International Events: What Trends Are Growing Outside the United States - Research Paper Example

International Events: What Trends Are Growing Outside the United s? Overview of Global Trends Information and trends affecting global tourism is regularly being monitored by different international agencies including the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). According to the latest published Tourism Highlights, “forecasts prepared by UNWTO in January 2012 point to growth of 3% to 4% in international tourist arrivals for the full year 2012. Total international arrivals are expected to reach one billion in 2012 for the first time” (World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) 2). The information contained herein is highly indicative of the optimistic prospects that event organizers and planners should capitalize to ensure gaining appropriate market share in the events tourism industry. The objective of the current paper, therefore, is to identify the trends in the event tourism industry outside of the United States. From the study written by Kapiki, the author indicated that “the travel and tourism industry is composed of five parts: a) the tourism lodgings (hotels, motels, camps, cruise ships), b) the transportation services (ships, airplanes, trains), c) food and beverage operations (restaurants, bars, taverns, catering), d) retail stores (gifts, souvenir, arts/crafts shops) and e) the activities (recreation, educational trips, business, festivals, sport events)” (Kasavana and Brooks 1). Thus, one could deduce that the activities part of the travel and tourism industry would be the focus of the current discourse. Specifically, one aims to determine what kinds of activities in the global tourism industry are most predominantly preferred to be undertaken or pursued by tourists outside of the United States. Preferred Events in International Tourism From the information gathered in the Global Tourism Opportunities Research Study commissioned by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism for the Tourism Competitiveness Study, it was revealed in Figure 1 that global tourist visitors travel for the following general purposes: “Leisure travel motivates 51% of tourism, stable since 2004. Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR), health, and religious purposes drove 27% of tourist movement in 2007, up from 24% in 2004. Business and professional travel has motivated 16% of international trips since 2004. Business travel demand has been fueled by growth in international trade flows, foreign direct investment, and cross-border merger and acquisition activity in recent years. As business travel often turns into leisure, both segments are affected by fluctuations in business travel” (Ontario Ministry of Tourism 22). Figure 1: Purpose of International Visit, 2006 and 2011 Source: Ontario Ministry of Tourism 22; World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) 4 It is, therefore, noteworthy to indicate that the purposes for global tourist travel still predominantly focus on leisure; in conjunction with VFR, health and religious purposes, as combined, would already comprise about 78% of the international travellers. The 2011 figure (right) shows, “travel for leisure, recreation and holidays accounted for just over half of all international tourist arrivals (51% or 505 million arrivals). Some 15% of international tourists reported travelling for business and professional purposes and another 27% travelled for other purposes, such as visiting friends and relatives (VFR), religious reasons and pilgrimages, health treatment, etc.” (World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) 4). A comparative analysis would, therefore, indicate that hardly any changes in percentages occurred since 2006. Therefore, event organizers should focus on identifying and managing events that cater to providing leisure and addressing the health and religious needs of the tourists. Likewise, the same study indicated a particular niche tourism where “special interest, culture, and /or activity-based tourism involving small numbers of tourists in authentic settings” (Ontario Ministry of Tourism 36) are to be addressed. From Figure 2 below, it could be viewed that from among the activities or events noted, cultural events take the predominant percentage averaging 40–65%, followed by meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition (MICE) at 50% (Ontario Ministry of Tourism 36). Source: Ontario Ministry of Tourism 36 Long Term Trends The prospects for international tourism apparently appear to be more optimistic towards the projected timefame until 2030. As disclosed by UNWTO, there is an expected average annual 3% increase in international travellers from 2010 to 2030 to reach about 43 million visitors on an annualized number to 1.3 billion in 2030 (World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) 2). In terms of destination, it was likewise revealed that the top countries where international tourists earmarked to visit are emerging countries where the “highest-growth markets for inbound and outbound tourists are China and India. China is expected to become the number one destination for international visitors” (Ontario Ministry of Tourism 11). The information was likewise corroborated by the research written by Kapiki, whose findings indicated that China is topmost in the list to manifest a projected annualized 9.1% growth up to 2017. India, on the other hand, was listed as number 3 with a 7.9% growth; and the second country exhibiting an 8.6% annualized growth rate was Montenegro located in the continent of Europe (Kapiki). Likewise, Kapiki also noted that “the top three receiving regions of the total tourist arrivals by 2020, will be Europe (717 million tourists), East Asia & the Pacific (397 million) and the Americas (282 million) followed by Africa, the Middle East and South Asia” (8). The study commissioned by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism has further disclosed that there is evidence to support that there are international visitors who aim to visit Canada, and the information was confirmed in Kapiki’s study where the author indicated that Canada was listed as the 10th country deemed to potentially expect the greatest volume of demand for travel and tourism until the 2017, with a projected $311,412 million to be generated from the endeavor (Kapiki 7). Specific International Events in Emerging Countries 1. China Since China emerges as the top destination for international events in the coming years, one delved into looking at specific events that were earmarked to be held in this country over the next few years. The following international events were, therefore, noted: The 6th China International Tourism Commodities Fair: Tourism Fair 2013 to be held at Yiwu International Expo Center on May 24 to 27, 2013 (China Exhibition). The events description of visitors’ profile was explicitly stated as: “The target visitor group of the 6th China International Tourism Commodities Fair (Tourism Fair 2013) will include professionals from Hotels & Resorts, Trips luggage; Travel and Tourism Magazines, Fun Towns, Restaurants and Clubs, Tourism offices, Tourism Ministries, Tourist companies, Corporate and Business Travel Decision Makers, Tourist Projects companies, Airlines, Tourist Collages and Institutes, Museums & monuments, Travel Planners, MICR-Industry Transporting and Renting Cars companies etc.” (China Exhibition par. 3); Beijing International Tourism Expo is said to be scheduled at the “China National Convention Centre (CNCC) on 21 to 23 June, (where) the three-day mega tourism event will unveil its international showcase of destinations, tourism attractions, travel packages, products and services” (Beijing International Tourism Expo 2013 par. 1); 35th PATA Travel Mart in Chengdu, China in September 2013 where, as revealed: “the Travel Mart is expected to bring around 1,200 to 1,500 exhibitors who are influential travel agencies and other tourism-related companies. About 50 per cent of them are from Europe and the US and 25 per cent are from other Asian countries” (Sichuan Daily par. 5). 2. Montenegro International Fair of Tourism was disclosed to be held on February 21 to 24, 2013 and to “offer economic range of holiday packages that are sure to draw the attention of the present global attendees. (It would be held) for four days and will be taking place at Belgrade Fair Grounds situated in the city of Belgrade. The show, in its previous editions, have witnessed approximately 53,000 visitors and this year the present 850 exhibitors are expecting the count to be more than the past records” (Hello Trade 1). 3. India South Asia’s Travel and Tourism Event (SATTE) to be held in two separate locations and schedules, to wit: “New Delhi (16th to 18th January 2013) and Mumbai (21st to 22nd January 2013). These programs promote tourism potential of India and is expected to be visited by many businessmen in the field of tourism” (Travel Asia par. 1). Evidently, the results of one’s online research revealed that there are more international events related to tourism in China, as compared to the other two top countries. It, therefore, confirms that China indeed encourages people from diverse nations around the world to visit their country and to promote various events, see the country’s landmarks and natural resources, as well as avail of indigenous products. Likewise, China also supports the ability of serving the niche products identified to focus on cultural events (visiting the country during Chinese New Year) and serving the meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition (MICE) industry. Conclusion The current paper has successfully achieved its aim of identifying and presenting the trends in the event tourism industry outside of the United States. By initially discussing an overview of the global tourism market, it was disclosed that there are vast opportunities for events organizers all over the world to plan and focus on addressing the needs and preferences of international tourists. The preferred activities and events were, therefore, determined through analyzing the purpose of international travels, where, apparently, since 2006 until the present times, leisure has emerged as the top reason, followed by visiting friends and relatives, religious reasons, going to pilgrimages, and to avail of health interventions. Likewise, long term global trends identified the top destinations as China, Montenegro and India, in descending order. It was also proven through researching on the upcoming specific international events, if indeed, these destinations have appropriately planned and prepared for events that would cater to the demands of various tourists and international visitors. It was, therefore, aptly confirmed that China, with its tourism strategies for staging various international events, has earmarked to be the top events tourism destination in the near future, outside of the United States. Works Cited "Beijing International Tourism Expo 2013." Conference & Exhibition Management Services Pte Ltd. 2012. Web. 9 October 2012 . China Exhibition. "Tourism Fair 2013 – The 6th China International Tourism Commodities Fair." 2012. Web. 9 October 2012 . Hello Trade. "International Fair of Tourism." 2012. Web. 9 October 2012 . Kapiki, Soultana. "Current and Future Trends in Tourism and Hospitality. The Case of Greece." International Journal of Economic Practices and Theories 2.1 (2012): 1–12. Print. Kasavana, Michael L., and Richard M. Brooks. Managing Front Office Operations. Michigan: Educational Institute, AHLA, 2007. Print. Ontario Ministry of Tourism . "Global Tourism Opportunities Research Study." 2009. Web. 9 October 2012 . Sichuan Daily. "Chengdu to Host Asia's Largest Tourism Fair in 2013." 2012. Web. 9 October 2012 . Travel Asia. "SATTE 2013 Travel dan Tourism Event in India." 2012. Web. 9 October 2012 . World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). "Tourism Highlights 2012 Edition." 2012. Web. 9 October 2012 Read More