complexes exist between the host communities and the visiting people, embracement of multiculturalism suffers a great deal. The perceptions of the host people about tourism also play pivotal roles in determining the social impacts of tourism. When tourism serves to introduce some lifestyles that are not acceptable within the ethical and moral domains of the host communities, they may perceive it as a means of deteriorating their cultural beliefs and norms.

Therefore, rather than tourism serving to highlight and reinforce the need for global cultural integration, it serves to produce cultural conflicts. The paper notes that some of the things that cause the cultural conflicts are only undue indulgences by some specific persons but not the entire society from which the tourists come. Unfortunately, chances exist where the host communities may tend to over generalize the behaviors of an individual tourist to use them to define the entire society from which she or he comes.

This leads to stereotyping, which is another social impact of tourism. The paper also argues that tourism has the social impacts of creating public awareness of the host communities’ cultural artifacts coupled with their needs to the international community. More often than not, such awareness has the implication of attracting the attention of the global community to the societal needs.

Introduction

Across the globe, tourism constitutes an industry that is growing rapidly. It affects communities both socially and economically. This means that it is a source of livelihood to many people living within tourism destinations. However, even with these advantages, tourism creates a perceived fear among the residents of the tourism destinations who associate with the perception of its capacity to erode the cultures of the indigenous people.

Opposed to these negative social impacts, “as with any economic activity, tourism can have negative impacts on communities” (Surabaya, Tee, and Somme 57). Thus, it is critical for measures and steps taken to be taken to minimize all these negative impacts so that tourism can act to benefit the communities living within the locations of the tourism destinations. As an economic sector, tourism is peculiar in comparison with all other economic sectors.

In the first instance, unlike many sectors, tourism remains a subtle industry whose employees remain not replaced by technology. Consequently, tourism will continue to act a major source of employment. It “aids in the conservation of natural spaces, avoids the migration of the local population, and improves the economic and socio-cultural level of the local population” (Haley 4).

Tourism plays pivotal roles as a major employer in changing social interactions of people. Additionally, tourism facilitates “the commercialization of the local products, interchange of ideas, costumes and the sensitization of the tourist, and local population for protection of the environment” (Haley 4).

From the perspective this fundamental argument, this paper focuses on highlighting the various social impacts of tourism. However, since time constraint hinders one from scrutinizing all the impacts in a single paper, the research paper only considers the social impacts of tourism.

Methodology

This research utilizes secondary data and information to analyze the social impacts of tourism. The research generates data and information from a variety of secondary sources including libraries, journals, and internet resources. After an in depth analysis of the social impacts of tourism as reflected in these secondary sources, the research will draw inferences from them.

However, it is crucial to reveal that such an approach introduces a major drawback especially on issues such as the reliability of the secondary sources as general reflections of social impacts of tourism. Nevertheless, the paper mitigates this limitation by drawing the sources utilized in the literature review from a variety of studies based on largely disbursed geographical regions across the globe.

Aims and Objectives

The main objectives of this research are to

• Introspect the social impacts of tourism
• Deploy the social impacts introspected in (i) above to prescribe some approaches that may be used to minimize and mitigate the negative impacts

Based on these objectives, the main aim of the research is to lay down theoretical constructs on how tourism can act to influence societies living in tourism destinations positively. By shedding light on the negative and positive impacts of tourism, the point of argument here is that it becomes possible to capitalize on specific policies to enhance the realization of optimal benefits from the positive impacts while minimizing the negative impacts.

Literature Review

Residents’ Perception of Tourism

An enormous body of knowledge, which scrutinizes the impacts of tourism on societies living within tourism destinations, depicts tourism as having both positive and negative social impacts. On the negative side, Deer, Jag, and Fred argue, “most jobs for local people in the tourist industry require the locals to work as servants, house maids, waiters, gardeners, and other menial works that may give people a sense of inferiority” (66).

Consequently, tourism may make people perceive themselves as inferior in comparison to those touring their historical areas of residence. The danger in this kind of perception is that local people possess high risks of their cultures mixing with those of the tourists.

Therefore, their cultural artifacts are likely to disappear or fade. While this argument may remain valid in some situations, it is also arguable that cultures of people may also act as sources of tourism attraction. Consequently, while tourism may serve to dissolve indigenous people’s cultures, it may also act as a mechanism of reinforcing them because, if indigenous people’s cultures attract tourists, it is likely that the tourists would tend to associate themselves with such cultures for them to have an ample experience on the cultures.

Deer, Jag, and Fred agree with line of argument by claiming, “Tourists come from other societies with different values and lifestyles, and because they have come to seek pleasure, they may spend large amounts of money besides behaving in ways that they would not accept at home” (68). This implies that the fantasy associated with tourism may act to justify some otherwise morally unacceptable social indulgences.

In this line of argument, Haley asserts, “visitor’s behavior can have a detrimental effect on the quality of life of the host community including crowding and congestion, drugs and alcohol problems, and prostitution and increased crime levels”(5). When some of the unethical behaviors evidencing themselves within societies because of tourism end up being justified, the moral norms that tie the host communities together must disintegrate.

Thus, the society becomes fragmented. In addition, societies may develop a perception that tourism is one of the mechanisms of taking away what is traditionally rightfully theirs. For instance, in most cases, some people normally move from their places of residence to pave ways for construction of tourists’ recreational centers, restaurants, and amusement parks among other things.

This case has the implication of making tourism “infringe on human rights” (Haley 6). Where tourists may engage in morally unacceptable indulgences within their societies of origin, their interaction with local people within the tourism destinations may create the wrong impression about the social, moral, and ethical constructions of the societies from which particular tourist comes. In one end, this may have the implication of stereotyping some people of a given originality.

On the other end, where a given society living within tourism attraction centers perceives itself as inferior in comparison to the visiting people, chances are that it may end up embracing certain unethical indulgences, which may not even be acceptable by the visitors’ cultural, moral, and ethical norms. In this context, Deer, Jag, and Fred argue, “local people seeing the tourist example may want to live and behave the same way” (67).

This step is a great impediment to social norms of the indigenous people living within tourism attraction destinations. By impairing the social norms of the residents of tourists’ destinations, tourism creates differing perceptions about the tourists among the locals. For instance, Haley argues that aspects that are akin to the perception of tourism among the local people living within north America results to poor and inappropriate hosts’ attitudes.

According to him, tourism truncates into “increased noise, litter, traffic, crime, over-crowding, and tourism-induced price increases” (5). In particular, price hiking that is induced by the perception that tourists have a lot of money to spend impairs the buying power of the local people living within the localities where the tourism attraction centers are located.

Nevertheless, the same perception leads to prioritization of certain developments within the tourism destination centers, which have the overall impact of bettering the mobility of the local people. A good example of this is the immense investment by the governments towards the development of infrastructures including roads and recreational facilities in areas of tourist attraction. The myriads of social impacts of tourism based on the perceptions of people about economic activities are ideally theoretical in nature.

Quoting Ape et al. work on ‘Developing and Testing a Tourism Impact Scale’, which was published in the journal Travel Research in 1998, Haley supports this line of argument. He asserts, “While the research conducted has made a significant step towards a better understanding of the relationship between positive and negative perceptions of tourism and support for specific tourism-related policies, historically, most of the research on the topic of residents’ perceptions has been theoretical in nature” (Haley 6).

To resolve the criticism of understanding of social impacts of tourism based on the constructed perception of people about the industry, the theory of social exchange is relevant. Surabaya, Tee, and Somme have done a research on the capacity of social exchange theory to explain the social impacts of tourism. Their research claims, “It is not simply the existence of an exchange that is important, but the nature and value of the exchange that influences attitudes and perceptions” (Surabaya, Tee, and Somme 59).

This implies that people who are likely to hold a positive perception of the social impact of tourism are the ones who have been employed by the industry. However, for this to happen, such people need to have had a positive employment experience with the industry. Otherwise, their perceptions would end up being negative. Thus, it is arguable that the discussed social impact of tourism based on the perception of the locals is akin to experience that people have with the tourism industry within their areas of residence.

Tourism and Stereotyping

Tourism brings together people of differing nationalities, race, and gender coupled with people segregated based on other demographic differences. More often than not, conception of differences among people in a negative way based on nationality, gender, and race among other social and demographic differences merely entangle oversimplification of perceptions of people involved.

In fact, association of one group with some certain characteristics that are inferior or negative is not based on facts but rather on misconceptions and prejudices. These misconceptions and prejudices about a particular group of people lead to their stereotyping. More interactively, and from the perspective of socio-psychology, stereotyping entangles “the pictures that people have in their heads about other groups” (Major et al. 34).

When the interactions of tourists with the indigenous people within the localities of tourism destinations serve to amplify the differences between the tourists and the locals, the preconceived negative perceptions of the indigenous people against the tourists’ of particular origin are confirmed.

For instance, when an indigenous person living within a tourist attraction destination encounters an individual of a certain nationality who is violent, the person may spread the news that all people belonging to the same nationality as the tourist are all violent.

This kind of generalization hinders diversity besides leading to stigmatization and discrimination. Although these are examples of negative stereotypes, positive stereotypes associated with tourists of a given originality may also be harmful since they truncate into limitation of the attitudes of people towards a group of people.

Bearing in mind the arguments raised here, is becomes imperative to posit that, depending on the nature of social and cultural differences between the indigenous people and the tourists, tourism may act to either boost the spirit of multiculturalism or destroy it even further when two groups of people of different nationalities come together. Concepts of stereotyping are anchored on three fundamental aspects. These are traits, concepts, and antecedents. Antecedents involve feelings of being rejected or accepted at an individual level.

In the interaction process of tourists and the local people, such feelings influence the local people’s behaviors and attitudes towards tourists and vice versa. On the other hand, concepts entail a “person’s beliefs regarding the stereotype that out-group members hold about his or her own group” (Voyager and Main 917). This implies that people who are stereotyped presume that the version of beliefs held against their intergroup are justifiable from the basis of impressions held by other people as opposed to out-group stereotypes.

This aspect of stereotyping is significant in the social interactions of people possessing conspicuous differences. Arguably, tourism presents such kind of social interaction. Indeed, the traits of stereotypes are contextual components, behavioral components, and cognitive components. Such components play incredible roles in defining social relationships between tourists and the host communities.

Tourism and Multiculturalism

For the creation of an environment that would foster multiculturalism, it is desirable that the parties coming together respect the cultural norms of each other. Unfortunately, “…out of ignorance or carelessness, tourists may fail to respect local customs and moral values” (Deer, Jag, and Fred 67).

The repercussion is the emergence of cultural conflicts. This means that one of the groups of people would be seeing the other as having some cultural traits, which are inferior in comparison to the cultural norms of the group from where one comes. This hinders the integration of the indigenous people’s and the tourists’ cultures.

The implication is hindering multiculturalism. In the same line of thought, Gawker Visitor Information posits, “there are some concerns that tourism development may lead to destinations losing their cultural identity by catering for the perceived needs of tourists – particularly from international markets” (2).

Therefore, a cultural battle exists between tourists and the indigenous people due to the need to protect the cultural artifacts of the indigenous people and the need to fulfill the cultural desires of the international tourist in the attempt to entice them to come back.

Where tourism is the only source of income in societies that are caught up in the mayhem of cultural conflicts, the battle has the highest probabilities of favoring the tourists. Put differently, the cultures of the indigenous people would be superimposed by those of the tourists. Consequently, the fertile environments for fostering multiculturalism cease to exist. Where the indigenous people are culturally inflexible, the overall impact is hostility.

The local people acerbate this hostility towards the tourists in the attempt to maintain cultural status quo. The argument here is that, in case the interaction process of tourists and the local people produces threats to the cultures of both parties, it becomes incredibly difficult for either party to embrace the differences between them. Therefore, creating the spirit of multiculturalism becomes difficult.

Amid the raised concerns that cultural conflicts between tourists and the host communities establish an environment that is prohibitive of cultural integration and hence multiculturalism, there is a scholarly evidence that tourism is an essential tool for propagating cultural understanding. For instance, Surabaya, Tee, and Somme argue, “tourism is an interface for cultural exchange, facilitating the interaction between communities and visitors (domestic and international)” (59).

Opposed to the raised arguments, where the grounds for visiting a particular destination are pegged on the reasons for coming to an understanding and experiencing a certain group of people’s cultures, cultural conflicts may not exist because there is no point that the tourists would attempt to seek attention for their cultural beliefs and affiliations from the host communities.

Rather, the intention of visits is to experience cultural beliefs and affiliations of the host communities. In this dimension, Surabaya, Tee, and Somme assert, “People want to interact with other cultures, learn about traditions, and even confront themselves with new perspectives on life and society” (59). Directly congruent with this view, it sounds plausible to infer that the tourism industry is driven by experience. Hence, host communities’ culture constitutes unique experiences.

Tourism as a Tool for Creating Social Awareness

The cultural artifacts of different people are unique. When tourists visit to experience these artifacts of local people, awareness of both the existence and value for the cultural artifacts of the host community is created. This way, tourism helps in the integration of the host communities’ beliefs and norms with those of the wider global community.

It also helps in raising the caliber of awareness of the host communities’ social needs. For instance, through tourism, awareness is created for the inadequacy of community services such as healthcare and or continued persistence of cultural beliefs that impede the development of societies such as seeking access to education, gender equality, and other things that are given amicable consideration by the developed societies.

Based on the experience concerning the ways of life of particular groups of people, donor agencies are able to design programs to address the challenges that face people in ways that the programs are going to be welcomed without undue friction. Still in the realm of awareness, Haley argues that tourism helps to create awareness for the need to “promote conservation of wildlife and natural resources such as rain forests, as these are now regarded as tourism assets” (12).

However, even though the awareness of the needs to conserve the natural environment is created coupled with the society embracing the efforts, tourism also acts to destroy it. Surabaya, Tee, and Somme exemplify how tourism may serve to destroy natural ecosystems amid the intensive awareness by the host communities on the significance of their conservation.

They argue, “Tourism poses a threat to a region’s natural and cultural resources such as water supply, beaches, coral reefs, and heritage sites through overuse” (Surabaya, Tee, and Somme 63). This negative impact is even more amplified by considering how tourism results to more waste release to the environment, more noise, and littering among other things.

Conclusion

Therefore, based on the expositions made in the paper about tourism, it suffices to declare the industry as one that has a lot of influence socially and economically. Socially, tourism influences host communities both positively and negatively. In this research paper, it has been argued that some of the social impacts of tourism are erosion and or fostering the cultures of the indigenous people. It may lead to stereotyping besides serving as a tool for creating awareness.

The capacity of tourism to result to reinforcement of the cultural beliefs of the locals or to erode them depends on the perceptions that the locals have on tourisms and the reasons as to why people visit a particular destination. From this paradigm, the paper argues that, in case people tour certain tourism attraction centers with the chief intention of learning and experiencing the cultures of the indigenous people, chances of cultural conflicts are minimal since tourists would not bring in their cultural beliefs and affiliations in the interaction process.

Furthermore, the paper argued that where tourists engage in some behaviors, which are not morally acceptable by the host communities, tourism might have the social impacts of inducing stereotypes. This acts as immense impediments to the integration of the persons brought together by tourism. In overall, the paper maintains that tourism has more positive social impacts than negative impacts. Therefore, tourism acts to benefit the host communities both socially and economically.

Works Cited

Deer, Margaret, Leo Jag, and Liz Fred. “Rethinking social impacts of tourism research: A new research agenda.” Tourism Management 33.1(2012): 64-73. Print.

Gawker Visitor Information. The Social and Cultural Impacts of Tourism, 2011. Web.

Haley, Arthur. The Social Impacts of Tourism: A Case Study of Bath, UK. Surrey: University of Surrey, UK, 2004. Print.

Major, Boniface et al. “Coping with negative stereotypes about intellectual performance: The role of psychological disengagement.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 24.3(1998): 34-50. Print.

Surabaya, Elijah, Veronica Tee, and Stephaney Somme. “Understanding Residents’ support for tourism development in the central region of Ghana.” Journal of Travel Research 41.3(2002): 57-67. Print.

Voyager, Douglas, and James Main. “How Do Individuals Expect to Be Viewed by Members of Lower Status Groups? Content and Implications of Meta-Stereotypes.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 75.4(1998): 917-937. Print.

Introduction

Tourism is a recreational or leisure-time activity where people travel and stay in places, which are not their usual residence for a period not exceeding one consecutive year.

In Newquay Cornwall, the most form of tourism is the package holiday whereby travel, accommodation and predetermined meals are all included in the price and are usually booked in advance mostly by the travel agent. (Www.cornwalltouristboard.co.uk)

Newquay Cornwall is a known tourist destination. It attracts both locals and foreign tourists as it offers various unique features which range from coastline fan recreation, entertainment, food and beverages, travel services, and accommodations. The number of foreign visitors outnumbers the local visitors by about ten times. This high number is attributed to the Newquay Cornwall friendly warm weather and its richness in natural features such as the 2005 aquarium and farms that fascinate tourist very much.

This area has also experienced some problems that have affected its business adversely. Its major problem is the violation of environmental regulations that had led to its degradation. The following are the observations, analysis and conclusion that were arrived at after a research on the area concerning the following objectives.

The Cornish Map

Aims

1. To find out why Newquay Cornwall has so many visitors
2. To determine the negative effects associated with tourism business in Newquay Cornwall.
3. To find out the dominant means of travel used in Newquay Cornwall.

Problems of study

1. What is the cause of the high number of visitors in the Newquay Cornwall tourist site?
2. Which are the problems that are associated with tourism at Newquay Cornwell?
3. What is the dominant means of transport used in Newquay?

Hypothesis

1. The cause of the high number of tourist in Newquay is because of its good weather, richness of natural features and good farms.
2. Enviromental degradation is the negative effect caused by tourism in Newquay Cornwall
3. The dominant means of travel in Newquay Cornwall is road transport.

Sources of Primary Data

The method used to gather the information used for research purposes involved the use of interview. In this process a sample of one hundred tourists and fifty workers on the Cornwall tourist site were given some questioners to fill. The questioners required the tourist to give the reasons that make them prefer Cornwall as their tour destination. These questions also required them to list the problems they experience during their visit to the site. It questions also required them to offer their suggestion on how tourism industry can be on the area. On the other hand the questions required the work force at the Cornwall to give the challenges they experience in their work. They also required the workers to give their solution to these problems and mechanism they have put in place to address these issues and especially the issue of environmental degradation in Cornwall. The other method that was used to collect data was the use of camera to take photographs.

Sources of Secondary Data

The primary data was supplemented by the information gathered from the research from the Cornwall website. These websites include the following sources

www.corwalltourist.co.uk,wwwpriceofwales.gov.uk and www.db.cornwall.gov.uk.

Observation

The Newquay Cornwall has an increasing reputation for its numerous beaches that are over one hundred and fifty. One of these common beaches that act as a tourist major attraction site is shown below. www.cornishlight.com

The Cornish Beach

These beaches enable the tourist to participate in various water sports. These water sports range from water skiing, rowing among many others. Some of these sports are shown below. www.cornishlight.com

Tourist Rowing at Cornish Beach

The area has also numerous rivers and natural vegetation that also adds to the beauty of the area. These rivers also offer an opportunity to the tourist to extend their water sports to these areas and enable them to do fishing. The natural vegetation on the other hand helps to modify the climate of this place and acts as the habitant of thousands of beach insects and birds that fascinate the tourist who visit Cornwall very much.

The beautiful natural scenery of Cornish area

The other attraction is the Cornish cider farms that are well known all over the world. These farms supply various kinds of fruits to the visiting tourist. The fruits orchards also offers good tractor riding places for the tourist who have visited the Newquay Cornwall.

In the coast there are many risk due to current, tidal flows and due to pollution. The Newquay Cornwall local authorities working in conjunction with other local agencies such as the harbor authorities and marine time and cost guard agency have taken the right measures to ensure the safety of the tourists. One of the measures taken to guarantee security of the tourist includes site guarding. This gives confidence to the tourists to freely explore the area. www.db.cornwall.gov.uk

The Newquay Cornwall has a good infrastructure with a good transport network that provides a smooth flow of people inside and outside this region. Most of people visit this place by cars while the others prefer to use air flight that is enabled by the presence of an airstrip. There are some people who opt to use steam railways. Due to the high number of visitors in this area, there has been noted an increase of the rate of environmental pollution in Newquay Cornwall. This pollution is in the form of air pollution as a result of the exhaust fumes from the vehicles, steam trains or the aeroplanes that visit this area. It is also in the form of water pollution due to water sports, which are tourists’ common activities. (Www.cornwalltouristboard.co.uk)

The tourists preferences means of transports in Newquay Cornwall.

Analysis

A survey conducted on the Newquay Cornwall to determine the means of travel used by its visitors found that 84.4% of the visitor’s uses cars, 11.4% use bus, 2.5% train while 1.7% travel by air. This disparity of the means of travel is enabled by the availability of Newquay Cornwall good infrastructure. The good roads network in Newquay Cornwall that connects all the major tourist cites makes this means of transport be the most dominant means of travel. (Www.cornwalltouristboard.co.uk)

The issue of environmental degradation in Newquay has raised an alarm. This has resulted to a decline in the number of insects and birds in this area. The high pollution in the area is mainly attributed to the tourism industry. This is due to the poor use of the area’s resources by the visitors. Appropriate measures have now been put into place to stop this pollution. Hotels and the local authorities have joined hands to address this issue. They are advocating for Solid waste management, energy conservation and reliance on renewable energy sources rather than the use of petroleum that contributes to approximately 90% of the pollution in the area. There have been some other steps that have been undertaken to minimize pollution in the area, which includes recycling of some waste materials. People visiting the area are encouraged to walk, cycle or use public transport to minimize air pollution due to burning of fossil fuels. These steps have greatly helped to sustain the birds and the insects found at Cornish that were there before endangered species due to the high pollution that was present.

This method also guarantees that there are no traffic jams and the flow of people in and out of the area is smooth. Unlike when vehicles are dominantly used this slows the movement due to traffic jams that are very common.

Conclusion

The major factor that promotes the tourism industry in Newquay Cornwall is its richness in natural features. The presence of a very long coastline in the area that enables the tourist to participate in various water sports acts as a boost to the industry. In the Newquay Cornwall, appropriate measures have been taken to guarantee the security of tourists. This allows the tourists to freely explore the area. The Cornwall Orchards and farms also enhance the tourism industry as they provide various fruits and foodstuffs to the tourists who have visited the place. Therefore with the introduction of the measures to curb environmental pollution in the area, the tourism industry in this area will highly improve in the future. (www.princeofwales.gov.uk)

Britain’s national tourism agency that markets tourism industry in Britain and oversees is known as VisitBritain. VisitBritain is a non-departmental public body that receives its funding from the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport. To ensure effective and appropriate marketing of Britain in 35 global markets, VisitBritain collaborates with partners within and outside the United Kingdom.

Some of the partners include Wales, Scotland, England, and London tourism boards as well as worldwide brands like the English Premier League, Samsung, and agencies run by the government such as operators, airlines, and UKTI (Miles & Snow 1978, p. 64). The board of tourism in Great Britain Tourist Authority (BTA) formed under the Development of Tourism Act in 1969 employs the term “VisitBritain.”

The main aim of establishing VisitBritain was to promote the tourism industry within England and oversees. During its formation, the English Tourism Council and the British Tourism Authority had joined efforts. In an effort to promote tourism in Europe, VisitBritain and other members established the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT) in 2006.

VisitBritain also aims at promoting the tourism industry in the United Kingdom. According to a study conducted by a National Audit Study, planning and execution of marketing strategies applied by the organisation is excellent (Ramgulam, Raghunandan & Raghunandan 2012, p. 331).

Organisational Structure

VisitBritain board comprises eight members, Christopher Rodrigues the acting chairperson, CBE, and other six. The secretary for Culture, Olympics, Media, and Sport appoints five members and the sixth member is appointed by Welsh Assembly. During Board meetings, the chairpersons of VisitScotland and VisitEngland join as ex-official members. Few observers are also invited during the meeting (Ramgulam, Raghunandan & Raghunandan 2012, p. 333).

Objectives of VisitBritain

According to Ramgulam, Raghunandan, and Raghunandan (2012, p. 335), VisitBritain aims at motivating tourists from oversees to visit Britain and explore. Second, the organisation encourages residents of Britain to spend their holidays in Great Britain. It aims at improving and promoting the quality of facilities and services offered to tourists in Britain. It is its duty to offer advice on matters related to tourism to public bodies and the tourism industry in Britain. VisitBritain offers worldwide network to promote tourism oversees.

Marketing strategies applied by VisitBritain

VisitBritain inspires overseas tourists to tour Britain. A new partnership was launched by the Prime Minister between the tourism sector and VisitBritain at the beginning of 2011. The joint venture formed a foundation for a marketing program expected to last for four years. Events like the 2012 Olympic Games that will take place in London, Paralympic games, and 2012 Diamond Jubilee will attract large numbers of people to visit Britain.

VisitBritain cooperates with a variety of industries, carriers, public diplomacy, and brands to develop public relation programs, digital content, marketing, and inspirational websites that attract tourists from overseas to tour the country. Tourists are motivated to visit and gain knowledge of different regions and nations in Britain. The aim of VisitBritain is to ensure that even with increased competition in the tourism sector; Britain is still among the top tourist destinations in the world (Sarles 2011, p. 40).

VisitBritain launched the first global campaign through the broadcast media in June 2011. The organisation had several short films and advertisements during which potential visitors received warm and personal invitations from celebrities. In September 2011, VisitBritain used 3D artwork and conducted several stunts advertising the quality of services and offers in 10 cities around the globe.

In addition, the organisation campaigned online through the internet to create awareness and reach as many people as possible. Online partners use digital and social media. Working with internet search engines like Twitter, Facebook, Google, and Yahoo, the web-based television has enabled VisitBritain to reach the majority of young people.

Internet search engines offer a quick and efficient communication means for people at distant places. This motivates people to visit Britain. The success of VisitBritain in online activities is evidenced by the honors it has received like the Group travel award for providing the best online information and times online award for developing the best tourism board twitter site (Sarles 2011, p. 45).

Government agencies of the United Kingdom in overseas countries also play a major role in promoting Britain’s tourism industry through promoting Britain as a convenient place to do business, undertake studies as well as spent holidays and vacations. VisitBritain has worked hand-in-hand with other partners like P and O Ferries, DFDS Seaways, Easy Jet, British Airways, Hilton Hotels, and Resorts, STA travel, and Radisson Edwardian.

The above industrial partners have offered financial support toward promotion of the tourism industry through the campaigns. VisitBritain’s partners contributed around £20 million in support of the campaigns (Hudson 2008, p. 80). Other important partners are tourism agencies like VisitWales, VisitScotland, and VisitEngland in the United Kingdom.

They offer a rich variety of contents in the tourist destination areas encouraging tourists to tour Britain. The organisation wishes to mobilise Britons to invite their relatives and friends to come to Britain. Britain reaches out to more than 60 million people through social media. VisitBritain aims at attracting more visitors from within the United Kingdom.

VisitBritain has established trade, consumer, and media websites in 21 markets around the world that help in creating awareness of large numbers of people. These markets account for three-quarters of the expenditure of inbound tourism. Different traditional and innovative strategies of marketing like social media, PR activity, press, branding, digital, and tactical advertisements are applied.

This makes it easy for the organisation to analyse and offer advice on issues and challenges hindering the growth of tourism (Buhalis 2003, p. 60). VisitBritain carries out research and analysis of tourism industry, organises, and facilitates trade and sales events, and merges with public diplomacy partners like UKTI, British Council, and FCO to ensure worldwide promotion of Britain.

The main focus of the organisation is core markets and online awareness as well as networked representatives that enable VisitBritain to reach many potential tourists. Some of the marketing services offered by VisitBritain include market intelligence and insights, B2B, and media connectivity, match-funding, funding, and providing security to local partners, diplomatic public works, and helping overseas tourist agencies working to promote the tourism industry in the United Kingdom (Schuler 1992, p. 23).

VisitBritain analyses the trends and performance of the tourism industry to give insights to the industry on how to develop products of interest to international tourists for efficient marketing of the industry. The organisation advises the UK government on issues related to tourism. The advice focuses mainly on the position of the tourism industry in Britain in relation to her international competitors.

VisitBritain examines the core markets to determine the necessary steps to be taken to ensure effective competition of Britain’s tourism. VisitBritain analyses and identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the industry as well as establishing tourism strategies that could make the government, national board of tourism, public diplomacy bodies, and the tourist sector in Britain to cooperate.

In 2010, Britain attained position seven in terms of international tourism and position six in the number of international tourists visiting the country. Turkey, Germany, and Australia are stiff competitors in terms of arrivals. This shows that there is a stiff worldwide competition in the tourism industry (Misiura 2006, p. 33).

Britain’s tourism sector is competing with several emerging markets that are growing fast as well as cultural destination areas popular in other countries (Clarke & Flaherty 2005, p. 46). For instance, China is among the three countries in the world with the highest number of tourists. Out of 130 tourist destination areas, Britain was ranked seven in the World Economic “Competitive Index” Forum in 2011.

The aim of VisitBritain is to ensure that the tourism industry in Britain moves higher. Britain is ranked 21^st in regulatory frameworks, 11^th in infrastructure and business environment, and 3^rd in as far as natural, cultural, and human assets are concerned. VisitBritain believes that if tourists are to travel from Latin America, Middle East, India, and Asia to Britain for the first time, necessary measures should be taken to make Britain a welcoming, accessible, and desirable destination area for tourists.

To enhance competition and win the market share, VisitBritain has to cooperate with the tourism sector on issues pertaining to the development and packaging of products. Moreover, it has to cooperate with the government on issues concerning capacity of aviation and visas (French & Runyard 2012, p. 60).

For efficient marketing of Britain, VisitBritain works together with commercial partners to get marketing assets and funds. VisitBritain has established partners with Radisson Edwardian hotels, P and O Ferries, British Airways, DFDS Seaways, Hilton Hotels, and Resorts, American Express, and other boards. VisitBritain operates and distributes VisitBritain shop platforms through online and offline retail shops to third parties.

Online shops enables tourists from all parts of the world to book for attractions in London and United Kingdom, sightseeing tours and make payments using their local currencies and language before travelling (Rogers 2012, p. 87). This is beneficial for tourists because they can plan for their holidays while at home countries to avoid long queues in Britain.

The estimated number of annual visitors to the online shop is 1.8 million. Tourists are provided with quality products to enhance their stay in Britain. The organisation runs B2B marketing travel trade missions, workshops, and exhibitions oversee that attract partners from the tourism sector. Around £1.8 million of the expenses is generated in this way (Ashworth & Kavaratzis 2010, p. 110).

VisitBritain conducts campaigns that create awareness of potential visitors, thus contributing positively to tourism industry. The campaigns are mainly implemented in target markets through many events and channels to reach large numbers of people. Tourism businesses receive free insights, statistics, and market research from VisitBritain, including operator directories for tour and trade and market profiles.

The relationship between VisitBritain and travel industries like B2B newsletters, exhibitions, workshops, assisted sales calls, workshops, and Agents training program help VisitBritain to create awareness on services and facilities available in tourist destination areas in Britain (Kotler & Armstrong, p. 152).

List of References

Ashworth, G, & Kavaratzis, M 2010, Towards effective place brand management: branding European cities and regions, Edward Elgar Publishing, New York.

Buhalis, D 2003, ETourism: Information technology for strategic tourism management, Prentice Hall, New York.

Clarke, I, & Flaherty, T 2005, Advances in Electronic Marketing, Idea Group Inc., London.

French, Y, & Runyard, S 2012, Marketing and public relations for museums, galleries, cultural and heritage attractions, Routledge, New York.

Hudson, S 2008, Tourism and Hospitality Marketing: A Global Perspective, SAGE, New York.

Kotler, P, & Armstrong, G 2004, Principles of Marketing, (10th ed.), Prentice Hall, New Jersey.

Miles, P, & Snow, C 1978, Organizational Strategy, structure and Process, McGraw Hill, New York.

Misiura, S 2006, Heritage marketing, Routledge, New York.

Ramgulam, N, Raghunandan, M, & Raghunandan, M 2012, ‘The quest for sustainable business tourism: an examination of its economic viability in Trinidad,’Global Conference on Business & Finance Proceedings, 7, 2, pp. 331-342

Rogers, T 2012, Conferences and Conventions, Routledge, New York.

Sarles, C 2011, ‘Introducing applied dissertations: Opportunities for industry connection in postgraduate study,’ Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education, 10, 1, pp. 37-48

Schuler, R 1992, ‘Strategic human resource management: Linking the people with the strategic needs of the business,’ Organizational Dynamics, 21, 1, pp. 18 -32

Introduction

With the rise in the globalization rates, traveling has become increasingly more available to general audiences. As a result, traveling has transformed into one of the key options for a vacation. Specifically, a cruise as one of the ways of exploring other countries has gained quite strong traction among numerous U.S. citizens. Since the concept of a cruise has been shaped to represent a single pricing module and is an up-front cost, it must be recognized as the best way of spending one’s vacation.

Analysis

Among the main reasons to consider cruising as the key means of spending a vacation, one must mention the issue of costs first. As a rule, vacations tend to be extraordinarily expensive due to the need to incorporate both the elements of leisure and the key aspects of one’s daily routine activities. Specifically, the issue of food and lodging must be mentioned first. Apart from the latter, a cruise also implies the provision of three meals on a regular basis, therefore, relieving one of the necessities to search for cheaper options of breakfast and dinner (Resen 89). Therefore, a cruise needs to be seen as the most beneficial option for a vacation in terms of the opportunity to reduce the amount of expenses.

Indeed, the issue of costs as one of the core advantages of cruising has been emphasized multiple times. For instance, a paper by Chua et al. confirms that, during cruising, one receives services that can be assessed based on two dimensions, namely, that one of technical quality ad that one of functional quality. According to Chua et al., “Technical quality refers to ‘what’ the customer receives as a result of his or her interactions with a service firm, such as hotel rooms and meal” (53). The chance to save money by opting for the meals offered by the cruise members or the tourist agency is quite obvious in this scenario. Moreover, the functional aspect of the offered services is not to be overlooked, either: “On the other hand, functional quality refers to ‘how’ the customer gets the product or service” (Chua et al. 53). Therefore, due to the focus on both the technical and the functional aspects of the service quality during a cruise, one is likely to enjoy fascinating and unforgeable experiences.

Another point to be considered when analysing the advantages of cruising as a vacation option concerns the extensive opportunities for traveling across the world within an astonishingly short amount of time. Though ships might seem inert and sluggish due to its enormous size, yet the actual speed that it can develop is incredibly fast (Simonsen et al. 1059). Using nautical terms, it would be fair to claim that a cruise ship can develop a speed of 20 knots per hour, or 23 miles per hour, which is beyond impressive (Simonsen et al. 1059). With the specified dexterity and an elaborately crafted route to follow, a cruise ship can cover a broad range of destinations, thus, providing its passengers with a plethora of unique cultural experiences and offering a vast number of exotic places to visit (Simonsen et al. 1059). Thus, a ship with passengers on board can go as fast as 23 miles per hour, thus, allowing one to visit an enormous number of places in a multitude of cities and countries.

Additionally, the very setting of a cruse ship may encourage one to reconsider the idea of a fast-pace traveling method. Though the capacities of a cruise ship are truly ample, it typically opts to choose a steady pace, which, when contrasted with the present-day fast-paced lifestyle, offers a pleasant relief from the chaotic urban life. Thus, going on a cruise also helps one redefine one’s attitude to life and the pace at which one should manage routine activities. In other words, a cruise incorporates not only multiple opportunities for recreation and the chance to continue experiencing numerous exotic places, but also a chance to redefine one’s attitude toward the pace at which one should consume information.

Finally, the stress-free environment of a cruise is worth mentioning as one of the core advantages of cruising. Indeed, during a cruise, passengers do not have to concern themselves with transportation. In contrast to traveling by car or considering bike touring, where one has to be consistently focused on the process of driving or riding, a cruise relieves its passengers of the necessity to watch the road. As a result, ample opportunities for relaxation are provided. Thus, one can enjoy a completely stress-free environment while letting those at the helm of the cruise process to take charge of the ship navigation and the related issues. Consequently, the vacation becomes significantly more enjoyable.

Furthermore, the fact that one does not have to take the wheel during a cruise implies getting rid of possible accidents that may occur in the scenarios involving one driving or riding to the destination point. In turn, being on a cruise implies a significant increase in safety due to the transfer of the responsibility for transportation to the captain of the ship. As a result, one can enjoy not only excellent services and well-deserved rest, but also a significant relief due to a drop in responsibilities compared to a traditional vacation, where driving remains one of the key tasks to complete prior to reaching the destination.

Counterargument

Arguably, there are several major disadvantages to being on a cruise. First, the costs associated with taking a ship as the means of touring and exploring different countries should be mentioned. Indeed, due to the challenges and expenses associated with taking a large number of tourists on a cruise, including, but not restricted to, the costs for fuel, the scattering services, and entertainment offered on the ship, a cruise typically costs a substantial amount of money, which usually reaches $150-220 per day (Callais). Therefore, the high prices for the tickets and services are the primary reason for people to abstain from participating in a cruise.

Crowds represent another argument against cruising for those who prefer a quiet and fully relaxing environment. Though the setting and the atmosphere on a cruise may vary significantly depending on its variation and the type of the audience on the ship, the general trend is to create an environment that is substantially loud, colourful, and crowded (Liu et al. 398). As a result, those preferring quiet recreation and unobtrusive services are likely to be dissatisfied with the end result. One could claim that a cruise itself implies a rather active vacation due to the focus on continuous movement and the idea of visiting multiple countries and cities within a surprisingly short amount of time. However, due to the focus on the seemingly passive approach to vacation, namely, being taken to specific sights and being entertained on a ship, may lead some people to believe that the environment of a cruise is very mellow and quiet. Therefore, being disillusioned while participating in a cruise will leave many people disappointed and angry.

Finally, when being at the helm of the decision-making process during a vacation, one can stop at any point in order to shop, explore a particular area, or for any other reason. In contrast, on a cruise, the specified option is unavailable since a cruise ship has a rigid schedule and a clear and unchangeable route. Thus, the predictability and inflexibility of a cruise may inconvenience one to a significant degree.

Facts

Nevertheless, a cruise represents a perfect vacation opportunity despite the disadvantages outlined above. Specifically, during a cruise, one can enjoy recreation and the related activities, keeping oneself entertained and communicating with other cruise participants actively. Furthermore, the existing facts about cruises and traveling by ship, in general, indicate that the specified vacation opportunity is quite popular, safe, and exciting. Remarkably, despite the drastic effects of the coronavirus, the cruise industry continues to grow. Specifically, in 2019, a total of approximately 30,000,000 passengers used cruising as their preferred mode of vacationing (“Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Releases 2019 Cruise Travel Trends and State of the Cruise Industry Outlook Report”). The specified trend proves that cruising remains a popular and often-selected option for vacations.

Furthermore, cruising has become available to a larger range of demographics over the past couple of decades. While the specified option used to be available mostly to the members of the upper or upper middle class, representatives of the middle and even working class have recently started exploring cruising as a recreation option (Cerchiello and Vera-Rebollo 146). The described trend is also correlated with substantially increased safety levels for passengers and crew members alike. Namely, due to the influence of the international maritime Organization, also known as SOLAS, standards and guidelines for maintaining safety at sea have been reinforced (Marchant). As a result, traveling by ship has become much safer than it has ever been. Currently, around 270 ships across more than 50 cruise lines have been providing passengers with much-needed recreation opportunities and tourism options (Marchant). Moreover, the specified number is expected to grow in the future, mostly due to the rise in the reasons for people to cruise (Cerchiello and Vera-Rebollo 157). Specifically, apart from curiosity, the rationale behind cruising includes education, health improvement, and other reasons (Cerchiello and Vera-Rebollo 158). Therefore, cruising is expected to become an even greater trend.

Conclusion

Owing to its undeniable benefits that cruising has gained over the past several decades, such as the ample menu options and the chance to gain profound insights into other countries’ cultures, traditions, and lifestyles, cruising needs to be accepted as one of the best ways of spending a vacation. Indeed, cruising presently offers a variety of services, thus, implying a perfect recreation opportunity, while also suggesting a chance to embrace the variety of different cultures and traditions. Thus, cruising represents a perfect combination of learning and relaxation, which is why it must be seen as the best way of spending one’s vacation.

Works Cited

Callais, Tanner. “How Much a Cruise Costs in 2022.” Cruzely, 2021. Web.

Cerchiello, Gaetano, and José Fernando Vera-Rebollo. “From Elitist to Popular Tourism: Leisure Cruises to Spain during the First Third of the Twentieth Century (1900–1936).” Journal of Tourism History, vol. 11, no. 2, 2019, pp. 144-166.

Chua, Bee-Lia, et al. “Investigation of Cruise Vacationers’ Behavioral Intention Formation in the Fast-Growing Cruise Industry: The moderating Impact of Gender and Age.” Journal of Vacation Marketing, vol. 25, no. 1, 2019, pp. 51-70.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Releases 2019 Cruise Travel Trends and State of the Cruise Industry Outlook Report. Web.

Liu, Yang, et al. “Evacuation Strategy Considering Path Capacity and Risk Level for Cruise Ship.” Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, vol. 10, no. 3, 2022, pp. 398.

Marchant, Natalie. “These Startling Pictures Show the Impact of COVID-19 on the Cruise Industry.” Webforum.org, Web.

Resen, Putu Titah Kawitri, et al. “Flags of Convenience in Cruise Tourism: Is It an Opportunity or an Exploitation of Developing Countries?” Soshum: Jurnal Sosial dan Humaniora, vol. 11, no. 1, 2021, pp. 88-99.

Simonsen, Morten, et al.. “Model for Estimation of Fuel Consumption of Cruise Ships.” Energies, vol. 11, no. 5, 2018, p. 1059.

Introduction

United Arab Emirates (UAE) was formed in 1971 as a confederation comprised of seven emirates. The states forming UAE include; Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras al Khaimah, and Umm al Qaiwain. The economy of UAE was first based on fishing and pearling industry before the discovery of oil.

Abu Dhabi became the first state to export oil in the year 1962, after which others followed. The oil industry has since attracted a number of foreign workers which accounted for almost three-quarters of the population (United Arab Emirates, 2010).

United Arab Emirates has been operating on high and rising oil prices, as well as healthy growth in property markets since the start of the 21^st century. The economy is approximated to be growing at an average rate of 7% p. a. from the year 2000 to 2007.

In their bid to develop a stabilized economy which does not fully rely on energy resources, the country embarked for re-investing assets in the country at local and federal levels (EIU, 2005a). The assets are in form of public-private partnerships, infrastructure, education and training. The country faces several challenges from political, environmental, social and economic.

External threats of geopolitical instability which encompasses unresolved inter-cultural and national ties could lead to some negative impact. Internal threats range from social and political imbalances, increasing rates of unemployment and income distribution.

The United Arab Emirates is a currently which is recorded to undergo tremendous expansion with the governments focused on investing proceeds from high oil prices.

Frequent tourists visits are largely influenced by the nature of environment based on political stability. The level of value attached to recreation destinations has significant contribution towards tourism industry worldwide (United Arab Emirates, 2010).

Tourism is definitely one of the fastest growing sectors of economy in the UAE. However, records reveal that the sector has experienced unlimited economic analysis. There are numerous business entities operating within the same industry, such as transport, hotel and hospitality which make such economic assessment appear tricky.

Tourism contributes significantly into community development since the sector offers numerous employment opportunities. The employment sector within the industry accommodates various areas of expertise skilled and unskilled.

Attraction sites within remote areas should be identified and developed by the government since this could be used to open up avenues for investment activities.

Remote regions are at the same time known to be rich in social and cultural heritage, hence they could be utilized through development of tourism industry. Such development always lead to change in living standards (EIU, 2005a; United Arab Emirates, 2010).

What type of economy is the UAE? List the features that are typical of this type of economy and provide a detailed discussion as to why you have chosen this classification.

The United Arab Emirates is considered to have an industrialized and open kind of economy making the country to be one of the most developed countries in the world. Such categorization is based on various factors, such as GDP indicators and the level of energy consumption per capita.

In the year 2006, the GDP of the UAE was approximated to be around $ 168 billion making the country to be ranked third in the Middle East-North Africa region. Reports indicated that nominal GDP recorded an increase of 35% in the year 2006 (United Arab Emirates, 2010).

In terms of basic economy, the country rates among the highest income providers in the world. Owing to decline in oil prices, the government has opted to diversify the national economy which has ultimately led to the growth of industries, construction, free trade zones, transportation, tourism, fisheries, commerce, as well as communications.

Such investments have helped in reducing the country’s heavy dependence on oil. Positive results were recorded in 1998 when the gross domestic product from non-oil sector was estimated to be at 70%. The cost of living in the UAE is average, since the majority of the population can be identified as enjoying high standard of living.

Housing, as well as food rates within the country, are comparable to that in the United Kingdom with the housing unit offering housing allowance alongside employment package and private healthcare to individuals. Residents of the UAE are provided with healthcare services free of charge or at times charged very low fee (EIU, 2005a).

Tourism industry has grown for decades within the UAE making tourism one of the fastest improving industries within the country. Reports indicate that UAE has resorted to improving their tourist attraction centers, including building infrastructure for the purposes of accommodating huge number of tourists in future.

Tremendous improvements have been realized within the sector, with records showing positive annual growth. Tourism, though serving as pleasure market, has played vital role in impacting economy of the UAE.

The industry is considered a demand-led and has notable influence on other sectors of economy, such as hotel and hospitality industry. Tourism has brought lots of benefits to employment sector, as well as contributing positively to gross domestic product and acting as one of the foreign exchange earners (United Arab Emirates, 2010).

What are the stated tourism goals of the UAE and what is the current economic impact of tourism on the UAE economy?

The tourism sector in the UAE received a boost between the years 2001 and 2009; the increase was estimated to be at 168%. The tourism sector had an approximated economic impact of around Dhs69 billion between the period 2001 and 2010.

The impact included income from capital investments as well as direct and indirect income from other sectors. Statistics revealed that tourism alone contributed up to 7.4% of the total Gross Domestic Product of UAE and over 11% of the Gross National Product. Amongst the seven states Dubai recorded the highest percentage of the tourism economy contributing between 66-67% followed by Abu Dhabi at around 16%.

Despite all the gains deflation which arose from the global financial crisis in 2009 affected the industry to a smaller extent. Between 2001 and 2002 the tourism growth for UAE was approximated at 25% (EIU, 2005a).

The current tourism goals within the UAE include development of new Travel and Tourism resorts expected to create a new look within the country’s Travel and Tourism economy.

Various projects which are underway in the sector include investment in the Palms, the Marina, the Waterfront, Dubai-land, as well as Festival City Land. This would enable the destination to accommodate increased number of visitors (EIU, 2005a).

Intra-Arab tourism was initiated after the 9/11 attacks in the US, there was a tremendous downfall in tourism after the attacks. Strategy had to be implemented to help the UAE and other Arab countries recover quickly owing to their ability to attract tourists from the same region, hence reducing heavy dependence on the foreign markets, especially the West.

Tourism has formed one of the major providers of employment opportunities, as well as has been a major foreign exchange earner of the country. The gains from tourism sector have been relied upon for the purposes of implementing liberalization reforms. Direct and indirect contributions of tourism in the middle-east accounted for 9% of the total employment in the recent past (United Arab Emirates, 2010).

United Arab Emirates Travel & Tourism industry accounted for approximately 2% of the total employment in the year 2005, the indirect and direct impact on the economy incorporating spillover employment from industry capital investment and spending from the government accounted for 12% of total employment opportunities (Henderson, 2006).

The forecast table below shows the nature of responsiveness to the current transformation of the tourism industry within the UAE. It takes into account the latest data on visitors’ arrivals and spending.

The data in the table shows the revised forecast as having two-fold increase in the number of visitors within the next subsequent years. The government, on the other hand, predicts a target of around 15 million visitors by the year 2020 (Henderson, 2006).

Table 1: Tourism Industry Forecast

Identify and discuss the main reasons for government expenditure on the facilitation and promotion of tourism in Dubai and critically analyze how this differs from other UAE emirates.

One of the reasons for government expenditure on promotion of tourism in Dubai is the presence of infrastructure and proper planning, as well as marketing (EIU, 2005c). Dubai has not yet imposed restrictive entry procedures like other states that view western culture as incompatible with the Islamic Religion way of life.

Dubai, at the same time, possesses some key attributes such as stability, its easily accessible and presence of superb socials amenities. Dubai has got one of the largest international airports in the region and, at the same time, has got a number of tourist attraction centers which include; beaches, cities, oases, mountain and desert landscapes, ancient civilizations, as well as nature reserves (EIU, 2005c).

Dubai has got capacity of surmounting inhibitors of tourism operating within other areas in the Middle East. It is one of the entrepots in the region and well known for its financial and commercial prowess within the region. It has created numerous free-trade zones, as well as Industrial parks connected to the internet and media.

The state is considered to be a cosmopolitan and Liberal, hence providing little threats and cases of civil unrest, as well as low crime rates. Though the country is a Muslim state, other religious practices besides Islam are allowed and, at the same time, it is opened to outside influences as opposed to other UAE states (Bousaa, 2003).

The state also boasts of wider federation policies, and has positioned itself in western markets as a secure centre with numerous beach tourism locations and vast alternatives on shopping, as well as cultural and natural attraction centers. Development of the Hospitality industry has been boosted by the lenient rules concerning land leasing and ownership which favors many investors (Bousaa, 2003).

Development of Dubai as a tourism destination is still a continuing process and will largely depend upon favorable circumstances which could, however, be a subject for uncertainty. According to the government, the large demand would be contained through expansion of transport sector including airports (Bousaa, 2003).

There is the challenge of maintaining high growth rate through construction of expensive hotels and leisure centers. The government has to make lots of efforts in establishing tourism industry that is economically viable and environmentally sustainable.

Unique features in Dubai have been marketed in such a way that it drives away fear in tourists and entice them to a region that is mostly associated with insecurity based on terrorism attacks (Henderson, 2006).

Examine the social and cultural benefits and disincentives of tourism in relation to the UAE and provide a conclusion based upon your findings.

There are common contrasts in expectations concerning cultural behaviors of tourists from the West and those from Arab world. All these should be appreciated, and the conflicts that might arise wisely managed. In terms of social set-up, the country has got low rates of unemployment cases, as well as numerous semi-skilled youth workers.

The social system has largely been affected by low literacy rates, as well as scarce educational facilities since the government’s budget expenditure in education records have been very low. Private sector is recorded to be the highest employer of foreign labor making labor force to account for 75% of the total work force within the UAE.

A majority of the workers are flooding into the construction sector in Dubai which is experiencing high growth rate. Low literacy levels within the UAE present one of the major obstacles to its tourism expansion, because there is a lack of highly skilled labor which could fit into different development sectors (Henderson, 2006).

There is increased pressure on the healthcare infrastructure due to increased number of tourists and immigrants.

This has led to the creation of tax-free zones in the health sector hence attracting pharmaceutical and biotech companies, one of the tax-free zones known as Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC) has attracted major medical clinics and pharmaceutical suppliers, such as Johnson & Johnson (Henderson, 2006).

Concerning individual rights, UAE has got no rules championing for freedom of expression or association. There are strict conservative rules surrounding the media making it one of the key social issues which require redress by the country since it might cause mass protests which could turn harmful to the tourism industry.

The culture of the UAE is largely dominated by Islam with most of the Emiratis being members of Sunni Sect. Most of the legal matters are controlled by Sharia Law. However, Emiratis seem to bear with other religions practices making immigrants and tourists of other faiths comfortable in enjoying freedom of worship.

They have tolerated other social customs due to the influx of many ethnic groups within the country but, at the same time, managed to maintain their own, which makes them good marketers of their own cultural identity (Bousaa, 2003).

Out of expansive research done on cultural and social impacts on tourism, it can be concluded that much is still required from the government to enable bridge the gap between native citizens and the immigrants. Giving native citizens proper education and other necessities would contribute to the tourism development, since they will make tourists understand their cultural and national heritage better.

Marketers within the tourism sector should utilize the use of internal promotions which could enable easy interactions between natives and tourists, hence creating learning space and comfortable exchange of ideas and skills. This could reinforce identity hence increases the level of enjoyment that accompanies tourism activities within the country (Bousaa, 2003).

Conclusion

The study reveals how exposed weaknesses could possibly be turned into lucrative points when managed in the appropriate way. Technology has allowed the UAE to function as one of the largest tourist destination centers in the world despite climate and other associated geographical impediments.

Economic wealth has allowed development of various industries within the UAE making it one of the most sophisticated countries in terms of infrastructure development and lavish accommodation. Such metropolitan urban centre as Dubai established such immense wealth acts as good attraction sites for tourists.

Implementation of appropriate economic principles and strategies is important to the UAE, since it enables the formation of appropriate pictures on the kind of market and industry tourism entails.

It ensures that tourism sector applies appropriate principles and strategies for the purposes of protecting business entities within the industry from outside threats, such as competition and insecurity. Implementation of the appropriate marketing principles ensures development of social amenities and proper recreation centers which act as some of the major centers frequently visited by tourists.

Taking thorough analysis of the marketing strategies used by already established countries in tourism industry prove to be vital, since competition could be realized from other businesses not related to the tourism industry.

References

Bousaa, D. (2003). Dubai: the Search for Identity. In G. Moser (Ed.),People, Places and Sustainability, Seattle: Hogrefe and Huber.

EIU. (2005a). United Arab Emirates Country Profile 2005. The Economist Intelligence Unit: London.

EIU. (2005c). UAE: Historical data- Dubai tourism. The Economist Intelligence Unit Viewswire, 41

Henderson, J. C. (2006). Tourism in Dubai: Overcoming Barriers to Destination Development. International Journal of Tourism Research, 8, 87-99.

United Arab Emirates. (2010). In-depth PESTLE Insights. Datamonitor Analysis Report, 6, 1-63.

Executive Summary

Tourism is among the most dynamic and largest sectors in the modern hospitality industry. This paper will examine the sector in-depth and predict its future by addressing the megatrends identified in the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) report. Tourism megatrends are widely referred to as social, environmental, and economic shifts that may affect human decision-making and traveling preferences. There are six CSIRO megatrends: “more from less,” “going, going, … gone?”, “the silk highway,” “forever young,” “virtually here,” and “great expectations.” Each trend has specific characteristics and leads to certain opportunities and challenges in tourism businesses. Australian stakeholders need to know that political, economic, and socio-cultural factors can influence tourism markets to predict conflicts, control population growth, and maintain cultural intelligence. Key drivers in the hospitality industry are related to sustainable development, competitiveness, technological advancement, and innovation. Addressing the main aspects of Australian tourism megatrends, several recommendations will be developed to help the country enhance a successful future in the chosen industry. Today, many organizations and countries introduce unique approaches to attract tourists to their regions. Australia should be ready to compete in the spheres of management and marketing, focusing on digitalization (virtual environments), maintaining sustainable development, and learning the aging population’s needs.

Introduction

Today, tourism is one of the constantly developing industries in Australia and across the globe. It contributes to each country’s economic stability, international relationships, and personal benefits in education and employment. The future of tourism depends on various social, economic, technological, environmental, and political factors, also known as tourism megatrends (Hajkowicz et al., 2012). The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is a well-known strategic advisory in the Australian government that manages national and international scientific research. In one of the CSIRO Futures reports, the authors identified six major interlinked megatrends that affected contemporary decision-making and problem-solving in the hospitality industry (Hajkowicz et al., 2012). This report discusses the megatrends and analyses opportunities and challenges related to these shifts through the prism of socio-cultural, economic, and political perspectives to ensure Australia is a successful competitor in the future tourism sector.

Each megatrend is also closely related to a particular sphere of human life, including demographics, culture, technology, economics, and the environment. According to the CSIRO Futures, megatrends are defined as substantial changes in the environmental, economic, and social circumstances that affect multiple business processes and the existing social systems (Hajkowicz et al., 2012). “More from less” is the first megatrend to examine how corporations, authorities, and societies discover new ways to guarantee the quality of life for upcoming generations within the restrictions of the world’s limited natural resources (Hajkowicz et al., 2012). It is important to remember that human activities dramatically challenge the earth, and its resources need time to be restored and improved. However, population growth is an evident social shift, affecting economic, cultural, and environmental choices. Water scarcity, energy investment, climate change, increased food demand, and resource conflicts can no longer be ignored.

The “going, going, … gone?” megatrend focuses on the impact of human interferences on global biodiversity. Hajkowicz et al. (2012) underline that people’s intention to create favorable living conditions affects the planet’s ecosystem because related greenhouse gas emissions and climate change lead to the decline of habitats and plant/animal species. The loss of biodiversity seriously threatens regional and national security (World Tourism Organization and United Nations Development Programme, 2017). Tourism industry representatives should protect their interests and respect the needs of the world around them.

“The silk highway” is the third megatrend that predicts that the world economy will shift from northwest to southern in the subsequent years. Due to strong economic growth in Asian and African regions, many people will be lifted out of poverty and into the middle class (Hajkowicz et al., 2012). Australia may rely on its structural prosperity to create new international markets, trade relationships, marketing strategies, and cultural ties. At the same time, attention should be paid to the achievements in the Asian region, where many technologically advanced ideas and opportunities emerge.

People cannot ignore the fact that their age plays an important role in many activities. Thus, the next megatrend, “forever young,” proves that the older population is a beneficial issue for analysis as these people become a tremendous source of expertise, knowledge, and mentorship (Hajkowicz et al., 2012). To maintain the elderly participation in tourism activities, retirement savings and healthcare challenges should be recognized and solved.

“Virtually here” is another tourism megatrend based on the increased online connection between individuals and communities. The virtual world grows fast and unpredictably and distantly promotes the exchange of services and ideas (Hajkowicz et al., 2012). This trend is critical for Australian tourism because digital media helps people learn about the region and make their traveling choices. The creation of new connections and knowledge strengthens tourism and hospitality globally.

Finally, the “great expectation” megatrend includes the importance of developing social relationships at different levels. Hajkowicz et al. (2012) describe it as a socio-cultural, demographic, and consumer issue to investigate the rising preference for experiences over material possessions and the growing value of social bonds. To create a successful tourism future, it is necessary to enhance cooperation between the retail sector, the government, human service facilities, and private organizations because people’s expectations are unpredictable.

Megatrends and Tourism Future

Each megatrend identified in the CSIRO Futures Report should be properly analyzed and investigated to understand what theories to apply to the tourism and hospitality industry and what improvements to offer at the broad level. The future of the tourism sector is predetermined by multiple decisions people make about natural resources and human needs. Hajkowicz et al. (2012) mention that humanity’s ability to innovate and adapt is impressive, and several new ways to improve the quality of life at the expense of limited natural resources emerge. Khan et al. (2020) introduce simultaneous equation modeling to examine the energy-growth-environment-tourism relationship and prove the necessity of improving the environmental quality through green tourism. Water and food resources become insufficient, and global water demand will increase by 55% by 2050, raising new concerns about human needs and resource scarcity (Hajkowicz et al., 2012). These problems can hardly be solved at the individual level, and more organisations and communities have to be involved, relying on the collaborative theory that encourages the government empowerment of the locals (Musavengane & Koppers, 2020). Similar conservation initiatives are necessary to protect the natural world and biodiversity.

Following the “silk highway” megatrend, Australia has to pay attention to the impact of other countries on its development and tourist demands. For example, Asia remains the major region from which tourists come to visit Australia, and the number of visitors continues to grow from 4.2 million in 2017 to 4.9 million in 2019 (Tourism Research Australia, 2017). CSIRO Futures is right that it will be the Asian Century because of the strong social and economic ties with the region (Hajkowicz et al., 2012). At the same time, the age of a tourist remains a serious element in understanding the tourism future. Demographic issues affect local economies and destination decisions, and aging is a critical workforce because older people prefer to exchange their experiences, choose convenient options, and focus on comfort (Yeoman, 2011). Chen et al. (2021) develop a theoretical basis for consumption wealth and explain why people’s consumption decisions depend on their incomes and past or present profits. Thus, it is important to learn what older adults prefer and offers services that meet their basic needs and consumption hopes.

Finally, the evaluation of technological (virtually here) and socio-cultural (great expectations) megatrends define recent shifts and obligations of tourist stakeholders. The era of digitalization has already shaped human relationships and opportunities in the tourism sector. Information and Communication Technologies are constantly developing, increasing affordances and allowing manipulations with consumer choices (Gössling, 2021). Still, not many improvements in social relationships are observed because of digitalization because individuals prefer to find different Internet sources instead of relying on their own knowledge, resources, and opportunities. Maslow’s theories of human motivation and the hierarchy of needs can be implemented to understand what expectations are critical and which needs are not critical for tourism success (Hajkowicz et al., 2012). Thus, each global megatrend determines the other’s progress and overall impact on the tourism and hospitality industry.

Megatrends Opportunities and Challenges

The identification and development of the offered megatrends might have specific opportunities and challenges in the tourism and hospitality industry in Australia. In general, attention should be paid to six main aspects: natural resources’ scarcity, biodiversity conservation, international (Asian) impact, increased aging populations, the virtual world, and social relationships’ importance. Evident opportunities are related to Asian-Australian cooperation, elderly citizens, and virtual advancement, while challenges in climate change, water/food resource shortage, and high social expectations question a safe future in the tourism sector.

As soon as more people want to visit Australia, a range of different effects on stakeholders is observed in the industry. Hotels and lodges are the enterprises that provide tourists with food and shelter, contributing to much-needed employment (World Tourism Organization, 2017). Comfortable rooms, 24/7 services, and interpersonal cooperation affect tourists’ willingness to visit a region. For example, Tutek et al. (2015) discuss the demands of silver hair tourists in terms of security, desired products, and customization, which is similar to the CSIRO Futures’ “forever young” megatrend. The aging population is a critical segment in the tourism industry, which might grow by 21% by 2050 (Tutek et al., 2015). This fact creates new opportunities for hotels and other stakeholders to investigate their needs and ensure their comfort and desire to travel, focusing on health and wellness products, personalized services, and specialized playgrounds.

Asian and generation Y and Z tourists introduce a number of opportunities for hospitality because digitalization and international relationships allow for finding enough credible and accurate information. People want to visit places where their cultural preferences, traditions, and interests are recognized and respected. Digitalization and the implementation of social media resources in the industry is a unique chance to exchange information quickly (Gössling, 2021). Cultural intelligence, a multilingual staff, and employees from different parts of the world will become new areas of improvement and industrial growth.

However, such megatrends as “more from less,” “great expectations,” and “going, going, … gone?” might challenge tourism-related industries in several ways. Private and public organizations have to re-evaluate their resources and understand the impact of their decision on nature and the earth in general. The balance between economic, environmental, and social issues is hard to achieve, and sustainable tourism has become a recent trend (Tutek et al., 2015). The more people want to improve their comfort; the more natural resources should be found and used, leading to climate change and energy investment.

Political, Socio-Cultural, and Economic Factors

The tourism industry is exceedingly vulnerable because it is susceptible to altering political, socio-cultural, and economic pressures, and as a result, it is pretty unstable. The growth of traveling decisions coincides with periods of relative political calm worldwide. Tourism often suffers in regions where armed conflicts, political tensions, civil riots, and terrorist attacks might happen (Tutek et al., 2015). Political factors like the government’s participation and the legalization of tourism activities influence tourists’ views. The awareness of visa regulations, taxation conditions, and currency export are integral for aging populations and Asian tourists, becoming a serious trend in global tourism markets.

During the last several years, tourism has remained one of the fastest-developing economic sectors. It contributes to wealth creation, employment, and economic growth in Australia (World Tourism Organization and United Nations Development Programme, 2017). The improvement of international conditions is closely related to the economic forecast, with the national Gross Domestic Product increasing by 3% during the last several years (Tourism Research Australia, 2017). As a result, increased household consumption, business investments, and a more competitive exchange rate are observed, proving the relationship between tourism and the country’s economy. With time, it is possible to notice that unemployment rates are reducing to 5%, creating a positive world economy picture (Tourism Research Australia, 2017). Cooperation with Asian regions helps Australia build new export markets and strengthen trade relations (Hajkowicz et al., 2012). These environmental factors prove that global megatrends positively affect the tourism market.

Finally, socio-cultural factors like age distribution, family incomes, lifestyles, and education levels predetermine people’s decision to visit Australia as the main destination point. According to the World Tourism Organization and United Nations Development Programme (2017), the promotion of peaceful societies based on justice and equality attracts tourists’ attention. When multicultural tolerance becomes a core issue in the hospitality industry, people feel safe and confident that their human rights are met. Local communities should also support tourists and participate in their routine activities to learn about the country, its traditions, and integration attempts.

Key Drivers for Megatrends

The megatrends under discussion may be affected by several meaningful drivers, including sustainability achievement, competitiveness, population growth, and innovation (digital transformation). The main idea of sustainable development is to meet the current population’s needs without neglecting the potential needs of future generations and the environment (World Tourism Organization and United Nations Development Programme, 2017). The World Tourism Organization and United Nations Development Programme (2017) introduced its public policy to end poverty and hunger, promote food security and well-being, support equal and high-quality education, and ensure water and resource management. This driver cannot be ignored in tourism because it reveals controversies in several economic and environmental factors. For example, the increased number of tourists contributes to positive employment shifts and economic benefits but also to overusing natural resources, deforestation, and overall wildlife damage. Thus, sustainable tourism must be promoted to generate threats and opportunities. Similar examples and outcomes are associated with the population growth driver because when more people want to travel, they need additional human and natural resources to be spent. Meeting human needs and great expectations may be a challenge and another reason for development and improvement.

Despite the already-made achievements, the tourism industry is highly competitive. Traveling agencies, hotels, and other hospitality stakeholders should prove their readiness to develop and compete with each other (Vu & Hartley, 2022). Competitiveness has become a serious business driver of sustainability and tourism success (World Tourism Organization and United Nations Development Programme, 2017). It is expected to use any available resources if they do not contradict the sustainable development goals and expectations. Vu and Hartley (2022) suggest focusing on the digital revolution, making this issue another critical driver in tourism. To be in demand, Australia must compete with other places of attraction in Europe, Africa, and America. Digital transformations include internal and external changes to attract employees and tourists. Virtual tours, online communication, and vivid examples help individuals decide if they want to visit a country or not. The “Virtually here” megatrend proves that many people and businesses are ready to move into the virtual world but need to improve their technical skills and awareness (Hajkowicz et al., 2012). The aging population, in particular, seeks professional assistance to recognize their options and succeed in decision-making.

Conclusion

Because of the high degree of sensitivity of the tourism industry to political, economic, social, and environmental factors, its future is notoriously difficult to forecast. On the other hand, there is a clear indication that hospitality stakeholders do everything possible to understand tourists’ interests and cooperate with local governments and communities to create favorable settings. On the other hand, as soon as another megatrend emerges, it may be associated with certain opportunities and challenges. The CSIRO report indicates six tourist megatrends to explain major management and marketing steps for success, sustainability, and competitiveness. Information exchange, online cooperation, and natural and human resource management should be constantly improved.

Recommendations

Australia’s tourist sector is thriving and is a substantial contributor to the country’s development. However, it is not enough to pay attention to economic or social factors but combines political and environmental issues that determine the industry’s growth. Thus, to ensure Australia has a successful and competitive tourism future, it is recommended to address the aging population’s needs, strengthen its virtual environment, and recognize the impact of human activities on nature. People should know what Australia is ready to offer to its tourists, and social media sources and virtual tours are applicable in this case. The tourism sector differs globally, and each country can underline its history, places of interest, and comfortable services. Australia should compete, relying on its environmental friendliness, sustainability, and innovations. It is easy to introduce a technically advanced service and a variety of alternatives, but Australia needs to use its uniqueness and naturalness.

References

Chen, T. S., Hwang, M. S., & Chang, Y. J. (2021). The effect of the wealth effect and population aging on tourism expenditure.Current Issues in Tourism, 25(11), 18852-1865.

Gössling, S. (2021). Tourism, technology and ICT: A critical review of affordances and concessions.Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(5), 733-750.

Hajkowicz, S. A., Cook, H., & Littleboy, A. (2012). Our future world: Global megatrends that will change the way we live (The 2012 Revision). CSIRO.

Khan, A., Chenggang, Y., Hussain, J., Bano, S., & Nawaz, A. (2020). Natural resources, tourism development, and energy-growth-CO2 emission nexus: A simultaneity modeling analysis of BRI countries.Resources Policy, 68.

Musavengane, R., & Kloppers, R. (2020). Social capital: An investment towards community resilience in the collaborative natural resources management of community-based tourism schemes.Tourism Management Perspectives, 34.

Tourism Research Australia. (2017). Tourism forecasts 2017. Tourism Research Australia.

Tutek, E., Gebbie, M., Chan, K. Y. G., & Durand, S. (2015). Tourism megatrends: 10 things you need to know about the future of tourism. Horwarth.

Vu, K., & Hartley, K. (2022). Drivers of growth and catch-up in the tourism sector of industrialized economies.Journal of Travel Research, 61(5), 1156-1172.

World Tourism Organization and United Nations Development Programme. (2017). Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals – Journey to 2030. UNWTO.

World Tourism Organization. (2017). Tourism highlights: 2017 Edition. World Tourism Organization.

Yeoman, I. (2011). Tomorrow’s tourist: Scenarios & Trends. Routledge.

Introduction

From the better part of the history of mankind, survival and continuity has always been awarded to the friendship and ties that people create throughout their lives. Such a perception appears true since the benefits of tourism, events and hospitality accrues to the host and the visitors as well. At international level, the benefits have been propagated due to the primacy to foster good friendship between countries and ensure that there is peace and mutual understanding between countries.

Major situations in which ties have been created through tourism and hospitality is largely as a result of the rich culture and social aspects of tourism in a region. This paper discusses the sustainability of the CN Tower as a tourism site in Toronto from the perspective of socio-cultural sustainability. The analysis explores the cultural aspects, products, relationship between tourism and the people, and the effect of different tourism changes on the social and cultural environment in Toronto.

Description of chosen site

The CN Tower is the tallest tower in the region of Downtown Toronto. The centre is known for its unique observation rooms at the top. For the last four decades, the tower has been a Canadian symbol and icon of the city’s skyline. Each year millions of visitors from across the world are attracted by this tower.

The tower has a public observation point called SkyPod, series of Canadian restaurants, indoor parks, meeting rooms, and entertainment rooms. The most iconic feature of the tower as a tourism site is the Glass Floor. Each year, millions of tourists across the world visit this site to have an epic view of the city and enjoy Canadian cuisines way up in the sky.

The site is opened to the public everyday on a 24 hours basis. The prices that are charged for tourism activities depend on the time, type, and duration of the tourists. Adults pay $28.80, children pay $21.60, and families pay $99 per admission (Goodwin, 2011). The charges are in Canadian dollar. The pictures of the site are attached below.

Description and analysis of tourism sustainability

The main socio-cultural products at the CN Tower site are LookOut, Glass Floor, High Speed Elevators, SkyPod, Night Lighting, Edge Walk, and Red Rocket. The LookOut product offers tourists a magnificent view of the city and location for taking souvenir photos. The Glass Floor offers tourists opportunity to test their nerve and overcome fear by viewing the ground directly behind the glass floor at 1,122 feet above the ground (Goodwin, 2011).

The High Speed Elevators offer tourists the opportunity of experiencing a fast vertical ride while viewing panoramic features of the city. The other products such as Edge Walk, Red Rocket, and Night Lighting offer entertainment satisfaction to tourists. These products are non-tangible since tourists only pay for the entertainment experience without having to personally own any of the products after making payments. Basically, tourists only pay for the services of using these products without having to assume ownership (Winchester, 2006).

The brand of Canadian community is presented in the most attractive way with simple but clear messages of pleasant experiences at the CN Tower. The touch points include the affordable prices, private entertainment, one-on-one conversation with the tower agents, and the unique experience of Canadian architecture.

At the centre of the tower, a potential client can view different entertainment plans with different packages to cover for the different tastes and preferences within and without the Canadian culture. These plans are further classified as premium and ordinary. The ordinary option enables tourists to pool and save 30% costs. Upon selection of a tour package, a potential tourist is able to request for a special tour guide.

The architecture and amenities within the CN Tower screams of Canadian culture. For instance, the Bobbie Rosenfeld Park within the basement of the tower has Canadian trees and samples of Canadian cuisine from different ethnic groups (Babu & Mekoth, 2004). The experience is authentic since each tourist may experience the unique and friendly Canadian culture fused with the modern structure of the tower.

Besides, the products such as LookOut, Glass Floor, High Speed Elevators, SkyPod, Night Lighting, Edge Walk, and Red Rocket are unique to only downtown Toronto (Curwell & Copper, 2008). Besides, series of other tourism sites adjacent to the CN Tower can be viewed from the top of the tower.

The understanding of sustainable building is vital in helping organizational theorists to predict behaviours related to ecology in the tourism sector. For example, if the corporations adopted practices that were ecologically responsive with the view of meeting legal requirements, the organization would engage in building activities that would be in line with the green legislation. Lighting, air conditioning and ventilation account for 84% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Heating CN Tower building takes the largest share of energy but with the lowest production of carbon.

The design of the CN Tower incorporated the use of low Volatile Organic Component (VOC) off-gassing carpets, paints, sealants and adhesives. While VOC is included in many materials of construction, using Low VOC building material and furnishing can reduce the emission of smog-forming in a very dramatic way.

A highly specified and sensitive western veil in front of the building skin was added to minimise solar loads. The planning and position of products such as LookOut, Glass Floor, High Speed Elevators, SkyPod, Night Lighting, Edge Walk, and Red Rocket are well spaced, aerated, and properly lighted (Toronto City Panning, 2010).

The transitory and temporal nature of tourism affects the social and cultural environment at the site in several ways. Tourism relationship management is the first step towards sustainable tourist interaction and expansion the distribution channels that attract near markets. In relation to the CN Tower, the tourism relationship management has involved creation of a live customer support team that track activities of the customers while sending service upgrades and assistance request in a timely manner.

Reflectively, the concept will revolve around a comprehensive review of ‘push and pull’ factors which determine functionality of the site to offer an alternative strong approaches in the quest for quality, reliability, and trust among potential tourists.

The transitory and temporal nature of tourism affects the social and cultural environment at the CN Tower site positively since the properly designed mud mapping plan for attracting tourists has remained crucial in presenting brand knowledge, awareness, and culture in passing information to the potential tourists (TzengCheng & Jay, 2005).

Conclusion

The purpose of this paper was to establish the socio-cultural sustainability of the CN Tower as a tourism site. The CN Tower tourism site is modelled to accommodate tourist engagement within the Canadian culture. This is essential towards winning and maintaining the flow of visitors to the site. Apparently, sustainable tourism is critical in balancing the aesthetic and cultural values in the society as propellers of tourism attraction.

References

Babu, G., & Mekoth, N. (2004). Self-Monitoring as a key to the tourist: Potential scenarios and some propositions. International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration 5(2), 25-41.

Curwell, S., & Copper. I. (2008). The implication of urban sustainability. Building Research & Information, 26(1), 17-28.

Goodwin, D. (2011), The CN Tower. Web.

Toronto City Panning. (2010). Toronto’s downtown and heritage.

TzengCheng, H., & Jay, B. (2005). Contexts and dynamics of social interaction and information search in decision making for discretionary travel. Tourism Analysis, 8(2), 177-182.

Winchester, M. (2006). Positive and negative brand beliefs and brand defection/uptake. European Journal of Marketing 42(6), 553-570.

“Get the hell out of here!” he yelled at them. “Get a room!”

The above was highlighted in DailyJournal.com and reported as the response of a coastal beach resident when he caught two tourist having sex against the wall of his house near an entertainment spot frequented by tourists in New Jersey (Perry).

Morals issues aside, tourism is a big and crucial business all over the world. It is so vital that some countries solely rely on it for the bulk of foreign exchange to run their government. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) estimates for 2011 show that international tourism raked in US$1,030 billion ,representing an increase of about 3.9% compared to the previous year while demand for international tourism continue to surge, having experienced a growth of 4.6% since 2010.

There is aggressive marketing of both popular and unpopular tourist destinations so as to realize even greater returns. From the same report, citizens of rich western countries form the bulk of regular tourists. Although some travel for business or even charity, the prime reason for many is to seek pleasure.

Tourism exerts both positive and negative effects on the host community. Besides being a crucial source of foreign exchange, it is a source of employment. A lot of people get to work in the hospitality, retails and transportation industry developed to cater for tourists. The positive side of tourism is well documented and researched. However, negative effects of tourism are less talked about and are mostly ignored, much to the detriment of the local host communities.

Although not all tourists travel for sexual adventures, tourism is routinely utilized by western citizen as an avenue for sexual exploration and gratification. Many reasons have been advanced to explain the sexual behavior of tourists abroad. One cites privacy of many tourists’ destinations as the primary reason that tourists exploit to experience sexual encounters they may shy away from at home.

Language barrier between tourists and the locals has been suggested to contribute to the making of wrong assumption by either party about the other. These wrong assumptions enable them justify their wrong behaviors.For example, tourists may consider their sexual activities to be beneficial through the payment they make for them that end up supporting local economies and poor families.

Additionally, economic superiority of tourists some of whom may be of quite lower economic class in their own countries may tempt the tourists to sexually exploit the locals. Tourists may also be seeking sexual satisfaction in their tour destinations due to failed relationships at home where they no longer dominate the opposite sex. The idea of being assured of affection and guaranteed sexual favors may be quite enticing to some.

This paper is a discussion of tourism from a moral perspective with special attention to sexual misconduct involving child sex tourism and the emerging trend of female tourism with the view of lending support to the idea that tourism contributes to the decline of moral values in society.

While morality may have different meaning to different people the type discussed in this paper relates to what is traditionally considered good behavior especially in matters of sexual relationship. The first part discusses various aspects of female sex tourism, an emerging trend of tourism associated with western and European women. In the second part, the child sex tourism menace is explored before a conclusion is drawn at the end of the paper.

Female sex tourism

Various media houses have reported a new form of sex tourism taking shape. Female sex tourism refers to female tourists paying for sex with local males in the destinations they visit. Female sex tourism has been likened to the male type whereby the goal is to travel and enjoy among other things cheap sex not available at home.

This is evident in many coastal towns and cities where the sight of an older white woman walking hand in hands with a young black man is common. Online news site globalpost.com, points out that female sex tourism is rampant in the Caribbean and reports its presence in Jordan, Senegal , Kenya, Egypt ,Indonesia ,Ukraine and much of southern Europe (Petersen).

The males middle-aged female tourists sleep with are mostly teenage local guides and other hospitality industry workers (Petersen). The young men are always at hand to have sex with the women, mostly of European origin in return for money, gifts or promises of emigration abroad, something which rarely happens, the site reports.

This new phenomenal social change has not been without controversy. While some have castigated it in the strongest terms possible, others claim it is nothing strange as the women are simply asserting their right of choice of a sexual partner just like men always do.

Female sex tourism is still a hot debate topic and has been explored by filmmakers and writers. However, no one has condemned or openly supported it. Filmmakers and writers prefer to present it just as it is without adding further opinion perhaps fearing a backlash given the apparent societal “acceptance” and lack of criticism on male sex tourism. Recent films to explore this new trade include J. Michael Seyfert 2006’s “Rent-a-Rasta” and “Heading South” in the same year.

Female sex tourism has produced divergent views from many quarters. While others see it as harmless fun between two consenting but nevertheless unmatched adults, some regard it as pure exploitation. Critics claim this behavior is bound to seriously destabilize local communities and families.

In the Caribbean this practice is commonplace so much that the parties are referred to in derogatory slang. The men are referred to as “beach boy”, “Gringueros” or “rastatutes” while the women are called “milk bottle” perhaps because of their white skin or being considered bottles waiting to be filled (Petersen). In Indonesia and much of Asia they are locally known as “gigolos”, or “Kuta Cowboys”.

Asked why they do it, the women give conflicting answers. Some consider it a way of supporting the local economies in need of cash and are quick to add that the money and gift they give their “boyfriends” in turn end up supporting many poor families. For others, they say they are in it just for good sex they are unable to get at home.

Child sex tourism

Child sex tourism (CST) means travelling from ones country and engaging in activities that commercially exploit an underage child, below 18 year for sexual relationship or favors in the host destination (Chemin and Mbiekop; Walters and Davis). CST is a shameful act of sexual abuse that violates the rights of a child. Child sex tourism is on the increase (World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)).

According to US State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, over one million children are sexually exploited each year. Child sex tourism is especially rampant in Thailand, Cambodia, India, Brazil and Mexico (Chemin and Mbiekop; Walters and Davis).

This practice is common in popular tourists’ destinations whereby underage (below 18 years) boys and girls engage in sex trade with adult tourists. In some cases CST is secretly organized by tour operators and travel agents for wealthy clients from abroad. Under the cover of some expedition, such as fishing, the tourists are supplied with young children while on sea.

According to a research on Brazil’s sex tourism by BBC’s Chris Rodgers, these youngsters, mostly from impoverished slum families, are forced into prostitution as a means of survival for themselves and their families. In some case they engage in the trade to earn money for hard drugs.

The report also adds that in some cases young girls are presented by their own parents to potential clients (Rodgers). The parents acting as pimps even negotiate with the clients on their behalf and end up keeping the money paid. Although many authorities claim to be fighting the scourge, it still remains very alive in most streets.

The deviant sexual behavior is encouraged by the private nature provided by travels to distant tourists’ resorts. Tourist choose to experiment with whatever fantasy they may be having as they are aware there is little likelihood of detection.

Here in foreign cities that welcome them with open arms the tourist finds himself doing what he/she could not even contemplate while at home. Ignorance of local cultures and Language barrier between the tourist and host usually blinds the tourists about unbecoming sexual conduct and this makes them make untrue assumptions about the local populace.

Child sex tourism is propagated by a number of parties. Western men seeking children are the major clients while locals are the prime suppliers, encouraged by the hefty amounts they make from the trade. This trade is so profitable that locals choose to overcome low number of children in the industry through kidnappings.

Perturbed by the practice and under pressure from children rights groups, many western governments have stepped up efforts to stamp out the vice through legislation and monitoring initiatives. In the United States, the PROTECT Act of April 2003 criminalizes any form of sexual intimacy with a minor abroad. In United Kingdom, citizens committing child related sex offences abroad are liable for prosecution under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 that covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Similar laws exist in Canada, Hong Kong and Australia. However, little legal effort is evident in the hotspots of South America countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru and in Southeast Asia/Pacific and Caribbean countries. Other efforts include monitoring convicted offenders movement and keeping of offenders register by some countries.

Conclusion

Abnormal sexual behaviors such as sexual exploitation of children have been associated with tourism. In the same light, tourism has given rise to unconventional practices such as female sex tourism. In the former, tourists travel from their home countries to another where they engage in sexual activities with underage children.

In the later single women mostly of western and European origin travel to poor countries and participate in sexual acts with local males in exchange for money and gifts. Therefore, it can be rightly concluded that tourism can facilitate degradation of moral values in society. This has been explained by the fact that the very nature of tourism gives individuals freedom to explore and justify their fantasies much to the detriment of the locals. As a remedial measure, some governments have enacted anti-CST laws.

Works Cited

Chemin, Matthieu and Flaubert Mbiekop. Cracking Down Child Sex Tourism in a Global Economy. 2010. Web.

Perry, Wayne. “Tourists behave badly at shore.” DailyJournal.com. Associated Press, 2012. Web.

Petersen, Freya. “Female sex tourism: for love or money?” GlobalPost.com. GlobalPost International, 2010. Web.

Rodgers, Chris. “Brazil’s sex tourism boom.” BBC. BBC, 2010. Web.

State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. Facts About Child Sex Tourism 2012. Washington D. C, 2009. Web.

Walters, Jim and Patricia H. Davis. “Human Trafficking, Sex Tourism, and Child Exploitation on the Southern Border.” Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk 2.1 (2011): 1-18.eScholarship.Web.

World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Tourism Highlights 2012 Edition. 2012. Web.

Purpose of the trip

The purpose of the international traveling plan is to visit the Greece city of Athens for five days. The five days will be spent within the city but on different sites. The first day of the tour will be spent in the region of the Acropolis in the Acropolis Museum and Plaka. The second day of the tour will be spent in the regions such as the Ancient Agora, Temple of Olympian Zeus, and Syntegra Square. The third day of the trip will be spent on the outskirts of the city of Athens.

The day will begin by picking a cab from the Athens Art Tour. The tour will comprise of visiting the National Archeological Museum, Byzantine Museum, and the Christian Museum. The afternoon part of the third day will be spent doing the Athens Bike and Ride Tour. The fourth day will be spent in Cape Sounion, Temple of Poseidon, and a half-day bus tour of the city. The last day will be spent on a private tour of the city of Athens.

A brief history of Athens

Athens is among the oldest cities in Greece. The city is known as the foundation of western cultural civilization. The city is known to have produced great philosophers such as Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle among others. The city is very rich in Greek artifacts such as temples and statues. The city is the current capital of Greece (Hellander and Armstrong 32). The city has world-renowned attraction sites such as the Acropolis and Plaka. These sites have big museums full of Greek artifacts which can be dated back to the 16th century.

Statistics about tourist arrivals

The city of Athens attracts an average of six and a half million tourists annually from across the globe. In the year 2013 alone, the city of Athens attracted 6,920, 678 tourists. Sixty percent of these tourists were from European Union followed by 10% from the US and %10 from the Asian continent (Greek-Athens, par. 4).

Hotel lodging: Green practices

The notable green practices in the Electra Palace Hotel lodging include paperless services, solar water heaters, natural air fans, underground floor heating system from natural solar, and energy saver bulbs. Besides, the bathrooms are fitted with water saver flashers and showers. The hotel rooms are well lit because of the large windows. Thus, electricity for lighting is only used at night. In addition, the swimming pool in the hotel is heated by a green energy source.

Different sites (Acropolis and Plaka), history, and charges

Acropolis

Commonly known as the UNESCO world heritage site, the region of the Acropolis can be dated back to the 3000 BC as a temple for the Greek goddess Athena. Most of the structures on the site have a symbolic meaning in terms of the beginning of western civilization and the establishment of the ancient Greek civilization.

The most notable feature in Acropolis is the Acropolis Museum in Makrygianni. This museum is the third largest in Athens and was officially opened to the public in the year 2009. The museum has artifacts representing the entire Greek civilization from the Roman period to the current era. The 14,000 square foot museum houses more than 4000 Greek artifacts (Athens/Acropolis, par. 5). The charges range from 10 to 50 Euros, depending on the time and number of tourists in a group.

Plaka

Plaka is the most ancient part of Athens city. The site has a continuous line of local shops, food kiosks, and restaurants. The site is one of the most lively entertainment spots in the city of Athens. Across the streets and sidewalks, there are many small Greek monuments greeting any person visiting Athens (Trip Advisor, par. 7). The houses on this site consist of modern and traditional architecture. There are no charges for visiting this site.

Reducing carbon footprint during the trip

Several activities and strategies will be incorporated into the Athens tour as part of the campaign to reduce carbon footprint. The tour will begin with a direct flight to Athens from the US. Direct flight reduces the carbon footprint as a result of flight connections. During the tour of historic sites and attractions within Athens, the tourist will walk on foot wherever possible, thus minimizing driving or taking public transportation.

On the fourth day, the decision to take the Athens Day Tour on a bicycle is meant to minimize the use of public transportation to move from one place to another. The lodging hotel was carefully chosen from the list of hotels with the most eco-friendly practices. Meals will only be taken from the local restaurants that purchase most of their food materials from within the local areas.

During the entire accommodation period in the eco-friendly hotel, all electronics and other appliances will be left unplugged when not in use. Lastly, materials that can be recycled will be reused. For instance, one or two refillable plastic water bottles will be used during the entire tour period.

Works Cited

Athens/Acropolis. Acropolis travel guide. 2014. Web.

Greek-Athens. Welcome to Athens. 2014.

Hellander, Paul, and Kate Armstrong. Greece, Athens: Lonely Planet, 2006. Print.

Trip Advisor. Best of Plaka. Web.