The Effectiveness and Use of Sustainable Tourism in the World - Research Proposal Example

Tourism Background Tourism is where a person or people travel to and stays at a place that is distinct from their usual environment, and stay there for any length of time between one night and one year. The purpose of tourism is frequently leisure, but it may also include aspects such as business and visiting friends or family (Page and Connell, 2006). Tourism has been increasing as an activity in recent years as the expendable income of many individuals have increased, as well as transportation between cities and countries becoming faster, cheaper and more efficient (Smith and Eadington, 1992). Tourism provides income and economic stability for many places as well as increasing how well known they are worldwide. For example, the state of Monaco has used tourism as its main source of income since the Second World War (D'Hauteserre, 2005). As a consequence, the state has fared very well economically, with one of the highest standards of living worldwide as well as a long life expectancy (Central Intelligence Agency, 2011). This shows that tourism can be an extremely important business venture, and indeed it is practiced worldwide. In the 1990s tourism was seen as a low-impact venture that consumed little to no resources. This is because in many countries, especially those that are developing tourism makes use of areas that are not being used otherwise or are of low value (Goessling, 2000). However, there has been a growing realization that tourism is having a sign on the ecological environment as well as having strong social and cultural effects (Galvani, 2005). An example of this is gambling, which is a prevalent tourist activity, often taking place in casinos with entire resorts and communities designed around them. While these are effective as a tourist destination they also haven for prostitution and crime (Pizam and Pokela, 1985). Tourism also has a sign on indigenous populations, often taking advantage of their culture and customs for economic benefits. This can often be of detriment to the population (Butler and Hinch, 2007). Another strong effect that tourism has is on the environment. Tourism relies on the environment (Galvani, 2005), and as a consequence can have a strong effect on it. Degrading the environment that plays host to the tourism eventually results in the decrease of the activity itself and as a consequence the associated profits. For tourism to continue in an area, it is important that the environment remains able to support the activities that are occurring (Butler, 2004). Sustainable tourism is a form of tourism that has grown from concern for the damage that traditional methods are causing to the environment. The concept was originally developed from sustainable development (Hunter, 1997). Sustainable development is a contested field which has a wide range of definitions depending on the people that are advancing it. For example, a multinational corporation has a significantly different view of sustainable development than a group of environmental activists. One classic definition is growth that meets the requirements of the present generation without compromising the needs of the future generations (Giddings et al., 2002). Sustainable tourism develops on this concept, with the aim of modifying current tourism and any new tourism so that it does not have a negative effect on the environment or any negative effect that it does have is significantly reduced (Bramwell and Lane, 1993). There is no unified definition of sustainable tourism, and some applications take into account purely ecological factors, will others also include economic, cultural or social factors. Sustainable tourism is important in both planning and management of areas where tourism is prevalent, especially where the environment plays a large role (Eagles et al., 2002). The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), a specialized agency that is part of the United Nations has undertaken significant research into the effects that globalization and tourism have on the cultures that they affect. There is concern that significant parts of the inherent culture of the area will be lost through continued tourism. One place where the culture is considered to be of considerable risk is China. In 2010, the UNESCO identified 34 distinct elements of Chinese culture which needed to be protected to ensure they were not lost as the number of visitors from other cultures continued to increase. These heritages included: Chinese calligraphy, Dragon Boat Festival, Gugin (a seven-string) musical instrument and Peking Opera. In addition, some aspects were considered in urgent need of safeguarding, which included the Qiang New Year Festival, the Textile Techniques of Li and Wooden Arch Bridges (China Travel, 2010). Despite, or because of, the rapid development of the field of sustainable tourism, there remains no consensus definition of what constitutes sustainable tourism, how best to implement it, and whether implementation of it is successful. As a consequence, this research will examine the literature surrounding the topic, and examine the different definitions and applications of sustainable tourism, with a focus on the cultural perspective, as well as examine the level of success that sustainable tourism has had. Aim and Objectives To provide a comprehensive review of the current successes and failures of sustainable tourism To determine a definition of sustainable tourism based on consensus from within the literature To determine how the intangible heritages of China are viewed To evaluate the current methods being used to evaluate this heritage To evaluate the methods that are in use for protecting the intangible heritages of China To consider how tourism is affecting these heritages, and whether they are in immediate or future danger Methodology The first step to address these objectives is to conduct a survey of people within China itself, either tourists or residents, to determine their viewpoints on the current state of the heritages within China. A total of ten individuals will be surveyed, using a short answer survey that will be given out through email. Questions will include: whether individuals feel that China’s heritage is in danger, if so what they feel the cause of danger is, opinions on the current methods that are being used to preserve the heritage, whether tourism is having a positive or negative effect on the cultural heritage and what they think of tours that focus on these heritages. The results of this survey will be collated and analyzed, and the results compared to the aims and objectives of the study. In addition, a detailed literature review of the topic will be undertaken, examining current, past and projected sustainable tourism in regards to culture, and this will be applied to the case of protecting intangible heritages in China. Time Plan The research will be conducted between October 2011 and March 2012. The first two months will constitute gathering of the literature, as well as determine what is relevant. The survey will be developed and sent out during this time. From January to February the information from the sources will be collated into a form that can be analyzed and evaluated. Once survey results are received they will be analyzed and whether further action is required will be determined. Throughout March the final analysis and write-up will be completed. Works Cited Bramwell, B. & Lane, B. 1993. Sustainable Tourism: An Evolving Global Approach. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 1, 1-5. Butler, R. & Hinch, T. 2007. Tourism and Indigenous Peoples: Issues and Implications, Butterworth-Heinemann, Butler, R. W. 2004. Tourism, Environment and Sustainable Development. Tourism: Tourism, development and sustainability, 3, 285. Central Intelligence Agency. 2011. Monaco [Online]. Available: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mn.html [Accessed September 20 2011]. China Travel. 2010. World Intangible Cultural Heritages in China [Online]. Available: http://www.chinatravel.com/focus/intangible-cultural-heritage/ [Accessed October 18 2011]. D'Hauteserre, A. M. 2005. Tourism, Development, and Sustainability in Monaco: Comparing Discourses and Practices. Tourism Geographies, 7, 290-312. Eagles, P. F. J., McCool, S. F. & Haynes, C. D. 2002. Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas: Guidelines for Planning and Management, World Conservation Union, 1-20. Galvani, A. 2005. The Sustainable Tourism for the Europe of the Third Millennium. Giddings, B., Hopwood, B. & O'Brien, G. 2002. Environment, Economy, and Society: Fitting Them Together into Sustainable Development. Sustainable Development, 10, 187-196. Goessling, S. 2000. Tourism–Sustainable Development Option? Environmental Conservation, 27, 223-224. Hunter, C. 1997. Sustainable Tourism as an Adaptive Paradigm. Annals of Tourism Research, 24, 850-867. Page, S. & Connell, J. 2006. Tourism: A Modern Synthesis, Cengage Learning EMEA, 13, 25-26. Pizam, A. & Pokela, J. 1985. The Perceived Impacts of Casino Gambling on a Community. Annals of Tourism Research, 12, 147-165. Smith, V. L. & Eadington, W. R. 1992. The Emergence of Alternative Forms of Tourism. In: Smith, V. L. & Eadington, W. R. (eds.) Tourism Alternatives: Potentials and Problems in the Development of Tourism. Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania Press., 1-20. Read More