Benefits of Tourism to the Local Community in Singapore - Research Paper Example

? BENEFITS OF TOURISM TO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY Task Benefits of Tourism to the Local Community in Singapore Literature review Thissection comprehensively explores the major concepts of tourism with the aim of addressing the objective of the study, which entails investigating the benefits of tourism to the local community in Singapore. The sections explore tourism as a concept that is fiscally and socially relevant in an effort to enhance societal integration. It discusses the role of the authorities in steering tourism activities, its benefits, ecotourism and the role of the locals in advancing the practice. Analysis of the theoretical and conceptual aspects of the benefits of tourism to the Local Community in Singapore Tourism is the global largest industry that contributes to job position creation in diverse economies. The sector has facilitated the development of structures that have the capacity to boost coexistence and economic stability. Communities that focus on improving their living standards should encourage tourism based on its benefits. Dwyer and Forsyth (1997) note that tourism improves the income levels of community members; furthermore, tourism increases the national GDP, employment and facilitates general rise in the living status of individuals. According to the World Tourism Organization (WTO), nations are obligated to adopt conventional tourism guidelines that facilitate their competitiveness and growth. WTO facilitates the formulation of policies to ensure that tourism activities are streamlined effectively. This is to ensure that the tourist attraction sites meet definite standards; furthermore, they should have supporting amenities that allow the safe stay of visitors (Lewis and Newsome, 2003). The agency defines tourism as travelling to new destinations due to particular attractions outside an individual’s geographical setting. The body states that tourism is a major recreational activity that requires proper management and formulation of excellent policies that are sustainable. Indeed, there are diverse categories of tourism that contribute to economic development and social integration that locals should comprehend. According to Lewis and Newsome (2003), tourism provides incentives and capacities for growth. They also facilitate engagement at various levels of operations that range from local setting to the international arena. This advances social and cultural integration that is earned through mutual understanding (Lewis and Newsome 2003). According to King (2000), domestic tourism in Singapore entails visiting the local destinations and tourist sceneries. Domestic tourism is important in enhancing an individual’s lifestyle since it allows the local people to understand the local events and historical sceneries. It also enables individuals to embrace and appreciate the local resources within the society. It also enhances the understanding of diverse cultural practices by persons with dialectal variations. Inbound tourism forms the second category that entails the visit made by non-citizens or residence to the local attraction sites (King, 2000). The system is currently gaining momentum since the need for individuals to change their environmental setting and learn new things in life is paramount. People are currently keen on exploring new ventures and sites of attraction that provide a unique environment for leisure. The technique can be encouraged through detailed awareness of the existing sceneries or the attraction sites, thus, influencing decision-making. Outbound logistics forms the third category that entails the visits to other nations by locals. Internal, national and international tourist categories follow respectively. The categories entail the combination of inbound, domestic and outbound categories. The categories are vital since they foster international integration and cooperation that is crucial in enhancing trade; thus, benefiting the local community. They are also significant in advancing social and cultural cohesiveness (King, 2000). The authorities are responsible for educating the locals on the imperativeness of tourism and create awareness on the categories of tourism; thus, enhancing the individual’s decision-making. According to WTO, tourism and ecotourism are perceived differently, thus, including attractions, accommodation, transport, supporting facilities and infrastructure. These elements are integral in ensuring safety and memorable experience by individuals, as they make local including international visitations (Yeoman and McMahon-Beattie, 2006). In particular, attractions encourage people visiting tourist locations and sceneries with the aim of gathering experience and learning new life ideals. The attraction sites allow the locals to identify relevant sites that are historically significant, thus, worth visitation. Locals and authorities in various nations, for example, Singapore, are responsible for creating and nurturing the attraction sites. This allows the industry to enjoy its benefits. Yeoman and McMahon-Beattie (2006) highlight that transport services are logistical systems that facilitate the movement of tourist to designated locations. Transport mechanism is fundamental since poor infrastructure limits the ability of tourist to move or prefer certain destinations. This leads to low income of the authorities and the community members (Yeoman and McMahon-Beattie 2006). Consequently, accommodation and supporting activities are crucial since they enhance the tourist’s wellbeing. The support activities and accommodation include shops, banks, restaurants and hotels that provide the tourists with relevant services that are essential in life. In Singapore, the authorities should develop relevant policies to ensure that the major factors that influence tourism are well managed. They should improve the infrastructural systems to ease movement of tourists, build more sites, reserves, put in place pertinent complimentary amenities and conserve beauty resort locations; thus, allowing the locals to enjoy the benefits (Golja and Nizic, 2010). Furthermore, this will encourage local and international visitors to tour the destinations that are in the country. Ecotourism is the latest trend that ensures effective combination of the preservation of natural resources and facilitation of sustainable well being of individuals. The system fosters proper understanding of cultural and social aspects. This is paramount in building holistic coexistence. Singapore should adopt the system due to its relevance in promotion of safety tourism with limited complications that may compromise individuals with traveling needs in any way. The system advances environmentally friendly travel. Furthermore, it is set with the capacity to ensure that visitors are restrained from degrading the natural resources (Nunes, 2002). The system also seeks to advance sustainable tourism with the intention nurturing human culture and core values that shape effective lifestyle. It is significant to note that ecotourism is well matched with the fortification of natural resources, cultural practices and social values of diverse individuals as a potential measure of advancing peaceful coexistence. This explains why the WTO is putting more emphasis on ecotourism as a viable system of practicing leisure that individuals should embrace to promote understanding. Tourism and the government Administrators should ensure effective realization of the benefits of tourism by the community members in diverse nations. This is critical since they are the custodian of the natural resources and are obligated to ensure adequate protection of the sites. This facilitates maximum utilization of resources to boost economic status and enhance social coherence (Nunes, 2002). Presently, authorities are realizing that the potential nature of tourism is not exclusive for revenue generation. It is also a major contributor of peaceful coexistence globally. Tourism presents immense benefits to individuals and community members in diverse nations. It develops nations in earning foreign exchange resources. Governments recognize that tourism remains a large industry with promising prospects in advancing meaningful development. The industry enables the authorities to create several lucrative jobs to the young generation. In particular, the authorities have a role to build more tourist attraction sites to enhance tour activities and, in turn, lead to high-income generation. Construction and restoration of tourist sites and historical sceneries are significant since it gives nations a sense of identity that is unique. The unique features and historical events attract various individuals with immense eagerness in understanding the past practices that lead to cohesiveness (Nunes, 2002). Ideally, marketing of the attraction sites to create awareness globally on the serene nature in a nation is also imperative. This enables probable tourists to make informed decisions on the attraction sites to visit that would satisfy their leisure needs. Authorities in Singapore should facilitate and finance the creation of new tourism resort centers and protect the existing sites to boost the practice among the community members. This should be undertaken with immense passion to enable the local members to appreciate the existing scenery and historical sites with the aim of enhancing the internal economy (Nunes, 2002). They should also practice tourism as a requisite measure to catalyze the development of mutual understanding between individuals. This would eradicate hostile relationship and discrimination that lead to unwarranted animosity that limit exemplary performance. This is essential since locals in Singapore are not fully acquainted with the knowledge of the tourist sites, recreational centers and the environmental significance of the practice. They also lack credible information on the imperativeness of tourism that fosters mental, psychological and economic stability of the society members (Cheuk, Liew-Tsonis, Ing and Razli, 2010). Tourism facilitates the development of mental and psychological soundness since it advances learning of a new phenomenon in life. According to scholars, individuals need to be pragmatic and learn from the ancient practices since the further we look into past the more individuals conceptualize the future. Therefore, authorities have a duty to promote tourism among the locals to boost their understanding of the past ideals. Although most authorities emphasize on attracting tourists through systematic procedures, for example, advertisement, little focus has been put in advancing infrastructures despite its significance in facilitating tourist movement (Yahya, 2003). Inferior infrastructure and support activities, for example, banks, hotels or restaurants, are detrimental in the realizing the benefits of exemplary performance in the industry. These elements are crucial in advancing tourism and the authorities should design relevant policies to streamline operations in the tourism industry (Cheuk et al., 2010). Benefits of tourism Tourism is a venture that is beneficial to the local societies, the governments and private enterprises. Investments in the sector by local authorities, national and independent individuals are currently gaining momentum due to its lucrative nature. According to WTO, there is increased movement of individuals in search for recreational centers, leisure activities and commercial purposes. This exposes them to diverse experiences that transform their lifestyles in various dimensions. It also enhances their mental capacity and awareness of diverse cultural practices that shape individuals behavior in various settings (Cheuk et al., 2010). Tourism presents ecological, cultural, social, opinionated and monetary benefits. The benefits are relevant in shaping up vibrant societies and ensure absolute social integration. Such integration is crucial since it promotes peace, and understanding that remains key elements in driving exemplary performance. In particular, environmental benefits of tourism include the restoration, protection, creation of natural resources and conservation of resort areas with an aim to nurture the natural beauty. Serene environment and the existence of natural resources promote tourism since they act as major tourist attraction pillars. The environmental attraction sites include forests, volcanoes, geographical terrain, rift valleys, animal species and extracted valuable resources. The resources require maximum protection and nurturing to facilitate their existence as tourist attraction elements (Alipour, Hajaliakbari and Javanbakht, 2011). There are great concerns in diverse setting on the relevance of tourism with locals discrediting its imperativeness. The locals, for example, in Singapore, assert that tourism is presenting more damage that good. The locals due to inferior knowledge are resisting creation of new tourism sites stating that it results to the exhaustion of natural resources and increased contamination. This is hampering the authority’s ability to execute their role of creating new tourism sites to promote the revenue collection and job creation. Despite their concerns, tourism is set with pertinent performance guidelines that are to advance protection, restoration and establishment of new recreational centers to boost social standards of engagement. It is also to provide serene areas for individuals to spend leisure time (Alipour et al., 2011, p.6). When executed with proper planning, tourism contributes to the protection of natural beauty through conservation of the available resources, for example, forests that purify the air. This translates into healthy lifestyle that is required to aid individual’s functional capacity. It also facilitates the maintenance of resort areas and minimizes the potential negative effects that may compromise health standards of individuals. The economic benefits of tourism revolve around the creation of jobs, strengthening of the nations GDP and the enhancement of the living standards of individuals. Domestic and inbound tourism contributes immensely to the economic soundness of a community. The practices are fundamental in ensuring job creation to the local residence and improve their lifestyles. Indeed, tourism is becoming the world largest industry and creator of jobs in diverse societies (Alipour et al., 2011). It is a promising venture that individuals peruse with vigor with the intention of transforming their lifestyle and performance in the community. As noted in the WTO report, tourism provides 10% world income that facilitates financing infrastructural projects. This explains its imperativeness in enhancing infrastructural and general growth to better the lives of individuals. In Singapore, tourism is relevant in uplifting the living standards of the locals through creation of jobs and improvement of income. Currently, the country operates under dismal economic performance with inferior GDP statistics despite its tourism potential. The tourism potential is untapped in the nation and may compromise its competitiveness in terms of development. The authorities in the nation should initiate comprehensive education processes to enlighten the locals on the significance of developing tourism centers (Golja and Nizic, 2010). This eliminates their negative perception of tourism based on poor reasoning. Consequently, tourism has immense cultural benefits. Within the tourism realm, culture is designated as a shared norm the shape individual’s behavior. Communities have diverse cultural practices that the members are expected to follow diligently. The harmonization and understanding of practices are crucial because they vary. This is fundamental in eradicating discrimination. This is achievable through the practice of tourism that enables individuals to travel to new areas where they learn and embrace new practices (Dwyer and Forsyth, 1997). As such, tourism promotes unity in diversity through creation of mutual understanding and respect to other people’s shared norms that shape their code of behavior. Tourism advances cultural understanding of diverse practices since it facilitates learning. This enables individuals to recognize and be acquainted with the reasons why particular communities perform certain cultural practices. This facilitates understanding and makes individuals to value other people’s social setting. It also gives individuals the ability to respect the practices that may not find familiar. Cultural practices focus on traditional events and execution of ritual activities as defined in diverse settings (Yahya, 2003). The practices define societal livelihood and expectations. Furthermore, they shape operations and social engagement between communal members. Tourism also presents credible social and political benefits that ensure holistic growth. Indeed, communities cannot realize excellent performance with inferior communal and political integration (Xu, Zhang and Wu, 2010). Social benefits of tourism include acquisition of serene sites for leisure, having good recreational experience, creation of new friends and understanding the diverse cultural influences of individuals. Additionally, political benefits include the exposure of the individuals to new cultural practices and religion activities in various nations. This facilitates mutual political engagement, brings persons together and encourages understanding. Political stability contributes to the development of tourism industry since individuals prefer making visits to stable countries where their safety is guaranteed. They also make visits to learn how the political activities are driven to emulate and develop in their nations. This is essential since political stability is crucial in advancing tourism and the realization of mutual understanding. Indeed, tourism contributes to cultural understanding and development of a tolerant attitude that is vital in enhancing cohesiveness. It equally allows people to respect the local cultural practices of diverse communities (Dwyer and Forsyth, 1997). Protection of national heritage and conservation of resources are major benefits of tourism. This ensures that the nations and communities do not lose their identity through erosion of the past ideals. Tourism fosters conservation of natural resources and enhancement of economic performance. It leads to the creation of jobs among the youths and transformation of negative attitude towards individuals from a different social background (Xu, Zhang and Wu, 2010). Therefore, authorities and the locals in Singapore should develop viable policies to transform the tourism industry in the nation. This will enhance economic vibrancy, social integration and excellent international relations. The role of locals in enhancing tourism The development of vibrant tourism sector requires the participation of all stakeholders. This allows the formulation of effective policies that focus on enhancing tourism activities and creating attraction sites (Xu et al., 2010). Ideally, the locals should understand the significance of tourism and its contribution to the economic and cultural development. This will allow them to support the initiatives that enhance tourism activities. According to WTO report, various communities have resisted the initiatives of developing new tourism sites in their geographical set ups. They state that tourism projects lead to depletion of resources and environmental degradation. The resistance arises from inferior knowledge on the importance of tourism and its contribution in transformation of individual’s lifestyle. Therefore, the local community has a duty to support the development of tourist sites to advance economic growth. Secondly, they are responsible for protecting the available resources to facilitate their lasting utilization. Conclusion It is crucial that the affiliates in the tourism sector employ sustainable measures that will realize fiscal, aesthetic and environmental expectations. The conservation measures should accommodate the local communities who utilize conventional conservation approaches. Additionally, they should encourage local communities by employing payback systems that would empower the local communities. This is in the wake of human-wildlife conflicts witnessed in poaching and the reciprocal encroachment by humans and animals in territory zones. Moreover, societies need to be enlightened on the intrinsic values of the environment. This will lessen the prioritization of development in the form of infrastructure, residential estates and business at the expense of the natural environment. Reference List Alipour, M., Hajaliakbari, F. and Javanbakht, N., 2011. 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