Current Trends in the Tourist Infrastructure Development - Literature review Example

PERSPECTIVE: Keep Those Visitors Coming to Region; the Visitor Economy in the West Midlands Is Set to Grow and Prosper. This Will Apply Not Only to Business Tourism, Which Is Already Strong, but Also to Leisure Tourism, Particularly around the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Brian Summers, Chairman of Tourism West Midlands, Explains. Byline by: Brian Summers Newspaper: The Birmingham Post, April 9, 2007 In the West Midlands, more than 140 million people who spend more than 5 billion pounds that support 130,000 jobs, plus their world class conference facilities, help in making the visitor economy as their fifth largest industry. Mr. Brian Summers believes that the success in this economy lies in putting the visitor at the heart of the tourism industry. Global comparison is a factor for visitors’ choice of destinations and world class experience is expected. Visitors yearn for excitement, foods and drinks and to shop. They enjoy more, when the places are clean, safe and attractive, with good roads and clear signage. As an effective advertising, a visitor has to be encouraged to come back and tell others of their wonderful experience. In March, 2007, the Tourism West Midlands (TWM) gathered at the NEC for the annual conference and the presence of more than 200 businesses could attest to the fact that their growth effort in this industry is found to be significant. On April 1, 2007, TWM was restructured, to make it the single official lead strategic body. New members, who were mostly senior decision makers in their own rights, were duly welcomed. Among other issues taken up were focused on their main priorities. They appreciated the continuance of the support of the specialist businesses in tourism, to be undertaken by the Regional Centre for Tourism Business Support through the Brokerage service. They saw the need to manage more effectively in countering climate change and they can expect great deal of support by way of grants. Marketing schemes will be reviewed and the importance of clearer advertising shall be promoted. The improvement of low skill levels, such as chefs and customer service staff are vital, which can be addressed by the Learning and Skills Councils. Being a focal point for the region’s tourism industry, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be able to bring in a sizeable number of tourists. They intend to support the role that sub-regional partnerships play in campaigning for their destinations with the hope that tourists will stay longer. Many iconic tourist attractions are being refurbished, inasmuch as Advantage West Midlands (AWM) and other partners continue to invest millions for such a purpose. Working Hard to Boost Business Tourism Share. Byline by: David Jones Newspaper: Daily Post, August 8, 2007 Recent investment directed towards conference centres in the region of North Wales, such as Llandudno and Venue Cymru; seems to be not sufficient in affording strengths into the tourism industry. North Wales Economic forum commissioned a report alerting North Wales, that they will be confronted with competitions coming from Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham who share the advantage of better motorway network for delegates from all over the country. The report furthermore gave emphasis that being a “peripheral location” and the irregular quality of their hotel stock, are their weaknesses. As a consultant, the Tourism Company had illustrated an action plan that the business tourism in North Wales should focus in the meetings of the national associations, public and private sectors; as their priority markets. Although Venue Cymru and Llandudno were a “resource of national significance,” consultant Stephen Beioley suggested other venues in the region. The prospect of creating a business tourism hub to push marketing efforts is being studied, at the cost of pounds 75,000. This hub can be tied up with the North Wales conference Bureau, managed and financed by Conwy county council. It is the intention of Mr. Beioley that business tourists each spend on average, two-and-a-half times as much as leisure visitors. Business and leisure tourism complement each other because the highs and lows in economic activities do not happen at the same time. Flagship hotel developments in Wrexham and in other places in the region were making headways in their ability to host business conference events, as indicated by Forum chairman, Trefor Jones. Moreover, national trade conferences can generate millions of pounds. Redevelopment of website facilities that should be comprehensive, through extra funding, can entice more corporate activity-based events. It can be favorable to lobby officials to influence the decision of the venue of the meetings. The need for more high quality four-star bedrooms for conference delegates who belong to the upper market level was reiterated by Mr. Dewi Davies, director of Tourism Partnership North Wales. He believed that a conference facility in north east Wales that can accommodate around 400 people is a possible opportunity. Travel Industry Woos Boomers; Tourism Face Poised to Change with Generation X Byline by: Jane Haberkorn Newspaper: The Washington Times, April 12, 2006 Tourism officials said during the sixth annual Global Travel and Tourism Summit, that American and international tourism companies should be prepared for the aging population as they approach retirement and experience transition from being business travelers into becoming leisure travelers. This was the first summit sponsored by the World Travel and Tourism Council, whereas, previous summits were held in New Delhi and Doha, Qatar. A research associate at the Institute for International Economics, in the person of Jacob Kirkgaard claimed that in the United States, the number of people older than 65 is expected to grow 133 percent by 2050; while in comparison, the 16 – to 64 – year – old age group is expected to grow 25 percent. J. W. Marriott Jr., chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International Inc. in Bethesda, remarked that when baby boomers retire, they have substantial cash reserved for travel, which led him to conclude that “the global demographics are changing at a rapid rate.” As the age group, which is composed of baby boomers, grow, Alan Parker, chief executive at Whitbread PLC expected that tourism in Britain has the tendencies to show incremental, inasmuch as the average age of American visitors to Britain is about 50 to 60. The baby boomers whose average ages range between 50 to 60, are the potential purchasers of hotel rooms around the world, according to Stevan Porter, president of the American Hotels of Intercontinental Hotels Group PLC. Mr. Porter went on by saying that the Generation X, who are the people born between 1971 and 1981, is the most rapid-growing consumption group today. The Gen X group’s preferences in hotel accommodations are similar with those of the baby boomers, who long for more lights in their rooms, showers instead of bath tubs, a variety of bright colors and art works, depending on the season; except that internet access and high-tech television are the new technologies that the Gen X group cannot seem to live without. Tony Wheeler, founder of Lonely Planet, an Oakland, California travel guide company, surmised that, the Gen Xers are now traveling more than the baby boomers when the latter were at their younger age. Tourism Faces Crisis as Farmers Quit Industry Byline by: Andrew Forgrave, Rural Affairs Editor Newspaper: Daily Post, February 8,2007 Mr. Tony Bywater, a leading caravan operator with 100 employees under his businesses, and who had invested millions of pounds in developing and promoting holiday parks and sales centres across mid Wales and the Borders; had expressed his anxieties concerning the negative effect of looking at a bleak future for Welsh tourism if the farmers continue to quit the industry. Cash-strapped farmers should be afforded reinforced economic support in order that the countryside will not be left in ruins, otherwise, visitors will not be enticed to enjoy the beautiful virgin landscapes of Wales. According to Mr. Bywater, it is the farmers who are the guardians of the countryside and are responsible for creating wonderful tapestry of the Welsh fields. Mr. Bywater formally conveyed his apprehensions to Prime Minister Tony Blair, Tory leader David Cameron and Lib Dem leader Menzies Campbell by inviting them to visit his caravan holiday home parks in Wales. Mr. Bywater theorized that the tourists appreciate more the freshness of the greener grass of Wales, where one can admire the farm animals, such as the cows, sheep and lambs. He further wrote that in his opinion, the government was not giving enough support to the farmers as assurance that they can get a fair return for what they produce. Mr. Bywater shared the views of the campaigners fighting to retain full funding for Wales’ Tir Mynydd hill support scheme. Even the opposition AMs agreed to the fact the upland landscapes will suffer if farmers will leave the lands. The proposal that Tir Mynydd payments will be cut by 30% was to be reexamined, to possibly re-organize the budget of the Assembly’s Countryside Committee. Probably, by ending applications for the Tir Cynnal entry level agri-environment scheme, accompanied with a decrease in number of applications for its big sister, Tir Gofal scheme, around 8 million pounds may be infused into Tir Mynydd. However, countryside minister Carwyn Jones presented a vigorous defense of the cuts in Tir Mynydd payments and the committee members could see that his proposal will materialize if a Labour administration is returned in May’s Assembly election. Closure of Pleasureland Will Provide a Major Opportunity for Southport to Aim for Englands Classic Resort Status, Says Towns Head of Tourism Newspaper: The Daily Post, September 19, 2006 The closure of Pleasureland, a 30-acre amusement park in the Southport, is welcomed by Tony Corfield, head of Southport tourism, because newer opportunity can be introduced. Since Pleasureland is located in an attractive fast-improving resort, it can be easily converted into a different leisure attraction that can fully support their aim to become England’s classic resort. Pleasureland is owned by The Blackpool Pleasure Beach Company, who was not able to add major new rides into the amusement park since 2001, and the patronage of the park in the past years had proven to be in the downward trend, both nationally and internationally. As a key seafront site, Mr. Corfield is excited about unleashing the potentials of this site with the hopes of developing it with a classic resort image that will be attractive to the core family market segment, because it can be made attractive yet not limited to amusement parks. It was only in Pleasureland that the number of visitors have fallen over the last 10 years, because since 2000, the increase in the influx of visitors to various tourist amenities such as the Sea Wall, Ocean Plaza leisure complex, the new pier, Marine Way Bridge, and Diana Gardens, enabled Southport to reap more benefits. More investments will be poured into more exciting and interesting projects like the Splashworld, which opens in the following spring, two major new hotels, a major upgrade of the Floral Hall conference and theatre complex. Southport can boast of its array of activities prepared for the tourists, added to their golf courses that are regarded as the best collection of links courses in the country; further enhanced by a variety of well-known and quality restaurants and specialist retail shopping. Mr. Corfield concluded that although they are disappointed by the closure of Pleasureland, Southport will still emerge as better, stronger and more attractive in the coming years. Business and Society: Truth and Myths about Tourism. Byline by: Bernardo Villegas Newspaper: Manila Bulletin, March 10, 2008 Mr. Bernardo Villegas was so impressed about Exeltur, the Alliance for Exellent Tourism, which is composed of private sectors in Barcelona and the surrounding regions of Catalunya. They are second to the Canary Islands in tourists inflow. In Exeltur, there are 24 enterprises, employing 200,000 personnel, with direct investments in 40 countries, and commercial operations in 175 countries, thus, making it possible for them to earn 25 billion euros at the end of 2006. When the Executive Vice President of Exeltur, Mr. Jose Luis Zoreda, an MBA alumnus of IESE Business School, gave an interview about the truths and myths associated to the tourism industry, Mr. Villegas found them to be relevant for Philippine tourism. Mr. Zoreda finds the instituting of fear of global warming as an exaggeration, that in 20 to 30 years, tourists will no longer enjoy the beaches. He believes that the attraction of the beaches with a sunny climate will still linger on, that can extend further to other natural attractions such as the mountains and forests. In Spain, residential tourists may be blamed for environmental damage done to coasts. More houses are constructed for long-term tourists, and the real estate investors in tandem with the government, hoping for more taxes, are the prime movers. In the Philippines, having the Retirement Authority, retirement communities are regulated, and luckily, its chairman, Mr. Edgar Aglipay is conscious of environmental preservation. Hotels are being challenged in two-folds, entrepreneurial and administrative. Projection of a more attractive environment for employees is needed and also to professionalize the hotel services, by improving the process of training, can help. For Mr. Zoreda, it is not true that tourists are looking for personal attention, because internet services of travel agencies are getting to be more personalized and satisfactory, as it can lend more convenience for the tourists. Read More