Sustainable Tourism Development in Turkey - Literature review Example

The article, "Challenges to sustainable tourism development in the developing world: the case of Turkey," written by Cevat Tosun, centres on the problem that Turkey now has of balancing the revenue-generating industry of tourism with interests of the ecosystems that exist in the main tourist cities. Tosun discusses the origins of the term "sustainable tourism development," (STD) presenting at first the definition given by the United Nations' World Commission on the Environment and Development (WCED) and then adding an elaboration of his own. He explains that according to STD tourism becomes couched in sustainable development, which is the ability to positively manage the assets inherent in the natural environment for the purpose of increasing the wealth and well being of the inhabitants of a certain region. It should be possible to maintain this kind of management in the short and long run; hence the development ought to be sustainable. The problem Tosun finds with the definition of STD is that it proves idealistic in its assumption that all nations are able to effectively employ its tenets. STD was proposed by the WCED, predominantly made up of representatives from developed countries, which appeared not to consider the inferior capabilities of the developing nations to implement the schemes proposed by STD. The researcher argues that Turkey has not been able to sustain the development of tourism quite in the way proposed by the WCED. The heavy indebtedness of developing countries on the whole has made it necessary for tourism to be expanded in order to generate much-needed revenue (Teye, 2000, p. 2;). However, concentration of power in the hands of a central government and the business owners of the tourism sector has prevented the wealth of tourism from being distributed "fairly" among the inhabitants of the tourist areas (Tosun and Timothy, 2001, p. 353). Tosun agrees with other researchers (Stoeckl et al. 2006) that planning is necessary for sustainable development, and lack of planning by weak local governments generates a host of problems for the tourist areas (Garlick, 2002). Population growth taxes the capacity of the environment as well as the infrastructure (Font and Ahjem, 1999), and far from integrating tourism into the "broader social environment" (Beeton, 2006), the erection by the elite of numerous hotels and large houses has pressured the sewage systems causing seepage into the ground water. The tourists themselves, as well as others who take up second-homes in the tourist areas, have so encroached upon the land-space that overcrowding and marginalisation of the indigenous people have resulted. Neither do many tourists nor business owners they seek to preserve the environment, but exploit the natural resources without thought of adverse effects. D'Sa concurs with this: "Ordinary Third World people (as opposed to the lites) find tourism in its present form highly exploitative and socially damaging" (1999, p. 64). Noise pollution from blaring horns and discos, land and water pollution by littering and waste disposal from yachts, resorts, etc. have also added to the strain on the environment. Tosun concludes by recommending that tourist-business owners face a sort of community development tax through which the government can improve the failing infrastructure, damage to which can have "serious implications" for tourism (Mheux and Parker, 2006). He also raises issues of the preservation of the "distinctive" Turkish culture (Yuksel, et al. 2006), indicating that nationals must be educated toward that end, and that tourism ought to be marketed on the basis of culture rather than on the country's ability to duplicate the cultures extant in the nations from which the tourists come. Other researchers present similar arguments (United Nations. 2001, p. 15; Schluter, 2002), and with the rise of ecotourism, many countries are realising that there is reward for preservation of the environment. The paper presented by Tosun appears to have been very well researched. It sought to provide a look at sustainable tourism development as represented by the current trends being observed in Turkey's tourist areas. Tosun's thesis was that tourism as a form of sustainable development will not be feasible in certain developing countries unless major changes be made in the structure of the government, and of the tourism sector as it stands. He has elucidated this by effectively presenting the objectives of STD and problems with their implementation as demonstrated in the Turkish tourist municipalities. The arguments he presents are not only timely and well developed, but they demonstrate insight and Tosun's ability to highlight even the subtle sources of the sustainability problem. He also presents a well organised paper that first delineates the reasons for Turkey's problems regarding tourism, and then systematically explains each in a way that demonstrates the use of pertinent and credible material. Other research done on similar topics that were pursued independently corroborate his own findings and conclusions, and add further credibility to this article. Tosun expresses concern that the policies prescribed by STD are erroneously considered "universally valid" by WCED that produced it. He argues that WCED outlines no "conceptual vehicle" through which organising bodies of developing countries should work to implement the policies of STD. Here it seems he has made an hasty assumption, as the he had merely examined the definition of the term and has never alluded to any WCED's literature on the feasibility of the programme and its application in developing countries. It is interesting to note that in 2003, albeit three years after the publishing of this article, the UN's Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific declares in one of its publications that, in order for development to be sustained, "Residents of a community must maintain control of tourism development" (2003, p. 13). This corroborates Tosun's theory that one of the main obstructions to the feasibility of the STD programme is that the concentration of power in the hands of the business-elite has caused sustainable development to suffer, since that group is mainly concerned with the profit motive and less with the citizens and surrounding environment. As a springboard for discussion, Tosun provides the discussion of tourism in Turkey with a universal context in his linking its tourism development trend with that of other developing countries in Asia and around the world. He describes tourism an attractive option for stimulating the growth of the otherwise (often) stagnant economies of the developing world. Many researchers agree with this, as they too argue that tourism has over the past few decades grown tremendously and breathed life into many economies of Asia, the Pacific, and the Caribbean (Weng and Wang, 2006; Kim et al. 2002; Hing, et al. 1998; Pol, Pascual, Rao, 1999; and Vasquez, 2006). Then Tosun goes on to argue that growth has led to damage to the environment and health risks to the citizens, and has resulted in a wide gap between the rich and poor in the tourism areas. This effectively links his springboard to his true topic: the sustainability of tourism development. His credibility is enhanced by other research, as Haley and Haley have found that "traditional policies of growth have proved unable to curtail the concurrent growth of socially undesirable industries and environmental degradation in most high-tourist destinations" (1997, p. 595). This concurrence underlines the validity of Tosun's research. Tosun provides a clear analysis of the problem by first outlining the limitations that developing countries have when moving toward STD: "the priorities of a national economy, a lack of a contemporary tourism development approach, the structure of the public administration system, the emergence of environmental matters and over-commercialisation" (p. 291). His research is strengthened when one considers that many other researchers pin-point at least one of these as factors that retard the sustainable development of the tourist economy in many developing countries (Rao, 1999; Pratt, 2002; Palma, et al. 2002). Tosun's mention of Turkey's high domestic and foreign debt in accordance with the growth (and unskilled aspect) of the labour force demonstrates insight into the grave economic problem that governs Turkey's urgent need for and yet its inability to sustain tourism development (Wilson, et al, 2000). He supports this with sound arguments, presenting an overview of national income earnings for a recent three-year period that delineated a definite trend of increasing debt (p. 291). Turkey's resultant lowered credit rating precludes its securing further "overseas assistance," quoted by the UN as being almost indispensable to developing nations (Opportunities 2001, p. 175). Tosun was also insightful in making the connection between the depreciation of the Turkish lira and an increase in the debt burden, further strengthening the need for tourism as a method to rescue the economy. The use of actual figures and the highlighting of the connection between those figures and the decision of the Turks to turn to tourism strengthen the impact and credibility of the article. Tosun demonstrates a thorough understanding of the effects of Turkish bureaucracy on the proper implementation of tourism policies. His explanation of the state vs. local government of the main tourist towns adds much to the general understanding of the dilemma faced by the Turks. He explains that the strong central government lacks the immediacy necessary to quickly respond to problems as they arise locally, noting that "planning lags behind change" (p. 297). Ingram (1995, p. 44) has also found that lack of planning is a large concern in tourism around the world, and as a result, what change does take place harms rather than helps the situation. Harrison et al. (2003) argue along similar lines, deeming a lack of research and intellectual attention to be a large contributor to these problems. Tosun, therefore, offers a valid reason for such problems as the inadequate sewage system and the general overcrowding and congestion experienced in the tourist areas. Tosun's explanation of the effects that the manner in which state officials are assigned has on tourism also adds weight to his argument that the current Turkish societal, governmental, and economic structure cannot sustain tourism development. He argues that since the local govt. is state-assigned and not democratically elected, it is less pressured to fulfill or mind the needs of the citizens. The qualified are denied jobs (Barron and Maxwell, 1993) in favour of others who are known to the businessmen, whom the government officials wish to please. This effectively addresses the problem, as the implications are that the government can and does, with impunity, ignore public outcry, and this neglect has caused and prolonged the impoverished and substandard living conditions of the indigenous people, for whom sustainable tourism development ought to have provided a better standard of living. Furthermore, Tosun goes near the heart of the problem that faces representatives of the government who truly seek to help the situation. He argues that governments and ministers have had such short terms, that hardly enough time has been granted them to achieve anything of worth in the tourism (or any other) sector. Tosun reaches into the recesses of history and locates the fact that in the 75 years that the Turkish republic has been in existence, it has had 56 governments, and this translates to an average of 1.3 years per term-hardly enough time to put policies into place (293). This is an example of the subtler contributors to the sustainability problem that others might have overlooked but that Tosun effectively employs in the establishment of his arguments. The overall structure of the article is very good. It presents an introduction that clearly defines the origins of the term in question, and outlines the objectives, format, and major conclusions of the paper. It then deals with each systematically. It first provides a clear definition of all terms, describing how tourism fits into the overall scheme of sustainable development and underscoring its difference to mere tourism development. This is a valuable asset to the article as this type of term-clarification serves to prepare the mind of the reader for the discussion of the matter. The article also goes on to develop its objectives from the outline, which was reported as existing "to examine challenges to sustainable tourism development in the context of the developing world with special references to Turkey" (p. 289). This was admirably achieved. Tosun first separates the discussion into headings, and discusses each first in general terms and then with specific reference to Turkey. Under one heading he describes sustainable development. Later, under the heading of sustainable tourism development, he describes the "priorities of national economy," "lack of contemporary tourism development approach," structure of public administration system," "emergence of environmental matters," and "emergence of over commercialization." These, it can be seen, are precisely the points cited before as Tosun's idea of the limitations of STD implementation, so he remains consistent there. This allowed for easy navigation of the article. His conclusion also facilitated ease of access to the information as it clearly sums up the arguments of the paper, presenting both conclusions and recommendations which prove helpful to researchers and students. Bibliography Barron, Paul and Gill Maxwell. 1993. "Hospitality management students' image of hospitality industry." International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. vol. 5(5), 5-8. D'Sa, Eddie.1999. "Wanted: tourists with a social conscience." International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. vol. 11(2/3), 64-68. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. 2003. "Poverty alleviation through sustainable tourism development." New York: United Nations. http://www.unescap.org/ttdw/Publications/TPTS_pubs/Pub_2265/pub_2265_fulltext.pdf Font, Xavier and Tor E. Ahjem. "Searching for a balance in tourism development strategies." International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. vol. 11(2/3) 73-77. Garlick, Matt. 2002. "A look at the Galpagos: conservation and conflict. Harvard Review of Latin America. Winter. Haley, Usha C. V. and George T. Haley. 1996. "When tourists flew in: strategic implications of foreign direct investment in Vietnam's tourist industry." Management Decision. vol. 35(8), 595-604. Harrison, L.C. Jayawardena C. andClayton A. 2003. "Sustainable tourism development in the Caribbean: practical challenges." International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. vol. 15(5), 294-298. Hing, Nerileem Vivienne McCabe, Peter Lewis, and Neil Leiper. 1998. "Hospitality trends in the Asia-Pacific: a discussion of five key sectors." International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. vol. 10(7), 264-271. Ingram, H.1995. "Hospitality and tourism: international industries experiencing common problems." International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. vol. 7(7), 44-54 Kim, Hyun Jeong, Dogan Gursoy and Soo-Bum Lee. "The impact of the 2002 World Cup on South Korea: comparisons of pre- and post-games." Tourism Management. vol. 27(1), 86-96. McKercher, Bob. 2006. Review: "Ecotourism: a practical guide for rural communities." By S. Beeton. Collinwood: Landline. 1998. Mheux, Kirstie and El Parker. 2006. "Tourist sector perceptions of natural hazards in Vanuatu and the implications for a small island developing state." Tourism Management. vol. 27(1), 69-85. Palma, Beatriz, Angel Lazo Alvarez, Philip Rundel and N. Michele Holbrook "Ecotourism in Chile: a scientific view." Harvard Review of Latin America. Winter. Pol, Alfonso Palmer, Mauricio Beltrn Pascual and Pedro Cortias Vzquez. 2006. "Robust estimators and bootstrap confidence intervals applied to tourism spending." Tourism Management. vol. 27(1), 42-50. Pratt, Laurence. 2002. "Certifying sustainable tourism: Why should you care" Harvard Review of Latin America. Winter. Rao, Nina. 1999. "Sex tourism in South Asia." International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. vol. 11(2/3) 96-99. Schlter, Regina G. 2002. "Food and culture as a new sustainable tourism product." Harvard Review of Latin America. Winter. Stoeckl, Natalie, Romy Greiner and Colin Mayocchi. 2006. "The community impacts of different types of visitors: an empirical investigation of tourism in North-west Queensland." Tourism Management. vol. 27(1), 97-112. Teye, Victor B. 2000. Tourism development experience in Ghana. United Nations Online Network of in Public Administration and Finance. (UNPAN). http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/idep/unpan002474.pdf Tosun, Cevat. 2001. "Challenges of sustainable tourism development in the developing world: the case of Turkey." Tourism Management. vol. 22, 289-303. Tosun, Cevat and Dallen J. Timothy. International Journal of Contemporary Hospital Management. vol. 13(7). 352-359. United Nations. 2001. Managing sustainable tourism development. ESCAP 21: Bangkok. Accessed January 2, 2006. http://www.unescap.org/tctd/pubs/files/ torev22_escap2141.pdf ---. 2001. Opportunities and challenges for tourism investment. ESCAP 21: Bangkok. Accessed January 2, 2006. http://www.unescap.org/tctd/pubs/files/ torev22_escap2141.pdf Weng, Chih-Chiang and Kuo-Liang Wang. 2006. "Scale and scope economies of international tourist hotels in Taiwan." Tourism Management. vol. 27(1), 25-33. Wilson, Mervyn D.J., Anna E. Murray , and Margaret A. Black. 2000. "Contract catering: the skills required for the next millennium." International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. vol. 12(1) 75-79. Yuksel, Atila, Ugur K. Kilinc and Fisun Yuksel. "Cross-national analysis of hotel customers' attitudes toward complaining and their complaining behaviours." Tourism Management. vol. 27(1), 11-24. Read More