Urban Tourism, Sports Tourism and Regeneration - Essay Example

URBAN TOURISM By College Department 10 October Introduction Over the last few years, an extensive amount of research has been carried out on the growth of urban tourism, as well as its effects on the neighbourhoods. While most of the research regarding urban tourism has concentrated on the cities, the regions mostly affected by tourism are the neighbourhoods. The recent scholars have raised their focus on the development of tourism in the urban neighbourhoods. The discussion below on tourism development on a high-income society of Glasgow shows the relationship between tourism and the neighbourhood in terms of social, economic and cultural capitals (Rogerson and Visser, 2007). The discussion shows that urban tourism does not always directly benefit the neighbourhood. The consequences of tourism growth, much to the opposite is dependent on the kind of tourism development that exists, the community’s intrinsic characteristics and resources, the extra-local circumstance in which they find themselves entrenched, as well as in the way tourism development is organised and operated (Hunning and Novy, 2006). Tourism activity as a matter of fact has stigmatized the neighbourhood in recent years, due to the increased interest of tourists (Sharma, 2004). Within a shortest range of time, Glasgow has evolved into an internationally recognized tourist’s destination. It has attracted people from different social and cultural backgrounds with its historical sites and its neighbourhood slums. Initially, Glasgow had limited and underwhelming number of visitors (Heeley, 2011). This is especially due to the fact that it has all the elements necessary to support successful tourism. It has risen from being a part city to a ‘must visit’ city (Gretzel, Christou and Sigala, 2012). The image of Glasgow can be compared to that of Harlem. Harlem’s improved image is associated with a greater appreciation and valorisation of the neighbourhood’s culture and history. Hunning and Novy suggest that: Harlem’s history as the “Black Mecca” of the United states as well as its cultural richness ranging from the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance to the community’s role as an epicenter of contemporary black culture, are not only sources of local pride and confidence, but are also increasingly recognized as marketable assets to build upon- by actors within and beyond the boundaries (2006, p. 6). A part from the revenue and publicity to the community, tourism has shaped Glasgow’s reputation and shaped awareness of the public and other influential actors within the town. Tourism is accredited for the transformation of the communal culture and historical resources. However, many observers have raised eyebrows on this state of development. They have raised concerns and questions about the exploitation of Glasgow’s local recognition, and another worry is the damage caused on the neighbourhood’s integrity (Law, 2002). The change induced by tourism has increased threats to the neighbourhood’s culture in the way it has been its contributor towards its revival. Tourism involves an interaction between tourists and the neighbours. This represents a prerequisite for the overcoming of isolation of the neighbourhoods. It is certain that not all interactions bring positive effects. On the contrary, they can cause conflicts and tensions (Heeley, 2011). Literature confirms the existence of exploitative relationship between guests and hosts. To some extent, tourism has gained another definitional term as imperialism; this therefore raises concerns as to whether residents are reduced to objects of the tourists or subjects of new tourist activities in a city (Hunning and Novy, 2006). What are the consequences of tourism? “Tourism contributes to the neighbourhood’s integration into the mainstream economy and society” (Hunning and Novy, 2006, p. 11). Many tourism analysts have studied the different impacts of tourism and dubbed it as a multiplier effect (Sharpley and Telfer, 2002), but depending on the tourism context, the economic impacts vary and while this effect has been felt in Glasgow due to the sporting activity and other tourism activities, the inflation and deflation consequences of tourism remain largely neglected. Apart from the obvious visible economic effects of urban tourism, social and cultural changes within the neighbourhood are also affected by tourism. The physical impact of tourism includes the pressure on the land resource, which has adversely affected the environmental and ecological quality. According to Roy and Tisdell, “where environmental and economic impacts associated with tourism occur, there is bound to be a related social impact” (1998, p. 188). Urban Tourism Urban tourism along with finance and other business services are among the fastest growing components of individual service sectors. According to Swarbrooke, “in recent years, rapid social and economic change has transformed the economies of many cities in the developed world” (1999, p. 173). These changes resulted in the reduction of traditional industries in which these towns relied on. As a result, the government has been made to seek for new sources of employment opportunities to boost economy (Hayllar, Giffin and Edwards, 2010). According to Richards, the benefits due to cultural tourism may be difficult to compute because tourists in urban areas are difficult to measure (2001). This is also caused by the multiplier effects of visitors to the locality (Richards, 2001). The benefits of tourism range from the fact that they cause visitor expenditure hence tourism income. Amongst other benefits are: • Creation of job opportunities. • Renaissance of buildings and localities. • Improvement in environmental excellence. • Creation of positive image for the society. • Improvement of quality life of the community. The contribution of cultural tourism to a local economy is very pervasive. In the United Kingdom, tourism is used as a tool to alleviate the socio-economic issues of the UK’s industrialised cities. The tourism definition places cultural tourism in a strategic framework whereby culture is either a motivational factor, or a basis for attracting tourists (Mckercher and Cros, 2012). Sports Tourism and Regeneration Sports and tourism have long been perceived as mechanisms for regeneration. Regeneration is a mechanism to overcome social issues such as misbehaviour. UK policy action team 10 report suggests that sports can contribute to the renewal of neighbourhood. They improve the community performance on various indicators, which include health, crime, employment and education (Ritchie and Adair, 2004). This role is regarded among the most respected community developments. They improve and enhance relationships, networks, agreements and activities away from the home region. This means that the locality is made a better place to live and work. The action of providing sporting opportunities at a local level to deprived communities, to the influential use of sport within the society is burdened with risks and from a tourism management perspective, sports have created seasonable influence with considerable success (Hinch and Higham, 2011). Sports related employment has the capability to contribute to a neighbourhood’s renewal. This could be advanced if the city is made to provide non-sporting events such as religious conventions (Higham, 2007). A number of cities have embarked on large scale sporting events such as Olympics. Sports related tourism is seen as a vital element for the effectiveness of sports regeneration policy. The significance is laid on the re-imaging of locations in order to attract and retain capital and people (Ritchie and Adair, 2004). In Glasgow, tourism has been identified as an important element in economic development. It acts as an engine for the growth of the city. According to OECD, “the industry now sustains 21000 jobs and yields annual visitor spending in excess of £450 million for the city” (2002, p. 96). The developments in Glasgow have been pivotal especially now with the development of centres of renewal and the developments of waterfronts. There are also upgrades of housing and schools. According to OECD, it is on the verge of becoming an example in innovation and sustainability due to its use of spatial context for economic and social benefits (2002). The Glasgow Economic Effect Even though the effects of deindustrialization had been managed and alleviated in other industrialized areas, Glasgow has lost a significant number of work opportunities. According to Varey and Piuson, the traditional industries declined as the stable and well paid work opportunities fell (2013). The decline could not even be offset by other growing employment services (Varey and Piuson, 2013). Together with the shift in economic situation, there have been waves of regeneration policies aiming at addressing growing inequalities and catered towards physical improvements (Sirgy, Rhoda and Rahtz, 2013). The assumption is that economic growth geared through physical regeneration creates employment opportunities. With all the decades of investments, inhabitants of Glasgow still languish in poverty; “recent statistics indicated that the percentage of Scots living in relative poverty is 17 percent, while income inequality has increased since 2004/2005” (Varey and Piuson, 2013, p. 86). Glascow has been developed into a city of consumption; it is comprised of several consumption outlets that greatly compel people to consume. There is a growing life expectancy gap between the rich and the poor in Glasgow. This difference can be compared to the one in Scotland. In the late 1990’s, the health status of Glasgow was a true reflection of the UK’s status. However, the situation has been growing even worse (Trebeck et al., n.d.). The Glasgow effect resembles the recent development of Scotland that has been largely affected by poverty, stigmatization, poor facilities and lower educational attainment. The rates of suicide have escalated and are linked to socio-economic deprivation. Furthermore, the number of deaths of young men has been on the rise due to alcoholism, drugs and violence (Selby, 2004). It seems probable that the effect of deindustrialization especially due to the growing inequalities and insecurity is associated with the uncertain work patterns, reduction in church goers and fall in trade union members that has made Glaswegians more susceptible to the effects of materialism (Danny, 2013). When living conditions fail to impart a feeling of security, people revert to material goals. The materialistic values are symptoms of insecurity and attempts to alleviate problems and satisfaction of people’s needs. Proponents of urban tourism identify benefits associated with urban tourism. Advertising a city as a tourist destination centre benefits it by attracting economic activities. Through revitalization of the city, the middle class residents are drawn back to it. Additionally, the tourists attracted become available for the benefit of the local residents (Geyer, 2007). Urban tourism if well planned, developed and managed provides lot of benefits not only to the urban societies, but also to nations overall. The developments through such tourism can be used to develop new cultural and commercial facilities; this benefits both the residents and the tourists. The finances acquired through tourism can be used for the preservation of natural archaeological and historical monuments (Popescu and Corbos, n.d.). The concept of urban tourism is one of the reasons for the improvement of the economies in Europe. Other associated advantages are: • Creation of new work places. • New investment opportunities. • Increase in income and improvement of life standards. • Conservation of environment. • Improved infrastructure. The Social Marginalization While Glasgow carries a narrative of a successful tourist attraction city, there is another hidden side which comprises of severe challenges. Brabazon points out that “Glasgow has one of the worst deprivation and poverty rates in Europe” (2013, p.18). It experiences high rates of poor health and diseases, the life expectancy is low and the rate of crime is high. All these occur at the expense of a high budget targeted at promoting the portrait of Glasgow as a tourist attraction city. Many parts of Glasgow need immediate attention. It contains most of impoverished neighbourhoods, experiences decay and escalating ill health. In a city like Glasgow that has so much being deprived, there are assumptions of irresponsible brand campaigns that are arguably dangerous. The Glasgow branding has been successful in attracting tourists, but the challenge is how the money is being spent. This is due to the fact that it does not reach the intended group. The socially excluded group is negatively affected although urban residents may also lose (Manley et al., 2013). Even though some may benefit from the regeneration of the city centre, construction of a residential place is different from building the town to accommodate the interest of the residents. Although balancing the two objectives could have been a fair way of balancing the resources, the two are hard to harmonise. According to Brabazon (2013), as the buildings are demolished to make way for the construction of high life hotels and apartments, those evicted and forced to make way for the influx, suffer the effects. During the re-branding of a city, the service is extended to the neighbourhood. Their local culture is re-branded only if it fits the brand, otherwise they are simply removed from the imagery and promotion. Debates surrounding the true employment of the local people points out that they are disadvantaged because they are unlikely to meet the qualification and skill criteria. The remaining job opportunities are mostly low paid and lack both stability and security hence hard to lift people out of poverty. According to Brabazon “with imaging and development projects focused on outsiders, current patterns of city inequality are aggravated.” (2013, p. 25). Deprived neighbourhoods have often experienced lack of trust between the people and the police. These zones require effective policing as well as community cooperation to reduce criminal activities. Caves (2005) suggest that new approaches to business thinking have led to a variety of financial, social and economic revival. Indeed, the investment in housing and residential stability provides improved business opportunitities (Syrett and North, 2008). Although such activities occurred in such a way as to continually disadvantage the people living in the neighbourhoods, the old industrial city of Glasgow undertook the opportunity to show perspective for its industrial heritage. It had a practical linkage of what culture could do and the opportunity for people to participate in a meaningful environment (Patel, 2013). Urban tourism in Glasgow had mixed advantages and disadvantages to the neighbourhood, all depending on the magnitude of the impact. Although people had been deprived due to relocation for the sake of the city’s expansion, the revenue collected was in the long run beneficial to them. However, in terms of employment, the community could not compete with those in the city due to the unbalanced education and qualification levels. But given the developmental plan put in place for the growth of Glasgow, the community will have better and justified share of what has been taken from them. References Brabazon, T., 2013. 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