Sustainable Destination Management - Coursework Example

Sustainable Destination Management Contents Contents 2 Introduction 3 Discussion 3 Conclusion 8 References 9 Introduction Tourism is one of the mostbooming sectors across the globe. There are different factors that are taken into consideration while sustaining tourism in a region. In this study main focus shall be on events which are organized in order to facilitate destination management. Every country or regions encompass certain special events. These events help to attract large base of tourists and it appears to be most innovative way to sustain tourism. Managing destinations of tourism is a vital component in relation to managing environmental impacts of tourism. Destination management comprises of zoning controls and business permits, land use planning, business association initiatives, environmental regulations and a series of other techniques to govern daily operations and development of tourism related activities. The term destination can be classified as an area where the most essential activity is tourism and economy of that area is greatly influenced through revenues earned from tourism. This study would highlight importance of events and its contribution towards destination development. The purpose of this particular study is to put emphasis on destination management, event management, destination development and destination marketing. Discussion Events play a critical role in context of sustaining tourism development. Destination management is a complex approach since it comprises of wide array of factors. The expectations anticipated benefits and needs vary greatly from one region to another. There is no such standard strategy for destination management. Every region encompasses certain strategy to enhance tourism and event management proves to be one such mechanism. Local communities work in collaboration with tourism officials to develop sustainable strategy. Sustainable tourism is a method to enhance local stewardship across the environment. Event management is all about development and creation of big scale events such as festivals, concerts, conferences, formal parties, conventions or ceremonies (Allee and Kotler, 2011). Event planning basically means to design an event in a manner that it is able to cater expectations of target audience. Event management to certain extent is regarded as communication and marketing tool. In some countries more focus is given on event planning as it is the major source for gaining high revenue margins. Sustainable event management also appears to be a trend that is adopted by many regions. In such event planning management is more inclined towards reducing environmental impacts and promoting green events (Kotler and Keller, 2011). Event management is not only about hosting an event related to local culture but even comprises of wide number of background activities such as communication or marketing strategy, event design, audio-visual production, budgeting, client service, logistics, scriptwriting and budgeting. All these activities contribute towards success or failure of an event. Individuals basically travel across the globe to participate, understand, explore or escape. At the core of such experience is the impact caused by the destination (Crouch and Ritchie, 2005). There are different factors that make a destination attractive for tourists. These factors are local culture, environmental surroundings, locations, events been hosted, etc. Destination hence appears to be a place providing tourists with something that can be kept for lifetime and even shared with others. The major aim of destination management is to reduce negative impacts caused by tourism on environment. Apart from reducing impacts on local communities or environment it even initiates opportunity sharing for vibrant exchange of individuals (Middleton, Fyall, Morgan and Ranchhod, 2009). This even facilitates tourism development by developing destinations and considering tourism as an economic driver or equitable social capital building tool. Tourism products can be categorized into various forms such as attraction that helps to sustain wide base of tourists. Attraction reflects adventure activities of a location whereas access is all about exploitation of an attraction. Activities also forms an essential part of tourism since many people visits a destination because of its activities (Bieger and Laesser, 2004). Mountaineering is an example of tourist activities. Services are an important part of tourism industry and all such tourism activities encompasses service. Any tourism product is supported by higher levels of service. Promotions are needed for tourism products apart from word of mouth. This is because tourists should be aware about attractive features of a particular destination. Qualified personal are usually hired for service delivery since it forms central component of tourism related operations. Destination development is mainly done through undertaking active measures to reduce environmental impact. It can be stated that tourism sustainability is not only based on attracting more individuals but it is inclined towards promoting green tourism. In modern world destination development is based on including more attractions and organizing events which focus on green tourism. Destination marketing to certain extent is similar to product or service marketing. There are proper advertising tools included while marketing features of a destination. Destination marketing means to highlight unique features in comparison to other destinations. Previous research studies have mainly outlined the impact of tourism on economy or benefits of hosting events on tourism industry (Bowen and Clarke, 2009). However sustainable tourism development is not analyzed to a great extent. Hosting events is not considered as a strategy by authors rather it is described as an essential factor for retaining tourist base. These events are directly associated with local culture or values and is treated as a part of destination. In present scenario new events are organized by different regions so as to attract people. Event hosting appears to be a major driver that initiates high tourism revenue margins. Events are of various types and every destination possesses a specific set of events that it hosts. For instance some events are closely knitted with local culture and values. Other events are organized to facilitate cultural exchange such as concerts or conferences. Hong Kong is a preferred destination for many tourists and it hosts attractive events throughout the year. Dragon Race is the most famous event in this region and tourists visit Hong Kong more during this event. The Arts Festival that is hosted in London, Hong Kong, etc., is a well known event and serves the purpose of sustainable tourism development (Decrop and Kozak, 2014). There are cultural insights present within such events as the main aim behind event hosting is destination marketing. Arts Festival hosted in Hong Kong is a platform of bringing in Western talents and promoting local culture. This event encompasses best performances from around the world. Entertainment and sports events are main attractions in Malaysia. Film Festival hosted in Malaysia attracts huge base of visitors and during time period of this festival maximum revenue is generated through tourism industry. Destinations normally outline their exceptional features that might be attractive for visitors. Winter carnival organized in locations such as Goa adds an extra factor to the destination. This forms the source of attraction for individuals. It is not only about hosting an event but even involving participants within that event. Tourism industry has been able to achieve high levels of success and growth over the years. As individuals desire for visiting new places and gather experiences it contribute towards growth of tourism sector. It can be stated that decreasing levels of unemployment and high disposable income are the reasons behind increasing demand for tourism industry. On the other hand, events also play a critical role in enhancing economic growth of a region. There is dual purpose of attending such events, it enables interaction with individuals belonging to different cultural background and provides a scope to build wide knowledge base (Getz, 2008). In overall context event hosting is a tool to promote a specific destination. These events transmit message that a destination wishes to convey to its visitors. For instance Film Festival hosted in London has gained significance from past many years. Visitors are able to watch different epic movies. It initiates high revenue margins since people from across the globe visit the place to be a part of this event. On the other hand concerts or art festival hosted in Hong Kong are also key drivers of economic growth. It has been observed that tourists usually visit a destination more during such special events or festivals. This is because destination appears to be different while these events are hosted and more importance is given to entertainment of visitors. Dragon race is a race of dragon shaped boats hosted in Hong Kong and even China. This is the most awaited event in both these destinations and a source of attracting visitors. The process basically works through influencing individuals to witness exceptional events. These events of a particular region are not aligned with local culture or traditions of visitors. Hence appears to be interesting and unique for tourists planning to visit such destinations. While they are attracted by event management it also forms a base for acquiring desirable profit margins. Since people visiting Hong Kong during dragon race festival or arts festival has to bear a minimum entry charge and spend on other event related activities. High disposable income of visitors tends to enhance revenue margins in such tourist destinations. On the contrary, while hosting these events target audience is not confined to a specific segment rather global market is usually targeted. Global reach through events enable a destination to explore wide base of tourists. Number of tourists visiting a location during special events is more and this helps to seek growth as well as revenue. There are locations that did not gain importance in earlier times such as Goa, Malaysia, Hong Kong, etc. However events hosted in these regions were able to attract tourists and even enhanced destination image. Events provide marketing opportunities and even serve as a medium to foster destination visibility (Masterman and Wood, 2006). Event possesses drawbacks in context of destination development as it comprises of high costs and makes tourism solely dependent on one factor. Visitors might not observe natural beauty of a location in midst of attending hosted events. On the other hand, if events are not impressive then it would not support retention of tourist base. Conclusion This study has outlined events to be a medium through which sustainable development in tourism industry can be achieved. Destination development is mainly associated with attracting large base of tourists and reducing environmental impact caused by tourism related activities. There are different mechanisms adopted by destinations to promote a location or highlight any exceptional feature. Event planning is a unique way to attract tourists as well as retain them. There are specific destinations which had gained importance due to hosting large scale events. It is considered to be most preferred promotional tool. This drives economic growth of a region and even facilitates interaction amongst different cultures. Event management is closely knitted with destination management. Hosting events comprise of high costs but it is the most productive tool as it offers something extra to visitors. References Allee, J., and Kotler, N., 2011. Tourism destination management and marketing program. Washington, DC: The George Washington University. Bieger, T., and Laesser, C., 2004. Information sources for travel decisions: toward a source process model. Journal of Travel Research, 42(4), pp. 357-371. Bowen, D., and Clarke, J., 2009. Contemporary tourist behaviour: yourself and others and tourists. Wallingford: CABI. Crouch, G.I., and Ritchie, J. R., 2005. Tourism competitiveness and societal prosperity. Journal of Business Research, 44(1), pp. 56-162. Decrop, A., and Kozak, M., 2014. Consumer goals in vacation decision making. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 31(1), pp.101-102. Getz, D. 2008. Event tourism: definition, evolution, and research. Science Direct, 29 (3), pp. 403–428. Kotler, P., and Keller, K., 2011. Marketing management. UK: Prentice Hall. Masterman, G., and Wood, E. 2006. Innovative marketing communications: strategies for the events industry. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Middleton, V., Fyall, A., Morgan, M., and Ranchhod, A., 2009. Marketing in travel and tourism. UK: Butterworth-Heinemann. Read More