Negative Tourism Impact in the Philippines - Term Paper Example

How tourism is developing badly in the Philippines BY YOU YOUR ACADEMIC ORGANISATION HERE HERE HERE How tourism is developing badly or going wrong in the Philippines Introduction There are many cultural aspects which are impacting tourism in the Philippines from a negative viewpoint. In previous years, the region had experienced high volumes of tourism but is, today, experiencing declines in this area of revenue creation. Culturally, there are issues of reputation in the region due to high volumes of prostitution, the sex slave industry, and language as part of culture, and even the types of food which are part of the local culture. This paper discusses all of these tourist-related issues which are impacting tourism ratios in the Philippines. The negative issues In areas of marketing, there are principles surrounding the idea of having a positive brand reputation. Businesses which produce goods will often brand these items and then try to create a specific image which meets with positive consumer sentiment. These are known as branding strategies and are often part of the tourism sector in a means to create a unique brand identity which, in best case situations, makes one destination more preferred over a competing brand (Pence, 2008). The idea of branding strategies are critically important to the Philippines because internal cultural issues are creating negative international perceptions in many consumer groups for failure to use better marketing to give the region a better brand reputation. For example, Sinha (2002) offers that the Philippines has many citizens with HIV and associated sex industries. From a brand reputation view, this does not cast a very good light on the cultural dimensions in this country. A more moral- and ethical-minded traveler, after conducting minimal research on the Internet about the region (it is vastly available), would discover these aspects and likely reject the Philippines as a likely destination point. It is logical to assume that this type of traveler might also be concerned about child abduction, if they were safety conscious, for use in immoral prostitution industries. This traveler might be concerned about ethical principles associated with acceptable social practices and reconsider destination. “There are 150 different languages and dialects spoken in the Philippines” (Shapiro, 2006, p.2). Though many signs and texts are in English, local subcultures often interchange the F and P in the language, thus confusing a traditional English speaker (Vittachi, 2004). This could be intimidating to an individual traveler, especially an international tourist, who is not accustomed to living among different languages and cultural usages with their own unique slang. A client who would be concerned about these issues might reconsider their destination point in favor of a more English-focused environment. In relation to words, wordplay is common in the Philippines, with an apparent fascination with Western celebrities when making the names of their stores. For example, there is a 24-hour restaurant named Doris Day and Night, a fabric shop called Elizabeth Tailoring, etc (Vittachi). The more sophisticated and serious-minded traveler not satisfied in environments which are more whimsical, might decide to change their tourist destination, therefore providing the Philippines with less revenue from tourism dollars. Also related to the country’s brand reputation are negative sentiments left by previous leadership. One author suggests Imelda Marcos and her husband “fell from grace” (Prelypchan, 2004, p.68), indicating a high-publicity scandal with this pair. Marcos was well-respected by the fashion community at the time, with a flair for wearing designer ternos in various public appearances. However, in today’s Philippines, “everything old is new again and traditional Philippine ternos are enjoying a comeback” (Prelypchan, 2004, p.69). There are many tourists who travel to different domestic and international locations simply for the pursuit of finding quality fashion products. Therefore, these clients would likely be well aware of certain fashion trends. Viewing Marcos, with the reputation left on the region, in these traditional garbs and seeing these on the local streets might link the country with negative perceptions of the Marcos time period. Cultural aspects are not only about the choice of dress but are also about how the traveler views the region from a unique lifestyle perspective under branding concepts. If the fashion minded traveler with negative thoughts about Marcos or similar leadership brings memories which can be connected with clothing and personal lifestyle, they will likely reject the Philippines and choose another travel destination. “Corruption has been a deadly poison that has sunk its fangs deep into the very fiber of its society” (TWGI, 2009, p.1). “Any social contacts or occasions (in the Philippines) always involve food” (Ginting and Kleiner, 2000, p.107). There is a very strong social push today in many developed countries where individuals in society want to be in good shape and eat a quality diet using more natural eating alternatives. The routine traveler, who spends considerable tourist dollars in a region by frequently visiting, provides considerable revenues for a country. If they have been the country once before, and found it not satisfying to their dietary needs based on health, they might reject the country and favor a more satisfying country with diets similar to their own. If the cultural environment somewhat demands food, this could cause brand reputation images in the health-minded client. Similarly, there is a common dish in the region called pancit hab-hab which consists of noodles, carrots, cabbage, pork, and with a broth made from the pig’s legs (Prelypchan, 2003). This dish is eating on a leaf and is a straight-to-the-mouth dish without the use of chopsticks or other utensils. “Pancit hab-hab is famous throughout the country and eating it is…an essential part of any visit” (Prelypchan, 2003, p.50). Again, a consumer who does not share the cultural values regarding pig leg broths and no-hands dining might find this to be a brand reputation image which is not favorable. This would be especially true if the traveler enjoyed a more Western diet and did not favorable international cuisine. There is also a growing gay and lesbian scene in this region, even though local cultural pressures mandate that this group remain obscured (Fowler, 2004). One describes the cultural scene as “scores of tomboys in baggy jeans, men’s shirts and buzz-cuts camping out on the streets with their girlfriends” (Fowler, 2004, p.62). Again, the more traditional-minded tourist, not accustomed nor wanting to see things like this, might read this type of information and find that the country’s brand reputation has been affected. An ethics-minded traveler might find this intimidating or offensive and select a secondary location to spend their travel dollars. Business leaders in this developing nation, also, have similar beliefs and values regarding corporate profitability as their more developed colleagues across the world. At the cultural level, this represents a shift from more traditional beliefs to that of consumerism, which is likely a product of globalization. However, this cultural trend is driving a higher profit model and the price of obtaining a ticket to the Philippines is quite expensive, thus taking opportunities away from capturing the lower-class traveler. The Internet provides considerable amounts of airline price shopping and the average price for a one-stop plane ticket to the Philippines is £1627.20 when arriving from the United Kingdom (flights.com, 2009). A ticket for the South American traveler, as well as the North American traveler (as two examples) would likely be even more based on distance. At first glance, pricing might not seem like a cultural issue, however it is a cultural by-product of contemporary business values and is likely impacting future tourism dollars. Conclusion The situation in the Philippines does not seem to be too badly damaged in terms of having a positive brand reputation. The sex industry and prostitution problems are likely tightly-woven into culture, however the way which these issues are portrayed by the media point toward a problematic environment. International versus domestic viewpoint on these industries is likely considerably different at the cultural level and could distract the tourist from selecting this region. The cultural eating habits of the local citizens, along with their choice of menu and eating style, is only a cultural misgiving with international travelers and should not create problems with creating a positive brand identity if it can be corrected. This problem does not, if handled properly, have to necessarily make travelers select a different destination. The reputation left by previous leadership and various corruption scandals, along with the fashion-conscious traveler, is a serious problem in relation to tourism and has created a negative brand image at the international level. Contemporary culture values a resurgence of traditional fashion wear, which is linked to negative perceptions with internal country corruption. A traveler who is likely to visit the Philippines in the pursuit of recreational shopping would likely have the means to contribute highly to the local economy. Having a cultural trend in fashion linking perceptions of an unstable environment for the more upscale consumer needs to be addressed. Brand reputation is all about satisfying the buyer, in this case the tourist, and when profit and revenue problems exist in today’s Philippines, a means to defend against this cultural link is necessary through marketing intelligence. Recommendations After consideration of several recommendations for the Philippines, it was determined that the best strategy is to make use of contemporary marketing tools to give this country a competitive edge and a positive brand reputation, especially with international tourists. Brand reputation is very important and affects the buyer’s behavior and their willingness to make a tourist-related purchase. The problem with the Philippines is that it is operating in a very mass market environment with many consumers looking for travel recreation in a way that fits their personal lifestyle, both ethical and otherwise. A person interested in making the currently-expensive trip to the Philippines (just in regards to plane ticket prices) might be concerned with issues of prostitution, gay subcultures and their presence, or any other negative-focused media interpretation (commonly found online) to change their opinion away from selecting the Philippines. Marketing is the most vital solution to changing international traveler sentiment about brand image. For example, strategically-timed promotional materials can be released at the same time when the environment is being hit with negative media. A sex industry story published could lead to instant response using public relations tools spotlighting new hotel developments or other infrastructure or cultural improvements. The goal would be to create a more positive brand image, which might involve conducting research into what drives traveler values in international locations. Using these timed releases could give a better tool to bring more interested customers. Part of this marketing recommendation is also to work with various airline companies and restaurant experts to highlight the benefits of choosing the Philippines because of its diversity of food options and also to respond to cultural values regarding pricing objectives. A value-focused strategic alliance (as part of relationship marketing) with airlines would appeal to traveler’s brand view of the Philippines as representing real value to the traveler. The restaurant strategic partnership could change the diet-focused traveler, which looks to be a growing travel and consumer trend, to explore more food availability in the Philippines to meet their cultural needs regarding food and recreation. Finally, and most importantly, the Philippines requires advertisements which show how progressive the culture has become and how scandal is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Illustrating new, contemporary clothing designers without focusing on traditional garb linked with now-defunct leadership would appeal to many different travel markets and provide more revenues from fashion-minded tourists. Creating a positive reputation, for the consumer who values modernism and lifestyle, involves removing past linkages with poor reputation and appealing to a globalised environment with multiple opportunities for different cultural needs. Whether spotlighting new developments, new fashions, or food options, advertisement can bring in new tourists or satisfy old ones who had developed poor reputational views of the country. References Flights.com. (2009). “Price Comparison Results – Delta Airlines”. Retrieved 10 Oct 2009 from http://www.flights.com/uk.html?a=76473&sa=&depCity=&destCity=MNL&depMonth=10&depDay=22&depYear=2009&depTime=&retMonth=10&retDay=25&retYear=2009&retTime=&t=RoundTrip&c=Y&adno=1&chno=0&infno=0&al=&d= Fowler, Geoffrey A. (2004). “New Home, New Beginning”. Far Eastern Economic Review, Hong Kong. 167(43), pp.62-64. Ginting, E. and Kleiner, B. (2000). “Conducting business effectively in the Philippines”. Management Research News, Patrington. 23(7/8), pp.107-111. Jordan, Miriam. (1995). “Saying goodbye is never easy, but it’s a security risk in Manila”. Wall Street Journal, New York, NY. 31 May, p.B1. Pence, Amber. (2008). “Psychographics”. Retrieved 9 Oct 2009 from http://frontpage.wiu.edu/~mfjtd/psychographics.htm Prelypchan, Erin. (2004). “Another turn for the terno”. Far Eastern Economic Review, Hong Kong. 166(31), p.50. Sinha, Sangeeta. (2002). “International tourism in developing nations: An Empirical Study”. University of North Texas. Retrieved 11 Oct 2009 from http://www.library.unt.edu/theses/open/20022/sinha_sangeeta/Dissertation.pdf Shapiro, Marsha E. (2006). “Asian Culture Brief: Philippines”. Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange. 2(3), p.2. TWGI. (2009). “Philippines: Uniquely rising from its past”. Thomas White Global Investing. Vittachi, Nury. (2004). “Wrap and Roll Heaven”. Far Eastern Economic Review, Hong Kong. 167(33), p.54. Read More