The Relationship between Tourism and the Natural Environment - Essay Example

The Basics of Tourism I. The Relationship between Tourism and the Natural Environment The dependence of the tourism industry upon the environment’s natural and cultural resources indicates that its development encourages alteration which can be either constructive or damaging. At present there is a developing interest in the environmental impact of the tourism industry from the private and public sectors, the governments, non-governmental organisations, and scholars. This concern is suggestive of a noticeable change in approaches to our relationship with the environment that has taken place during the latter part of the twentieth century and of the ever-developing interaction between tourism and the natural environment, By the latter part of the 1960s, as the impacts of the economic development pursuit upon the environment turned out to be more obvious, environmental concerns began to receive more attention and gain more importance. The Torrey Canyon accident, a major oil-tanker that broke up resulting in to the discharge of oil onto England’s south-west coast, raised severe public concern and underscored the fact that elevated consumer consumption was vulnerable to environmental threats. The growing industrialisation of agriculture in the United States was also seriously criticised for the environmental harm attributable to the application of agro-chemicals on farmland. Scholarly criticisms eventually had a key influence on public awareness and later on policy making, with the restriction or prohibition of use being placed on agro-chemicals classified as being the most hazardous (Holden 2003). Nevertheless, the tourism industry remained basically invulnerable from environmental criticism, the tourism’s reputation being chiefly an environmental friendly affair, or what some referred to as the ‘smokeless industry’. This image was boosted by the descriptions of tourism, encompassing values of beauty and purity, as depicted in sceneries of lush mountain areas and glamorous beaches enclosed in sunshine. Still, there were disagreeing remarks about tourism’s ‘smokelessness.’ There are academics who argue that in 1961 there was interest being shown over the potential ecological imbalance that may lead to tourism growth in the island of Tahiti in the Pacific (Holden 2003, 67). The examination of the impacts of growing population of people going down upon scenic regions in the 1960s provoked Mishan (1969, 141) to comment: Once serene and lovely towns such as Andorra and Biarritz are smothered with new hotels and the dust and roar of motorised traffic. The isles of Greece have become a sprinkling of lidos in the Aegean Sea. Delphi is ringed with shiny new hotels. In Italy the real estate man is responsible for the atrocities exemplified by the skyscraper approach to Rome seen across the Campagna, while the annual invasion of tourists has transformed once-famous resorts, Rapallo, Capri, Alassio, and scores of others, before the last war no less enchanting, into so many vulgar Coney Islands (Mishan 1969, 141). At the beginning of the 1970s people were turning out to be more knowledgeable and interested over environmental concerns. In 1972, the findings of an investigation by a team of experts and business heads into population increase, utilisation of natural resources, and other environmental patterns were made public; forecasts in the report of resource reduction, pollution and increased death rates stemming from scarcity in food supply and lack of health services, elevated public awareness over environmental concerns (Mowforth & Munt 2003). In 1979, the looming disintegration of the nuclear reactor situated in Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island, and the following hazard of a broad-spectrum environmental disaster, roused the public to the threats of the nuclear power attempt. Resistance to civil nuclear power became a major objective of the 1970s’s environmental movement, founded on the environmental implications of the attempt and its well-built relationship to the progress of nuclear weapons (Holden 2003). The Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), at the latter part of the 1970s, established a paradigm for the investigation of environmental impact brought about by tourism. This paradigm stressed four primary classifications of environmental stressors: long-term environmental modification such as infrastructure works; rapid proliferation of waste materials which can pose serious threats to human health and animal life; environmental damages attributable to increasing tourism activities; and impacts on demography such as substantial disproportion of population between the urban and rural areas (Cooper et al. 2005, 161) The tourism industry can severely stress natural resources such as water. Travellers have a tendency to consume more water when they are away from their homes with roughly ‘440 litres per person per day’ (Cooper et al. 2005, 162) being used up for the regions of the Mediterranean. Tourism activities are also responsible for significant levels of air, water and noise pollution through recreational activities and infrastructure networks such as transportation (ibid). By the 1980s, international environmental crises originating from human activities had started to become mainstream media topics. The global warming phenomenon, linked to the burning the carbon reserves of the planet for energy and the related discharge of carbon dioxide had turned out to be a primary interest, as had the thinning of the ozone layer. The forecasted climactic alterations related with global warming, and the elevated hazard of skin cancer caused by the thinning of the ozone layer, turned out to be subjects of interest and concern to numerous citizens (Richards & Hall 2000). There was increasing awareness that the economic development pursuit and escalated material utilisation was having a deep-seated impact upon the environment and menacing the continuing welfare of humanity. Throughout the 1980s, the expansion of mass tourism into new regions such as Africa, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia, implied that there was growing emphasis on tourism as an instrument of economic growth in developing countries. Aside from economic features of development, this emphasis as well involved interest over the cultural and environmental repercussions of tourism growth (McLaren 2003). The consciousness that tourism may have detrimental impacts was more and more acknowledged by non-governmental organisations. Interest and pressure groups such as the UK-based lobbying faction for humanitarian tourism industry, the Tourism Concern, and the Ecotourism Society in the United States were founded in the 1980s to advance humane tourism for aboriginal inhabitants and nature. Domestic interest groups, anxious by the impacts of tourism growth on their cultural and natural environment were also established, such as India’s Goa Foundation. The Goa Foundation has resisted the tourism industry due to the deprivation of resource access to the indigenous population and other related civil rights infringement linked to its development (Smith & Eadington 1992). There was also proof of growing disappointment by tourists with regions that were believed as being highly developed or having mislaid their original exquisiteness. For example, Barke and France (1996), remarking on the dilemmas confronting tourism industry in Spain’s Costa del Sol in the latter part of the 1980s, claim: “Environmental decay and poor image have combined with overcrowding and low safety and hygiene standards, together with the popularity of cheaper forms of accommodating and catering, to reduce the perceived attractiveness of the region” (ibid, 302). Throughout the 1990s, fresh environmental issues became important, manifesting both domestic and international concerns. An ethical domain was progressively established into environmental lobbying over the non-human entity rights, with sophisticated and at times aggressive action being carried out for the freeing of animals from testing. Resistances against road construction turned out to be a fundamental emphasis for environmental protesters in UK and other countries in Europe as interests over the destruction of nature and countryside escalated (Smith 2003). The determination and mainstream advocacy for this campaign encouraged the British administration to a profound deliberation of its policy over transport, specifically the function of private vehicles and road construction, resulting in to the termination of several road-construction projects. Europe’s green politics received growing appreciation through official political channels during the 1990s especially the establishment of a leading red-green alliance in Germany, and by the closing stages of the period green political representatives were responsible of environment bureaus of Germany, Finland, France and Italy (Holden 2003). By the closing stages of the 1990s, development of the tourism industry had for the very first time been criticised intently by eco-warriors. In Vail in Colorado ski facilities were destroyed in 1999 due to their potential effects upon animal life. In the 1990s, tourism started to take advantage of the environment, with numerous tour guides, airlines and hotels trying to boost their environmental integrity. Increasing interest over the utilisation of the environment for tourism development also began to be voiced out through the popular media; for instance, the Guardian, a British newspaper, expresses environmental concerns related with the tourism industry almost consistently in its travel feature page (Holden 2003). Tourism and the demand for a more amicable framework to its development as well motivated NGOs not directly related with the tourism industry, such as the Voluntary Service Overseas and World Wide Fund for Nature, to become progressively concerned in tourism growth. An increasing population of tourists as well became more concerned to differing extents in the environmental factors of tourism. Eco-tourism and sustainable tourism became preferred expressions in the tourism industry (Coles & Timothy 2004, 68). The role of government is crucial in designing environmental guidelines for tourism. Through law-making and economic mechanisms it has a broad array of measures to promote precedence of the environment by the various individuals and organisations involved in the tourism industry. Moreover, in order to curb detrimental impact of tourism on the environment, environmental monitoring and management processes are major managerial strategies that can be implemented by the industry of tourism. Not only can such strategies enhance environmental wellbeing, but they can as well as trim down the operating expenditures of companies, aside from boosting their public image (Holden 2003). Even though several enterprises in the tourism industry have been dynamic in initiating environmental advancements to their operations, most are still hesitant to greatly invest for the improvement of environmental welfare. Rules and regulations, or codes of conduct, can be formulated and implemented by various stakeholders in the tourism industry. For the private enterprises they can be understood as an attempt of self-regulation instead of guidelines being enforced by the government. Conclusions The knowledge of the environmental implications of tourism development has increased as various societies have become more environmentally aware. Formerly believed as being a ‘smokeless’ commerce the development of tourism internationally has resulted in an elevated probing of its environmental impacts. The tourism industry can have detrimental effects upon the environment. Most important concerns focus on resource utilisation, pollution and features of tourist attitudes toward the natural and cultural environment they are visiting. The detrimental impacts upon the environment involve both natural and cultural factors. Though, these damaging repercussions should be counteracted against the economic advantages provided through tourism. The tourism industry can be helpful in the protection of the environment from possible more harmful types of human activities, such as mining and logging. It can have a remarkably valuable function in the restoration of urban environments that are economically dejected. II. Tourist Attractions: A Key Component of the Tourism Industry The usual images of attractions or paradise depicted in travel booklets and on television are of abundant green flora, animal life, hospitable indigenous inhabitants, and unusual food. These guarantees of tourist attractions and memorable experiences draw tourists to developing countries. Tourist attractions such as virgin natural environments, thriving animal life, and lush customs and traditions in developing countries are alluring attractions to tourists of the highly developed societies. Therefore, attractions are pivotal aspects of the tourism industry. Nevertheless, the conception of these attractions does not come without implicit costs to native inhabitants (Burns 1999). Several researchers explore the concerns related to the conception of tourist attractions in developing countries. Tourism industry asserts to be the fastest-developing commerce in the planet; developed countries, abundant in natural and cultural resources but capital deficient, knowledge, and qualified staffs, have a tendency to prefer tourism as an instrument of development (Faulkner et al. 2000). Some scholars address the concerns of global tourism using a broad array of development frameworks. Global tourism has traditionally been an activity of well-off tourists from highly developed societies to developing countries. Along with multinational firms that are drawn in growing tourism in developing countries, global tourists at present are consciously or unconsciously establishing a new kind of colonialism. Still, under the ‘modernisation’ development framework, global tourism can as well contribute to capital and technology transfer, and human resources to developing countries and the growth of free economies in these societies (Wahab & Cooper 2001, 104). Unsatisfactory creation of tourist attractions and infrastructure are foremost hindrances in improving global tourism in developed countries. One researcher emphasises the poor management of tourist attractions and transport facilities as major problems of the tourism industry. Some scholars recognises the disadvantages such societies confront when pioneering global tourism as poor creation and management of tourist attractions and the incapability to transport and handle large populations of tourists (Mowforth & Munt 2003). Nevertheless, the creation and enhancement of tourist attractions in developed countries can be a two-faced mask; one scholar indicates that creation and management of tourist attractions for tourism goals may utilise resources that may be used to cater to more basic needs. Global tourism also expresses the subjects of leisure and labour migration. Leisure migration is the “ownership of second homes, time-share properties, or the retirement of people in areas they previously visited as tourists” (Bradley et al. 1994, 33). Leisure migration can be safely assumed to be provoked by excellent tourist attractions. However, leisure migration brings in a number of concerns pertinent to development, involving land ownership, the inclusion and isolation of leisure migrants, and disputes over local and migrant laws. In contrast, tourism expansion has a tendency to have an effect on labour markets, drawing in the interest of chiefly unskilled workers in direct and persuaded employments. Labour migrations results in to a change in human resources in the major and minor industries and population displacement (Hanna & Del Casino 2003). The dearth in trained and experienced personnel is a setback for the creation and management of tourist attractions as well as for government bureaus. The lack of training and experience of bureaucrats implies that the management of tourist attractions as a tool of socio-economic progress is not consistently effective. Domestic problems in numerous developing countries, such as absence of vertical and horizontal collaboration within organisations, intragovernmental disagreement, devolution, graft and corruption, and problems of privatisation hinder the creation and management of tourist attractions which are pivotal components of the tourism industry (Coleman & Crang 2002). Governments in developing countries identify the value of tourism expansion through their involvement in and possession of tourism facilities and communications and transportation systems, alongside with their response to the intervention of multinational firms and foreign financiers. The historical context of the society is another fundamental aspect in effective creation and management of tourist attractions. A government’s effort to advance political order and to sustain sustainable management of tourist attractions is not at all times appreciated or well received by indigenous inhabitants (Smith 2003b). Sustainability is a catchphrase in the present-day development debate and the application of the concept in the tourism industry is not exempted. As local natural resources, as well as culture and tradition, are the primary ingredients of tourism attractions, it has been claimed that economic development should not herald environmental and social welfare. Government authorities have discussed whether other tourism forms instead of mass tourism, which has been the popular creation for a time, are more environment-friendly (Elliott 1997). Ecotourism is turning out be the staple of alternative tourist attraction development in developing countries. However, despite of the prominent of ecotourism, the rapid increase in the number of small-scale ecotourism employees and merchandises is detested as converting ecotourism into mass tourism. Specifically in developing countries, the ideas and objectives of ecotourism could not be absolutely understood, yet they may be interpreted in ways to fit private capitalists and public bureaus. Some argue that facilities of tourist attractions, such as enclave resorts and cruise ships that limit the activities of tourists to within the vicinity of the resort could be less damaging to the natural and cultural attractions (McLaren 2003). Tourist attractions are key components of global tourism development in developing countries, particularly to human resources, government intervention, socio-cultural transformations, and sustainability. Sadly to say, attempts of several scholars to discuss development of tourist attractions in terms of developmental frameworks simply nick the surface. In the tourism literature, some scholars mention but do not directly cater to the issues of tourist attractions development in terms of political economy of global tourism (McLaren 2003). It is the interest of social scientists that travellers should be granted a real understanding of the tourist attraction they are visiting. In several instances, it has been argued that tourists are given an idea that their tourist destination is some kind of a fantasy world. They are usually misled that this is the case because of tourist attractions that could have insignificant value to the culture of the host country. Hence, tourists do not witness the actual landscape and the real experiences and lifestyle of the people in their destination. This means that the tourists are deceived of their travelling experience (Cooper et al. 2005). The idyllic situation is where both the tourists and the host country experience the tourism activity as authentic. Nevertheless, because of the popularity of mass tourism, it is practically unfeasible to meet the expectations and curiosity of the tourists without embellishing or exaggerating natural sceneries and historic architectures. Still, historical and cultural enactment provides tourists the relevant aspects of a country’s custom and tradition and lessens the need for trespassing on the personal or private realm of the host community. It could as well as engender pride and awareness among the host population who have in the past ignored these features (Cooper et al. 2005). In spite this remarkable figure, attempting to describe what ‘tourist attraction’ really is has proved to be more challenging than could be anticipated. This setback is a manifestation of both the intricacy of the tourism industry, and the reality that various groups or stakeholders with a motive in tourism are prone to have a variety of objectives of what they aim to attain from it, and consequently embrace different points of view on its value to them. The stakeholders in tourist attractions development involve the industry, governments, tourists and local communities (Sheller & Urry 2004). For most of the people who have the economic means to travel for leisure, visiting tourist attractions is an activity that perhaps little mindful reflection is given to beyond remembering the pleasure of the last travel, and planning the next one. But this apparently simple activity entails the involvement of national governments, the tourism industry and indigenous communities, all of whom will posses their own motives in development of tourist attractions, which commonly makes them tourism stakeholders. Efforts to describe the pivotal role of tourist attractions in the tourism industry are made problematic due to the fact that it is a highly intricate mixture of different components. These factors are a varied range of elements, involving the following: emotions and aspirations, and human sentiments; attractions developed upon natural and tapped resources; providers of accommodation, communication and transport, and other services; and administrative strategy and regulatory paradigms. Consequently, it is challenging to come up with a consensual discussion of the actual role of tourist attractions in the tourism industry. Several scholars of tourism literature remark upon the challenge of ascertaining the pivotal role of tourist attractions in defining tourism (Lasansky & McLaren 2004). Still, attempting to understand the importance of tourist attractions is significant if we are to organise the utilisation of natural resources and handle effects related with its enhancement. An expedient definition that surpasses this problem is the one advanced by the World Tourism Organisation which was afterwards promoted in 1993 by the UN Statistical Commission: “Tourism comprises the activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business or other purposes” (Goeldner & Ritchie 2005, 7). The above definition questions the widely held idea that tourism is entirely concerned with leisure and enjoyment, and most importantly, the development of tourist attractions. While leisure tourism is the most common type of tourism, alternative forms of tourism are also present. For example, Davidson aside from acknowledging recreation or pleasure, and tourist attractions as the primary form of tourism, emphasises the argument that people not just travel to visit tourist attractions but also travel for necessity such as for education, business, health and religious intentions. Certainly the sources of tourist attractions development rest in travel for necessities of education, health and religion. Conclusions Even though the discussion of the pivotal role of tourist attractions in the tourism industry may originally appear to have great relevance to a literature addressing the relationship between tourism and natural environment, it is as well a remarkably important indicator for the economies of developing countries. Development of tourist attractions has intentionally been utilised in government development strategies as a means to initiate the restoration of economically dejected regions of highly developed countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States. Attractions are indeed a key component of the tourism industry. In fact, as implied in the above discussion, the lifeline of tourism particularly for developing countries. Even though these tourist attractions involve both positive and negative implications to local economies and to local populations the fact remains that the creation and management of these tourist attractions help in the growth of Diaspora and the advancement of global tourism. III. Mobile and Wireless Technologies: New Opportunities and Challenges for the Tourism Industry Bradley and colleagues demonstrate the deep-seated function of technology on organisational competitiveness in the international economy, as they argue that “globalisation and technology are mutually reinforcing drivers of change” (Bradley et al. 1993, 33). Moreover, Metakides (1994) claims that the global information revolution compels ventures to “act local and think global” (ibid, 2), while changing radically patterns of production and consumption. The technological revolution has made possible tourism development and has allowed consumers to take a trip farther from their homes at a fraction of the cost, effort and time needed previously. The propagation of steam engines, the universal motor car and latest technology trains and ships have not merely trimmed down cost, effort and time needed but has as well as supplied the communications and transportation system for more people to ‘go away’ on holidays and vacations (Hall & Tucker 2004). Information and wireless technology also empowered consumers. They not merely necessitated money value, but as well as time value for the whole array of their transactions with organisations. This manifests people’s scarcity of time, apparent in Western countries. The surfacing Internet devices allow consumers to look for information online and to carry out reservations. Progressively, IT and wireless technology in particular, allow tourists to access credible and trustworthy information and also to carry out reservations in a matter of time, which is not available in the traditional methods. Moreover, IT can also enhance the quality of service and boost the satisfaction of travellers of tourists (Wahab & Cooper 2001). The accessibility of information on any things possible allows consumers to customise their tourism packages and to pay for just the most appropriate merchandise. The utilisation of IT on the one hand is determined by the increase of the quantity and intricacy of tourism requirement, and on other hand it changes their features and allows people to choose much more customised packages of tourism merchandises. Nobody actually knows the number of customers presently connected to the World Wide Web and the number of those who purchase products online (Wahab & Cooper 2001). E-tourism stands for the change in framework experienced in the commerce of tourism as an outcome of the introduction of ICTs and most importantly, the Internet. It is apparent that every business process has been consequently transformed, and that all stakeholders in the industry are undergoing a reorientation of their function and capacity. Evidently, there are opportunities and challenges materialising but the competitiveness of the tourism businesses and destinations has been transformed remarkably (Cooper et al. 2005, 647). The burgeoning of mobile and wireless technology and the Internet transformed communication systems as it allowed organisations to display their offerings internationally. Providers have an extraordinary prospect to be in touch with their target consumers internationally, to build up their global reputation and to develop direct interactions with customers. The World Trade Organisation claims that “the key to success lies in the quick identification of consumer needs and in reaching potential clients with comprehensive, personalised and up-to-date information” (Faulkner et al. 2000, 167). The brisk growth rate and the rapid boost of online profits experienced in numerous businesses, comprising tourism, demonstrate that electronic industry will prevail in the near future. This rationalises substantial ventures by organisations to build up their online charisma. The Internet has transformed resiliency in the processes of service delivery and consumer decision. Every tourist is unique, bearing a distinct combination of experiences, objectives and aspirations commonly as an outcome of previous experience, social class and context. Customers are becoming more and more technologically advanced and perceptive. Tourists become choosy or difficult, requiring excellent quality products and services, and money and time value. Having knowledgeable of numerous merchandises the contemporary, experienced, demanding and sophisticated tourists depend greatly on the Internet and wireless technology to look for information about experiences and destinations, and also to be able to convey their necessities and demands to providers quickly (Weaver & Lawton 2006). Travellers are ever more usual tourists, technologically and linguistically knowledgeable and can operate in culturally diverse and challenging environments abroad. Mobile and wireless technology and the Internet empowered the latest kind of travellers to become more skilled and experienced and to pursue for excellent money and time value. Contemporary customers are more environmentally and culturally conscious and they typically would want a greater participation in the local community. In a global community digital technologies will connect a large number of actors and stimulate growth of tourism managed based on networks. It has also the capability to empower small and medium sized ventures, as well as small or remote tourist destinations or attractions. Still, some claim that technology in the pretext of virtual units will trim down the value of physical place, which is consistently a fundamental consideration in the traditional tourism industry when physical place offered convenience and product delivery control. Obviously, technology does not occur in void, it is designed and implemented as a social mechanism, elaborated by the reality that tourism arrived behind the technological revolution because of the conventional character of training and management in the industry (Cooper et al. 2005). Internalisation of tourism throughout the last three decades of the previous century cannot be justified merely in terms of demand aspects. Nevertheless, they are relevant when one takes into account major determinants in explaining the development of global tourism. However, it would be ill-advised to take for granted the profound impact of technology. Even so, demand and technology mutually remains an inadequate elaboration. Supply determinants, such as global hotel establishments and the growing quantity of cruise carriers, are essential and the function of the destination regions is quite frequently undervalued. Several developing societies regard the tourism industry as a primary source of income. The gains are at times substantial. The reward is commonly associated to demand as well. The expanding interests and concerns of tourists not just result in greater expansion of tourism growth in well-known destinations but additional destinations are joining the tourism economy (Wahab & Cooper 2001). Yet, most importantly, the fundamental factor that has motivated the internationalisation of tourism is the information technology revolution and more commonly in communication systems. Besides tourist attractions, information is the lifeline of the tourism industry. It links travellers, travel agents, tour employees and tourism industry providers. It is important to note that the connections between and among tourism operators are supplied not by products, but information transmission. These flows of information are comprised of service and payments, and of course, data. In the side of customers, information is obtained through promotion, publicity, marketing, bookings and complementary flows of transactional information from customers to providers. Informational technology is fundamental for the competent and timely dispensation and dissemination of all required information (Faulkner et al. 2000). In other words, information technology coupled with the mobile and wireless technology is the modern means of using computers to commune and look for information through online research, about the information that we do not have. It is the paramount means of communication. IT connects to the tourism industry in numerous ways thus the only alternative before the introduction of IT internationally if you longed to take a trip anywhere is walking or taking a bus from your house to the local travel agency to make a reservation. At the travel agency office you could search incessantly through the booklet without instant success and this might consume considerable amount of your time and effort. Yet with the introduction of IT along with mobile and wireless technology this difficult task can be accomplished online, while resting on your favourite sofa as a tourist you can obtain all the important information without frustration and stress. Therefore, IT with the help of mobile and wireless technology opens up the potentials of the tourism industry. Conclusion The tourism industry seemed to be particularly appropriate for the implementation of information technology and/or mobile and wireless technology due to its reliance upon the demand and supply, and transmission of information all over the manufacturing and delivery chains. As a particularly information exhaustive commerce, tourism is experiencing drastic and revolutionary modern transformations. A broad array of opportunities is discovered regularly through the utilisation of information and communication technology. At present information technology is utilised for different purposes in the tourism industry, from the function of the internal organisation to external contact between various components of the industry. The sustained growth of information technology has deep-seated repercussions for the entire tourism industry. Nowadays, a broad array of tourism departments is maximizing the benefits of the Internet, and the mobile and wireless technology. Technology smoothes the progress of the efficient and speed within which tourism information is dispensed, accumulated, recovered, dispensed and otherwise operated. Information technology can cut down expenditures of information management, boost swiftness of information dissemination and recovery and boost customer participation in the handling of transactions. It possesses the resiliency of product designs and greater credibility of information disseminated. Information technology and wireless technology has revolutionised the manner in which information is disseminated all over the tourism commerce. Thus, it alters the way within which services of the tourism industry are delivered. Due to the fact that consumer demands are rapidly increasing, the shift towards more self-sufficient and resilient vacations and holidays, with the appearance of a generation of computer literates, demands the service providers to discover new means to fulfil the expectations and needs of tourists. 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