International Tourism Travel Trends - Case Study Example

International Tourism Travel Trends Introduction Tourism is now seen as an affordable commodity to be enjoyed by all those who choose to engage in a variety of leisure pursuits. The prospects for continued economic growth underpin the World Tourism Organizations (WTO) 2020 forecasts of sustainable tourism growth in South America and the Asia Pacific in excess of the world average” (Dwyer, IN, Theobald, 2005). The tourism industry continues to face frequent barriers that impede its development. The study below provides an analysis of the spatial spread of international tourism according to the World Tourism Organization’s statistics. It further provides an analysis of the declining trends of tourist activities in the Las Vegas. Current spatial spread of international tourism International tourism can be defined as movement of people outside their home countries to other countries for the purpose of recreation. International tourism, despite being one of the major pillars of the economy for many countries, it is also seen as a tool for encouraging international peace and understanding. Global tourism is faced with an increasing range of new destinations in various regions, new technologies, and impact of globalization and amplified travel facilities (Beaver, 2002). World tourism growth, statistics and rankings World Tourism Organization (WTO) is a non-governmental organization ever since 2003, an agency of the United Nations, which have a vital responsibility of promoting the development of sustainable, responsible, and collectively accessible tourism. This puts the tourism sector at a similar footing with other activities such as agriculture, industry, health, education, culture and labour. WTO has a responsibility of releasing data and statistics concerning the trends of international tourism. According to WTO 2010 international report, global tourism recovered very well in 2010 as per the Advance Release of UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. It stated that, global tourism arrivals increased by about seven percent to 935 million. This followed a four percent decrease in the year 2009, as a result of global economic crises ((UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, 2009). Most of the tourist destination regions globally posted positive figures in 2010, which were enough to offset current losses. According to the recent statistics of the World Tourism Organization, there were more than 922 global tourist arrivals in 2008. This indicated an increase of 1.9 percent compared to the previous year. In the year 2009, global tourist arrivals decreased to 880 million. This represented an international decline of four percent as weighed against 2008. This decline mostly affected such regions as Europe, which registered a six percent decrease. In 2010, there was an increase of approximately seven percent in tourism arrivals bringing the number of tourists to 935 million as compared to 2009. Of the 77 international tourism destinations, 78 percent, which is equivalent to 60 destinations, indicated positive results in 2010. Of these destinations, twenty-four of them reported double growth in the same period. This was good news to such countries as Israel, India, Japan and US Virgin Islands. The World Tourism Organization predicts that, international tourism will accelerate in growth at a yearly rate of about four percent in average. This means that, in the current year, tourist arrivals will increase from 935 million to 972.4 million (UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, 2010). The World Tourism Organization gave details of the top ten countries, which were mostly visited between the years 2006 and 2009. As weighed against 2006, Ukraine was among the list, surpassing Austria, Russia, and Mexico while in 2008, it outdid Germany. United States replaced Spain in 2008 in the second position. Majority of the frequently visited states exceed to be in the European continent and followed after by an increasing number from the Asian countries. In 2009, Malaysia was able to appear in the top ten list of the most visited states. The country obtained the ninth position compared to 2008 when it secured the eleventh position. In the same year, Turkey and Germany were able to secure positions seventh and eighth in that order, climbing one rank in tourist arrivals compared to 2008. In all these years, France has been the leader in terms of arrivals of tourists. International tourist arrivals as per the WTO report in 2009 were 74.2 million people as compared to 2008 when it received 79.2 million (World Tourism Barometer, 2008). This was a decline of five million which may be as a result of environmental, political or economic factors. The order of tourist arrivals in 2009 is as follows: France took the first position followed by United States, Spain, china, Italy, United Kingdom, Turkey, Germany, Malaysia, and Mexico. The World Tourism Organization also reports the most visited cities globally. As per the 2009 report, Paris ranked number one as the most visited city with 14.8 million visitors. It was followed by London with 14.1 visitors and Singapore with 11.6. The other cities received less than ten million visitors and they included in order Antalya, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, New York City, Bangkok, Istanbul, and Dubai. Tourism destination: Las Vegas Las Vegas is possibly the most entertaining and exciting city in the global luxurious hotels, wonderful entertainment, and region of the art convection facilities (James, 2004). It is a spectacular city that is unique, an adventure destination, a vocational paradise, and a leading business convection centre. The city attracts a large number of tourists due to its increased attraction sites. It has many tourist attractions, which can be termed as prerequisites to make it one of the best tourist destinations globally. One of the main tourist attractions in the city is the verdant natural wonders. Lake Mead is one of the key tourist attractions. The Lake offers boating, water skiing, fishing, and hiking along the shore. Tourists to Lake Mead find stunning picturesque panoramas from park roads, from the Lake surface and non-structured walks. Other activities in the Lake include sunbathing, swimming, sailing, and kayaking. Other attraction features alongside the Lake is the Valley of Fire, which is located at the edge of Lake Mead Nation Recreation Area. The intensely formations of its colored rocks and its strategic location are key aspects to making the area a tourist destination (James, 2004). These rocks formations are much loved by filmmakers, photographers, and natural lovers. Most abundant in the valley of Fire are petroglyphs, while wild animals are easily spotted. From these fascinating wonders to the best restaurants and nightclubs are what makes Las Vegas to be a major tourist destination. Las Vegas is said to be a city of neon and one that never sleeps. Tourist numbers in decline International tourism has taken a new dimension around the globe. Some economies largely depend on the revenues obtained from the tourism industry while others take tourism, as a means of complementing their contribution or income to their balance of payment. However, one important factor to note is that mass tourism market remains a fundamental tool to the growth of tourism activities in many destinations. However, one significant challenge most decision makers face in this field is the choice between continued support for the conventional mass tourism or turn to the development of conditions of a new local tourism supply. The contemporary multi-motivational nature of holiday decision-making, together with the fact that most of the tourists are today becoming more sophisticated as they seek destinations that fulfill their specific needs, has greatly affected this industry (Lorch and Bausch, 1995). In addition, there is increased competition between various international tourist destinations, a fact that has affected the tourist trends to certain destinations in a great deal. The World Tourism Organization highlights that the tourism trends have changed since the mid 80s reflecting the growth in diversity of interests of the modern leisure society. As a result, there has been an emergence of the Special Interest Tourism (SIT), which has in turn led to the modification of the ancient form of tourism to the contemporary form that lays greater emphasis on aesthetic judgment, increased importance on outdoor activities, and awareness of ecological issues. However, according to the World Tourism Organization, there has been major decline in tourism activities in various destinations. Some of the identified factors behind these declines include international economic crisis. In a recent release, the World Tourism Organization announced that international tourism was expected to decline by approximately 2 to 3 per cent due to the current economic crisis. Some of the most affected areas include the Middle East, North East and South Asia, Northern, Southern and Mediterranean Europe (Wilkerson, 2003). The other major reason behind the decline of international tourism is the emergence of contagious diseases and health threats such as swine flu and the outbreak of severe acute respiratory diseases in 2002. Tourism has also been impacted by terrorism and other political conflicts and wars. These activities pose threats to the tourism leading to a decline in tourist activities. Tourism decline is also caused by decline in natural attractions that have been affected by climate change and global warming (Bhatia, 2007). These changes have also led to extinction of most animal and plant species that were once considered tourist attractions. Our point of destination in this paper is Las Vegas and we seek to evaluate the factors behind the decline of tourism in this region. It is clear that tourism is shaped and influenced by constant political changes, security problems, increasing social problems, economic problems and safety problems. International tourism in Las Vegas has been increasing consistently despite the existing inhibiting factors such as terrorism, economic crises, wars and armed conflicts. However, in 2007, tourism in Las Vegas declined dramatically and several factors contributed to this decline and compared to the 2008 tourist analysis, Las Vegas registered a decline of 7.2 per cent, which was a bit lower than what had been experienced the previous year. The slight growth was attributed to the decrease in the cost of accommodation. The September 11 attacks had a major impact on tourism in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Convention Center and Visitor’s Authority point out that fewer visitor arrivals were noted and the way visitors spent their funds was also altered. The most luxurious properties lacked customers and this was attributed to the economic recession that was being experienced globally (Hal and Mike, 2002). According to the World Tourism Organization statistics, international arrivals in 2007 showed a deceleration of the tourist arrivals and receipts, which had been caused by the stagnation of international tourism in other parts of the world as well. It is also clear that the state’s economy significantly relies on mining and tourism industries, which are often denoted as being cyclic (James, 2004). Any alteration or economic slide on the two industries will have a great impact on the countries economy. Basing on the fact that development of tourism can also be affected by external factors such as decline in economies of other countries, this means that as the economies of other countries decline, the economy of Las Vegas is also expected to decline since economic decline affects tourism. This calls for diversification of the economy. Prevention To put a halt in the declining tourist numbers in this region, first there is need to ensure political and economic stability. The concerned countries should aim at ensuring that there is political stability. As the sector resumes to its previous state, the gains can be ploughed back to ensure economic stability. The economy of the state should be diversified and should not be exclusively based on mining and tourism. Tourism should also be placed at the centre of transforming into a greener economy. This will ensure that tourist attractions are preserved, as well as rare animal and plant species. The governments of this state should also seek to establish peace in the state to ensure that cases to deal with armed conflicts, wars and terrorism activities are stopped. Such activities are the major barriers to tourism development. Conclusion Though tourism is viewed as a major contributor of economic growth for many countries, it is significant as it leads to increased peace and understanding among nations. Tourists are attracted by beaches, cultural heritage among other features to their areas of destinations. The World Tourism Organization releases data and statistics to show the current trends of tourism. Between the years 2006 and 2009, France has been ranked in the first position by the WTO as the most visited country while Paris as the most visited City. Tourism growth in 2011 is projected to increases by about 4 percent. References Beaver, A. 2002. A Dictionary of Travel and Tourism Terminology. Wallingford: CAB Bhatia, A., 2007. The Business of Tourism: Concepts and Strategies. New York: Sterling Publishers Dwyer, L., P. Forsyth, and R. Spurr 2005. “Estimating the impacts of special events on an economy,” Journal of Travel Research, 43(4), 351-359. Hal, K. and Mike, D, 2002. The Grit beneath the Glitter: Tales from the Real Las Vegas. San Diego: Custom Publishing Group. James, W, 2004. The Silver State: Nevada’s Heritage Reinterpreted. 3rd ed. Las Vegas: Parmenides Publishing. Lorch, J. and Bausch, T. 1995. Sustainable Tourism in Europe. Tourism and the Environment in Europe. UNWTO Tourism Highlights, 1996. World Tourism Organization. UNWTO World Tourism Barometer January 2010. 8. 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