Tourism Management and Business - Assignment Example

Running Head: Tourism Management Name ID Number Course Instructor Tourism Management “Tourism is an exciting and dynamic sector that is constantly changing. It can affect people’s lives in many different ways: for tourists it can be a source of lifelong memories, joy and fulfillment, and for businesses and destinations it is a source of income and employment. As tourism has grown and become an even more prominent activity, tourism studies as an academic field has also developed” (Inkson & Minnaert, 2012). Due to globalization, tourism has emerged as an industry by itself and is now a major contributor to economies of different nations. Inkson & Minnaert (2012) argue that tourism is viewed as part and parcel of the globalization process sine it is an industrial segment with globalised supply and demand while it is also a social occurrence that can easily influence peoples worldwide. It is an obvious that the continued rise in global leisure, pleasure and recreation activities will call for a significant strengthening of how tourism is managed. There is also increased acceptance of tourism’s role than what has been conventionally understood and that a more in-depth understanding of its breadth and depth is needed (Leiper, 2004). Tourism management is not simply confined to administration within the tourism and hospitality setting, but is closely involved with all the major functions, processes and procedures that are practiced and performed by the various areas associated with the tourism system as a whole. Event Concept Festivals and public events can be found in all societies. Combined with a range of special celebrations and events, they are becoming unique and exquisite tourist attractions as well as destination image building makers. Destination images must be created with an aim of effectively competing against other touristic packages (Pike & Ryan, 2004:333), while at the same time, developing appropriate means of approaching destination positioning strategy, thus allowing destinations to cut its own niche among tourism products and its consumers (Alhemoud & Amstrong (1996); Echtner & Ritchie (2003); O’Leary & Deegan (2003); Beerli & Martin (2004). Matos, Mendes & Valle, 2012; Sonmez & Sirakaya (2002) argue that in order for effective marketing approaches to be built, it is important to have a good comprehension of any visitor or tourist perception in terms of image of a destination , since this image is built on a tourist’s expected benefits, psychological characteristics, and meanings, which as a result influence the destination positioning. “Promotion via tourism imagery and representation plays a vital role, because images serve many functions, such as expressing ideas, sending messages” (Molina et al., 2010). “The overall image of the destination created allows the tourist to narrow the potential holiday options to one or more pre-selected destinations, so that in a subsequent moment, the decision process is made based on a priori image; which continually shifts in time and space distance” (Matos, Mendes & Valle, 2012). This feasibility report aims to make use of a two day festival in the remote town of Gunbalanya (Oenpelli) community of western Arnhem Land dubbed ‘Stone Country’ Festival. Festivals are proving to be good anchors of tourism worldwide. While destinations are always reachable, having a specific timed and limited event encourages tourists to grab this opportunity and visit the place during the event. In as much as many tourists visit Australia, this famous festival provides a good window of opportunity, thus nudging potential tourists to make use of the cultural activities. Festivals also present a chance to familiarize with the local culture and experience the essence of a destination. During the festival, visitors have an opportunity to interact with the local community, gaining a deeper experience of the ambience, customs and local cultural practices. The main aim of the festival is to promote the region through showcasing the cultural lifestyle of the local communities while creating avenues for their empowerment. The economic development of this part of the country offers great chances, but it also entails a number of challenges for the communities as well as for investors. The festival helps to overcome stereotypes and creates a mutual understanding of different cultures and promotes peaceful coexistence. It advocates the shared and eco-friendly use of natural resources while supporting economic growth. When effectively deployed, events, like this proposed festival, can trigger both economic and social benefits for the chosen destination and particularly the community hosting it. However, if events are not well developed, marketed or understood by both parties will lead to missed economic opportunities. Description of and rationale for event structure “The community of Gunbalanya (Oenpelli) through its traditional Aboriginal owners welcomes visitors to spend the day in their community and share a day of culture. The Stone Country Festival features, cultural dancing, painting and weaving demonstrations, bush foods, didjeridu-playing demonstrations, children’s activities and novelty events sports carnival, scenic flights” (Mader, 2011). Design of cultural festivals is inextricably linked to the service industry. Characteristics of bands, dance groups and floats are the main players in service oriented events. The attributes of location of festival event forms the secondary characteristic. The third element is the physical attributes of the festival which include facilities, environmental ambience, infrastructure and existing signage. Lastly is the interactional dynamism of a cultural festival characterized by attitude of locals towards visitors to the event and tourism development in the region. The greatest motivation for tourists and visitors to cultural events is the desire to engage, learn about the culture, history and heritage of tourist destinations. This festival is designed with maximum exposure to the local culture as the main ingredient and therefore creating a motivating factor for a repeat visit and increased economic benefits to the local community. Majority of visitors and tourists to Gunbalanya (Oenpelli), West Arnhem Land consider it as culturally and historically rich region with a relaxed lifestyle and traditional menus which makes it a perfect destination for all culturally oriented visits. Participation of visitors in the local events is gaining popularity. It is therefore fitting to design a festival with an ability to be competitive as a tourist destination. This festival stretches for two days thus allowing a variety of activities and therefore giving chance for diverse range of visitors. It is also held over the weekend when visitor numbers are bound to increase. The festival activities include morning dances with the community of Gunbalanya (Oenpelli) as a start and entry point for visitors into the festival. Afternoon of the first day involves a talk on the character and behavior of the local communities by various community spokesmen and historians coupled with a visit to the Rock caves which also boasts of a snake park. In the evening, visitors get to have a glimpse and participate in a discussion forum concerning economic improvement to the region by various stakeholders. The second day involves a tour to the community art center which boasts of paintings, rock art and fibre art demonstrations. There will also be a local exhibition complete with a market for arts and craft within the museum. The festival main attractions include performances by local dance and cultural groups. The visitors will then be led to the villages of the participating tribes where there will be a display of their cultural practices and traditions. Visitors can then relax in the evening as they watch a fashion show, plays and enjoy Aboriginal music, food and drinks. The last day offers an exciting day as visitors get to enjoy and be part of football matches with the local teams. At an instance, this looks like an inconsequential cultural event festival but the two day event goes to fulfill an objective: in an area that is normally known for lack of infrastructure and environmental challenges, the Stone Country Festival gives the tourists and locals a chance to interact and co-operate both in preparation and during the festival duration. This ensures a better comprehension and appreciation of diverse cultures by both tourist and local communities. The underlying main goal therefore has been and continues to be promoting cultural appreciation for economic benefit. Visitors get to enjoy the presentation of the customs and living conditions of the various tribes, their unique traditional costumes, arts and crafts, dances and music is a fascinating experience – in particular in light of the stunning geographical characteristics and the limited general knowledge about the western Arnhem Land. Risk Assessment Event festivals come with its inevitable risks. However, that should not be cause for alarm but a challenge to provide sustainable solutions in mitigating those risks. It is worth noting that safety of tourists is a key priority while perceived or real threats to visitor safety can have severe and lasting impacts on any destination's reputation while adversely affecting repeat touring. If a tourist’s safety and health is not guaranteed, major occurrences can greatly affect the future profitability and sustainability of Stone Country festival as a tourist destination. If a tourist feels their security is compromised on any trip it may adversely affect their itineraries including, length of stay and expenditure in a destination. It will also impact negatively by reducing re-visits and word-of-mouth referrals. If a destination develops a negative image for visitor safety this will likely result in a declining visitor market for future festivals. Proper security arrangements are therefore put in place to ensure tourist safety and comfort. Priorities in risk assessment will be designed towards ensuring public safety and health, public order and security, structures and equipment and event activities. The festival is also alcohol free so it helps in reducing alcohol related incidents and thus making the event quite marketable as an enjoyable and relaxing destination. Festival strategies employed To properly analyze the costs and benefits of this festival, it is imperative to utilize a set of benchmarks so as to guide on its analysis. Some considerable benchmark factors are, “event organization which covers planning and co-ordination of event, event management, band composition , band costumes, dance, music and themes; promotion which covers creation of awareness about the event on national and international media; facilities which include telephone services, transportation, computer services, accommodation); friendly locals; shopping which includes availability of shopping centers for attendees during event; refreshment and food including availability of restaurants and fast food places; ambience of the environment which covers signage, cleanliness, greenness and orderliness of the city hosting the festival; and safety and security. These factors are sufficient to be considered as cultural festival branding attributes.” (Esu & Arrey, 2009: 185). Shortcomings and gains are therefore pegged on these factors. In a broader sense, cultural festivals have their positive and negative impacts. These can be measured from the approach of four constructs; physical and environmental, social and cultural, political, tourism and economic. The analysis of cultural festival impact will then be gauged through various aspects of the festival starting from conception, planning, execution and the after-effect of this event. Marketing of this festival will entail planning, branding and advertising, public relations, social media and e-mail. Any marketing plan should consider customers’ needs and there are always difficulties with establishing exactly what these needs might be. Festivals such as these with a fixed cultural theme, usually involves invisible boundaries which might limit their marketing segment to specific audiences. There is frequently a gap between customers’ needs and the marketing strategies of cultural festivals due to the characteristics of cultural products (Allen et al, 2002:163). Cultural events in the tourist destination contribute significantly to expansion of tourism offers and enhance the quality and competitiveness of destinations. Festivals and events present a synergized approach to creating vibrant communities to which people aspire. By providing a local focus they can satisfy specific industry niches. Regional festivals offer lifelong learning opportunities and civic partnerships. Derrett (2008) posit that festivals have always occupied a special part in the cultural lifestyles of various communities. Tour promoters and festival organizers have now comprehended the impact these festivals in lifting spirits, sharing of knowledge and experiences and building good neighborliness within communities. Festivals allow the interaction of local communities with visitors thus both become involved in creating an experience. It also creates a cumulative impact experience on the chosen destination for a visitor and thus continued mutual benefit and economic rewards for the community itself. As visitors take part in the festival, they connect with local lifestyle, a unique communal mix of. Festivals, in a social context, allows for rare mix and expressions of cultures at play. Festivals and events are some of the factors that provide an avenue for communal development and building of social capital. The communal strength is synergized for the greater benefit of their society thus being able to withstand the effects of political, socio-economic and environmental change (Ali-Knight, 2008). The festival is a festive event that people having a good time gathering together, which offers both the residents and visitors joyful experience that can meet diverse community needs in order to help host communities foster local development, leadership and networking. This is also the community based tourism development demand. Festivals and events have main economic functions such as attracting investment, creating employment, and improving standard of living. One of the major goals of hosting festivals and events is money-making. Despite the direct income generated during the festival for instance the admission fee, festivals and events can also provide a kind of economic stimulus for the local economy. This cultural festival makes a good example of destination image benefits. Festivals contribute significantly to the development wealth of tourism for the host communities, and subsequently, a ripple effect to other related industries. Budget Estimates for Stone Country Festival. Production Expenditure Administration &Wages Expenditure Festival Venue fees & Signage $500.00 Administration $400.00 Catering & Cleaning $1500.00 Marketing & Sponsorship $600.00 Communication solutions $500.00 Registration, & Insurance $500.00 Total $2500.00 Total $2000.00 Income Account Income AusD Seedling Grant $5,000.00 Festival tickets $7,500.00 Main event sponsor $500.00 Event partners $500.00 Event product sales $500.00 Total $14,000.00 This festival does not exhaust what communities in this region can offer to the visitors and it would take more time to sample them. However, it is not practical to have this festival on a large scale given the limited budget available. The seedling grant from the local council cannot be relied on to finance the two day festival on its own. It is therefore prudent to find ways of raising more funds so as to have a successful event. This event makes use of its entry tickets, product sales and festival partners to be able to raise funds that supplement the local council grant. Volunteers also help in reducing what would otherwise be a huge wage bill as this festival makes use of more than two hundred volunteers in various capacities. It is worth noting that the cultural festival is supposed to benefit the community and not profit-making. It follows that the monies in excess from the festival, are ploughed into community empowering projects. However, this does not include other sources of funding that the community may benefit from as a result of hosting this festival. Other economic gains to the community may not be direct or immediate and can only be gauged over long periods of time. Budget estimates presented above are bound to realistically shift depending on many factors including festival attendance, product and destination marketing, weather variations among others. It is vital that as tourism development through cultural festivals is embraced, local hosting communities need to determine and adopt a tourism model of presentation to potential and existing visitors. This will in turn promote guest interactions and inject authenticity while also meeting tourists’ expectations through interactions with local host communities. The tourism experience ought to be experienced and enjoyed by both visitor and host. “When communities become disenchanted and feel exploited, they tend to fail as hosts. It can be argued that if tourism is designed for local as well as visitor use, it is likely to be more sustainable as it becomes about communities sharing experiences, rather than selling them.” (Derrett, 2008:269). Use of cultural festivals to promote destination images is proving quite successful while at the same time, benefiting communities are continually getting economically empowered. The impact of Stone Country festival should therefore be felt over a long period of time. However, visitors are bound to get a lasting impression of this region; a factor that plays a major role in ensuring repeat and increased visits resulting in economic benefit for the local community. The region will also benefit through related impacts of the festival including, better infrastructure development, increased government assistance, better revenues from their cultural sites among others. The success of a festival requires the development of packages that are designed to meet the different needs of clearly defined groups. If the festival could succeed in attracting inhabitants and tourists, it may stimulate domestic demand, and economic growth would be spurred as well. These festivals can be put to good use by generating income as well as ameliorating economy of the people. This is of course a welcome development and there is hope that this will help boost the economic potential of the area and also refresh the economy again” (Wang, 2009). This festival should prove to be an opener for social and economic empowerment for Gunbalanya (Oenpelli), West Arnhem Land region and its communities. Government should also lend more support to this initiative through proper and appropriate policies and strategies. References Ali-Knight, J., 2008. International Perspectives of Festivals and Events: Paradigms of Analysis. Amsterdam: Elservier Allen, J., O’Toole, W., McDonnell, I. & Harris, R. (2002). Festival and special event management. Milton, Queensland: Wiley. Beerli, A. & Martin, J. D., (2004). Tourists’ Characteristics and the Perceived Image of Tourist Destinations: A Quantitative Analysis– A Case Study of Lanzarote, Spain. Tourism Management, 25: (623-636). Derrett, R., 2008. Regional festivals: nourishing community resilience: the nature and role of cultural festivals in Northern Rivers NSW communities. Queensland: Southern Cross University. Echtner, C. & Ritchie, J. B., (2003). The Meaning and Measurement of Destination Image. The Journal of Tourism Studies, 14(1): 37-46. Esu, B. B., Arrey, V. & Mbaze-Ebock., (2009). Branding Cultural Festival as a Destination Attraction: A Case Study of Calabar Carnival Festival. International Business Research. 2(3):182-192. Getz, D., 1990. Festivals, Special Events, and Tourism. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Inkson, C & Minnaert, L. (2012). Tourism Management: An Introduction. New York: SAGE. Leiper, N. (2004). Tourism Management (3rd Ed.), Malaysia: Pearson Education Australia. Mader, R. (2011). Stone Country Festival. 31st May 20133 Retrieved Matos, N., Mendes, J. & Valle, P. (2012). Revisiting the destination image construct through a conceptual model. Dos Algarves. A multidisciplinary e-journal No. 21 Molina, A., Gomez, M. & Martin- Consuegra, D. (2010). Tourism Marketing Information and Destination Image Management, African Journal of Business Management, Vol. 4 Pike, S. & Ryan, C. (2004). Destination Positioning Analysis through a comparison of Cognitive, Affective, and Conative Perceptions. Journal of Travel Research, 42: (333- 342) Sonmez, S. & Sirayaka, E. (2002). A Distorted Destination Image? The Case of Turkey. Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 41: (185-195) Wang, Y., (2009). The impact of festivals and events on city image: A Case Analysis of Ningbo International Fashion Festival. Rotterdam: Erasmus University Read More