Master of International Tourism and Hospitality Management -journal article and write one paragraph that explains what it is about and what evidence is used to support the argument.

topic 1Global tourism issues

Introduction

Welcome to MKT01762, a postgraduate unit that examines contemporary issues relevant to tourism and hotels. According to the Oxford Dictionary the word ‘contemporary’ means ‘belonging to or occurring in the present’. With this in mind, this unit examines contemporary issues relevant to tourism and hotels. Obviously, some issues remain relatively constant and relevant, whilst other new issues may emerge or change depending on the global environment and context in which tourism and hospitality occurs.

This unit is organised around seven key topic areas pertinent to tourism and hotels today. As you progress through each unit, you will find that the topics provide background explanation about each topic area drawing upon academic and industry sources. Readings have been selected to support the discussion for each topic area and provide recent examples of the application of issues in particular locations and contexts. Assessment items have been designed to get you actively researching contemporary issues at the time of your studies. So be prepared to search widely using academic and industry sources so you can demonstrate current knowledge and understanding in your assessments. Your assigned lecturer will assist you in developing and refining your ideas throughout the course of this unit.

MKT01762 will primarily be taught via a weekly workshop for on-campus students comprising an overview of key ideas related to each topic area, related tutorial activities, and assessment support. A weekly one hour lecture will be pre-recorded and available for all enrolled students to access via the unit Blackboard site.

For all topics you need to allocate time for undertaking the prescribed readings as they are central to your learning in MKT01762.

Moving on to Topic 1, this first topic seeks to introduce global tourism issues by examining what leading tourism stakeholder organisations (e.g. UNWTO, WTTC) and industry and media sources have identified as current issues facing tourism. Note you are required to prepare a presentation script for your first assessment that identifies and explains three key global tourism issues, so spend some time now accessing suggested websites and examining the issues in some detail.

You will notice there are no academic readings for this topic. Why? Lead-time required for publishing academic articles often means discussion about current issues is somewhat outdated. This topic is designed to look at global tourism issues right now! Do this by following up online with comments you hear via the news, or online sources. For example there is much discussion around related to popular destinations using the term ‘overtourism’. What does it mean? Where and why is it being used? What are implications for various stakeholders? Check news blogs or current events at international places of interest to identify emerging issues.

Topic objectives

By the end of this topic students should be able to:

1. Define the term ‘contemporary.’

2. Examine global issues currently facing the tourism industry as identified by leading tourism authorities.

3. Examine global issues currently facing the tourism industry as identified by industry and media sources.

Activity

Start this topic by reviewing market trends as reported by the UNWTO. See  http://mkt.unwto.org . Review the first five or six press releases on this page. What issues or trends are central to these releases?

Refer also to a press release dated April 12, 2017 accessed from:  ‘Chinese tourists spent 12% more in travelling abroad in 2016’  and consider what this means for international travel now and into the future?

UNWTO Tourism Highlights

Now review the latest UNWTO Tourism Highlights edition. This report presents an overview of international tourism in the world based on the results for the previous year including: trends in international tourism, results by sub-region and country of destination, the world’s top tourism destinations, outbound tourism by region and top spenders, and the long-term forecast: Tourism towards 2030.

Reading 1.1

UNWTO Tourism Highlights, 2017 edition

Tourism and peace

This topic is particularly relevant to international tourism today given the increasing effects of terrorism. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) partnered with the Institute of Economics and Peace in 2016 to explore the links between tourism and peace. Their research revealed that countries with a stronger tourism sector tend to be more peaceful. Do you agree?

· An open and sustainable tourism sector means a higher level of positive peace: namely attitudes, institutions, and structures that create and sustain peaceful societies.

· Countries with an open and sustainable tourism sector are more likely to enjoy higher levels of positive peace in the future.

· The more sustainable a country’s tourism sector, the lower the country’s level of violence and conflict is likely to be.

· In non-conflict-affected countries, tourism is resilient to increases in violence and conflict.

· Tourism is resilient to increases in terrorism, even when terrorism is targeted at tourists.

Review the report highlights in the next reading for this topic.

Reading 1.2

WTTC  Tourism as a Driver of Peace

Activity

Explore the  WTTC research page  and identify other important global tourism issues.

ITB World Travel Trends Report

This Report was commissioned by ITB Berlin from IPK International. The report covers the main trends in outbound travel demand as well as estimates for the full year. There are important global markets and trends identified in the report including: growth of the Arabian outbound market and the reference again to ‘overtourism’. Points raised are diverse and valuable to consider in a destination’s considerations of tourism. We suggest you gather information from various stakeholder sources to be able to get a sense of key contemporary issues which present.

Reading 1.3

ITB World Travel Trends Report 2017/2018

Travel trends that will drive the global tourism industry

Industry and media sources also report global trends and issues that impact tourism. Professor David Edgell, Institute for Tourism, East Carolina University, lists the following as key concerns for global tourism in 2018.

1. Maintaining a destination's sustainable tourism development: social, cultural, natural and built resources

2. Concerns for safety and security remain an important issue for the travel and tourism industry

3. Responding to increased interest in the long-term impacts on tourism of climate change and global warming

4. Impact on the travel and tourism industry resulting from a global economic-political perspective

5. Necessity for increased local/regional/national leadership in tourism policy and strategic planning

6. Resolving barriers to travel: visas, passports, airline services, fees, and delays

7. Educating users about optimizing the application of new technologies in the tourism industry

8. Understanding the transformative effect that tourism has on the geopolitics of socio-economic progress

9. Effect on travel and tourism from natural/human-induced disasters, health issues, and political disruptions

10. Seeking a quality experience and positive balance for both local residents and tourists at a destination

Meanwhile, in the accommodation sector, trivago offer trends to watch in 2018 which will be influenced by visitor markets and demand for positive experiences. The points raised relate to:

1. Technology

2. Room design

3. Hotel marketing

4. Customer loyalty

5. Sustainability

See an explanation of each at:  https://businessblog.trivago.com/top-hotel-trends-2018/

Activity

Review the following report presented by the UNWTO and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and identify the key trends shaping tourism in the Asia/Pacific region.

http://cf.cdn.unwto.org/sites/all/files/docpdf/unwtopatatourismupdatesissue6v2final.pdf

Topic 2Tourist markets

Objectives

· To identify the potential of youth and senior visitor markets.

· To understand the motivations and needs of these tourists.

· To gain insights into the promotion and advertising targeting these visitor markets.

· To examine some of the products designed specifically to accommodate these categories of travellers.

Introduction

This topic examines two disparate tourist market segments, youth and seniors, to demonstrate the characteristics and changing dynamics of visitor markets.

International youth travel and backpacking

The global youth travel market has grown at a rapid pace in the past few decades. In fact, it is touted by the UNWTO as the world’s fastest growing tourism market, and is slated for further growth in the future, although with fertility and birth rates falling in the developed world, this may slow with time. Growth in the past has been facilitated by higher participation rates in tertiary education, overseas travel study programs and labour mobility as well as rising disposable incomes.

The economic impact of youth travel is often underestimated. Youth expenditure is more likely to benefit local economies, given that travellers in this market segment are more inclined to travel off the beaten track and, therefore, to spend in non-tourist areas. Young people are generally more adventurous than older travellers, and therefore play a crucial role in the development of a destination’s tourism product. Studies also show that once a young person becomes an avid traveller, he or she carries this throughout their lifetime. The Youth Travel Market – International report (Mintel Group Ltd., Travel and Tourism Analyst, October 2006) examines key trends and changes that have occurred in the global youth travel market, with an emphasis on young people’s tourism behaviour and habits.

Until fairly recently, youth travel conjured up many negative connotations. Governments and national tourist organisations sometimes viewed young travellers with suspicion or even hostility. This ingrained discrimination discouraged authorities from compiling accurate value and volume statistics of youth tourism. This market has been virtually ignored for many years, being regarded as low value, bringing little, if any economic benefit.

Nonetheless, governments now acknowledge the potential advantages of promoting and facilitating youth tourism. As underlined by the UNWTO and other previous youth travel studies, this is a burgeoning segment which currently garners approximately a quarter of worldwide tourism traffic. Fortunately it is a resilient market – the young tend to be less fazed by the threat of terrorism, disease and political unrest, and have a higher propensity to choose remote destinations. Coupled with the fact that young people travel throughout the year, it therefore makes good economic sense to target this market. Australia was one of the first to view young travellers – specifically backpackers – as a desirable market segment. In 2015, the youth segment accounted for 13% of the total tourism spend in Australia.

Backpackers: global nomads!

The backpacking phenomenon has been a major growth area within the youth tourism market. The explosion of international youth travel has been led by backpackers, who have become the new global nomads. The contemporary culture of mobility, the expansion of travel networks, the search for experience, rising affluence and fashion have attracted backpackers to the remotest corners of the globe, taking with them banana pancakes, economic development and cultural change. As youth travel has changed, so have the participants – the “hippy drifters” of the 1960s have been replaced by “backpackers”, “travellers” or “tourists”.

The nomad represents not just the ‘other’ to be visited, but also an idealised form of travel as liberation from the constraints of modern society. “The global nomad crosses physical and cultural barriers with apparent ease in the search for difference and differentiation and in this way, the backpacker as nomad is placed in opposition to the ‘tourist’, caught in the iron cage of the modern tourism industry” (Richards & Wilson 2004, p. 5).

The sense of freedom offered by backpacking may well be one of its attractions. The problem is that this freedom has its own constraints, such as a lack of time or money. The backpacker is forced into adopting a nomadic style of travel in an attempt to avoid ‘tourists’ – a strategy that is bound to fail given the propensity of the Lonely Planet and other guide books to open up new destinations to hordes of other travellers also seeking to escape from each other. Thus what many backpackers regard as an ‘authentic’ destination is one untouched by other travellers (Timmermans 2002). Backpackers therefore seem to be driven into the far corners of the world by the ‘experience hunger’ of modern society (deCauter 1995), which again forces them into being nomadic. Once they have consumed the experience offered by one place they need to move on to find the new ones. Like traditional nomadic people, the global nomad has patterns of movement, well-trodden routes emerge between ‘enclaves’, the arena or stages of the backpacker subculture (Richards & Wilson 2004, p. 5).

Recent research shows that the nature of youth travel has changed enormously in the past decade. Young travellers today want, more than ever, to enrich themselves with cultural experiences, to meet local people and to improve their employability when they return home. They are also spending less time in major gateway cities and are exploring more remote destinations.

But what is known about backpackers?

Questions that require answers and that can lead to further research were identified by the Backpacker Research Group. They identified three routes for backpacker research.

Route 1. Where have the drifters gone?

1. What is the difference between drifters and backpackers?

2. Why do people become backpackers?

3. What do they experience on their travels?

4. How has the backpacking experience changed over time?

5. What impact does backpacking have on later life?

6. Is ‘real’ backpacking a dying art?

Route 2. On the beaten track

Richards and Wilson (2004, p. 8) state that transnational research is needed to track the movements of travellers between destinations, and to examine their decision-making processes.

1. Who are today’s backpackers?

2. Why do they choose backpacking?

3. Which destinations do they visit?

4. How do they travel?

5. What are their motivations for choosing specific destinations and travel routes?

6. What sources of information do they use on their travels?

Route 3. Tourists of the future

The global nomads of today are potentially the avid tourists of the future. Their backpacking experience will have an important influence on the destinations they choose to visit later in life, possibly with their families and friends. Attracting backpackers may therefore be seen as an important step in a long-term marketing policy for certain destinations.

(Richards & Wilson 2004, p. 8)

Figure 2.1 BRG conceptual model of backpacker travel (adapted from Richards & Wilson 2004, p. 9)

Backpackers are a major part of tourism and therefore worthy of our attention. The next reading gives some recent insights into the motivations of backpackers to Scotland.

Reading 2.1

Hindle, N, Martin, A, & Nash, R, (2016) ‘Tourism development and the backpacker market in Highland Scotland’, Tourism & Hospitality Research, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 178–192.

Defining backpackers

The term ‘backpacker’ has entered the global jargon in non-English as well as in English-speaking countries. Progressively it has been replacing the established though linguistically specific designations ‘routards’ (in France and in French speaking countries) or ‘mochileros’ (in Spain and in Spanish speaking countries). Some estimates suggest that ‘backpackers’ now account for 10% of all European tourism. From a marketing perspective the significant overlap with youth tourism limits the value of such prescriptive age limits.

Defining the term ‘backpacker’ is no easier than defining the term youth tourism. Many backpacking studies derive their chosen definition from an Australian study conducted by Philip Pearce in 1990. This study characterised backpackers as having:

· a preference for budget accommodation

· an emphasis on meeting other travellers

· an independently organised and flexible travel schedule

· longer rather than very brief holidays

· an emphasis on informal and participatory holiday activities.

Since the criteria are fairly vague, this definition has proved hard to operationalise even though Pearce’s work is widely cited. What precisely constitutes a “longer” holiday and what precisely is meant by ‘informal’ holiday activities? For reasons of practicality most studies of backpacking have focussed on the type of accommodation used. According to this rationale, those using backpacker hostels or other budget accommodation are classified as backpackers, whether or not they identify themselves with the label. In defining the term backpacking, age is not usually considered to be an important factor nor is carrying a rucksack or backpack. Backpacking has evolved from its origins as a marginal travel activity practised by loners in places ‘off the beaten track’ into a defined sector of the mass tourism industry. Many of the ‘original’ backpackers who were active travellers in the 1960s and 1970s have continued to backpack as they have grown older, thereby extending the age range of backpackers into the 60+ bracket. This development has posed a challenge to the previously prevailing orthodoxy that backpacking and youth tourism are synonymous. Nevertheless the overwhelming majority of backpackers may still be classified as youth tourists.

One way of overcoming the definitional problem is to use the expression ‘free independent travellers’ to describe young tourists. This apparently inclusive approach however excludes those who opt to travel in groups and/or on package tours. Package tours specifically targeted at a youth audience (e.g. those aged 18–30) remain prominent in many European markets and it is important that this group of travellers is not overlooked.

It is also important to recognise that increasingly backpackers are tech-powered. ‘Backpacking in style’ or ‘flashpacking is growing. A smartphone, tablet or laptop PC, and extra travel budget for spending in Internet cafes is a trend in Asia Pacific backpacking (Travel & Tourism Analyst, November 2011).

Refer now to a more recent journal article by Pearce that advocated a fresh look at backpacker research.

Reading 2.2

Pearce, D 2006, ‘Backpacking and Backpackers – A Fresh Look’, Tourism Recreation Research, vol. 31, no. 3.

Gap year

The report on Gap Year Travel in Australasia (Mintel Group Ltd., Travel & Tourism Analyst, May 2013) states that the gap year travel industry had its roots in the post-war belief that by getting young people of the world to travel and meet each other, there would be greater understanding of different cultures and a greater chance of world peace. In the 1960s, backpacking and the hippie trails to India evolved, and throughout the 1970s and 1980s, student travel became more and more popular. By the late 1990s, the concept of travelling during a gap year between school and university had become a well-established concept.

Gap travel is a relatively new segment within the tourism industry. However, like many other segments within tourism, gap travel is very difficult to measure in terms of both volume and value. Whilst gap travellers have a relatively low spend per day, the long duration of their trips means that total spend is usually well above the average for overseas travel. Gap travellers also tend to stay in locally-run accommodation and buy locally-produced goods. Therefore, a greater percentage of each pound, dollar, or whatever currency is being used remains in the country visited. This means that in economic terms, gap travel is good news for local economies.

Consequently, both public and private sector organisations are starting to recognise gap travel as an important and significant part of the tourism industry. In 2005, the Australian government spent £3 million promoting its working holiday visa scheme to attract gap travellers to the country, and it has extended the period of stay from one to two years for travellers who had completed three months of ‘specified work in regional Australia’ (i.e. agricultural, fishing, tree farming, mining, construction). It has done this in recognition of the economic value of the extended-stay youth market. In 2012, the average expenditure for youth travellers staying more than six months was AUD21,375, as compared to AUD2,708 for those staying up to three weeks (Mintel Group Ltd., Travel & Tourism Analyst, May 2013).

Growth and implications for business firms

As the gap travel industry grows, potential mergers between small specialist operators and the larger travel groups are likely, as these companies increasingly recognise the value of the market.

Growth markets for gap year travel are expected to be in continental Europe, where structured activities for young people will be required as national service is phased out in countries such as France and Germany. In the US, where there is increasing interest amongst universities to encourage young people to travel internationally, even small percentage growth in the market would make a significant difference as there are around 20 million Americans aged 15–19 years.

Having some introduction to the issue of gap year review the report on the youth travel market by the UNWTO.

Reading 2.3

World Tourism Organisation 2016, Affiliate Members Global Reports, Volume Thirteen on The Power of Youth Travel, UNWTO Madrid.

Activity

An important market for many countries, including Australia, is the youth education market. Undertake some research to find recent academic and industry research that explain the economic significance of this market. In your opinion, should we consider the youth education market as part of tourism?

The seniors' travel market

According to Cai and Knutsen (2001) in their editorial to a special edition of the Journal of Hospitality and Leisure Marketing, 8(3/4), devoted to seniors’ travel, the following statistics give an insight into the potential of the seniors’ travel market at this time.

· By 2050 the number of international travellers over 60 years of age is predicted to reach 2 billion.

· Some 30 per cent of outbound French travellers are over 60 years; 27 per cent of the US outbound market; 20 per cent of the German outbound market; 27 per cent of Canadian travellers are over 55 years as are 28 per cent of the Japanese market. In Australia the over 65 group will increase from 12 per cent of the population to 24 per cent by 2050.

· The over 65 age group in Japan will double from 15 to 30 per cent by 2050. In EU member countries the increase is expected to be from 16 per cent to 28 per cent.

· By 2030 there will be 70 million Americans over the age of 65.

Australians enjoy one of the highest life expectancies in the world – 82 years for women and 77 years for men and studies indicate that this is steadily increasing. Females rate third in the world while males rate sixth. The World Health Organization (WHO) proposes ‘healthy life expectancy’ (HALE) as a measure of the expected number of years to be lived without reduced functioning.

The Commonwealth, State and Territory Strategy on Healthy Ageing (Healthy Aging Task Force 2000 cited AH, 2002, 188), puts the improved health and wellbeing of older Australians as a major goal. As of 30 June 2012, 3.2 million Australians were aged 65 and over (or 14% of the population).

According to the Australian Government Productivity Commission (2013), the population aged 75 or more years is expected to rise by 4 million from 2012 to 2060, and increase from about 6.4 to 14.4 per cent of the population.

Declining mortality rates and increased life expectancy have led to an extended period of life which is spent in old age, and greater acknowledgement of the many different activities, opportunities and contributions which can characterise this phase of the life cycle (AH 2002, p. 188). Broader social factors contributing to good health in old age include:

· a lifetime of higher education

· higher labour force participation

· higher income

· strong support systems

· sound social environments

· good medical care

· good superannuation entitlements.

Another indication of the healthy state of Australia’s aging population is the high percentage of people over 65 with no severe activity restrictions with 84 per cent of men and 75 per cent of women having virtually no restrictions. The percentages do fall over the age of 80–37 per cent and 51 per cent respectively. In the US, 63 per cent of those between 65 and 74 years claim no restrictions on their daily activities (Leitner 1999). However, there is a steady growth in the over 85 population in most developed nations and this market has special needs.

Older people with a disability or with a partner with a disability also have special needs when they embark on journey. Leitner proposes that if services and assistance were available then the market would be more readily accessed. He proposes:

· special attendants at airports, particularly in toilets

· short-term nursing homes and day care facilities at major resorts and hotels

· special sightseeing excursions designed to meet their needs

· private assistance at resorts to help with dressing, dining and other requirements

· establishment of retirement community vacation exchange networks.

Implications for tourism and hospitality sectors

So what does this profile mean for the tourism and hospitality sectors? The first point is that the definition of ‘senior’ is becoming increasingly blurred. At one time retirement ages – 60 for females and 65 for males – was the accepted indicator. The generally accepted definition of a senior traveller held by the tourism industry, however, is some over the age of 55.

The real challenge for product developers is that seniors are shown not to be a homogeneous, conservative market but rather they have diverse motivations and needs influencing their travel choices. Characteristics of seniors’ travel include:

· they have more discretionary income than ever before

· they have more time as healthy, unencumbered adults

· they travel greater distances

· they stay away longer than any other age cohort

· they have diverse socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyles, interests, attitudes, and consumption patterns

· they can be segmented on general demographics, uses of travel information, lodging preferences, psychographics, and travel motivations

· the majority of older travellers are women (the percentage gets higher the older the group)

· people are retiring earlier.

Review the following articles that provide insights into the seniors markets in China and Poland. As you read, consider whether the market dynamics reported in these countries are applicable to seniors markets generally around the world.

Readings 2.4 and 2.5

1. 2.4Chen, SC & Gassner, M 2012, ‘An investigation of the demographic, psychological, psychographic, and behavioral characteristics of Chinese senior leisure travelers’, Journal of China Tourism Research, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 123–145.

2. 2.5Johan, M & Panchapakesan, P 2015, ‘The comparative analysis of senior and non-senior package holiday travelers’ tourism product preferences’, Journal of Economics and Management, vol. 22, issue 4, pp. 132–141.

Activity

Undertake an internet search and find three examples of promotional material aimed at the seniors market. Consider what type of marketing messages are used to appeal to the demographic an psychographic characteristics of this market.

Seniors and educational tourism

Having looked at the potential size of the seniors’ market, the need to be more exacting in identifying and targeting psychographic segments within this huge market and the current advertising imagery commonly used, we now turn to a particular type of seniors’ tourism product: Educational Tourism.

The convergence of tourism and education is facilitated further by the need to extend learning beyond school so that individuals, communities and countries may be better able to accommodate change, and the goal of making education more accessible. Thus people can choose more readily to learn a skill or to acquire knowledge to enrich their lives at a time in their lives which is convenient to them. Educational institutions will need to incorporate international experiences into their curricula given the growing interdependence of countries. Universities in Australia have certainly grasped the educational and financial value of international students and programmes and most have dedicated departments to seek out, attract and accommodate both the education and inbound tourism needs of international students.

The high propensity to travel among seniors and their growing desires for life-long learning ensures ongoing and increasing demand for the educational tourism experience. Kalinwoski and Weiler (1992, p. 17) make the education/tourism experience link explicit when they say:

[It] can serve a wide variety of purposes such as satisfying curiosity about other people, their language, and culture; stimulating interest in art, music, architecture or folklore; inspiring concern for natural environments, landscapes, flora and fauna; or deepening the fascination for cultural heritage and historic places.

Tour operators and non-profit organisations such as Saga in the UK and Odyssey Travel in Australia have this market fixed firmly in their sights.

Activity

Your task is to locate information on Australia’s Odyssey Travel company and any other companies which claim to cater to the educational travel needs of the seniors market. How could your business become involved in this area?

Conclusion

This topic has looked at the potentially enormous and lucrative market of the youth and seniors markets. You should have some understanding now of the complexities, and evolving nature of both visitor markets and understand the need to undertake in-depth of analysis of other visitor market segments to be abreast of current trends.

References

1. Australian Government Productivity Commission 2013, An Ageing Australia: Preparing for the Future, Commission Research Paper Overview, Canberra.

2. Carr, N 2006, Book review of Richards, G & Wilson, J (eds), The Global Nomad: Backpacker Travel in Theory and Practice, Channel View Publications, Clevedon, 2004, in Tourism Management 27, pp. 350–359.

3. Mintzberg, H and Lampel, J (1999). Reflecting on the strategy process, Sloan Management Review, 40(3): 21–30.

4. Cleaver, M, Muller, TE, Ruys, FM & Wei, S 1999, ‘Tourism product development for the senor market, based on travel-motive research’, Tourism Recreation Research, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 5–11.

5. Dann, GMS 1977, ‘Anomie, ego-enhancement and tourism’, Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 4, pp. 184–194.

6. Heung, VCS & Leong, JSL 2006, ‘Travel Demand and Behavior of University Students in Hong Kong’, Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, vol. 11, no. 1, March, pp. 81–95.

7. Lainwoski, K & Weiler, B 1992, ‘Educational travel’, in CM Hall and B Weiler, (eds) Special Interest Tourism, London, Belhaven, pp. 15–26.

8. SooCheong SJ & Chi-Mei EW 2006, ‘Seniors’ travel motivation and the influential factors: An examination of Taiwanese seniors’, Tourism Management, vol. 27, pp. 306–316.

9. Young-Sook L 2005, Book review of Richards, G & Wilson, J (eds), The Global Nomad: Backpacker Travel in Theory and Practice, Channel View Publications, Clevedon, 2004, Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 501–503.

10. MacKay, KJ & Smith, MC 2006, ‘Destination advertising: Age and Format Effects on Memory’, Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 7–24.

11. Mohn, T 2013, ‘Travel boom: Young tourists spent $217 billion last year, more growth than any other group’, Forbes.com, October 17, retrieved from

12. Mintel Group Ltd. 2006, ‘The Youth Travel Market – International’, Travel & Tourism Analyst, October.

13. Mintel Group Ltd. 2011, ‘Backpacker Trails in Asia Pacific’, Travel & Tourism Analyst, November.

14. Mintel Group Ltd. 2013, ‘Gap Year Travel in Australasia’, Travel & Tourism Analyst, May.

15. Muzaini, H 2006, ‘Backpacking Southeast Asia: Strategies of “Looking Local”’, Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 144–161.

16. O’Reilly, C 2006, ‘From drifter to gap year tourist: Mainstreaming Backpacker Travel’, Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 998–1017.

17. Peterson, RT & McQuitty, S 2001, ‘The depiction of seniors in hotel and motel television commercials’, Journal of Hospitality and Leisure Research, vol. 8, no. 3/4, pp. 37–49.

18. Richards, G & Wilson, J 2004, ‘The Global Nomad: Motivation and behaviour of independent travelers worldwide’, from The Global Nomad: Backpacker Travel in Theory and Practice by Richards, G & Wilson, J 2004, Channel View Publications, Clevedon, pp. 14–39.

19. Travel Impact Newswire, 2006, ‘What’s next for generation next?’, 63rd edn, Friday, 6 October.

20. World Tourism Organisation 2016, Affiliate Members Global Reports, Volume Thirteen on The Power of Youth Travel, UNWTO Madrid.

Topic 3Tourism and the media

Objectives

At the completion of this topic students should be able to:

· examine the relationship between the media, the tourist and destination development

· assess the relationship of media, terrorism and tourism.

Introduction

In this topic we will be focusing on the media and its effect in the tourism industry.

The internet and social media

A report entitled ‘The Impact of Social Media on Tourism’ in Mintel Group Ltd., Travel and Tourism Analyst, August 2013 is available from the Library electronic journal site. This report notes how the Internet and social media have changed how travellers research and book trips. TripAdvisor found that a quarter of travellers worldwide in 2012/13 used social media (networks, blogs and forums) and 69% used travel reviews in their decision making, while over half of travellers worldwide wrote accommodation reviews after their trip. Such user-generated content is influential as it is viewed as the most trustworthy source of information. According to Google, over 85% of travellers worldwide said that people’s comments, videos and photographs on social media influenced their travel plans (Mintel Group Ltd., Travel and Tourism Analyst, August 2013).

The use of mobile devices (smartphones, tablets) to access the internet has changed how consumers use the Web for travel purposes. In 2011, consumers booked US$1 billion in travel purchases on mobile devices. Mobile devices in general are shortening the lead time for hotel bookings. According to Hotels.com, 70% of bookings are for same-day travel (Mintel Group Ltd., Travel and Tourism Analyst, August 2013).

Review the following articles related to the influence of social media on tourism.

Reading 3.1

Davies, R & Cairncross, G 2013, ‘Student tourism and destination choice: Exploring the influence of traditional, new, and social media: An Australian case study’, Tourism, Culture & Communication, vol. 13, pp. 29–42.

Activity

Review the following article  on the impact of social media  published by Hospitality Net (September 2015) and prepare a summary of the key influences of social media on tourism development.

How much influence do the media have?

The degree of influence the media have on people is a subject of ongoing research, debate and disagreement. There is some agreement that in the absence of a higher authority’s source of information on a subject, or an opportunity to experience an event first hand, then the reporting by the media becomes the ‘sole truth’ for the receiver. In many negative situations a form of censorship which determines just how much information should be released in order to avoid degrees of overreaction or even mass hysteria, can lead to misinformation and it is on this misinformation that people base their perceptions of what is true in a given situation. This censorship can happen overtly – deliberate decision made by publisher/editor, sometimes in response to higher authority request – or covertly whereby higher authorities do not release as much information as they have on an event. Thus media people can only work with what they have access to.

Economic wellbeing

Three travel-related ‘opinions’ that people acquire from the mass media – both consciously and subconsciously – include an understanding of their own potential economic wellbeing within their society, the safety and security of a potential destination and some insight into what sort of travel behaviour is considered socially acceptable. Constant exposure to stories of mass dismissals, failing companies, declining stock markets, stumbling property markets, white collar fraud and speculation on pending economic depression can encourage a general sense of economic insecurity, even if the individual reader/viewer is holding a secure and comfortable job. Consequently, the potential tourist may ‘downsize’ their holiday plans ‘just in case’. Conversely, positive coverage of economic environments can encourage a more liberal approach to holiday spending. Unfortunately, it is difficult to measure a direct relationship between these variables because changes of spending patterns may not occur for some considerable time, and there are numerous other intervening variables which may have impacted on the individual’s decision, thus making the separation of economic environments a difficult issue.

Acceptable tourism choices

Motivation theories abound and they help product, destination and marketing planners to satisfy needs and wants. The outcomes, while they might be visually or even environmentally offensive (though less frequently so with increased awareness and better practices) are unlikely to be socially or politically offensive if all the right consultation and planning procedures have been followed. Sex tourism is one major area of very serious concern, although even there it is possible to take another position as Ryan (2001) has done. In general, people want to be considered socially and politically responsible, albeit from the view of their own cultural group. Thus the person who goes big game shooting (with gun, not camera) in Africa – or anywhere – is likely to discuss their experience with only a select group of like-minded people. Long exposure to media stories about violations of human rights or political oppression or abuse and degradation of the environment can impact on a destination’s development even if the events are contained in a very specific location.

Safety issues

Ritchie (1990 cited in Nielsen 2001, p. 105) states that there is a proven relationship between real or perceived threat at a destination and its diminished prospects.

The possibility of being caught in the middle of a conflict, either internal or regional, does little to encourage feelings of personal security and recent history is peppered with examples of sharp destination decline as an outcome of outbreaks of violence. Fiji, Sri Lanka, Bali, New York, Papua New Guinea and Kashmir are just a few examples. An untroubled destination can suffer fallout through inadvertent association with a trouble spot as well. For instance, Jordan’s geopolitical location in heart of Middle East (bordering Iraq (to east), Israel and West Bank (to west), Saudi Arabia (to south), Syria (to north) has made it necessary to mitigate the negative impact of Middle East political crises such as the wars in Iraq, Arab Spring uprisings, and the Syrian civil war on its tourism industry.

Tourists are not often the intended targets of political and religious violence. It is said that groups in conflict know who their enemy is. In most instances where tourists have been caught up in conflicts it has been a case of ‘being in the wrong place at the wrong time’. Have the Bali bombings changed this line of thought? The deliberate targeting of innocent outsiders, of course, results in a rush of international publicity previously unattainable for a cause, whatever it may be.

Activity

Review this article published by the BBC in 2015 that reports on the  influence of tourism on tourist choice to destinations .

Now review this article published by Fortune that reports that  terrorism’s effect on tourism doesn’t last very long .

Media and its impact upon individual business

Having looked at some fundamentals of media and its influence on the tourism and hospitality industry, it is appropriate to conclude this topic by looking at the media role in responding to crises within individual firms or a single sub-section of the tourism industry. The last reading concentrates on adventure tourism and, using a case study approach, examines three specific adventure tourism incidents as reported in national newspapers and outlines the way in which the firms dealt with the crisis.

As you read this last reading reflect on the situation and identify any areas where improvements in the press handling strategies could be considered.

Reading 3.3

Stanbury, J, Pryer, M & Roberts, A 2005, ‘Heroes and villains: Tour operator and media response to crisis: An exploration of press handling strategies by UK adventure tour operators’, Current Issues in Tourism, vol. 8, no. 5, pp. 394–423.

Conclusion

As Nielsen says on page 149, ‘Tourism managers often respond to terrorism with stoicism – armed with little more than faith and hope that terrorists acts in a region in which they have a vested interest are sporadic enough not to deter tourists for any length of time’. This leads us into the next topic.

References

1. Mintel Group Ltd. 2013, ‘The Impact of Social Media on Tourism’, Travel & Tourism Analyst, August.

2. Nielsen, C 2001, ‘Case study 1: The effects of terrorism on tourism (Do the media play a role?)’, from Chapter 7 in Tourism and the media, Hospitality Press, Elsternwick, Australia, pp. 145–167 & 181–183.