Factors Of Selecting A Destination - Coursework Example

Factors Of Selecting A Destination Abstract Matters concerning political turmoil, terrorism, and war seem irrelevant to tourism. However, a close examination of their effects on tourism has demonstrated some considerable results. This paper will focus on how these aspects affect tourism and how it affects tourists' choice of traveling or touring a given destination. Several pieces of research have been conducted to look at how political instability, terrorism, and crime directly influence the demand for tourism in a given location or country. The expectation of this article is to analyze and discuss research findings of these factors and suggest how governments can handle the situations. Introduction Issues concerning the safety of tourists are as engrossing as they are profound. Most studies that examine the relationship between tourism, terrorism, and political stability likewise yield issues that arise due to war and crime. The inquiry remains, notwithstanding, whether these studies shed sufficient light on the current understanding of how global tourism survives in political violence or terrorism. Without any doubt, “even its active and valuable economic impact does not shield global tourism from the vile force of terrorism” (Buhalis et el., 2006, p.33). While many natural or human-caused events can altogether effect the growth of tourism, security issues, and political turmoil scare potential tourists. The relationship between tourism and terrorism involves many aspects: possible interventions to curb security risks, effects of terrorism on tourism demand, and motives of targeting certain tourists. The trepidation of unexpected terrorist activities is not new, but rather the attention it has commanded traces back to ten years ago. In recent events, “the 1991 Persian Gulf War and other related global worldwide terrorism refocused consideration on the subject” (Sönmez, 1998, p.1). On various occasions, terrorist assaults have been experienced in other parts of the world. These violence activities have pushed the tourism and travel industry to come up with travel paradigm shifts hence making tourism security a fundermental consideration for all tourists. Vital inquiries remain: how do places characterized political difficulties handle the negative image? How does the tourism industry at large deal with the emergence of political turmoil? By what method would governments use to curb terrorism and political instability? Subsequently, this paper endeavors to discuss factors to be considered by tourists while selecting a destination. Factors to be considered when selecting a destination i. Political Instability Politics is a major risk that results to uncertainty in the tourism industry in every country Rátz, 2012). Notwithstanding the advantages of economic development, the tourism can be negatively affected political and social distress in a given destination. In most countries, there are legal limitations on undertaking particular religious exercises, such as preaching and circulating religious materials. For instance, Ukraine is considered as one of the most politically unstable countries in the world hence unsuitable for tourism (Fowler & Cheung, 2014). Non-natives tourists are likewise under strict regulations against participating in any riots or public demonstrations, which have not been approved by the local authorities. In the view of Veal and James (2010, p.44) “tourists should observe local regulations of holding demonstrations, expressing their needs, and the benefits that accrue from enhancing peaceful political participation. Therefore, most tourists are advised not to take part in public events that are politically motivated. Tourists should consider the fact that some countries prohibit leisure travel. ii. Crime Crime and attacks against foreign tourists lead to the creation of a bad name for the destination. Also, such attacks create a negative image in the minds of tourists who had a prior interest in exploring the region. In most cases, tourist operators tend to avoid regions that have high crime activities. Some of the crime against tourists may include xenophobia attacks, extreme racism, and robbery with violence among others. Other extreme cases such as murder and hostage-taking may occur. Such attacks can affect the flow of tourists to the destination region. There are regions in some countries that are less policed hence tourists stand an excellent chance of being attacked and assaulted. In most cases, contemporary tourism happens to be negatively affected. Contemporary tourism could be affected when such crimes occur at the same time when tourists are making the decisions to travel to a particular place (Cooper et el., 2012). Furthermore, most crimes are experienced in large cities and abandoned areas with less security personnel. Some tourists are accidental victims, trespassing in wrong places at the wrong time, hence being targeted easily by attackers. For example, “due to many cases of crime, North American is expected to experience a slower growth of tourism. Recently, North America recorded a 3% drop in growth despite having close to 3 million tourist arrivals in the region” (UNWTO, 2012, p.9). Most researchers agree to the fact that some regions are prone to crime due to the hedonistic culture and lifestyle experienced in such regions. The growth of tourism industry results in a corresponding increase in hospitality services especially in urban centers. However, some of the hospitality services are not genuine hence an individual can be robbed or assaulted. Tourists may also victimize themselves by carrying large sums of money with them, exposing valuable items in public, and touring danger zones. Care should be taken when one decides to tour slum area where crimes are high as a result of accelerated poverty levels (Frenzel et el., 2012) iii. Health risks Individuals tend to be more susceptible to health related complications whenever they travel or tour new places. In this case, health complications can range from minor ailments to chronic diseases that require urgent medical attendance. There are several diseases one can get while traveling such as malaria, hepatitis A, tuberculosis, and cholera among others. Also, encephalitis B and mosquito-borne diseases can be encountered, despite the fact that they do not pose a danger to tourists. Therefore, tourists are recommended to take medical and help precautions before they consider visiting places where such diseases are prevalent. Areas, such as rural places, lack medical facilities to deal with major health crisis hence should be avoided by tourists unless otherwise. On the other hand, urban centers are well equipped with medical facilities hence medical services are always available to tourists. Currently, the type of tourism determines the kind of health risks posed to the tourists. For instance, space tourism has its unique health risks. Seedhouse and Erik (2008, p.109) suggest that space vehicles should be properly licensed, with proper medical standards”. Spaceflights, physical thrust, and extreme gravitational forces, tend to accelerate very fast hence posing health dangers for tourists. Most tourists get space motion sickness especially in regions that have low gravity. On the other hand, individuals who tour beyond the earth’s atmosphere stand a great chance of getting harmful radiations from the outer space. Through medical tourism, “some people seek medical attention from other countries that have a thriving medical tourism industry. Other factors include an organized structure of Hungarian health tourism” (Hall, 2012, p.103). Consequently, most tourists might develop medical conditions or negative incomes. Different countries have different medical practices hence individuals who consider medical tourism should be very careful with the kind of treatment they are seeking after. iv. Natural disasters Worldwide relaxation or leisure tourism tends to focus on pleasure periphery. In this case, pleasure periphery regions encompass coastal areas, mountainous regions, desert areas, and vegetative areas among others. However, these peripheral regions pose natural and environmental risks. For instance, hurricanes, and typhoons can greatly devastate the entire stretch of a coastal region. On the other hand, sand storms and heavy rainfall can occur in arid deserts and tropical forest regions respectively. Other regions may have active volcano activities and earthquakes. The worldwide tourism sector is progressively flexible to natural calamities. In this connection, it is imperative for the tourism sector to consider the likelihood of natural catastrophes to guarantee the security of tourists and the sustainability of the tourism business. Tourists are advised to monitor weather patterns before they depart to the destinations. Furthermore, tourists should also avoid low-lying islands due to high chances of ocean disturbances and tsunami. v. Terrorism On and off, activities relating to terrorism can be clearly traced to present day. Worldwide terrorism expanded quickly amid the late 60s and mid-70s. Closer investigation of terrorist activities, with the end goal of comprehending some of its trends, begs a lot at the current situations across the world. Well organized terrorist movements have targeted tourism straightforwardly. For instance, in the September 11th terrorists hijacked passenger airlines, being essential transportation facilities in the tourism industry, using them as weapons of attack. These assaults strikingly affected the sector of tourism across the world. Incomprehensibly, worldwide terrorism and tourism share certain attributes. Both tourism and terrorism involve citizens of diverse nations, cross national boundaries, and utilize travel and communication technology. In particular, the objectives of terrorism are identified as ideological, strategic, and strategic. Most terrorist groups tend to target tourists in order to achieve strategic goals. Attacks on tourists can furnish terrorists with instrumental preference by destabilizing tourism industry and enhancing their publicity. Terrorists incline towards foreign tourists and tourism facilities in order to fulfill their particular resource needs. vi. Destination Image and Role of Media Destination image is one part of tourism that requires immediate recovery marketing, crisis management protocols, and emergency services routines. In particular, destination image happens to be the first casualty of violence and political turmoil. Destination image can either be organic (due to experience and reconnaissance) or induced (due to externally received information from advertisements or media reports). With all honesty, the image of a place greatly influences whether tourists would visit the place or choose an alternative destination with a better image. Moreover, the media plays a major role on various issues of life. The media influences several aspects of people’s lives such as social interactions, cultural issues, education aspects, and information sharing. The media acts as a mediator between tourism and the society. To illustrate, mediation merely implies that the media helps in conveying tourism service and products from the producers to the target consumers. The tourism industry is very dependent on media reporting because most travelers make decision before visiting a place for the first time. The pervasive characteristic of broadcast and print media persuades that reports of terrorism would instantly deflect tourism in influenced zones. At the point when there is bad news or a security crisis, the effect on tourism can be decimating because tourists would avoid such destinations. To a great extent, alternative sources of information may incorporate radio, internet, and cellular communication. Governments’ interventions in ensuring tourists’ safety In orders to positively influence tourists’ travel decisions, governments should put some measures in place in order to attain a politically stable region. It would be healthy for the tourism sector if governments ban illegal and extremist groups that would most likely result to political unrests. It is relevant for governments to allow peaceful and legal demonstrations that will not interfere with the regions’ peace (Getz & Donald, 2012). Regions that are politically stable tend to attract tourists in great numbers. Better social and political relationships can be created between different countries in order to allow citizen travel from one country to another. In addition, governments should come up with counter-terrorism strategies in order to wipe out terrorism-related activities. The government should control radicalized or rebel groups in tourist attraction areas. For instance, the government should provide security personnel to individuals touring in areas that are prone to terrorism. In retaliation, several countries worldwide have started to unite in counter-terrorism exercises, intelligence gathering, and law implementation. Different multilateral platforms and Summit events have been formed with an end goal to come up with new strategies that would curb terrorism. Since the media plays a major role in the society, governments can used it to their advantage. Though the departments of tourism and communication, the government can advertise and publish documentaries about major tourist attractions in their respective countries. Some of the media may include official government websites, household newspapers, stamps, and utilization of procures. The advertisements should target specific tourists. Social media can also be used to create a positive image in the minds of the prospective tourists and hence boosting tourism in the long-term. Therefore, governments should develop creative strategies to utilize the media. Considerable tourism development will be enhanced by increasing awareness among consumer and influence their choice of destination. Moreover, it is important for governments to come up with tangible solutions that would curb effects of natural disasters (Pforr, 2009). Forest officers should be employed to deal with natural disasters such as forest fires. Education and training institutions, with the governments’ immediate interventions, should introduce disaster management courses that would train individuals to deal with natural catastrophes whenever they occur. Such specialists can also come up with other alternative measures of preventing such calamities from happening. Danger zones should have marked safe zones as a precautionary measure in case of a disaster. Moreover, governments should improve their health sector in order to ensure reliable medical attention to tourists. Countries should comply with World Health Organization’s policy to ensure that medical tourists receive appropriate treatment without developing complications afterward. Therefore, all government should have at least some medical specialists who can handle tourists especially when there’s a disease outbreak. Areas that have been reported to have a disease outbreak shout be sealed out from the public and especially tourists. Improved hospitality sector would render the quality of service to tourists. Additionally, governments develop a better and efficient transport system that will prompt more tourists visiting such a country. Countries that have established road networks, efficient railway transport, cheaper airlines, and fast sea voyage facilities tend to be a destination choice for most tourists. With all honesty, an influx and expansion of international tourism is reportedly associated with the subject of transport geography. Individuals tour in different regions with an intention of exploration, leisure touring, medical treatment, and discovering new markets for their products. However, their movement from one region to another can only be facilitated with a reliable and efficient transport system. The demand for international tourism simply implies the need for cost-effective, fast, reliable, and efficient transport systems. Therefore, governments should diversify their transport facilities such as railways, airlines, ships, roads among others. Above all, diversification of tourist sites by governments is an important element in the tourism industry. Governments should shift their attention from the traditional tourist attraction and explore on other sites. According to Ferdinand et el. (2012) more sports activities, traditional cultural activities, special events, natural eruptions of steam, and shrines among others can be used as a tourist attraction. Countries that are photogenic, otherworldly, and friendly tend to offer tourists with a stable environment for exploration and adventure. Governments should “liberalize some of their tourist attraction and facilities such as national museums and hotels” (Aramberri & Julio, 2010, p.151). Comprehensive training of travel agents, tour guides, hotel managers, and some game wardens would boost the tourism sector by positively impacting tourists' decision to visit a particular. Governments across the world can engage their citizen to embrace conservation measure in order to sustain tourism industry (Spenceley et el., 2010). Community-based tourism, which plays a major role in conserving tourist attraction sites, has been enhanced by several countries such as Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania, and South Africa. As a result, these countries have been characterized by thriving tourism businesses that boost their economies. Other government-initiated methods may include citizen participation in lodge sector, ecotourism development, wildlife conservation in rural areas, and engaging in public-private partnerships towards the conservation of tourist attraction sites. Conclusion In conclusion, security factors in the tourism industry can be anything that might impact tourists' decisions in scheduling and selecting a tourist destination. As seen before, some of these factors can either be constructive or destructive to countries' tourism sectors. Natural disaster and calamities have a negative impact on tourism due to dangers associated with conditions such as earthquakes, active volcanoes, extreme weather condition, and typhoons among others. In all honesty, the image of a tourist destination plays a major role in determining whether tourists would consider the region satisfactory to their needs. The media influences the society in many ways hence most tourists tend to believe whatever the media portrays about a certain tourist destination. Most likely, countries that experience a lot of terrorist activities tend to ground their flights hence closing doors for other foreign tourists. Most terrorist groups attack tourists in order to achieve a particular agenda and hence drawing attention from the international community. Therefore, it is important governments to come up with safety measures that would help to protect both foreign and local tourists. Moreover, some of these measures may include formation of counter-terrorism units, construction of reliable and deficient transport network, and conservation of wildlife and tourist sites among others. Such measures would help to boost tourism business in respective countries. Reference Aramberri & Julio. (2010). Modern Mass Tourism. [Online]. Emerald. Available from http://readinglists.ucb.ac.uk/items/DEC705DE-CB97-698A-5575-DD843B0D5382.html?referrer=%2Flists%2FEB06F7B2-934D-BE25-F47E-E828AA6BC795.html%23item-DEC705DE-CB97-698A-5575-DD843B0D5382 Buhalis, Dimitrios, Costa & Carlos. (2006). Tourism Management Dynamics: Trends, Management and Tools. [Online]. Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. 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Available from: http://readinglists.ucb.ac.uk/items/11E3CCB2-90D8-EF75-074D-D702895228A2.html?referrer=%2Flists%2FEB06F7B2-934D-BE25-F47E-E828AA6BC795.html%23item-11E3CCB2-90D8-EF75-074D-D702895228A2 UNWTO. (2012). Tourism highlights. [Online]. UNWTO Publications. Available from: http://tourlib.net/wto/WTO_highlights_2012.pdf Read More