International Tourism Management - Coursework Example

Tourism is deemed to include any activity concerned with the temporary short-term movement of people to destinations outside the places they normally live and work for leisure purposes (Bennett 1995). Some studies have indicated that this industry is dominated by giant companies operating in many countries across the globe which represent the interests of the rich and affluent people and in most cases, cultural values of the host nations are given less prominence. However, many actors are penetrating this lucrative industry during the contemporary period. Thus, according to Tribe (2008), the goal of critical theory in tourism is critical emancipation where all stakeholders are given the opportunity to benefit from the tourism industry. Against this background, this essay will begin by explaining the meaning of culture then reflect on some of the cultural aspects that can be taken into consideration and the strategies to implement them by international tourism businesses that seek to establish themselves in emerging markets overseas. The Minster English Dictionary defines culture as, “intellectual, behavioural, and artistic ideas, beliefs of a particular group, time or place or it can refer to any particular stage of civilization.” Simply put, culture denotes the behaviour of an identifiable group of people living in a particular place. It shapes their way of doing things in their everyday life. The cultural and social environment affects the way people live and behave in several ways in that it shapes their behaviour and the way they conduct themselves in society (McCarthy & Perreault 1993 as cited in Bennet 1995). International tourism businesses which are concerned about the success of their business should also be concerned about the following cultural variables that characterise many emerging tourist destinations: language spoken, type of education the people have, religious beliefs, type of food as well as other social aspects such as marriage, families and roles of women among other things. As going to be explained in detail below, it can be noted that all these factors have a bearing on the way an organisation will operate and thrive in foreign land. Whilst it is important for the international tourism company to retain its business goal of generating income, it can thus be seen that the onus is theirs to recognise the culture of the local people in the area they will seek to establish business for their own benefit. It can also be noted that the emerging markets overseas have more to deal with social aspects of human life which encompasses culture. For instance, emerging tourist destinations in Southern Africa are mainly comprised of rich cultural artefacts such as wood and stone carvings and other man made artefacts. Socially or culturally, international organisations must be aware of the culture of the local people so as to facilitate the movements of the tourists and their coordination with the local people. In this case, international tourism organisations will act as a go between the tourists coming from international destinations and the local people. Thus, knowing the culture of the local people will facilitate or enhance the different people to come into close contact and do their business on a level of mutual understanding. In any location especially among the emerging markets overseas, various sub groups can be identified for instance in South Africa there are Afrikaners, English, Xhosa, Moslems and Greeks among other minority groups. For the tourist industry, these differences are more significant than it would initially appear to be the case. For tourism business to thrive in a foreign country overseas, the viable strategy that can be used is to give the local people the opportunity to conduct the day to day running of the business while the management will just oversee if the activities will be complying with their expectations. This would empower the local people to take a leading role in spearheading the business since they will have the knowledge about their environment. It also becomes easier for the tourists since they will be dealing with the rightful people who have a lot of information pertaining to the social and cultural systems of the place. A good example can be drawn from the operations of whl.travel, a transnational tourism corporation which is a wholly owned business unit of the WHL Group (Worldhotel-link.com Limited). According to its official website, the WHL Group is a private company incorporated in Hong Kong and is owned and operated by a team from Australia, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, India, South Africa, Switzerland, Syria, USA, Vietnam and Zambia. Having realised that establishing a business in emerging markets overseas required knowledge about culture of local people, WHL sought to accommodate local people in all the areas it would seek to penetrate. The strategy used by WHL is unique in that in all areas it operates in overseas, the booking site of all tourist facilities is owned and operated by the local people. This strategy is effective in that it seeks to empower the local people while at the same time promoting their culture. This greatly enhances cultural exchange among the tourists and the local people. The culture of the host country should be given precedence and priority which is the essence of tourism whereby the tourist can experience a feel of different culture away from home. The culture of the local people adds to the package of tourist attractive features of a given place hence it must retain its originality which adds value to the tourist destination. The strategy used by whl-travel is advantageous in that the local people know their destination intimately and on top of that, these people would have been selected to become part of the WHL family which is a growing business. The culture of the organisation also ought to reflect the culture of the people in the host area it will be operating which is a wise marketing strategy given that the majority of the local people will be at liberty to identify with the tourist organisation. In most cases, the local people care about their local community, about their culture and about the local environment. Some tourist destinations in emerging markets are comprised of people from diverse cultural backgrounds which make them very welcome and enjoyable to mix and mingle with almost any race you can think of. WHL has used this strategy to boost its performance given that it can accommodate any kind of culture under its stable. In order to successfully operate in emerging markets overseas, the managers have task to identify the lifestyles of the local people first as this would give them first hand information about an idea of the kind of people they will be particularly dealing with. Fulfilling the needs of the people who are affected by the activities of business is one way of mollifying them. Besides prioritising the interests of the culture of the host people, WHL has in place measures that are meant to accommodate the cultural values of the tourists themselves. Due to religious observances, it can be noted that some people do not eat certain kinds of food hence their concern is catered for. While Muslims for instance, demand halal food, other communities also have other preferences or taboos. These differences are not only limited to food but they extend to almost every sphere of daily life. Religious beliefs shape the way people behave in many areas and the local people in most areas would not tolerate activities that would threaten the existence of their values that make them different from the other groups of people in the country. Managers ought to be very careful in this regard since the organisation can be negatively impacted if it is shunned by the local people. If the activities of the organisation are shunned by the local people, then it will defy logic given that most of the emerging tourist markets overseas are culture based. In some markets particularly African markets, the local people have some taboos they wish to preserve and the organisation in question prioritises that. If the local people object to certain behaviours, then a tourist company concerned about its future survival will have to comply. By virtue of incorporating local talent, WHL has managed to create a competitive advantage for itself given that the local people have a wealth of knowledge about various cultural artefacts that shape their life. In most cases, it is wise for example to have a tour guide who hails from the local area which is the strategy used by the WHL travel. It is undoubtedly true that an organisation that observes the culture of the local people is better positioned to perform better since tourists will also be concerned with gaining new knowledge about the culture of local people in the host countries. Drawing on the example of South Africa, it can be noted that level of education is not evenly distributed across the whole population. Previously disadvantaged groups during the apartheid era still lag behind in terms of spending on tourist facilities. The rich and affluent are in most cases the ones who visit the cultural heritage sites such as the Robben Island where the former South African President Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. An international tourist organisation intending to establish business in emerging markets should be aware of the level of education of the local people as this has a bearing on their spending and how they perceive this kind of business in their areas. For instance, it can also be noted that education plays a pivotal role in that in South Africa, the majority of the local people are not well educated to such an extent that they struggle to speak in English which is an international language. Most of the international tourists can only be addressed in English unless otherwise stated hence the need to have tour guides who are proficient in English which is an international language. Particularly in Africa, one of the most dramatic shifts in modern society is the increasing number of the women in the workplace. About three decades ago, only 24 % of the female population was working in South Africa (Bennett 1995). During the contemporary period, though the exact figure cannot be exactly ascertained, the figure has certainly increased and almost half of the female population goes to work now. The erosion of the stereotypes regarding male-female roles in society can be attributed to this development. As a result of an improvement of education, it can be seen that emancipation of the women is gaining prominence. More and more women are also making their way up the organisational ladder. Against this back ground, the tourism company seeking to establish business in emerging markets ought to take into consideration the needs of the other segment of the society. In terms of employment strategies, such kind of organisations should avoid discriminatory policies as this will negatively impact on the operations. WHL for instance has fair policy in terms of its employment. Employment policies that go against the wishes of the local people are likely to have negative perceptions hence the need to put measures that will treat both males and females as equals given that the females can also do anything that can be done by men. Over and above, it can be concluded that tourism is travelling that is specifically meant for leisure. It has been noted that there are various cultural issues such as religion, family structures, gender as well as level of education that have a bearing on how international tourism industries ought to operate for them to thrive especially in emerging markets overseas. Basing on the case study of WHL travel, it can be concluded that the involvement of the local people in the operations of the organisation is one of the most viable strategies that can be implemented. The main advantage of this stance is that the local people have firsthand knowledge about the structure of the culture in their societies hence it will be easy for them to give the tourists the much needed assistance. References Bennett J.A (1997). Managing tourism services. Pretoria. JLVan Schaik Academic. Bennett A. & George R. (2004), South African Travel and Tourism Cases, Van Schaik, SA Tribe, J., (2008), Tourism: A critical Business Journal of Travel research 2008, 46, 245. Sage. WHL (official website). 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