Category: Tourism

A large part of international tourists in Canada comes from China. The loosening of travel restrictions and continued economic growth has led to a rapid increase in the figure of Chinese tourists travelling globally. Canada attracts many Chinese people because it is a developed nation.

In fact, most towns in Canada act as residents to the Chinese population since most immigrants from China prefer to settle in these areas. Canada’s stunning and large scenery appeal too many Chinese who intend to visit overseas countries. According to Zhen (2011), Chinese visitors to Canada increased from “138, 014 in 2006 to 159,000 in 2009” (345).

It is in this light that this study aims at finding out motivations that make Chinese tourists select Canada as their tourist destination. The research question is “ What are some factors that motivate Chinese tourists to travel to Canada?”

The study first discusses Chinese tourism as well as Chinese travel market to aid in understanding the case of outbound tourism in China. The study next explores Chinese characteristics and factors that motivate Chinese to travel to Canada. Lastly, the study gives some implications as well as a summary of the study.

Chinese Tourism

Many countries can benefit from Chinese tourist activities. Such countries need to understand characteristics of Chinese people, as well as their travel, needs so that they can generate revenue for their economies. While this is true, there is no much information about Chinese travelers because the Chinese travel market is a developing area.

For a long time, the Chinese lacked policies as well as income that allowed touring foreign countries. Also, travel for leisure is rather a new form of tourism activity among Chinese people. This form of travel which does not have any business orientation or family connection is barely 10 years old.

The number of Chinese who travel to foreign countries per year becomes predicted to reach 100 million by 2020 (Guo, Kim, & Timothy, 2007). This means that China will be among the leading sources of tourists in the world.

This estimation makes many countries as well as business to work harder so that they can appeal to this massive market. Thus, the question on what motivates their travel is relevant to these two groups. However, Chinese market is extremely new and so broad, which makes it difficult to respond to these questions.

Chinese Travel Market

Over the last 20 years, the Chinese people became granted permission to visit their friends and families in the foreign countries. Initially, the Chinese could only travel to Macau and Hong Kong, although, the Chinese government later allowed Chinese residents to visit other foreign counties at their cost.

This led to approval of outbound tourism in China. The first countries to receive approval became New Zealand and Australia in 1989. Later, more countries became approved and by 2008 over 100 countries had approved visas.

Since that time, Chinese tourism increased rapidly corresponding with the Growth Domestic Product (GDP). Tourism in China becomes governed by the national tourism board. This government branch encourages local tourism as it aims to create extra revenue from internal tourist activities. As a result, the records of those travelling in foreign countries have received little attention.

Destinations that succeed in attracting small portions of Chinese tourist will benefit much as the market is developing. While there is a global increase in tourism the Chinese outbound tourism forms a large part of market segment. According to Guo et al. (2007), the number of outbound tourist from China will increase to over 100 million.

Since this will account for about 7% of total tourist in the world, Chinese tourist forms a large potential market. Records outbound tourism in China is more than domestic tourism in the country ( Guo et al., 2007). Most Chinese travelers to other counties belong to middle class families. Other Chinese travelers to other countries are students who study abroad.

The Chinese education process allows students to study abroad. This makes most of these learners feel the urge tom travel abroad even after they complete their studies. Since restrictions on overseas travel are continuously becoming free and the Chinese economy is also growing, more Chinese citizen are likely to engage in outbound travel.

The cultural practices in China are different from those in Western countries. This means that the motivations and preferences of Chinese people can neither be ignored nor be assumed to resemble those found in other Asia regions, or Western parts of the world. Also, the relative significance of real and perceived benefits, by the tourists, influences their decisions on areas to travel (Kim, Guo, &Agrusa, 2005).

Thus, through examining the preferences and motivations of Chinese tourists we can have enhanced perceptions of benefits that they value and use them in formulating marketing decisions.

Although several factors contribute to the increase of the Chinese outbound tourists, the commonly accepted theory of pull and push factors shows that most factors are either internal or external (Dann, 1977). A study by Zhen (2011) shows that the most significant push factors that make Chinese to choose Canada as their area of travel are exploration, leisure, prestige and family ties (Crompton, 1979).

Similarly, the most significant pull factors that make Chinese visit Canada are distinct attraction, outdoor sports and high standards of living in Canada (Zhen, 2011).

According to Zhang and Lam (1999), Chinese travelers prefer to travel to oversee countries, particularly countries that are more developed than China, for prestige purposes. Chinese people also visit these countries with the aim of showing off to their friend and colleagues. Eventually the Chinese who travel to developed countries acquire prestigious statuses and feel superior when interacting with colleagues.

Canada accommodates many Chinese immigrants, which makes those Chinese travelers who want to strengthen friendship or family ties with these immigrants to choose Canada as their country of destination. The two countries have a strong link because many Canadian immigrants originate from China.

Information about the beauty of travel to Canada became spread to people in China though China immigrants who live in Canada. As a result, many Chinese feel obliged to visit Canada either immediately, or later.

Since 2009 when Canada received approved destination status (ADS) from China, the figure of Chinese travelers increased tremendously. According to the Canadian Tourist Commission (2010), overnight travel from China to Canada increased by more than 21.5%, in 2010.

Besides, Canada gives Chinese travelers many business opportunities in the areas of casinos and cuisines. For instance, Toronto has many multicultural activities. Travelers, from other countries, get a chance to taste foods from different cultures.

Most Chinese people also view Canada as a clean, secure and a friendly destination (Canadian Tourist Commission, 2006). These attributes attract many Chinese tourist especially those whose travel intention is only to unwind and seek pleasure.

According to a study by Ma (2009), most Chinese pursue leisure activities for relaxation purposes, which is the most significant push reason in this case. On the other hand, the most significant pull cause influencing Chinese people to choose Canada as their destination of travel is the high quality of Canadian life.

The Chinese perceive Canada as a rich country and industrialized nation. In other words, the life style of Canada is totally different from China’s lifestyle, and this appeals many Chinese travelers.

Another pull cause that attracts Chinese tourist to Canada is shopping. Most Chinese travelers acquire items from western countries since they think that luxuries commodities are more cheap and genuine, in Canada than in their own countries. Chinese people often take luxurious gifts to their friends and relatives during tours and thus, they prefer to travel to Canada where they can easily access such commodities.

Kim et al. (2005) carried out a study on value of destination attributes when selecting potential areas of travel. The study found out that most Chinese people first considered security during this course.

Another attribute that most Chinese travelers ranked first was beautiful scenarios. Other attributes included different cultural back grounds and well equipped facilities. The study also showed that well-built shopping avenues and level of industrialization did not largely influence tourist decisions.

Another study by Chow and Murphy (2008) became conducted, among Chinese travelers, to find out some activities that Chinese travelers preferred to do in the course of travel. This study also sought to find out whether the product and services offered by tourists’ agencies marched with activities that most Chinese travelers preferred.

The study found out that most Chinese traveler preferred activities to do with dinning and eating from outside. This demonstrates that tourist agencies could have underestimated the value of food among the Chinese people. According to Wang, Vela and Tyler (2008), Chinese tourist expects to get quality food similar to what they get from in their home restaurant.

Other preferred activities included sight viewing as well as heritage and culture. This shows a keen interest in the unique features that exist, in areas of destination and interest to learn. Besides, this shows that Chinese travelers have varied travel expectations depending on their travel purpose.

Features of Chinese Tourists

Chinese people usually consider time and price when making travel decision. Hence, they prefer tourist destination, which will allow them to visit multiple countries at the least price and time. Chinese usually spend lots of money on shopping during their tours.

For most Chinese travelers, shopping expenses account for the main part of the budget during travel. This could be related to culture of giving gift in China. It is common for Chinese people to bring gifts to their friends and family after they visit foreign countries.

This is because giving foreign gifts to people as well as wearing them becomes associated with a high status. The Chinese people also value their families and holidays may thus, not be opportunities to promote family bond.

Travel Motivations

Human conduct becomes influenced by several factors and thus, it is significant to study motivations behind Chinese travelers. If we are aware of the forces behind their decisions, then we can formulate picture and products about destinations, which are appealing to them.

Motivations of travel are dynamic processes of several psychological aspects which form imbalance in people, and thus creating a need to travel (Crompton & Mckay, 1997).

Li (2007) reveals that Chinese tourist select destinations that will allow them have new experiences as well as increase their knowledge base. Chinese travelers select destination areas that own a distinct history and culture from theirs since they expect to learn something new in the course of their travel.

According to Hofsted (1980), Chinese people are unique because they expect to learn during their leisure activities. Thus, they prefer to travel to areas that have a new environment so that they can increase their knowledge base on other regions.

Any destination that meets this criterion is, therefore, suitable as a tourist destination for Chinese tourist. Li (2007) also reveals that Chinese travelers became motivated to travel to develop interpersonal relationship. People from China believe in collectivism and not individualism.

Thus, they stress on the group but not entities. The Chinese people believe in Confucian philosophy, which stresses on the value of proper association among human being.

This philosophy also stresses on the value of living harmoniously with fellow human being. In other words, social orientations and interpersonal relationships form a large part of Chinese cultural values. As a result, most Chinese tourists travel in the company of family and friends.

According to Li (2007), motivational factors that influence travel decision among the Chinese differ notably amid demographic segment. Age acts as a basic determinant of the factors behind travel decisions while the educational level and income level are secondary determinant.

Persons, who have high income and high educational levels, value relaxation activities, during travel. This means that tourist marketers in Canada must divide the Chinese tourist according to their respective segments as it seems that travel reasons vary among different groups

Implications

As mentioned above, several factors motivate Chinese people while selecting tourist destination. These factors must get an understanding from economies as well as business to maximize revenue from these tourists. First, Chinese tourist decide, on places, to travel having the aspect of prestige in their mind. In other words, Chinese travelers associate tourism activities with luxury.

Luxury becomes clear among these tourists as they get accommodation in foster hotel. Equally, Chinese travelers value shopping branded products, during travel.

This becomes clear in the high shopping expenses together with their demand for unique Canadian commodities to display when they travel back home. Chinese readiness to buy products that are Canadian could be used to open some specialty shop near main areas of attractions.

Another main concern for Chinese tourist concerns the safety of the destination. This means that the Canadian government must fortify the security in the country to avoid negative criticism due to insecurity issues. It is thus crucial to find out whether other people perceive Canada as a safe destination ahead of launching Canada as a tourist destination of the Chinese people.

Besides, Chinese tourist seem to select destinations that will offer knowledge and learning to them. Chinese people are always keen to learn heritage and culture of other countries.

Therefore, marketing and product development department should concentrate on displaying and showcasing Canadian culture, as well as uniqueness in their heritage. In order to show case the uniqueness of the Canadian heritage, marketers can integrate the Aboriginal culture into their visualization. This will aid in showing the cultural heritage that is unique in Northern American.

Marketers can also put more emphasis on Canadian kitchen and food culture to appeal to many Chinese tourists. As mentioned earlier, Chinese people value food and thus, introducing the right foods in the Canadian restaurant can attract many Chinese tourists.

Another aspect, which can get consideration, is the fact that Chinese tourists prefer to visit multiple countries during their travel. Since most Chinese tourists acquire group travels that have a prearranged itinerary, Canada should negotiate with other western destination so that it can get incorporation from these itineraries.

Marketers must also find variations in segmentation, when considering the key factors affecting travel decisions. This is because some motivations such as the need for knowledge and relaxation among different demographic segments seem to differ. This means that Canadian tourist marketers must offer products and services that will appeal to every market segment.

Lastly, tourists’ marketers in Canada can lay more emphasis on beautiful scenarios, high standards of living as well as cosmopolitan cities to make Canada an appealing tourist destination to more Chinese people.

Moreover, marketers must realize that Chinese people expect quality services and understanding of their culture. Meeting and fulfilling these expectations necessitates a mishmash of insight into activities that relates to their culture as well as understanding common values and practices of Chinese people.

In conclusion, there are several factors that motivate Chinese tourists to choose Canada as their country of destination. Some of these factors include shopping opportunities, high standards of Canadian life, beautiful scenarios, distinctive attractions and the expensive city life. Other reasons why Chinese tourists prefer to visit Canada include prestige, exploration, bonding with friends and novelty.

Besides, the study highlights these factors affecting travel decisions in terms of the push and the pull theory. The most significant push factor in the case of Chinese travel to Canada is the need for relaxation. Conversely, there are many pull factors influencing Chinese people to choose Canada as their destination of travel. These factors include the high quality of Canadian life and shopping.

All these factors relate with the Chinese culture. Besides, these motivations have many inferences for the future marketing of North America. For instance, the Canadian government and tourism bodies can lay more emphasis on beautiful scenarios, high standards of living as well as cosmopolitan cities to make Canada an appealing tourist destination to more Chinese people.

Besides, both the government and tourism bodies in Canada should make efforts to fortify the association between Canadians who originate from China and mainland Chinese. Furthermore, these two units must realize that Chinese people expect quality services and understanding of their culture.

Meeting and fulfilling these expectations necessitates a mishmash of insight into activities that relates to their culture as well as understanding common values and practices of Chinese people. Therefore, tourist marketers in North America must prepare to give the basic need of Chinese travelers to Canada, as well as providing products and services that satisfy their social and psychological needs.

References

Canadian Tourist Commission. (2006). Consumer and travel trade research in China. Web.

Canadian Tourist Commission. (2010). Tourism review inbound highlights. Web.

Chow, I., & Murphy, P. (2008). Travel activity preferences of Chinese outbound tourists for overseas destinations. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 16 (1), 61-80.

Crompton, J. L. (1979). Motivation for pleasure vacation. Annals of Tourism Research, 6 (4), 404-424.

Crompton, J. L., & McKay, S. L. (1997). Motives of visitors attending festival events. Annals of Tourism Research, 24 (2), 425-439.

Dann, M. S. (1977). Anomie, ego-enhancement and tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 4 (4), 184-194.

Guo, Y., Kim, S. S., & Timothy, D. J. (2007). Development characteristics and implications of mainland Chinese outbound tourism. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 12 (4), 313-332.

Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related values. London, England: Sage Publications.

Kim, S. S., Guo, Y., & Agrusa, J. (2005). Preference and positioning analyses of overseas destinations by mainland Chinese outbound pleasure tourists. Journal of Travel Research, 44, 212-220.

Li, M. (2007). Modeling the travel motivation of mainland Chinese outbound tourists. Purdue University, England: ProQuest.

Ma, A. (2009). Motivations for Chinese outbound tourists. The Business Review, 14(1), 150–156.

Zhang, Q., & Lam, T. (1999). An analysis of mainland Chinese visitors’ motivations to visit Hong Kong. Tourism Management, 20(5), 587–594.

Zhen, L. (2011). The study of Chinese tourists’ motivations to Canada. Journal of China Tourism Research, 7(4), 345-354.

The hotel industry presents certain safety hazards that make it necessary for all the stakeholders to be aware of these hazards. Fire is one of the major hazards that have remained as a challenge to the hotel industry in the United States. It puts the lives of employees and guests at risk. Historical analyses show that these fires had caused significant repercussions to the lives of the occupants and the properties. For instance, 3900 hotel fires are reported annually; this causes an estimate of 150 injuries and 15 deaths.

In 1883, a hotel fire in Wisconsin resulted to 80 deaths. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) noted the 1946 Winecoff Hotel fire in Atlanta, Georgia. This has been the worst fir disaster in the history of the US. The fire killed 119 people. In addition, there have been rampant fire fatalities in the early 80s that is within a three-month period; from November 1980 to February 1981, fire had burnt four hotels. These fires claimed 125 lives of civilians and caused numerous injuries to firefighters and hundreds of civilians.

Of the four hotel fires, the MSG Grand Hotel fire in Las Vegas, Nevada claimed the highest number of lives at 85. On the other front, Universities in the US have also experienced fire casualties. For example, in April 2003, 6 students perished due to fire outbreaks. These off-campus incidences occurred in Massachusetts and Ohio State Universities. Earlier in 2000, 13 students and 2 parents died from fire in the University environments.

During this period, seven students died within the Universities’ Halls of Residence. Clearly, this analogy on fatalities from fire epidemic has caused numerous loses for the US citizens and the federal government in general (“Campus Fire Safety: Safety Tips for Students & Parents.”).

Consequently, hotels and Universities ought to follow stringent preventive practices/measures in order to avert such damages and loss of lives in the future. Human safety remains the first priority in all activities such as in construction of hotels and learning institutions.

Fire safety in hotels is under the guidance of the Hotel & Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990. The act requires that most federal travelers stay in hotels with minimum fire safety elements in case there is a requirement for commercial lodgings. This law came into effect following the numerous fire disasters in the 70s and 80s.

The contents of the Act included single-station, hard-wired smoke detector in each guestroom, smoke alarms, and fire sprinkler systems. These gadgets must meet the national standards requirements. Hotels and motels that met the above requirement were listed in the National Master List (NML).

By 2011, over 43, 000 hotels and motels had complied with the federal Hotel & Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990; therefore, were listed in the NML. The lodging industry has made several strides towards improving the status of their accommodation in order to enhance life safety. The federal government has been stern on this Act; it offers incentives to properties that comply with the contents of the Act. Not all hotels have fire sprinklers.

The Act has different components namely construction-structural assemblies, exits, interior finishing materials, heating, air handling, and cooking exhaust systems, standpipes, sprinklers and portable fire extinguishers, fire alarm systems, and duties of hotelkeeper in fire protection. The construction-structural assemblies stipulate that houses built after September 1, 1971 should have floor assemblies that act as fire separations on top of basements (“Hotel Fire Safety Act.”).

Secondly, the walls and arches that hold floor assemblies should have ¾-hour fire resistance rating. These are requirements for one or two storey buildings. A three-storey hotel or an addition to a hotel should be made from noncombustible materials. In addition, garage stores should not have a separation between floors. Fire Marshal has to approve the measures and standards.

The Fire safety describes the regional expectation of firewalls. The hotel should cover a basic area of not over 600m² as the firewalls divide the additional components. The vertical compartment should also not exceed 600m². A firewall has to separate a building adjacent to the hotel from the hotel.

Notably, any building that is converted to a hotel must adhere to the Regulations. Others like the assembly rooms and dining rooms that are operating in connection with the hotel must have a one-hour separation. The requirement can only be avoided if the other buildings are under full protection by an automatic sprinkler system. The interior stairways that connect the basements should have a ¾-hour fire separation from the hotel (“Hotel Fire Safety Act.”).

Fire escapes or exterior stairways that sew a storey that is beyond the second storey are to be separated from the hotel. The sleeping rooms in hotels are to be separated from each other a fire separation corresponding to ¾. Moreover, the doors are to be equipped with other openings that can make it possible for one to escape in times of fire outbreak. The hotel fire safety identifies hazardous areas as incinerators, furnaces, and boilers.

These materials should have a one-hour fire separation from the hotel. For noncombustible constructions, an oil heating appliances can be installed. Such rooms must have direct outlets to the outdoors. A fire separation of at least ¾ ought to be applied in creating laundry rooms and storage areas.

Hotels that were constructed after 1971 were to have an automatic sprinkler system in linen. The linen is to protect the sprinkler system during operation. The Congress passed these requirements in order to save properties and above all lives of its citizens. Both the rubbish and linen chutes were to be installed in a close shaft with an automatic venting that leads to the outdoors.

The Hotel Fire Safety Act further outlines the roles of the hotelkeepers. Upon discovery of fire, the hotelkeeper should sound the fire alarm. In case the hotel is within a municipal that has a fire department, he/she must call them for immediate response. In addition, nobody is permitted to switch off the fire alarm unless there is no fire or it has been put out.

The act stipulates that the person in charge must be at the premise at all times. At the entrance, the act demands that the procedures on how to operate the fire alarm, procedural plan on evacuation, fire hazard control, operate fire-fighting machines and procedures on how the department can access the building must be mounted on the wall. The hotel owner must ensure that he/she displays a notice on what to do in case of fire outbreak on the exit door and in every room.

The notice also indicates what the guest should do in case he/she hears a fire alarm (“Fire Safety Policies.”). Additionally, diagrams on fire emergency systems should be recorded for use by the supervisory staff as a guide. All the staff members are to be furnished with a list of procedures that is to be followed in case of fire emergency. Instructions on fire safety and fire emergency are posted regularly in all the employees work areas.

The hotels should conduct regular trainings to ensure that the hotelkeepers are familiar with the operation of various machines. For instance, a solid-bonded 3-hinged corridor door that has a UL-listed hardware requires in depth training and practice in order to ensure that the hotelkeeper comprehends the mode of operation. In addition, they are trained on evacuation procedures, how to control fire hazards in hotels, and how to operate the voice communication systems.

The hotelkeeper must ensure that the communication systems are operating at all times. To ensure that they operate normally, a regular testing, inspection and maintenance must be done. There must be a record that indicates the times and dates of inspection. The sprinkler systems must remain open in the event of fire until the fire is seen to be under control. In design and installation, the Act directs an electrical supervision of the fire alarm system.

The fire alarms’ installation and modification must adhere to NFPA code 72. Hotels should have two sources of power that are able to supply the system for 24 hours under normal operation. The source of power should also be able to sound the fire alarm for five minutes in a consecutive manner. These practices also comply with the environmental practices that dictate that life of a human being is paramount and should be protected at all cost.

The hotel industry uses different fire protective systems and equipments to contain these scenarios. For instance, hotels use fire alarm systems. The system should either be manual or automatic and be installed in all guest rooms at reachable heights. These devices are installed in a manner that they operate independently, that is, failure of one system does not affect the operation of the other fire alarms. Moreover, the hotels must locate the system next to the entrance.

This location is visible and easily accessible to the fire departments. These features enhance the quality of protection against fire. Fire sprinklers are also used in hotels to prevent or minimize the effects of fire outbreaks. The installation of a fire sprinkler must be in line with the NFPA 16 that provides the minimum requirement that one must consider before the installation process.

For example, the design of the system must within the required density as this acts as the control factor in their areas of application. In the US, sprinklers are used to stop small fires and have generally saved lives. Therefore, Fire sprinklers are used at the initial stages of fire outbreak.

Notably, fire that starts in a single room can grow to within a short time and cover the entire storey building. These sprinklers have proved helpful in US. In one scenario of 1986, the Dupont Plaza Hotel fire killed close to 97 people within 12 minutes. Fire sprinklers are extremely sensitive that they switch on and stop the fire thereby minimizing the chances of smoke development, which is the major source of killers in fire accidents.

They are designed in a manner that makes them stop fire within a twinkle of a minute. This made them to be referred to as flashover. Sprinklers are installed in hotel corridors and guest rooms with adequate spacing. Travelers are advised to confirm if the hotels they intend to use have fire sprinklers as required by the above act.

Further, smoke detectors are in use in most hotels. They have various units in all rooms. They are installed in compliance with the NFPA 92 standard (“Fire Safety Policies.”). The standard is applicable in designing, installing, operation, and continuous testing of the smoke detectors. The standard incorporates the basic physics on the flow of smoke, ways of controlling smoke, information support on technology, and different testing and maintenance methods.

This central point will be under the supervision of the officer in charge and is furnished with an efficient communication system. There is also the emergency lighting systems that are on standby mode. They are able to operate in case fire has originated from the electrical system.

They are installed in every rooms and corridors. Since during fire outbreaks, people tend to use any route for safety, there are always Emergency egress systems that give evacuation routes to the ground. The system is a requirement by the building codes and environmental health practices.

The staircases and the corridors are essential parts of the hotels that require proper construction. Environmental health practices involve instituting measures of preventing hazards and health supportive measures. Some deaths during fire outbreaks result from falls on staircases or inability to use the designed routes.

Exits and exit signs also assist hotels in eradicating fatalities resulting from fire. Qualified fire technicians install these directional signs on buildings. The signs direct people to exits that are near. Environmental health encompasses both built and natural environment; the concerns include, housing, disaster preparedness, occupational health and safety, and radiological health among others.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has rolled out information programs that have enabled people access information on environmental health perspectives, risk factors, and preventive measures. Human beings should ensure that their safety is supreme by practicing the preventive measures.

Housing is one of the common areas that touch on human safety; their construction and finishing materials like paints and cements can cause hazards. Some categories of paints, for instance, catch fire easily; this is extremely dangerous. People spend most of their time in these structures. Houses are commonly meant for security purposes; people tend to forget the other aspect of physical, biological, and chemical hazards that are consequences of house design.

Some of the hazards are revealed in a close study of American deaths. Between November 1980 and February 1981, the country recorded over 125 deaths in a span of three months due to house fires. Houses with inadequate fire prevention machineries record more deaths than those houses with proper fire prevention techniques. These are due to poor designs and maintenance of hotels and hostels in the Universities.

On chemical hazards, poor ventilators and continued burning of charcoal and gas boilers can release carbon monoxide that chokes and causes death. For instance, carbon monoxide alone has caused over 60 deaths annually in England. The nature of the hotels makes it easy for easy fire outbreak and spread.

Since most of the world population reside in low and middle income areas where there are unhealthy slum houses, they also uses hotels in the low class regions; therefore, there is need to enhance house safety even among the low class. Countries should initiate programs aiming at modifying their existing houses.

The WHO should ensure that the guidelines are adopted in all the Member State nations. Moreover, a carefully prescribed methodology that demands routine checks and tests on house safety should be used in all constructions in future. The survey combines before and after testing and checking of housing conditions.

Such building regulations on design are good for health. Markedly, trade-offs in design, for instance, higher energy efficiency can enable low-income earners to afford safe houses. In England and Wales, there have been the Housing Health and Safety Rating System that give an assessment based on the health risks and hazards of all hotels (“Hotel Fire Safety Act.”).

This initiative improves the fitness standards of houses by eliminating health hazards like heat, carbon dioxide, and lead paints, which could aid the spread of fire. In fact, the WHO has tried to institute measures to the extent of legal implications and fee levies on wrong house designs. Human safety in the world remains a solemn subject that requires involvement of every person.

This regulation ensures that workers are protected at their workplaces like in the hotel industry. Operating with flammable substances like petroleum products are risky ventures that require proper protection methods. Therefore, employers should ensure that the safety of their workers is paramount by following all the provisions of OHS act (“Hotel Fire Safety Act.”).

The OHS act upholds high level of mental and physical well-being of workers when at the workstations. For instance, in the United States, injuries and deaths from the hotel industry were three times the injuries and deaths from all the remaining industries.

To mitigate these complications, industries should have a properly laid safety policy and insurance policies like workers compensation. The hotel industry, for instance, should use proper safety equipment to avert impeding risks. Further, there should be clear health and safety regulations that the Construction Design Management Coordinator must ensure that all the workers follow. The Coordinator must ensure that they install fire detector machines in the hotels during the construction period.

Those who smoke within the premises should be liable for a penalty. The OHS professionals ought to evaluate all working environments to certify if they conform to the required standards, inform employers to develop measures that will minimize deaths and injuries and carry out OHS awareness among workers and customers so that they can raise the alarm in case of disobedience by the employers.

In OHS, risk assessment procedures include hazard identification, identification of those affected by the hazard and to the extent, evaluating the risk and, then, identifying and prioritizing control measures. This process is done in a practical manner. OHS remains an essential health concern since human being must work to earn a living, and there are different working environments, which have different impacts on the safety of individuals.

During electrical operations, cases of electrical abuse arise. This can be due to use of thin wires in transferring electric power from one point to another. A thin wire easily becomes hot and can explode due to electrical overload. This is a form of electrical fire hazard. On appliances, cooking and heating devices must be unplugged when not in use (“Residential Life Fire Safety.”).

There should also be regulations on the type of device that is allowed within the university premises. In addition, space heaters are only permitted in hotels if they are protected using non-conductors of electricity.

Detecting fire can help to control it. To detect fire, Automatic sprinkler system should be installed in both students and administration apartments. Water should be in pipes all the time to each sprinkler headed; a heat sensing mechanism. It is activated to sense temperature changes but on the contrary, this machine does not sense smoke.

Every sprinkler head operates on its own, 15 to 30 gallons of water under pressure in every minute is required to operate it. Students should ensure that nothing is hanged on sprinkler heads; can lead to flooding hence water damage. In addition, a minimum of 18 inches should be kept away from the sprinkler machine; this will enable it to reduce its effectiveness in case fire erupts (“Residential Life Fire Safety.”).

Opening windows in stair towers during winter is very dangerous, as some are not heated sufficiently to prevent water in the pipes from freezing, hence causing leakages from broken pipes. According to Chester University, cooperation is needed for the machine to operate as designed failure to which not only students but also the entire university will suffer in case of fire hazard.

The university administration should ensure that student’s hostels are not overcrowded with electric wires, proper hygiene should be maintained, and students failing to abide by the law should be disciplined; fine to be imposed on them or be vacated from their accommodations without financial credit for the remaining semester. Residential or lecture halls should be inspected regularly to confirm if students are abiding by the university rules and regulations. This will ensure the safety and health status of the whole university.

The staff in charge of maintenance should ensure that smoke detectors like carbon monoxide are checked at least two times a year, they should not be blocked; this ensures that they are properly connected all the time and the damaged ones are disconnected and replaced. Universities should prohibit any student from touching the smoke detectors or attach anything on them.

Furthermore, fire extinguishers should be checked monthly to ensure they are properly located and fully charged. All university should come up with an Emergency Action plan, which outlines its responsibilities including the escape routes in case of an emergency fire. The University should offer Training on safety measures to resident directors to keep them alert on fire related techniques like fire evacuation procedures and use fire extinguishers.

The Emergency Action leaders to respond to any fire drill or actual fire should fill a statement of incident. Students should adopt a routine of ensuring that any exit is in order and safe but it should be hasty. The university administration should ensure that there is no cooking in the students’ respective hostels. No heat-producing items should be allowed, unless authorized. If they come across any, the appliances must be taken away and disposed immediately and fines charged the victims.

If any student repeats the mistake, a fine of $100 can be imposed to the student. On the other hand, certain coffee makers and hair dressing equipments can be authorized but should not be used in any hazardous way. This fire safety policy minimises fire accidents that occurs as a result of cooking. The candle policy restricts students from using candles and halogen lamps; no heat producing appliances should be found in the students’ hostels.

Universities should ensure generators are available when there is power blackout. Any student found violating this policy; he/she should face the penalty of $50 to $100 per lamp, after which no warning is issued. Alarms in the hostels should only be used in case of fire, if not, activation of the alarm leads to a fine of $100 and no warning is issued after that.

Students should be alerted as earlier as possible for safety evacuation. No student should play around with the alarms as it can cause disturbance and confusion to the entire university, and in case of fire, it can hinder safety in evacuation. To reduce nuisance alarms, university should ensure that a penalty of $50 to $200 is issued to students who do not respect the policy. In case it originates from a particular room because of cooking, the occupant of the room pay the fine (“Residential Life Fire Safety.”).

If the habit continues more than 3 times, the appliances are confiscated or they vacate the room with an immediate effect. No student should be authorized to remove the fire extinguishers from their proper location. Anyone going against this rule should face a disciplinary staff and forced to pay a fine of $100 for every extinguisher or to every student.

Smoke accumulates inside houses and if inhaled; it increases the risk of contracting lung cancer. In Britain, it is believed that radon is responsible for 20 cases of lung cancer, leukemia and skin cancer. Housing conditions cause nervous system, cardiovascular, respiratory/chronic diseases and cancer.

In US, lead and chemical hazards, which are used in paints, are common contaminants. Water infiltration in houses is a leading cause for pest infiltration such as mice and rats. Since most of the world population reside in low and middle income areas where there are unhealthy slum houses, there is need to enhance house safety even among the low class. Countries should initiate programs aiming at modifying their existing houses.

The WHO should ensure that the guidelines are adopted in all the Member State nations. Moreover, a carefully prescribed methodology that demands routine checks and tests on house safety should be used in all constructions in future. The survey combines before and after testing and checking of housing conditions. Such building regulations on design are good for health. Such houses discourage growth of moulds and allow free indoor airflow.

In England and Wales, there have been the Housing Health and Safety Rating System that give an assessment based on the health risks and hazards of all houses. This initiative improves the fitness standards of houses by eliminating health hazards like cold, heat, falls, damp and mould, carbon dioxide, radon and lead paints. In fact, the WHO has tried to institute measures to the extent of legal implications and fee levies on wrong house designs. Human safety in the world remains a solemn subject that requires involvement of every person.

One of the organizations that are involved in university housing fire safety is the Campus Fire Safety Organization (CFSO). CFSO ensures that campuses are safe from fire as since it provide a room for campuses to collect and share ideas. This organization is supported through kindness, as it is an-profitable resource. Those committed with it exchange information from different experts devoted in protecting all college and university communities.

Secondly, the Centre for Campus Fire Safety (CCFS), being a non-profitable organization, is dedicated to minimise life lost from fire that occur in the universities. Its main objective is to promote the safety of campuses against fire. CCFS collects information from different universities relating to safety of universities, thereby acting as a clearinghouse for information.

Further, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is a private organization aimed a serving the world in fire relating incidences (“Fire Safety Policies.”). NFPA authorizes, develops and publish sources on public safety in the NFPA Standard 101. It adopted the safety standards from the Texas State Fire and used it in state building.

Fire Prevention Issues in University Housing are in broad category. The most common is the no smoking policy within the University premises. This policy shows that it is highly possible to control fire in residential halls than in off-campus residences. Tufts University has made this policy a mandatory.

In addition, the University of Massachusetts has made all public places in the institution non-smoking areas. The areas are the residences, lecture halls, and other fraternities. In a broader perspective, the University of Colorado has viewed smoking as a threat to public health.

The policy covers students, employees, contractors, and visitors in the institution. This policy helps the institution provide a comfortable and favorable learning environment for its staff and students. The institution has gone further to initiate cessation programs that assist addicts from quitting smoking (“Campus Fire Safety: Safety Tips for Students & Parents.”). This act directly affects the life of an individual and the environment.

Environmental protection involves practices that human beings can institute to lower environmental degradation. Those who violate this policy are subjected under disciplinary actions.

Since smoking can cause fire in institutions, this policy helps in preventing fire outbreaks. In addition, students should attend to their cooking at all times. This is a key cause for residential fires. Overheating of cooking oils can cause fire if a splash of fire gets into contact with the overheated oil. Those who cook food should use pans to cover fire that in order to avoid spillage in a large area.

Another preventive measure in the University housing is ensuring that all smoke and CO detectors are left running throughout (“Campus Fire Safety: Safety Tips for Students & Parents.”). Smoke detectors are life saving devices, as they give an early alert on life threatening situations like fire. Moreover, CO, which is a byproduct of fire is causes silent deaths. The Tufts University has been monitoring these fire detection devices. Those who tamper with them are fined and imprisoned; this act is a criminal offence.

Hotels and University housings have tried to employ numerous standards in order to eliminate the effects of fire in their departments. From the above discussion, the detection measures employed by these two distinct institutions have made it possible for them to mitigate the adverse effects of fire. The numerous safety precautions that the university requires students to follow have worked towards reducing the fatalities.

For instance, students are taught on how to use the 911-call system to notify the fire department, inspection on overload cases in electrical appliances, careful disposal of smoking materials, and regular tests for fire alarm and smoke alarm systems. There should be regulations on combustible contents like furniture, regulation of appliances like refrigerators, and controlling the use of open flames like smoking and candles.

Works Cited

Campus Fire Safety: Safety Tips for Students & Parents. U.S. Fire Administration | Working for a Fire-Safe America. FEMA, 29 Jan. 2013. Web.

Fire Safety Policies. Princeton University – Welcome. The Trustees of Princeton University, 27 Sept. 2012. Web.

Hotel Fire Safety Act. IKLIM LTD . N.p., n.d. Web.

Residential Life Fire Safety. UMass Amherst Residential Life. University of Massachusetts Amherst, 8 Feb. 2013. Web.

Swiss hospitality touch entails the characteristics that make up a holistic organization that is geared towards meeting the demands of its client and creating a friendly working environment for its employees so as to realize success in the hotelier industry (Gleick 1987). The five known attributes and ethical pactices that ought to be implemented to ensure success in this Swiss Hospitality industry include:

Immaculate precision-is an impeccable exemplary service offered to the customers and it entails doing the right thing at the right time at the convenience of the customers (Kerzner 2010).

Attention to details- where the management is keen to meet all the demands and preferences of its consumers inspite of how big or minute the matter may seem so as to fulfil the demands of its client and create good relationship with their esteemed customers and other stakeholders.

Superior process management-is a management process that will ensure maintenance of high quality work and consistency of the workers. The management should be on the fore front in carrying out the vision, goals and objectives of the business.

Timeliness- the organization has to embrace the attribute of time consciousness if they want to impress and retain its customers. Time is a very critical resource that could be used positively to build the reputation of the hotel or restaurant since most people really value their time hence if served urgently and adequately they will be willing to come back a second time (Lewis 2011).

An example in this sector includes having an efficient hotel management overseeing the daily activities of the hotel and ensuring timely service to all its clients and working towards meeting their demands.

Discreet discipline-this entails observing the ethical codes of conduct in carrying out daily routine. Employees are expected to uphold integrity and behave in a respectable manner both in speech and conduct more so when dealing with the clients.

Discipline and respect should also be embraced between employees and their employers and strictly adhere to the rules that govern the organization, it will be easier for the managers to run the organization and implement their strategic plans and programs if their subjects respect them and comply to their orders and demands.

Perceptive presence-it is being keen, insightful and intuitive on matters of concern to the organization. The workers in the restaurant are expected to be alert and responsive so as to effectively handle any changes that may be effected by top management or by other external micro economics. In being alert and discreet, the employees are able to offer quality services even under pressure.

Balanced work ethics-it involves having a schedule or work plan to enable one have ample time to do all that is expected of them. This instills discipline in one’s works as they venture to accomplish their duties and have time to attend to other pressing issues.

An example in this case is where a hotel management sets strict rules and code of conduct by which the employees are expected to comply with like being courteous and patient with clients even when they chose to be arrogant and abusive. In so doing, the management will ensure that the restaurant’s reputation is not dented and does not lose its customers.

Dependable quality-provision of high quality goods and services to meet the consumers’ wants and preferences. It entails offering fresh, quality, well-prepared food and beverages and giving their clients the best possible services. This will enable the business to retain its clients and build on their reputation.

Culture of execution-the organization oughts to embrace the culture of executing its plans and objectives in the course of meeting their goal of providing high quality standards of goods and services as it is a good thing to plan but most importantly to execute. It calls for an efficient management system and committed employees to carry out the execution of the organization’s strategic plans.

Building things that last-investing in quality systems, machineries and technology amongst other organizational structures is the way to success.

Long lasting quality commodities or goods have a lasting effect on the organization since they will serve for a long period before deteriorating as opposed to the low quality goods that need to be replaced more regularly hence costing the firm more expenses.

Practical innovation- it entails being creative and innovative so as to come up with unique services that are more appealing to the consumers.

This can be achieved by investing more on research and development and motivating employees to be more innovative as this will enable the organization to have an identity and stand out in the market (Uzawa 2003).

Seizing opportunity to create practical solutions-the organization ought to capitalize on any opportunity that presents itself to maximize on its profits and work to seal any loopholes that drag their progress behind. In so doing, the restaurant will be covering milestones in the market and get established in the hotelier industry.

An example in this case could be creatively designing the furnitures in a unique and comfortable way with some cool background music and sterile environment to create a conducive atmosphere for the clients to eat, drink, relax and enjoy.

Professional leadership-where organization ensures that it enrols highly competent employees with professional skills to deliver quality services to its clients and hence increasing productivity of the firm (Leroux 2005).

Compelling modesty-is being decent in speech, character or behaviour. Where employees are modest, clients would like to associate with them and hence creating a good relationship amongst them.

The professional will- where employees are self driven to produce their best of services in every activity they undertake for the good of the firm. When employees are motivated and work harmoniously with the management to meet the needs of the client, then the business will be geared towards success

Execution- it entails implementing strategic plans so as to achieve the intended goals and objectives of the organization. Execution is the most important stage in the running of a business and it involves input and commitment from the managers and the work force in order to accomplish the goals of the organization.

An example in this case could be a case where Swiss hospitality chose to invest in enrolling highly qualified professional personnels to inject their skills and professionalism into the organization so as to boost their productivity in the industry. They will also be instrumental in organizing strategic plans and working towards executing them.

In concusition, for the Swiss hospitality hotel to successfully carryout its errants and excel in the hotelier industry, there is need to address critical and ethical matters that can aid the organization scale to greater heights. These five attributes can be adhered to then the Swiss Hospitality industry will definitely excel in the market.

Reference List

Gleick, J. 1987, Chaos: profit maximization strategy, New York: Penguin.

Kerzner, H. 2010, Project management best practices: achieving global excellence, Hoboken, NJ; John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Leroux, M. 2005, The human resource, New York: Springer.

Lewis, J. 2011, Project planning, scheduling, and control: a hands-on guide to bringing projects in on time and on budget, New York; McGraw-Hill.

Uzawa, H. 2003, Economic theory and innovations, Cambridge: Cambridge UP.

Introduction

Sustainability has become a buzzword in contemporary tourism research and practice. Thousands of businesses claim themselves to be sustainable, because they provide their services without damaging the environment. More often than not, sustainability is understood in the context of environmental protection and community development.

Sustainable tourism is expected to be able to balance its profitability concerns with the needs of communities. Apparently, the tools and resources used to promote sustainable tourism differ considerably across communities and settings.

This paper is a review of the current theoretical and empirical literature related to the topic of sustainable tourism. The main themes to be discussed in this review include: definition of sustainability and its theoretical underpinnings, the problems of measuring sustainability and tourism, as well as the case studies of sustainable tourism presented in literature.

Tourism and Sustainability: Defining the Concept

Sustainability is a common topic in contemporary literature. However, its meaning is often taken for granted. Few, if any, researchers discussed the concept of sustainability in detail. Of all articles retrieved in this literature search, only Lansing and De Vries (2007) decided to review the meaning of the sustainability concept, as applied in tourism.

According to Lansing and De Vries (2007), the concept of sustainability in tourism has numerous categorisations and definitions, and this is also why the debate over sustainable tourism remains so fragmented and confusing. Saarinen (2006) supports this view and suggests that the concept of sustainable tourism continues to interest and irritate researchers. Lansing and De Vries (2007) take the definition of the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) as the starting point for their analysis.

This is also the definition, which is to be used in this review of literature: “sustainability principles refer to the environmental, economic and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development, and a suitable balance must be established between these three dimensions to guarantee its long-term sustainability” (Lansing & De Vries 2007, p.78). In other words, sustainability in tourism emphasises the importance of ethics.

Sustainable tourism enables communities and host countries to retain the benefits of tourism (Lansing & De Vries 2007). Sustainable tourism is impossible without showing respect for the major socio-cultural aspects of community development and growth. All these are the fundamental requirements of sustainability in tourism.

Sustainability in Tourism: Theories and Implications

It should be noted, that sustainability remains a popular topic of research and policy development. Saarinen (2006) writes that sustainability in tourism can be readily associated with almost all scales and kinds of tourist activities. Many sustainability features have been borrowed from the earlier studies and are nothing new.

Still, several essential themes in the study of sustainable tourism can be identified. Saarinen (2006) speaks about three distinct traditions of sustainability in research: activity-based, resource-based, and community-based. The resource-based tradition was developed in response to the growing shortages of various community resources.

Researchers in tourism were trying to find a magic number which, once overstepped, would inevitably result in irreversibly negative impacts on the community and environment (Saarinen 2006). This tradition was closely associated with natural sciences and the positivist philosophy. The activity-based tradition was intended to close the gaps in the resource-based view of sustainability (Saarinen 2006).

This tradition in sustainability research was industry-oriented and tourism-centric (Saarinen 2006). Finally, the community-based tradition came to resolve the existing dualities between the resource-based and activity-based research traditions (Saarinen 2006). At present, it is through the prism of community development that most approaches to sustainable tourism are reconsidered and evaluated.

In the meantime, researchers are developing new theoretical approaches to sustainability and reconsider the concept of sustainable tourism through various theoretical lenses. Mowforth and Munt (2003) discussed the principles and tools of sustainability in tourism.

According to Mowforth and Munt (2003), none of the existing sustainability definitions is entirely satisfactory; therefore, the degree of sustainability in various tourist activities should be judged, based on whether or not they meet a number of criteria. These criteria include but are not limited to: environmental benefits, social, cultural, and economic benefits, educational implications, and local participation (Mowforth & Munt 2003).

The researchers discuss each type of sustainability in detail, but the most interesting is their evaluation of educational sustainability in tourism. Mowforth and Munt (2003) suggest that sustainable tourism must provide an educational input, by informing community members about the benefits of tourism or teaching them to do sustainable tourism right.

As mentioned earlier, the activity- and community-based paradigms in sustainable tourism research came to reflect the dynamics and changeability of sustainable practices in tourism (Saarinen 2006). Farrell and Twining-Ward (2005) further expand this theoretical position and write that a new thought in sustainable tourism depicts the world as constantly changing and full of uncertainty.

Farrell and Twining-Ward (2005) recognise that changes in community and policy decisions greatly impact the nature of sustainability, and only theoretical approaches based on dynamic activities and change can serve the needs of students and researchers in sustainable tourism.

This uncertainty actually led to the development of various theoretical models. Those models were expected to make the concept of sustainability more comprehensive and full. Macbeth, Carson and Northcote (2004) proposed a regional development perspective on sustainability to tackle with the limitations of more traditional resource-based models.

Macbeth et al. (2004) assert that these models ignore the cultural and community aspects of tourism development, and a successful regional model of sustainable tourism will always contribute to the local social, political, and cultural capital (SPCC). These principles are also echoed in Mowforth and Munt (2003) and Saarinen (2006).

The notions of social theory and social capital are commonly used in sustainable tourism research. Hughes (2004) also applied to social theory in order to reduce the ambivalence surrounding the concept of sustainability in tourism. In Hughes’s (2004) view, sustainable tourism is a relevant response to a deep philosophic shift taking place in the tourism industry, when mass package models give place to individualisation and differentiation in holiday making.

At the same time, researchers like Casagrandi and Rinaldi (2002) admit that implementing sustainability models in practice can be difficult and extremely problematic. Even in the presence of the best theoretical approaches, delivering quality tourism can be impossible without severely impacting the environment (Casagrandi & Rinaldi 2002).

One of the key questions asked by Casagrandi and Rinaldi (2002) is whether at all the concept of sustainability can be implemented in tourism, or whether it is designed merely to help businesses in the tourism industry generate profits. Lansing and De Vries (2007) discuss this issue in their work.

They claim that, because sustainability in tourism is so poorly defined, it is nothing but a marketing ploy (Lansing & De Vries 2007). Sustainable tourism is expected to minimise the harm caused to the environment, but in reality, the level of pollution caused by traveling remains quite high (Lansing & De Vries 2007).

In economic terms, sustainability in tourism does little or nothing to reduce the problems posed by conventional tourism (Lansing & De Vries 2007). These problems are further exacerbated by the lack of sustainability awareness in public. Miller, Rathouse, Scarles, Holmes and Tribe (2010) have explored the public understanding of sustainability in tourism and discovered that the respondents have little understanding of tourism’s effects on their daily behaviours and practices.

Moreover, the public does not feel empowered to manage their touristic and community activities in ways that benefit them (Miller et al. 2010). To a large extent, the tangible effects and benefits of sustainability in tourism remain more theoretical than practical. Nevertheless, the current literature contains numerous case studies of sustainable development in tourism and provides diverse opinions on how sustainability in tourism could be measured.

Measuring Sustainability in Tourism

The question of measuring sustainability is one of the most common themes in modern tourism research. Numerous researchers tried to define the limits and scope of sustainability in tourist activities. Various models have been proposed to enhance the measurability of sustainable activities in tourism.

Nonetheless, the field of tourism lacks a single universal approach to sustainability measurement. Gossling, Hansson, Horstmeier and Saggel (2002) developed a methodological framework to calculate the ecological footprints of leisure tourism. At the core of the model are the impacts of air travel on the host environment: the researchers used the example of the Seychelles to prove that the ecological footprints model could be effectively used to meet the goals of sustainability measurement in tourism (Gossling et al. 2002).

Later, Fernandez and Rivero (2009) recommended using a composite index to measure sustainability in tourism, based on factor loadings. Again, the example of Spanish tourism was used to prove that the proposed index could become a robust measure of sustainability in various tourist activities (Fernandez & Rivero 2009).

Simpson (2007) recommended using an integrated approach to assess the effects of tourism on sustainable livelihoods and community development. The proposed model incorporates the diverse factors and elements that impact sustainability, including geographical contexts, their employment and economic characteristics, ownership structure and governance, etc. (Simpson 2007).

Despite the growing number of measurement models, the gap between theory and industry perceptions of useful sustainability indicators continues to persist (McCool, Moisey & Nickerson 2001). Again, these controversies are rooted in the ambiguities of sustainable tourism, its concept and applications (McCool et al. 2001).

Different agents pursue different goals and have different perceptions on which indicators should be used to achieve and measure sustainability. Therefore, it is difficult to imagine that scholars will arrive at any conceptual and measurement agreement anytime soon.

Sustainability in Tourism: Application

The current state of literature is rich in sustainability examples. Researchers develop case studies to analyse how sustainability can benefit tourism. Bearing in mind the controversies surrounding the concept of sustainability, the ways in which it is applied in tourism are also different.

Still, the results of the recent real-life analyses can be used to identify and analyse the most common features of sustainable practices in tourism. The hotel industry is one of the most popular targets of sustainable tourism research. Chan and Lam (2003) explored a rooftop hotel pool as an example of sustainable practices in tourism. Chan and Lam (2003) confirmed that, due to considerable cost savings, the rooftop pool could become a relevant alternative to conventional pool equipment.

In a similar fashion, Ayuso (2006) explored the use of voluntary tools of sustainability across several Spanish hotels. The results presented by Ayuso (2006) tell much about motivations behind the use of voluntary practices in tourism. On the one hand, hotel owners and managers display a limited understanding of the sustainability concept (Ayuso 2006).

As a result, they are not always able to define how to meet their sustainability targets. On the other hand, voluntary sustainability practices are driven by factors other than the pursuit of economic profits (Ayuso 2006). Hotel managers often apply to sustainability in response to stakeholder demands or with respect to owners’ environmental concerns (Ayuso 2006). These results do not support the theoretical assumptions of sustainability and its marketing benefits presented by Lansing and De Vries (2007).

Lumsdon (2000) suggested that cycle tourism could become a relevant model of sustainability in tourism. The researcher explored the concept of a planned transport network, as applied in the UK (Lumsdon 2000). The model of planned transport networks incorporates four different stages, but Lumsdon (2000) believes that it has the potential to promote the idea of sustainability in local tourism.

Muller (2000) proposed the model of second home tourism as a potential contributor to sustainability in rural areas. Muller (2000) used the examples of Northern Sweden and Finland to measure the effectiveness of second home tourism in the context of sustainability. Nasser (2003) also referred to sustainability through the prism of heritage places.

The researcher proposed an integrated approach to managing heritage places that would help avoid the major conflicts between conservation and tourism needs (Nasser 2003). The results of these case studies suggest that different researchers have different visions of sustainability in tourism.

Moreover, the way sustainability is defined and applied differs greatly across sites and destinations. The lack of uniformity and standardisation in sustainable applications further exacerbates the theoretical confusion surrounding the concept of sustainability in research.

The current research into sustainability in tourism displays a series of methodological and conceptual limitations. First, sustainability lacks a single conceptual basis (Lansing & De Vries 2007; Saarinen 2006). Second, the lack of clarity in defining and conceptualising sustainability makes it difficult to assess the effectiveness of various sustainability practices in tourism. In the meantime, many questions related to sustainable practices in tourism remain overlooked or ignored.

Researchers do not pay too much attention to the issues of tourist demand (Liu 2003). Others have a limited view of resource sustainability: preservation and conservation of tangible resources is clearly not enough to ensure that tourism is truly sustainable. Researchers and practitioners should appreciate the value of other, non-tangible resources that are essential, dynamic, and changeable (e.g. technological capabilities).

The relationship between sustainability and tourism is often described in terms of meeting the needs of one stakeholder group or one generation of community members, while also ignoring the impacts of tourism on the future generations, as well as the distribution of tourism benefits across multiple stakeholders (Liu 2003). All these questions need relevant answers to ensure that the future research can present a balanced picture of sustainability in tourism.

Conclusion

The current state of literature provides rich information about sustainability in tourism. This review of literature was designed to highlight the major themes and limitations inherent in contemporary sustainable tourism research. To start with, researchers commonly agree that the concept of sustainability in tourism lacks a single universal definition.

The definition of sustainability developed by the World Tourism Organisation is usually taken as the basis for policy development and analysis. Despite these controversies, researchers have applied a number of theories to reconsider the way sustainability in tourism works. Social theories are often used to review the fundamental elements of sustainable tourism.

Some researchers acknowledge that sustainable tourism should contribute to the development of social and cultural capital. Nevertheless, the public remains unaware of the meaning of sustainability. Also, community members often feel disempowered to change the most common tourist practices.

Contemporary researchers also lack any agreement on how sustainability in tourism should be measured. These difficulties stem from the lack of an adequate conceptual definition of sustainable tourism. In addition, the case studies of sustainable practices in tourism uncover a wide diversity of visions, decisions, and processes used by businesses to achieve and maintain a vision of sustainability in tourism. Unfortunately, the methodological and conceptual limitations of sustainable tourism research cannot be ignored.

Researchers tend to ignore the importance of tourism demand, while also disregarding the ways, in which the benefits of sustainable tourism should be distributed among various community groups. Future researchers should focus on the analysis of sustainability and its conceptual underpinnings to arrive at a single and universally comprehensive definition of sustainability in tourism.

References

Ayuso, S 2006, ‘Adoption of voluntary environmental tools for sustainable tourism: Analysing the experience of Spanish hotels’, Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, vol.13, pp.207-226.

Casagrandi, R & Rinaldi, S 2002, ‘A theoretical approach to tourism sustainability’, Conservation Ecology, vol.6, no.1, pp.13-20.

Chan, WW & Lam, JC 2003, ‘Energy-saving supporting tourism sustainability: A case study of hotel swimming pool heat pump’, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, vol.11, no.1, pp.74-83.

Farrell, B & Twining-Ward, L 2005, ‘Seven steps towards sustainability: Tourism in the context of new knowledge’, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, vol.13, no.2, pp.109-122.

Fernandez, JI & Rivero, MS 2009, ‘Measuring tourism sustainability: Proposal for a composite index’, Tourism Economics, vol.15, no.2, pp.277-296.

Gossling, S, Hansson, CB, Horstmeier, O & Saggel, S 2002, ‘Ecological footprint analysis as a tool to assess tourism sustainability’, Ecological Economics, vol.43, pp.199-211.

Hughes, G 2004, ‘Tourism, sustainability, and social theory’, in AA Lew, CM Hall & AM Williams (eds), A companion to tourism, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford,pp.498-505.

Lansing, P & De Vries, P 2007, ‘Sustainable tourism: Ethical alternative or marketing ploy?’, Journal of Business Ethics, vol.72, pp.77-85.

Liu, Z 2003, ‘Sustainable tourism development: A critique’, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, vol.11, no.6, pp.459-475.

Lumsdon, L 2000, ‘Transport and tourism: Cycle tourism – A model for sustainable development?’, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, vol.8, no.5, pp.361-377.

McBeth, J, Carson, D & Northcote, J 2004, ‘Social capital, tourism and regional development: SPCC as a basis for innovation and sustainability’, Current Issues in Tourism, vol.7, no.6, pp.502-522.

McCool, SF, Moisey, RN & Nickerson, NP 2001, ‘What should tourism sustain? The disconnect with industry perceptions of useful indicators’, Journal of Travel Research, vol.40, 124-131.

Mowforth, M & Munt, I 2003, ‘The principles of sustainability in tourism’, in M Mowforth & I Munt (eds), Tourism and sustainability: New tourism in the Third World, Routledge, New York, pp.105-119.

Miller, G, Rathouse, K, Scarles, C, Holmes, K & Tribe, J 2010, ‘Public understanding of sustainable tourism’, Annals of Tourism Research, vol.37, no.3, pp.627- 645.

Muller, DK 2002, ‘Second home tourism and sustainable development in north European peripheries’, Tourism and Hospitality Research Surrey Quarterly Review, vol.3, pp.1-20.

Nasser, N 2003, ‘Planning for urban heritage places: Reconciling conservation, tourism, and sustainable development’, Journal of Planning Literature, vol.17, no.4, pp.467-479.

Saarinen, J 2006, ‘Traditions of sustainability in tourism studies’, Annals of Tourism Research, vol.33, no.4, pp.1121-1140.

Simpson, MC 2007, ‘An integrated approach to assess the impacts of tourism on community development and sustainable livelihoods’, Community Development Journal, vol.44, no.2, pp.186-208.

Introduction

The rate at which cruising is growing in Australia is marvellous. In the recent years more Australians are venturing into seas for adventure especially during holidays. The growth rate can be associated with the unique in which people can use destination sampling to tour several tourist attraction sites within a very short time.

The systems of payment are all inclusive. Payments modes have been made a one stop shop. This covers travel tickets, entertainment, meals, and accommodation. It is also relatively easy to move since one can to unpack only once during his or her entire stay period. The cruising industry is experiencing upward mobility in terms of growth across the world.

Statistics show that about twenty million tourists went cruising. In order to cater for the increasing desire by the tourists to cruise, the companies involved in the business are building more ships to accommodate the tourists (Edgell 2013).

The Royal Caribbean International is the largest cruise liner that has a ability of almost two hundred and twenty-five thousand ships. Other big cruise liners include the Allure of the seas that was built in two thousand and ten and the Oasis of the seas which is a make of two thousand and nine.

The increase in the number of cruise ships has led to development of new trends in cruising. There are new smaller, luxurious and speedy ships that have emerged. This has highly scaled the desire for vigorous onshore adventures. Companies have increased the number of large resort ships in addition to increasing the number of shopping malls on board.

The number of tourist destinations visited by the cruise liners has increased to about two thousand by the end of twenty-twelve. The destinations include the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Bahamas, and Alaska among many more. Australian tourist attractions sites are the newest areas that tourists are now visiting. This is because the sites are new, have brand sanctuaries, glamorous and remote (Frochot & Batat 2013).

The booming is now booming in Australia. Over the last decade the number of people going cruising has increased from a staggering zero point six percent to two point one percent by twenty-twelve. Government projections in Australia from the department of Tourism estimate that a total of four point two percent of Australians will be going cruising which will be about one million of the population.

Statistics show that in two thousand and eight, cruising grew by twelve percent in the United Kingdom compared to five percent in the United States while in Australia the industry grew by a massive twenty-six percent. Almost half a million people in Australia took to cruising and this was an impressive twenty-seven percent increase in two thousand and twelve.

For six consecutive years, the cruising industry has experienced a double-digit growth rate in Australia. The increase in the number of large cruise liners points to the fact that cruising is an industry that is experiencing immense growth in Australia.

Big companies such as Royal Caribbean International with two super liners based in Sydney, Carnival Sea Princess which is the biggest cruise corporation and Queen Mary 2 that is owned by Cunard are among the companies that run the show in the industry (Frochot & Batat 2013).

The Radiance for instance was the first cruise liner to be based in Sydney in the twenty-first century. The initiative by cruise corporations to invest in cruising only serves to underlie the strength at the industry is growing. The sector is right for holidays because it accommodates all types of people including the young, families, singles, and even the old.

History of cruising

The company that invented cruising was founded in eighteen thirty-seven. The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&0) has celebrated almost one hundred and eighty since it first went on voyage (Hampton, 2013). Almost one hundred years later in nineteen forty-five, one million United Kingdom migrants reached their new homeland in Australia. It is documented that the scheme to bring the passengers in mass was planned by the Australian and British governments in trying to popularize Australia (Ward, 2013).

P&O is currently one of the most preferred cruise liners in New Zealand and Australia with its destinations in Australia, Asia, Pacific Islands, and New Zealand. Other destinations include Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney (Frochot & Batat 2013). Most of the company ships carry an average of two thousand passengers. The company also operates an outlet called the Princess Cruises.

Cruise sites

The main cruising sites in Australia include the South Pacific, where thirty-seven percent of the all-cruising Australians visit. Australia takes a share of nineteen percent of the tourists and New Zealand that receives ten percent of the visitors. With thirty-four percent of the cruise ships visited last year, the industry raked in a whooping one point two million US dollars. The ports alone have ten ships permanently based there from six corporations.

Australia is known all over the world as a home the koalas, kangaroos, and kiwis. The Sydney Opera House is the most famous all time architectural icon in Australia. Melbourne pristine coats line has spot shells and frolicking dolphins (P&O 2008).

The garden city is a beautiful park that is kept in the Christchurch comfortable for strolling while New Zealand’s culture, art, and history is kept in the beautiful Wellington Museum. The Bonorong wildlife park has native animals that include the koala, kiwis, kangaroos, and cockatoos. Tourists have permission to cuddle koalas as they enjoy the breeze.

Sydney

Sydney is one of the largest cities in the world. It is famously referred to as the Pot of call. It is built on the most beautiful harbours in the world. It has a white-sailed design called the Sydney Opera House that is dramatic. The plan and structure makes it one of the most recognized structures in the world.

It has been built on eleven acres of land and space. The famous Harbour Bridge that joins the two sides is famed for its lovely outlook. The beautiful sparkling harbour can be viewed from the reception and concert halls in the iconic house. It has an adequate space for strolling along the shoreline at sunset when it is the most beautiful to view.

The central business district in Sydney ha world-class food joints including restaurants and entertainment centres. There are beautiful shops and museum where tourists can buy items o their choice including the cultural artefacts for remembrance. They include the Rocks Market (Ward, 2013).

The streets of Sydney have local musicians and performers strategically located to entertain visitors. The vendors are magnificent; it becomes the responsibility of the tourist to either talk to one in the sun or under the canopy. The city’s best delicacy comes from the sea just because it is situated next to the sea.

Other varieties are also available. This complements the humid weather as the city is located to the coastline. Sydney has thirty-four water-warriors along its beach line. Other things to enjoy include the golden sand, Bondi, crystal water, Coogree, and Bronte. The cliff offers the best moments for tourists to take an adventurous walk. It should be noted that surfing is the most popular of all activities in Sydney.

Hobart

Hobart is located on the foothills of Mount Wellington in the island of Tasmania and is one of the oldest tourist attraction sites. It was established more that two hundred and fifteen years ago. It is smaller and though old, it still holds the flavour of a town that is good for leisure.

It has the Richmond Bridge which is the oldest bridge in the country of Australia. This is in addition to the classic Victorian and Georgian mansions. The unique shops, galleries, and small cottages were built by convicts that were brought in the country from England. These structures give an image of what it meant to build houses in the ancient times covering more than two hundred years ago.

The largest carnivorous marsupials commonly referred to in this island as the Tasmania devil produces bump-giving shrieks are found here. The animals are cranky. Tourists also get an opportunity to visit Tas and tons at the Bonorong wildlife park that also has other native wild animals. The sites waterfront offers one of the best sporting adventures in the world.

Tourists on holiday can head out on a sea-kayak to explore the town’s coastline. By doing this, they get the best moments to catch sunshine at sunset. It takes three hours to cycle around Mount Wellington. The journey begins at the cliff of the mountain that appears above the cloud line and adventures take the tourist down the road to the harbour of Hobart.

In addition to the exercise that a person enjoys, the view of the coats becomes very clear. Cradle Mountain, Freycinet Peninsula and the Bay of Fires make up some of the islands most favourite national parks. The artists in Hobart specialize in the making of wooden carvings and as such tourists can afford some of their products on their way back home.

Elizabeth Street Mall and Salamanca Place are some of the places that local artisans display their products for sell. The open air markets in these stalls are always held on Saturdays. The island has the tastiest wine called the Tasmanian wine. Other products in the island include Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, and Riesling.

Tasmanian Wine centre represents one of the more than thirty joints where refreshments are available in plenty. The increase in the number of cruise ships has led to development of new trends in cruising. There are new smaller, luxurious and speedy ships that have emerged. This has highly scaled the desire for vigorous onshore adventures. Companies have increased the number of large resort ships in addition to increasing the number of shopping malls on board.

Wellington

Wellington has become the native’s destination of choice for those seeking weekends full of fun. The experiences that tourists get make them chic and vibrant. Wellington in New Zealand with little wonders including restaurants, boutiques, pubs, and theatres (Kozak 2012).

It is also a political city and the second largest. To many visitors, going to Wellington is a walk in the paradise. All these recreation centres are found in one place. The income that Wellington city rakes in comfortably rivals New York. Mark you; it is the fastest growing tourist destination centre in Australia.

The beauty of the city also comes from its place. It is sandwiched between steep hills on one end the ocean on the other. In nineteen ninety-eight, Te Papa Tongarewa National Museum of New Zealand was opened. This marked the arrival of Wellington in to the world of the best cultural centres.

The design is both a cultural and architectural evolution. It cost an enormous three hundred and seventeen million U.S Dollars to put it up. More than ten million visitors have come the iconic masterpiece since its opening with more than thirty percent of them coming from foreign countries.

The site presents New Zealand’s cultural heritage in a bold and spectacular way making to receive accolades from across the world. The visitors are given a chance to engage in virtual bungee jump a trip to the prehistoric sites of New Zealand and participate in sheep-shearing.

Most sporting adventures in Wellington are outdoor and represent the traditional New Zealand styles of engaging in leisure. The city has the Red Rocks Coastal Walk that stretches along the Southern coastline and is eight kilometres long. The walk covers the lava formation red rocks over to the seal-covered shores of Sinclair Head.

The rock climbers also have the opportunity to exercise their leisure activities (Edgell 2013). The Cook Strait and South Island are situated in the rugged hills on the countryside. This area can be reached by boarding a four-wheel drive. The city has restaurants that offer delicacies favourable to any tourist from all over the world. The foods from India, Malaysia, Japan, and China are however, the most dominant.

Though the city seems to offer a lavish life, visitors whose financial power is not very strong have their areas reserved for instance the Cuba Street, Oriental Bay, Thorndon, Eastbourne, and Mount Victoria. Some of these areas are located on the suburbs of Wellington. The concentration of the city allows people to take the shortest time possible to walk from one end to the other. The ideal shopping stalls are located downtown the in the city.

It takes an estimated half an hour to reach the centre from any of the tourist sites. Lambton Quay, which is located on Willis Street, is the most famous shopping mall in the city. Following the architectural design of its stores, it sometimes takes over the name Golden Mile. Apart from offering affordable foods, Cuba Street also offers second-hand goods that are cheap and alternative boutiques.

Analysis of growth

Australia is the fasted growing cruise market in the world because of the increasing number of visitors every year. This has the cruise industry experience a spectacular growth rate. New figures from the International Cruise Council of Australasia show that the number of Australians going cruising is currently more than six hundred thousand (Kozak 2012). The figure represents an impressive increase in the number of visitors by thirty-four percent.

The industry weathered the difficult world economic times to steadily record growth. The industry has experienced a double-digit growth rate for the last six years with an average of twenty-three percent from two thousand and six. When compared to the United States and United Kingdom who have enjoyed a four and five percent increase rate at the same period, the growth is impressive. Factors attributed to these by analysts include the strength of the Australian currency that is available and strong.

The stakeholders in the industry however, hold that they are an emerging market and have not reached the level of North America among others. All the players agree that the rate at which the sector is growing has never been experienced in over two decades. While booming of the industry in North America took place in the seventies, when people began cruising in large numbers, Australia has only felt that same in the last one decade (Hampton 2013).

The top three cruise destinations in Australia are led by NSW, Queensland, and Victoria receiving forty percent of the visitors, twenty-four and sixteen percent respectively. The fastest growing favourable destination is New Zealand that saw an increase in the influx of cruisers by more than eighty percent last year. However, the South pacific still controlled the largest share of the market within Australia as it controlled thirty-seven percent in the same period.

The increase has partly been attributed to the change in recreational activities by the retired people. Traditionally referred to as grey nomads, most of them have changed and take to cruising hence becoming the blue nomads. In comparison to the Unites States that had three point two percent of its population going into cruising, Australia had two point one percent (Edgell, 2013).

Associations of cruising estimate that the number of Australians going cruising will reach one million by the year two thousand and twenty. This will translate to a four point two percent of the total Australian population. At this rate Australia will overtake the United States as the largest international cruising market.

In anticipation of this, Sydney has been cautioned that its terminal infrastructure at Darling Harbour which is almost at its ultimate ability will not be sufficient to cater for projected growth. Failure to take cautionary measures will mean that the port at Garden Island will be shared. This will cause a devastating economic blow to the city of Sydney (Cruise Media Oy Ltd. 2008).

Conclusion

The cruise industry in Australia is experiencing the fastest growth rate in the world today. Several factors analysed in this paper can be attributed to this. The remote areas of the sites has added value to the increase. However, the biggest contributor is the new inters that Australians have developed in cruising (Kozak 2012). The largest percentages of people who engage in cruising in Australia are domestic tourists.

It can be passed the future of cruising in Australia is assured as the projections point to the increase in the number of domestic cruisers is likely to hit one million in the next ten years. This covers travel tickets, entertainment, meals, and accommodation. It is also relatively easy to move since one can to unpack only once during his or her entire stay period. The cruising industry is experiencing upward mobility in terms of growth across the world.

References

Cruise Media Oy Ltd. (2008). New tonnage to increase P&O Cruises Australia’s presence in Fremantle, Brisbane and Auckland. Cruise Business Review, 1(2), 4-16.

Edgell, D. (2013). Tourism and Policy Planning. NSW: Cengage Publishers.

Frochot, I & Batat, W. (2013). Marketing and designing the tourist experience. NSW: Cengage Publishers.

Hampton, M. (2013). Backpacker Tourism and Economic Development. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Kozak, M (2012). Tourism and Marketing: Both sides of the counter. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Ward, D. (2013). Berlitz: Complete guide to cruising and Cruise ships 2013. Princeton, NJ: Berlitz Publishing.

Introduction

Tourism is one of the critical sectors in the global economy, thus there is a need to develop comprehensive policies and plans to enhance sustainable tourism. From the economic perspective, it can be noted that tourism is one of the sectors that earn foreign exchange for most national economies.

What has been observed in the survey of global tourism is that a substantial number of countries in the world are working on modalities of developing efficient plans to come up with structures that can promote tourism and economic growth.

Vietnam is one of the countries in the world that have continuously worked on the means of developing plans to enhance tourism (Chon & Berger 2005). This paper is a report that presents an in-depth criticism of tourism planning and policy in Vietnam.

The paper is divided into a number of sections to provide a deeper critique of the main elements of policy and planning in the tourism policy. The first section of the paper presents an overview of the Vietnam’s tourism industry. The second section of the paper presents a historical overview of tourism and tourism policy in Vietnam.

The third section of the report presents a criticism of the aspects of supply and demand as incorporated in the development and enhancement of policy in Vietnam’s tourism sector. The fourth part of the report presents a criticism of how the critical elements of development like poverty alleviation are incorporated in the policy arena.

Overview of Tourism in Vietnam

According to Sieu (2012), tourism is among the leading industries in Vietnam. The statistics derived from the 2011 assessment and analysis of tourism performance in the country reveal growth in the industry. In the year 2011, the industry had a total arrival of 6.01 million tourists.

Besides the international tourists, the country also promotes domestic tourism, whose total numbers hit the 30 million mark. In the same year, the total receipts in terms of cash from the tourism industry stood at 6.2 million US dollars, which denoted a contribution of 5.8 percent to the GDP of the country (Visa n.d.).

The receipts from tourism in the county are linked to the promotion and growth of tourism attraction sites and strategies of managing tourism in the country.

This is, in turn, associated with the development and continued implementation of tourism policy, accompanied by comprehensive plans that are aimed at sustaining tourism as one of the key economic segments in Vietnam (Truong 2013).

Truong (2013) observed that one of the critical factors of tourism in the tourism sector is the availability of resources for tourism. An assessment of the tourism sector in Vietnam reveals the presence of numerous resources that act a basis on which tourism is implemented in the country. These resources can be categorized into several groups.

These include natural attractions, human resource, human attractions, the availability of financial resources, tourism infrastructure and tourism facilities. Natural attractions entail features like flora, fauna, ecosystem, beaches, parks, forests, lakes, rivers, and reserved areas, among others.

Human attractions entail arts, heritage, lifestyle, cuisine, and festivals, among others. On the other hand, human resources revolve around the quality of management, tourism-related education, and the quality of the system of tourism management in Vietnam.

Each of these resources is vital in the development of policy and plans for expansion and growth of the industry as one of the critical contributors to economic development in Vietnam (Sieu 2013).

A look at these resources reveals that the country is rich in most of the resources that promote tourism. Therefore, the crafting of clear policy goals is a fundamental recipe as far as the comprehensive combination and management of these resources to attain desirable economic outcomes in Vietnam is concerned.

The combination is embedded in the policy goals and objectives. The objectives determine the level of suitability at which each resource is integrated with other resources to enhance not only the expansion of the industry, but also the ability of the country to generate more income from the industry (Ng 2008).

Historical overview of tourism planning and policy in Vietnam

It is of great essence to begin by noting that Vietnam is a developing country. Having come from a tumultuous political history, the country considers tourism as one of the key pillars of economic growth and development. The development of tourism in Vietnam is an exercise that has progressed for a relatively long time.

What is implied here is that a number of steps have been initiated as a way of enhancing the pace at which the tourism sector in the country develops over the years. According to Lloyd (2004), the development of tourism policy as far as Vietnam as a country is concerned is an issue that has been at the center of national policy development in the country.

Several factors relating to effective policy development have continuously come out all along the history of policy and policy development in Vietnam’s tourism sector. Among the issues that have come out in the history of Vietnam is the issue of regulation and whether it measures up to the economic expectations of the industry and the economy of Vietnam at large.

As one of the sectors that lie at the center of economic growth and development in Vietnam, the role of the government in creating a favorable policy environment cannot be overemphasized (Truong 2013).

The history of tourism planning and policy in Vietnam cannot be talked about without mentioning one of the historical antecedents in the country, which is the American War in the country and its impacts on the economic structures of the country (Laderman 2009).

While the development of tourism policy in tourism can be traced to the beginning of the last quarter of the 20^th century, what needs to be mentioned is that the early stages of policy development in the tourism sector in the Vietnam served political objectives, rather than focusing on the economic objectives (Truong 2013).

Critiquing the policy objectives of tourism in Vietnam

A lot of emphasis has been paid to the establishment of a sound policy to guide the development of tourism in the country over the years as one of the main foundations of economic growth and development in Vietnam. As such, a Master Plan was developed at the national level to help in the development of tourism.

The plan was developed on a long-term basis up to 2020 to assist in establishing a wider network that will capture the domestic and international needs. The other objective of the Master Plan in the Vietnam’s tourism industry is to strengthen the management of tourism.

Strengthening the management of tourism is an elaborate task in the sense that it pays a lot of attention to the issues of ecology in tourism management. In other words, it can be argued that Vietnam develops the policies and plans in the tourism industry based on the developments that are taking place globally (Chon & Berger 2005).

Tourism is taken as one of the green-oriented industries in the world, thus the emphasis on the ecological accolades within the policy environment is an indicator of incorporating aspects of global management in policy development at the national level (Sieu 2012).

Sieu (2012) observes that the other objective that depicts the broad nature of the tourism policy and, perhaps, reiterates the importance of tourism to the economy of Vietnam is the promotion of social meetings and the organization of foreign resources that, in turn, enable the country to invest in the development of tourism.

The social and cultural aspects of tourism are critical contributors to the expansion of tourism in any country, besides being part of the tourist attraction. However, it depends on the broadness of the industry.

According to research, the tourism sector of Vietnam is quite wide, meaning that it does not only pay attention to wildlife, but it also revolves around other attractions that are embedded in the social and cultural aspects.

The country is rich in culture, which works side by side with the richness in natural resources. This promotes a strong local environment for tourism development (Sieu 2012).

According to Doan (2005), Vietnam has a long cultural history that attracts the entire world. The culture of the country can be traced back to 4000 years. What comes out here is that there is a need to diversify tourism as one way of enhancing the expansion of the tourism industry, as well as the avenue for promoting competitiveness in the industry at the national level relative to the competition that prevails in the global tourism industry.

According to Truong (2013), the incorporation of social aspects of the policy and plans in the tourism industry of Vietnam is one of the modalities of addressing other challenges like poverty through the promotion of certain attributes of tourism, like cultural tourism, apart from the dominant aspects of tourism like the tourism that focuses on nature and other ecological factors.

The policy seeks to enhance human resource infrastructure to promote the quality of management in the industry and improve the quality and quantity of delivery. This will promote competitiveness. The global tourism industry is quite competitive, which means that the attractiveness of the industry in any country requires the enhancement of the capacity of the country to attract more tourists.

Human capacity development, as brought out in the policy, means the establishment of proactive mechanisms within all the sub-sectors of development in the industry (Sieu 2012). The quality of management often contributes to the outcomes of management, especially in the service sector like the tourism industry where service quality is a key factor in promoting competitiveness.

The objective of human resource development goes hand in hand with the ability of the population to produce people who are skilled, contributing to the capacity to attain a workforce that is competitive enough to fill the gap of quality management.

Literacy levels in Vietnam are quite admirable, which is a sign of optimism as far as the implementation of the objective of human resource capacity development in the tourism sector of the country is concerned (Cali, Ellis & te Velder 2008).

Another policy goal as far as the development of tourism in Vietnam is concerned is the increased investment in the expansion of the tourism centers through ensuring that there is adequate financial support for all the expansion activities related to tourism.

This can be considered as one of the key objectives of tourism development in Vietnam that can ensure the country gets sustainable income from the industry, even when there is a high level of competition in the global tourism industry (Sieu 2012).

Challenges in tourism policy and planning in Vietnam

Doan (2005) acknowledged a rise in demand for tourism in Vietnam. According to the contemporary cumulative figures of tourists in the country, the rise in the number of tourists in the country is supported by the steady rise in the number of domestic tourists in the country following the implementation of strategies to promote domestic tourism.

However, several questions are raised about the ability of the country to maintain the desirable standards in the industry as a way of promoting international visitors in the country. International visitors are vital as far as the promotion of the balance of payments in the financial transactions at the national level is concerned.

Here, it is evident that the policy and plans in the tourism industry do not address the issue of income in the tourism industry in Vietnam sufficiently, especially when the industry is viewed from the lenses of economic growth and expansion at the national level.

Vietnam’s policy focuses on a blanket growth of the industry, instead of paying adequate attention to each aspect of tourism expansion because each of these aspects of tourism have an important role to play in the expansion and growth of the economy of the country (Ng 2008).

According to Ng (2008), the objective of tourism development in any country in the world is to promote an environment that supports tourism.

What comes out in the analysis of tourism policy in Vietnam is the lack of the development of policy goals that can aid in eliminating the influence of politics in the critical aspects of tourism development. There is no clear goal that outlines the role of politics in the advancement of tourism in the industry.

In a similar sense, the policy objectives and plans in the country seem to overlook most of the critical parameters of politics and their influence on the establishment of adequate support structures for tourism development in Vietnam.

If more economic goals have to be realized by Vietnam as far as the contribution of the tourism industry to economic development is concerned, then more attention has to be paid to the integration of the economic goals with the political goals of the country.

This way, it will become easy to eliminate the negative influence of politics on the development of a sustainable tourism industry in Vietnam (Ng 2008).

Diversity is one of the main factors that can be used to boost the level of competitiveness of the country in terms of tourism. Diversifying the tourism industry implies that Vietnam needs to be in possession of adequate financial resources to help in investing in different segments of the industry.

While Vietnam has put in place strategies within the tourism policy that are meant to help in promoting diverse tourism products, the country is still far much limited when looked at in comparative terms.

Policy and plans in the tourism industry of Vietnam require the incorporation of the mechanisms of mobilizing support and development of different tourism products to put the country in a better position to earn from different tourist products (Ng 2008).

The diversification of tourism products requires the expansion of the capacity of the country’s infrastructure. This brings out the issue of economic capacity as a factor in policy development and implementation in the tourism sector.

Still, there are a lot of setbacks related to the constraints in financing in the industry, resulting in inadequate financing of most of the strategies that are aligned to the policy goals that are embedded in the tourism policy (Chon & Berger 2005).

Thus, part of the improvements that are required to enhance the scope of the tourism policy in Vietnam is the incorporation of the objectives of raising financial resources and the subsequent strategies to execute the objectives.

According to UNESCO (2005), tourism policy in Vietnam is established upon the broader goal of alleviating poverty in the country. Given the level of poverty in Vietnam, it becomes quite daunting to craft the policy goals in such a way that they promote tourism development and alleviate poverty at the same time.

What needs to be done is for the country to focus on developing the tourism industry and let poverty reduction be a spillover effect of tourism development, especially by way of taking tourism development as an economic initiative.

Reference List

Cali, M, Ellis, K, & te Velder DW 2008, The contribution of services to development and the role of trade liberalisation and regulation, Overseas Development Institute, London.

Chon, KS, & Berger, AA 2005, Vietnam tourism, The Haworth Hospitality Press, Binghamton, NY

Doan, NTK 2005, Sustainable tourism development in Vietnam. Web.

Laderman, S 2009, Tours of Vietnam: War, travel guides, and memory, Duke University Press, Durham, NC

Lloyd, K 2004, ‘Tourism and transitional geographies: Mismatched expectations of tourism investment in Vietnam’, Asia Pacific Viewpoint, vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 197-21.

Ng, BC 2008, ‘Tourism & economic development in Vietnam’, A dissertation submitted to The University of Birmingham for the degree of MPhil Asian Studies (Research), Web.

Sieu, HV 2012, 6th UNWTO Asia – Pacific Executive Training on Tourism Policy and Strategy Bhutan, 25 -28 June 2012 Country Presentation: Vietnam Tourism Master Plan to 2020, Web.

Truong, VD 2013, ‘Tourism policy development in Vietnam: A pro-poor perspective’, Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events, vol. 5 no. 1, pp. 28-45.

UNESCO, ‘Major issues in tourism development in the Asian and Pacific region: enhancing the role of tourism in socio-economic development and poverty reduction’, High-level Intergovernmental Meeting on Sustainable Tourism Development, 2005, Bali, Indonesia. Web.

Visa, n.d., Tourism outlook: Vietnam. Web.

Executive Summary

This report traces its origin in the fact that the Brazilian tourism industry has evolved and witnessed significant changes in the formulation and implementation of tourism policies. Based on a periodic assessment of these policies, this report acknowledges that ineffective policies, lack of agency coordination, and authoritarian planning processes stifled the Brazilian tourism industry.

However, evidence shows that this trend has changed. The Brazilian tourism industry is now flourishing from a decentralised planning structure that effectively addresses local tourism issues. Current policy frameworks are also more inclusive and consultative.

This way, there is more stakeholder involvement in the planning process. This trend mirrors global dynamics in the tourism industry because many countries are democratising their policy development frameworks.

Eco-tourism and value addition needs are some tenets that Brazil’s policy frameworks share with the rest of the world. The country’s improved tourism status and the expanding contribution of the sector to the South American economy therefore prompt this paper to affirm that Brazil’s tourism planning and policy intervention processes have addressed the problems faced by the sector.

Introduction

The Brazilian tourism sector is important to the economy of Brazil and other South American nations. The country receives more than 5,000,000 tourists annually (Blanke & Chiesa 2011). The high tourist numbers have elevated Brazil to the status of a top tourist destination, not only in Latin America, but also in the wider South American region.

Lohmann (2012) says Brazil is the second most desirable destination in South America and the third most visited destination in the wider Latin America tourism belt (only Argentina and Mexico surpass it in this regard). Based on these positive rankings, it is unsurprising for Lohmann (2012) to say the country receives more than US$5, 000,000 billion annually, from tourism.

The 2011 travel and tourism competitiveness index ranked Brazil the 52^nd most competitive tourist destination in the world (Blanke & Chiesa 2011). This position elevated Brazil to be the third most competitive tourist destination in South America (only surpassed by Costa Rica and Mexico).

Brazil has a strong competitive edge because of its abundant natural resources. Its rich cultural heritage also supports the tourism market, as it attracts millions of tourists every year (Blanke & Chiesa 2011). The country is also home to different world heritage sites.

As described above, many analysts have identified natural resources and cultural enrichment as the main drivers for Brazil’s tourism industry. However, an understanding of the policy background that supports Brazil’s tourism sector is one issue that has consistently eluded the attention of most analysts.

This paper reviews Brazil’s tourism policy and planning processes by delving into the details surrounding the practices of inclusion, democratisation, and effectiveness of these plans. This paper also makes comparisons between the Brazilian tourism sector and other top tourist destinations around the world.

This paper also emphasises on understanding how the policy and planning formulation process compares to other parts of the world. The central question that emerges in this study is therefore to understand if Brazil’s tourism planning and policy interventions address the problems faced by the country’s tourism sector.

Distinctions between positive and negative appraisals of the existing policies form the background of this analysis.

Positive Appraisals

Emphasis on Tourism as a Social and Economic Development Tool

Throughout most parts of Brazil’s history, there was no proper planning of tourism policies. Most of the activities that occurred in the tourism sector were therefore fragmented and disorganised. OECD (2010) says that this situation led to the underutilisation of Brazil’s tourism potential.

Poor roads, airport facilities, and communication networks further worsened this problem because investors were displeased with Brazil’s unfavourable investment climate (OECD 2010). However, the Brazilian government started to play a proactive role, in the early nineties, to restore the sector by streamlining tourism policies.

This attempt birthed the Brazilian tourism ministry. Observers consider the creation of this ministry as the first bold attempt by the Brazilian government to elevate tourism as an important sector in Brazil’s economic and social space (Blanke & Chiesa 2011).

Decentralisation of Policy Initiatives

Brazil has witnessed significant changes in tourism policies. Most of these changes have occurred at a federal level. Some of the main achievements of these changes include increased innovation in the policy formulation process and increased growth in tourism development (Blanke & Chiesa 2011).

Before the onset of these changes, Brazil suffered from poor infrastructure, as the main impediment to the growth of the tourism industry (somewhat, this problem persists today). As a response to this challenge, the federal government created the program for tourism development of the Northeast (PRODETUR) (Araujo 2000).

Initially, the government mandated this body to promote tourism development in the Northeast region of the country. Its primary task was to develop basic infrastructure. PRODETUR aimed to do so by encouraging private-public partnerships.

Increased coordination between federal, state, and municipal levels also outline auxiliary strategies that the government has pursued to achieve the same purpose (Araujo 2000). Besides infrastructure development, PRODETUR helped to create strong institutional bodies that supported and financed tourism activities in the region.

Based on the successes of the agency, the Brazilian government expanded its mandate to other regions of Brazil (Blanke & Chiesa 2011).

The promotion of economic development was a key motivator for the Brazilian government to adopt a regional focus in tourism development because it wanted to reduce the country’s poverty levels through the creation of an economic buzz in the regional economies. So far, this initiative has been successful.

Addressing Regional Development Needs through Consultation

Although the introduction of regional-based tourism planning activities emerged from federal policies that promoted devolved policy governance structures, all beneficiaries of the regional programs were required to present concrete plans for tourism development, as a prerequisite for funding approvals.

The Brazilian government introduced this measure to ensure the validity of tourism development plans and uphold accountability through the planning process (Araujo 2000). However, Araujo (2000) argues that the main advantage for the pursuance of this approach is the increased consultations that this method introduced to the Brazilian tourism sector. Moreover, this strategy ensured the holistic development of tourism policies.

Before the development of this approach, Lohmann & Dredge (2012) says the development of tourism policies and government plans of the same industry mainly contained the hallmarks of desktop exercises. Furthermore, technocrats conducted the planning approach in a hierarchical manner (top-down).

Municipal and state agencies therefore rarely had the opportunity to contribute in the process. To strengthen the consultative approach of policy development in Brazil, agencies governing this process often comprise of representatives from civil society groups, environmentalists, businesspersons, and governments.

The creation of this conglomerate further strengthens the participative leadership strategy that characterises the policy formulation process in Brazil. Araujo (2000) also believes this leadership structure ensures a top-down governance structure is non-existent.

Evolution of Brazilian Tourism Policies

Globally, paradigm shifts in the tourism sector occur often. This trend denotes broader ideological shifts in social sciences. Drawing its inspiration from developments that have occurred in town planning, Lohmann & Dredge (2012) say the Brazilian tourism industry has evolved through three phases – classical planning stage, rational planning stage, and post-1980s paradigm stage.

The classical planning stage was characterised by many bureaucracies and blueprint plans. The rational planning stage eliminated this period and heralded a new stage where the Brazilian government identified pressing issues in the sector and looked for the best strategies to address them.

This stage also saw the introduction of alternative policies to address the pressing issues, thereby elevating government departments as absolute authorities in policy development and implementation (Blanke & Chiesa 2011).

The post 1980s paradigm characterises most of the policy progresses highlighted in this paper because it marks a period of intense consultation and participation during the policy formulation process. This period also marks an increased emphasis on the concept of sustainability and the importance of including the private sector in the formulation of strategic plans.

The above stages of policy changes in Brazil are similar to the increased dominance of neo-liberalism and globalisation in the 21^st century. Lohmann & Dredge (2012) group these changes into one category of modern public management practices. This category includes an “emphasis on cost efficiencies, outsourcing, and the adoption of market mechanisms” (Lohmann & Dredge 2012, p. 19).

The same trend denotes political modernization and the adoption of global political trends, including “increased public participation, social inclusion, and increased private-public partnerships” (Lohmann & Dredge 2012, p. 20). The adoption of these global trends significantly changed how the Brazilian government (and governments in other developing nations) addressed tourism policies.

Criticisms

Poor Inter-Agency Coordination

A study conducted by Christina Rodrigues de Melo Orpheo and Morrow Gaines Campbell (cited in Tourism Watch 2013) evaluated the main reasons for the poor performance of Brazil’s tourism industry from the late eighties to 2006.

The paper highlighted three main issues as the main hindrances to the development of the country’s tourism sector – the lack of a clearly articulated national tourism policy, lack of skilled labour (poor service), and poor coordination among tourism agencies (Tourism Watch 2013).

These issues largely reflected the policy issues surrounding the industry because for a large developing country like Brazil, the existence of such challenges significantly dented the economic prospects of its struggling tourism industry.

Furthermore, the state, federal and municipal agencies, which were supposed to formulate policy remedies often worked against one another. Sometimes, by working independently, they competed against one another as well (Blanke & Chiesa 2011).

Failure to Include Local Communities

While recent policy interventions have addressed most of the criticisms levelled against the Brazilian tourism industry, Christina Rodrigues de Melo Orpheo and Morrow Gaines Campbell (cited in Tourism Watch 2013) say a review of its National Tourism Plan shows that current policies do not include measures for increased community participation.

For example, the 2008 Brazilian national tourism policy largely favours the regionalisation of tourism policies, but lacks guidelines for community participation. Similarly, the National Tourism Council (which is an active body in the formulation of national policies) lacks any notable community representatives on its board (Tourism Watch 2013).

This view departs from the belief that Brazil’s policy and planning processes are completely inclusive. A comparison of positive and negative appraisals regarding the inclusiveness of Brazil’s policy development and planning processes show that, while Brazil has achieved tremendous progress in this regard, it is yet to include community participation (fully) in the process.

Comparison to Global Practices

Globally, countries have strived to adopt best practices in the formulation of tourism policies. This trend especially manifests in the planning process because state and federal agencies have strived to revolutionise their planning processes to mirror best practices on the global front. Lohmann & Dredge (2012) believe Brazil is a classic example of the global push for the democratisation of tourism policies.

Social, political, and economic reforms that have occurred since the early 2000s have especially championed this change. These reforms have altered different aspects of the country’s governance structure, including the formulation, implementation, and monitoring of public policies affecting the tourism sector.

While this paper considers the creation of a specific tourism ministry as a bold attempt by the Brazilian government to elevate the tourism sector as a key pillar of social and economic development, it is also important to highlight that several countries around the world did the same.

For example, Blanke & Chiesa (2011) say most developing countries (including Brazil) introduced a new ministry of tourism “to develop the sector as a sustainable economic activity, focused on job creation, the generation of foreign exchange earnings, and the promotion of social inclusion” (p. 17).

The response of Brazil’s tourism policies to adopt eco-tourism and diversify its tourist markets came from a global realisation of the need to grow tourism demand and supply at the same time. For example, top tourist destinations in the Middle East have also embraced sustainable tourism as the new policy development framework for charting future developments in the Middle East.

Dubai is at the forefront of this push because it has cut out a niche for itself, in the Middle East, by adopting sustainable tourism practices. Most of its tourism policies and plans therefore have a strong emphasis on sustainability as a core tenet.

Dubai is not the only destination that has adopted this policy framework; South Africa, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Caribbean countries are other top tourist destinations (in the developing world) that have embraced this model as well (Sustainable Tourism 2013).

Indeed, Blanke & Chiesa (2011) say, most tourist destinations around the world have witnessed an expansion and diversification of markets around the world. The exponential growth in eco-tourism provides a classic example of the global push towards adopting more eco-friendly tourism policies.

Particularly, this growth in eco-tourism numbers affirms the need for supply-based tourism policies, which hinge on the need for nurturing tourism markets in anticipation for a new breed of customers (eco-tourists). In this regard, public policies on tourism started to focus on how Brazil could improve the experiences of their tourists, including addressing issues, such as environmental quality and capacity limits.

Through such initiatives, the Brazilian government introduced proactive measures for adding value to the country’s tourism products, including making provisions for the environmental management of tourism. The introduction of these provisions has helped to merge tourism and environmental policies.

This association develops from the realisation that environmental policies support tourism growth and sustainability. Past policies never addressed the importance of environmental policies in tourism management.

Conclusion

After weighing the findings of this report, it is correct to say the onset of the 1990s marked the development of tourism policies and plans in Brazil. This period heralded a general shift in tourism policy paradigms in Brazil. A key paradigm shift that characterised this period was the creation of a new perception of tourism as a tool for social and economic development.

This period also marked the departure from the top-down governance structure that characterised the formulation of tourism policies in Brazil. Recent years have therefore seen a move towards a more local and regional focused governance structure.

Based on a comparison of Brazil’s policy planning process and the rest of the world, this change is part of a wider global push to adopt a bottom-up approach in policy development.

Evidence of the adoption of the same policy framework in the Middle East, Africa, and other top tourist destinations in South America therefore shows that the planning and policy formulation process of Brazil mirrors similar processes around the world.

Considering the milestones made by the reorientation of the policy framework, from a centralised approach to a decentralised one, it is fair to say current policies have largely addressed Brazil’s tourism needs. In fact, the decentralisation of the policy development process has largely contributed to the country’s stature as a top tourist destination in South America.

This stature was nonexistent in the early nineties and previous years. In detail, the new policy framework has helped to address local tourism needs and contributed to the overall development of regional economies.

Current legislations are therefore responsive to local needs and are more inclusive of important stakeholders in the sector. Thus, Brazil’s tourism planning and policy interventions have largely addressed the problems faced by the country’s tourism sector.

References

Araujo, L 2000, Stakeholder Participation in Regional Tourism Planning, Sheffield Hallam University, London, UK.

Blanke, J & Chiesa, T 2011, Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2011, World Economic Forum, Geneva, Switzerland.

Lohmann, G 2012, Tourism in Brazil: Environment, Management, and Segments, Routledge, London, UK.

Lohmann, G & Dredge, D 2012, Tourism in Brazil: Environment, Management and Segments, Routledge, London, UK.

OECD 2010, OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2010, OECD Publishing, New York, NY.

Sustainable Tourism 2013, Sustaining Tourism: Case Studies, <https://sustainabletourism.net/>.

Tourism Watch 2013, Brazil’s National Tourism Plan. Web.

In recent years, sky diving has gained prominence to become a popular tourist product. By and large, the popularity of the sport can be attributed to the dissemination of well articulated market stories.

Through the application of this technique, skydiving has been promoted as an exciting and exhilarating activity that provides the ultimate adrenaline rush. At present, there are other market stories that are shaping the tourism product markets; most notable of these is eco-tourism which is emerging as the new frontier in tourism.

Definition of Skydiving

Sky diving is a sport that involves the participant jumping out of a moving aircraft, performing a variety of acrobatic maneuvers before finally pulling the parachute’s ripcord, usually at the last possible moment (Rinehart and Sydnor, 2003). Sky diving is distinguished from conventional parachuting in that it is done purely for recreational purposes.

History of Skydiving

According to Roberts (1999) Sky history can be traced back to the year 1797 when a Frenchman, Jacques Garnerin jumped out of a hot air balloon and did acrobatic maneuvers mid air before executing a safe landing. The sport gained prominence in the ensuing years with mainstream use of airplanes.

Why Skydiving is Good Product in Tourism Market

In any conceivable tourist destination around the world, skydiving is a good addition to the tourist market. This is because; skydiving offers the participants an opportunity to face their fears head on. Most people are terrified at the prospect of jumping out of a moving airplane. Sky diving offers them a chance to face these fears and actually surmount them

Skydiving is also a good product in the tourist market because it offers the tourists an opportunity to participate in a new experience. Most tourists who regularly visit new destinations would be interested in trying out new experiences during a visit to the area as opposed to participating in the same activities that they are accustomed to.

Few things in life can compare to the sensation of floating through the air that skydiving offers. Furthermore, the experience of skydiving would be a great story to tell friends and family members after the vacation. In summation, skydiving is an exhilarating, challenging and fun activity. (Buchanan, 2003) that would is a good product for any given tourist market.

Skydiving Destinations around the World

In recent years, skydiving has become a popular sport that is practiced in many countries around the world. The world’s top ranked skydiving destinations include Taupo, New Zealand, the Swiss Alps, San Marcos, Texas, Plettenberg, South Africa and the Katmachka Peninsula in Russia. (Wright, 2009)

Adventure Products

Apart from skydiving, there a number of other adventure products on the tourist market. A notable example of this is bungee jumping. Bungee jumping is a sport that has grown in popularity in recent years. It involves the participant jumping from an elevated position, usually a cliff or bridge, while attached to a long elastic cord known as a bungee cord (McFee, 2008).

Another adventure product for the tourist market is white water rafting. White water rafting is a purely recreational activity that involves the use of an inflatable raft and oars to navigate rivers or other water bodies. The water bodies selected are usually rough, with strong waves and currents (Crossingham and Kalman, 2004). Adventure products also include mountaineering.

Mountaineering is a leisure activity that involves scaling mountains, cliffs and escarpments using specialist equipment. Mountaineering enthusiasts find it to be an invigorating experience. Closely related to mountaineering is rock climbing. Rock climbing is distinguished by the fact that it involves scaling natural or manmade rock formations with the aim of reaching the peak of the formation. (Ibid)

Parasailing is yet another adventure product, it involves the participant being towed by a boat or any type of land based vehicle while being attached to a modified parachute (parasail) by use of a specially configured harness. Parasailing is particularly exciting as the participant has no control whatsoever over the parasail (Hildyard, 2002). Another invigorating adventure product is B.A.S.E jumping.

B.A.S.E jumping is a recreational activity that involves the use of a pre-packed parachute to jump from various surfaces. The acronym B.A.S.E represent the various surfaces that a participant can jump off that is, buildings, antennae, spans and earth (Hamilton, 2010).

Finally, another adventure product is spelunking. Spelunking, also known as caving or potholing involves the exploration of wild, subterranean cave systems, preferably those that are off the beaten track (Hildyard, 2002).

Adventure Tourism

Adventure tourism is described by Buckley (2006) as travelling for leisure and recreation to exotic, isolated, remote or secluded locations with the intention of exploration or participating in an array of activities that offer physical challenges or are considered extreme sports.

Types of Adventure

Adventure can be divided into two broad categories: soft adventure and hard adventure. Soft adventure includes pursuits that are safe as they lack the element of danger.

Participants in soft adventure require little or no training or preparation and the activities are not particularly strenuous or physically demanding. Examples of activities that can be classified as soft adventure include hiking, bird watching and camping. (Hudson, 2003).

In contrast, hard adventure is described as activities that harbor an element of risk and danger and that require a certain skill set, training, rigorous preparation and a level of physical exertion. Examples include paragliding, snowboarding and skydiving. (Ibid)

References

Buchanan, T. (2003) Jump, skydiving made fun and easy. New Jersey. McGraw-Hill Inc.

Buckley, R. (2006) Adventure tourism. MA: Cab International Publishing.

Crossingham, J., and Kalman, B. (2004) Extreme Sports. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company Inc.

Hamilton, S. L. (2010) Base Jumping. Minnesota: Abdo Publishing Company.

Hildyard, J. (2002) Extreme sports. Chicago: Heinemann Educational Publishers.

Hudson, S. (2003) Sport and adventure tourism. New York: The Haworth Press Inc.

McFee, S. (2008) Bungee Jumping. New York: The Rosen Publishing group Inc.

Rinehart, R. E., and Sydnor, S. (2003) To the extreme alternative sports, Inside and out. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Roberts, J. (1999) Skydiving. Take the Leap. New York: The Rosen Publishing group Inc.

Wright, T. (2009) The 7 Best Places to Skydive Around the World Web. Available at https://vagabondish.com/best-places-to-skydive-around-the-world/

Introduction

The number of women found in the hospitality industry has been increasing largely over the years. This can be attributed to the fact that the hospitality industry has a viable environment for career building and development of individuals, women included.

The estimated value of the hospitality industry is $4 trillion in the world distributed to over fifteen different sectors that includes hotels, tours and travel, bars and restaurants, casinos and cruise ships (Entrepreneur, 1999).

This accounts for around 10.7% of the world’s GDP. The industry has also created employment opportunities to around 225 million people in the world. As a result, women have ventured into this industry, most of them succeeding in having a successful career.

Despite their hard efforts in trying to shape their careers, women have not been able to attain the top managerial positions in the industry such as being general managers or CEOs. Most women in the hospitality industry have a strong skills and credentials which have aided them to advance into middle level management but they have not helped them to reach the top managerial positions.

This research will therefore focus on the factors why women have not succeeded in attaining the top managerial positions in the hotel industry and it will try to come up with possible solutions and recommendations to the problem.

Background

Many scholars and researchers believe that the hospitality industry, particularly the hotel industry needs more women in hotel management. However, there have been limited number of researches which have been conducted pertaining this issue (Blanck and David, 2000, p. 68). The number of women joining the industry has been increasing with time.

A survey conducted in the department of hospitality at the Michigan State University showed that the ratio of men to women has reversed over the last ten years from 60:40 to 40:60 (Entrepreneur, 1999). Therefore, as the number of women in the management ranks continues to increase there is an urgent need for them to be considered for the top executive positions.

Rise in career positions within any given organization is a joint task between individual and the organization he/she is working with. Women have employed a combination of several strategies to rise to the top, the most important being to reach beyond expectations, gaining in-line experience, being involved in many projects and working in several organizations.

Although women have got all these credentials, they normally tend to stagnate at a certain point in their careers beyond which they cannot rise anymore. This can be attributed to glass ceilings.

Glass ceiling are invisible barriers which contribute to the failure of women from rising to top executive positions in any organization (David, 1998). Glass ceilings are composed of various factors which may be social, economical, educational or political in nature.

According to Entrepreneur (1999), men feel that women have to spend more time in the corporate world so that they can earn more skills and experience which may earn them promotions to the executive positions. This statement sounds discriminatory in the sense that men feel like they are superior to women thus keep the top positions for themselves.

If given a chance, women can rise to these executive positions and succeed both in their careers and in attaining the goals and objectives which have been set by the management. Companies and organizations therefore have to come up with policies and strategies which aim at utilizing and maximizing the full potential of women. Women should therefore be seen as equals of men hence the aspect of women discrimination should be excluded from all organizations.

The absence of women in top managerial position is not as a result of absence of talent and skills. As a matter of fact women are more than willing to work and meet challenges in the hospitality industry. As stated in the works of Gomez and Moore (2009) women have an untapped talent which he refers to as the “secret talent” which many organizations should utilize in these times of stiff competition, expansion, formation of new alliances and development of new products (p. 197). Women can therefore prosper if they are given a chance.

Research Objectives

The main aim of this study is to determine if women in the hotel industry have a chance to rise to general manager or CEO positions. The objectives of this study therefore will be:

• To determine if women can attain top executive positions in the hotel industry.
• To determine the factors which hinder the advancement of women to key positions.
• To determine the impacts of education and skills in the career advancement of women in the hotel industry.

Research Hypothesis

A research hyothesis is a core statement of the study which is used to define the main aim of the experiment (Shuttleworth 2008). The research hypothesis will formulated by using the process of inductive reasoning where normal observations are use to formulate the hypothesis. The research hypothesis for this study will be:

Null hypothesis: Women can rise to general manager position in the hotel industry.

Alternate hypothesis: Women cannot rise to general manager position in the hospitality industry.

Limitations

1. The time span for carrying the study is short and therefore the study may not capture the topic in detail.
2. There could be little relevant secondary data to supplement the primary data.

Methods

I will conduct this research in The Montcalm Hotel in London because it is a busy five star hotel providing an ideal condition for the study. To collect the relevant information needed for this research, it will be necessary to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data also called secondary data mainly forms the literature review of the study.

Secondary data will be attained by reviewing works which have been done in the field of trying to empower women form jounals, magazines, research papers and books.

Quantitative data, also called primary is the data which has been collected on the area of study and It is used to suppliment the secondary data. In the case of this study, questionnaires and interviews will be used to collect this vital information.

Random sampling technique will be applied in determining which individuals will be interviewed. This will help us to obtain first hand information that will help to explore the research objectives and gain statistical data which is necessary for data analysis.

For accurate analysis of the statistical data a computer programme called SPSS 16.0 will be used for descriptive data analysis. After analyzing all research findings the final conclusions and recommendations will be written. All the parts of work will be put together and formatted in order to present the final report for the dissertation. Further research can be conducted on the recommendations which will be raised.

References

Blanck, P. D. and David, P. (2000) Employment, Disability, and the Americans with Disabilities Act: Issues in Law, Public Policy, and Research. Psychological Issues. Chicago. Northwestern University Press.

David, M. E. (1998) Negotiating the Glass Ceiling: Careers of Senior Women in the Academic World. Routhledge, Cambridge.

Entrepreneur. (1999) Dimensions of the Glass Ceiling in the Hospitality Industry. Cornell Hotel & Restaurant Administration Quarterly. Web

Gomez, P. and Moore, R. (2009) Board Members and Management Consultants: Redefining the Boundaries of Consulting and Corporate Governance. Research in Management Consulting. London. Rickmoore Publishers

Shuttleworth, M. (2008) Research hypothesis. Experiment Resources. Web.

The lecture covered the concept of hotel management in a comprehensive manner to bring out various perspectives. These include vacation ownership that encompasses the timeshare system. Studies into the history of hotel management have shown that timeshare as a concept preceded Vacation ownership.

Initially, timeshare system was characterized by cases of security breaches and inconsistent sale patterns. However, the entry of major companies into the hotel industry led to the transformation of timeshare system into Vacation ownership. The notion was created by industry players in order to include other changes in the environment.

In timeshare, a client can buy a unit for one week whereby they have a right to declare the same in a will. The property under this arrangement wholly belongs to the unit owners and is managed through contractors. In addition, associations created by the home owners are mandated with the election of the board of directors.

In time sharing, hotel management caters to other details of ownership. For instance, in a timeshare consisting of a 100 units, the 51 weeks per unit is sold to an equal number of owners. Moreover owners can join forces with the aim of owning a particular property.

Timeshares contribute positively to the process of hotel management in various ways. For example, they aid in marketing and sales when combined with other hotel management initiatives as guests that frequent hotels are an easy target. Additionally, they help in minimizing costs and improving profitability through increased sales volumes (Braunlich 4). Further, management plans that take in timeshares are viewed as more reliable.

It is also clear that timeshares do not constitute an investment. This is due to the fact that half of the costs involved in their establishment are considered as part of marketing while a quarter of the cost goes to construction. The timeshare units are also not expected to appreciate in value despite being assets. Thus the timeshare is not liable for sale as an investment.

Units offered under the timeshare system have various advantages over hotel rooms. These include the right to facilities that are limited or unavailable to hotel room users. For instance, the units are more elaborate in areas of space, entertainment, and comfort as well as the fact that the user has a right to wholly own the estate.

However, the timeshare units are limited in terms of facilities such as dining and room service to the customers that are further expected to stay for a week. The units also restrict the owners in that they are forced to include the vacations in their future plans and make use of the facilities yearly. The timeshare unit also maintains a constant value with a restriction on the number of check-ins.

The cost for the units is determined by various factors that include facilities, location and season as well as size. For instance, in times of the year that have a high number of guests, a three bedroom unit may cost $30,000 (Braunlich 12).

The timeshare units are also liable to maintenance costs, taxation and fees for membership exchange. For instance, the amounts remitted in this case are used for sustenance of amenities and facilities in the unit. The timeshare system facilities are therefore targeted to owners and their visitors, buyers and individuals enrolled in reward plans or clubs.

From the lectur, it is clear that vacation ownership springed from the Timeshare system of hotel management. In addition, it is evident that the timeshare technique is beneficial in terms of convinience and capacity to increase sales volumes in the hotel and hospitality industry.

The study also established that the timeshare units have limitations such as space and flexibility when compared to hotel rooms. These have been contrasted to the advantages of the hotel rooms over the timeshare units. It is also clear that the timeshare units are not considered part of investment as they are used as marketing facilities for the industry.