Destination Evaluation in the UAE - Essay Example

? Destination Evaluation Contents List of Tables 3 Introduction 4 Tourism Activities in Bahrain 4 Political Impact of Tourism on Bahrain 5 Environmental Impact of Tourism on Bahrain 6 Social and Cultural Impacts of Tourism on Bahrain 7 Role of tourism in Economic Diversification and Regeneration 8 Issues Regarding the Development of Tourism in Bahrain 9 Impacts of Unplanned Tourism 9 Conclusions 10 References 11 Appendices 13 List of Tables Figure 1: Forecasted Income Levels from the Different Tourism Sectors in Bahrain Figure 2: Occupancy Rate of Non-Bahrainis in Real Estate Properties Introduction The paper in the course of evaluating a particular destination focuses on the region of United Arab Emirates. Geographically this region is located on the Arabian Peninsula which lies in between the areas of Oman and Saudi Arabian countries. Further this region is also circumscribed by two gulfs viz. the Oman and the Gulf of Persia. This region has largely developed on its economic standpoint through exports of oil and petroleum products to many developed western nations. Through considerable exports the region has helped in gaining access to a huge pool of foreign investments which are expended over development of sectors like tourism. The region through the opening up of large number of hotels and tourism related infrastructure has helped in attracting many tourists from other nations which helped in enhancing the country’s revenues (Library of Congress-Federal Research Division, 2007, p.3, 8, 13). In this connection the paper further divulges to reflect on a particular state of the Saudi Arabian region, Bahrain and evaluate the destination in terms of the different tourism opportunities available. This state located in the Saudi Arabian peninsula is also a prime member of the cooperation council of the Gulf region joined by countries like Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and other Saudi Arabian regions including the United Arab Emirates. This region reflects a strong economic potential having abundance of both agricultural and petroleum products. Apart from such the region boasts in having a huge resource base for tourism operations. Estimates made during 2000 show that around 10 percent of the region’s income is rendered by tourism activities which absorbs around 18 percent of the total workforce (Gillespie, 2002, p.72, 80-83). Tourism Activities in Bahrain The region of Bahrain is gradually developing as one of the tourist hotspots in the Saudi Arabian region. Tourism is being increasingly developed in the region of Bahrain through rendering enhanced focus on drawing in large crowds to the state. It is observed that considerable amount of tourism activities would help in rendering large economic prosperity to the region. To develop Bahrain as a hunting ground for tourists the government of the region is keenly focusing on the development of hotels of three and five star qualities in large numbers. Further the region is also inviting grants from world bodies like the United Nations to help in the development of the heritage sites in the Bahrain region. The national airlines carrier of the region, Gulf Airlines is also found to render increased support for helping in the promotion of tourism in the region by helping attract large number of tourists at concessional rates. Further the government of Bahrain is increasingly focusing on the development of activities like trade expos and exhibitions which would help fetch large number of foreign delegates from developed regions of the world. Corporate tourism is being widely encouraged by helping in the enhancement of amenities pertaining to organization of meetings and conferences. The region is also found to host international sporting events like the Grand Prix which signifies the flow of large number of tourists in the country. The government of Bahrain to help encourage this wide flow of international tourists is continually working for the development of hotels and several tourism facilities inside the country with the active cooperation of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The region with a large number of water bodies is also largely focusing on the development of water or cruise tourism. Thus large number of water cruisers are being increasingly developed that would help in the enhanced commutation of tourists (Oxford Business Group, 2008, p.184, 187-192). Political Impact of Tourism on Bahrain The level of tourism activities in a region renders significant impact in changing the political environment of such. Governments of different countries are endeavoring to find the best possible way of allocating and optimizing the utility of resources available in the region to help in the development of tourism activities. Thus the impact of tourism on the political environment of a region concerns the problem in making of effective decisions. Government bodies are largely found to render less focus on rendering of adequate funds for the development of tourism activities despite the latter helping in the growth of both economic and productivity potential of the region. Further with the growth of tourism activities in a region several political wars come into face with the private and government bodies each trying to gain the maximum amount of revenues. Again the number of employees involved in the tourism activities employs their political positions to help enhance the pay conditions in times when the number of tourists increases. Similarly other government units working to levy taxes also endeavor to increase the tax rate to help in enhancing the inflow of adequate funds. Thus with the growth of tourism functions the political war among the several interest groups also goes on enhancing (Cook, 2007,p.345,353-354). Politically the growth of tourism activities in the region of Bahrain has helped enhancing the economic potential of the region by helping in the growth of the national revenues and also in the opening up of several avenues. Growth of tourism in the country has helped in enhancing the employment opportunities in the Bahrain region and also enhancing the level of exports. The government of the country is expecting a huge growth of revenues pertaining to the different sectors of tourism measured along the periods 2003 and 2013 (World Travel and Tourism Council, p.10-11). The same can be represented graphically as given in Figure 1 in Appendix. More significantly it is observed that development of separate authoritarian boards has occurred in the region of Bahrain like Bahrain General Tourism Authority which works to relocate different resources and thereby plan for development of tourism activities. This body in turn operates with both private and government bodies to help in the growth of infrastructural facilities pertaining to tourism in Bahrain (Oxford Business Group, 2008, p.181-182). Environmental Impact of Tourism on Bahrain The development of tourism activities in the several regions and the rising inflow of tourists largely impact the environmental factors. The large flow of people entering a region affects the existing level of biodiversity in such as natural habitats get increasingly destroyed for construction of hotels. The scenic beauty of the natural areas gets tarnished with the dumping of soiled and used products by large number of tourists visiting such sites which renders a negative impact on the tourist spots. Dumping of soiled and used products causes large amount of environmental degradation pertaining to the expanded use of water and other natural habitats. It is observed that growth of tourism greatly impacts the coastal regions of the world by causing a decline in the natural habitats. Similarly the forest and other natural resources of the region also face a huge decline due to the growth of tourism activities in such areas. Thus the government bodies of several regions are increasingly pursuing the growth of ecological based tourism to help safeguard the natural habitats from the harmful impacts rendered by tourists. Large number of theme parks is being increasingly developed in several countries wherein the tourists can gain the view of natural environment. This activity is taken to help increase the consciousness of tourists in helping in protecting the natural zones from being largely depleted (Page, 2009, p.494). In regards to Bahrain it is found that the growth of tourism activities on a huge scale has inadvertently impacted the natural habitats of the coastal regions. The government of Bahrain in order to promote cruise based tourism had increasingly conducted a lot of dredging and other operations which had led to the loss of considerable biodiversity in such regions. Moreover the construction of hotels around the coastal regions has also led to the decline of large amount of coral reefs and other marine flora and fauna. Again drawing out the silt layer from the marine bodies also affects the growth of natural species along the coastal lines of Bahrain (Saenger, 1990, p.3). The government of Bahrain is endeavoring to gain wide range of support from the Gulf Cooperation Council to help protect the huge abundance of marine life from being increasingly depleted owing to the growth of tourism activities in the region. The council helps the Bahrain region by generating large amount of financial and other resources for helping them to protect the natural environment along the coastal lines (Oxford Business Group, 2007, p.21). Social and Cultural Impacts of Tourism on Bahrain The nature of tourism activities increasingly pursued by a region leads to the huge inflow of many people from foreign countries. Owing to such flow of people from other nations there arises a chance of cultural conflicts between the existing people and the other communities entering such areas. People belonging to a particular society tend to possess some cultural inhibitions. These cultural inhibitions tend to produce some cultural barriers obstructing the entry of foreign nationals in the existing social and cultural framework. This type of cultural conflicts can be best studied in respect of some Muslim nations which tend to reflect strong cultural barriers emerging from their orthodox religious mindsets. These people increasingly fear that flow of people from foreign countries would tarnish the social and cultural fabric of their own country. Further people belonging to the poor and deprived nations of the world tend to seek an opportunity to avenge their anger over the developed nations in that they feel that the latter operates to deprive them of their basic rights. Thus to help fulfill the stated objective these people resort to terror activities dampening the spirit of healthy tourism. However amidst these hindrances the mingling up of two varied cultures helps in enhancing the bilateral relation between the nations and thereby generates a positive atmosphere to help in the growth of tourists (Henderson 2007,p.73-74). In respect of Bahrain it is found that the growth of tourism activities has helped in the growth of art and craft industries in the region. The large inflow of tourists in Bahrain helped in the growth of several small scale and artisan industries. Enhancement of the small scale sector in the economy of Bahrain had helped the region to gain flow of funds from the subsequent visits of other foreign nationals in the region from time to time. To help in the growth of small scale industries the government of Bahrain largely endeavors the creation of tourism packages. These packages are developed to help draw finances for reviving the small scale industries pertaining to handicrafts in the region of Bahrain (Follad, 2006, p.9-10). Role of tourism in Economic Diversification and Regeneration The impact of tourism can also be studied on the basis of the economic development of regions which were previously underdeveloped. The economic diversification and regeneration activities are pursued through the development of road networks and similarly of certain regions which come to be considered as one of the prime hotspots for tourists to pay their visits. Similarly the economic growth of the region can also be observed through the generation of employment opportunities with the growth of tourism industries. The rise in tourism activities in a region however also leads to render some negative impacts. The prices of land resources nearing the tourist hotspots tends to rise with the growth of tourism activities. Similarly the level of congestion also increases owing to the rise in large number of hotels in these areas which also signifies the reduction of land spaces. Again the financial costs of the nation in terms of extensive planning and rise in demand for increased wages among the employees also tend to increase with the growth of tourism activities. In terms of diversification the growth of specialty shops and market places come into action with the growth of tourism activities in a region (Godfrey & Clarke, 2000,p.21-23). In regards to Bahrain it is found that the development and growth of tourism activities pursued on a large scale has triggered the growth of real estate projects. With the desire of the government to boost up the income accruing from tourism activities large number of hotels is being opened up in the region in tie up with large construction companies. More people from foreign nations are increasingly flocking towards Bahrain to gain access to real estate properties leading to rise in prices of land resources in the country. The same can be shown through a graphical presentation as in Figure 2 of Appendix. The graphical presentation given in Figure 2 shows the increase of demand for real estate properties by people belonging to regions other than Bahrain. These people considered as tourists tend to increasingly possess large amount of real estate properties in the Bahrain region (Oxford Business Group, 2008, p.145). Issues Regarding the Development of Tourism in Bahrain Development of tourism in the Bahrain region can be observed on the following grounds. Firstly the government of the country is endeavoring to increase the attention of the world community to develop the heritage properties existing in the region. Secondly the advent of corporate tourism is largely being emphasized in the region through the creation of spaces for large scale conferences and meetings. Thirdly the government of Bahrain is largely working on the development of sporting activities pertaining to water and motor sports. Fourthly the government of Bahrain is also working on the development and enhancement of the cultural aspects of the nation like arrangement of dance and food festive in large numbers. This fact would help in drawing large number of tourists from other nations. Finally in the fifth case the government of the region is also working in a spontaneous fashion to promote large scale beautification programs in terms of construction of high class hotels and other infrastructures (Oxford Business Group, 2007, p.155, 158,161). Impacts of Unplanned Tourism The tourism activities in any region must be properly planned to help gain maximum effectiveness of the large number of activities conducted in regards to the same. Without planning of proper marketing functions the country fails to draw revenues to help in the development of its heritage and other small scale sectors (Huybers, 2007, p.159). Further the natural and social environment also gets largely affected without proper conduct of tourism activities. Thus proper tourism planning strongly emphasizes the development of close networks with different stakeholder groups so as to promote all round development. Increased emphasis on recreational activities pertaining to tourism without effective planning tends to highly impact the natural environment of the country and deplete the level of scarce resources (Edgell, Allen & Smith & Swanson, 2007, p.298; Mason, 2003, p.94). Conclusions The region of Bahrain in the Saudi Arabian region reflects an ample number of opportunities to help develop the growth of tourism functions. The government and the private bodies of Bahrain are working to help in the development of infrastructural facilities and also in the steady encouragement of several sporting and cultural activities to help attract large number of tourists from foreign nations. Large number of land resources is being increasingly gained by the foreign nationals leading to scarcity of space. Water Tourism activities in the region have also affected the level of natural resources leading to the depletion of coastal and marine life and thereby needs to be effectively handled. References Cook. (2007). Tourism: The Business Of Travel, 3/E. Pearson Education India. Edgell, D., Allen, M., Smith, G. & Swanson, J. (2007). Tourism Policy and Planning: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Butterworth-Heinemann. Follad, A. (2006). The role of Arts and Crafts in Tourism and Bahrain Economic Development. [Doc]. Available At: http://www.sct.gov.sa/icth/files/papers/meeting13/Meeting13Doc1.doc. [Accessed on June 19, 2011]. Gillespie, C. (2002). Bahrain. Infobase Publishing. Godfrey, K. & Clarke, J. (2000). The tourism development handbook: a practical approach to planning and marketing. Cengage Learning EMEA. Henderson, J. (2007). Tourism crises: causes, consequences and management. Butterworth-Heinemann. Huybers, T. (2007). Tourism in developing countries. Edward Elgar Publishing. Library of Congress-Federal Research Division. (2007). Country Profile: United Arab Emirates. [Pdf]. Available At: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/UAE.pdf. [Accessed on June 19, 2011]. Mason, P. (2003). Tourism impacts, planning and management. Butterworth-Heinemann. Oxford Business Group. (2008). Report: bahrain 2008. Oxford Business Group. Oxford Business Group. (2007). The Report: Emerging Bahrain 2007. Oxford Business Group. Page, S. (2009). Tourism Management: Managing for Change. Butterworth-Heinemann. Saenger, P. (2009). Environmental Impacts of Coastal Tourism: An Overview and Guide to Relevant Literature. [Online]. Available At: http://epubs.scu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1710&context=esm_pubs&sei-redir=1#search=%22Environmental+Impact+of+Tourism+in+Bahrain%22. [Accessed on June 19, 2011]. World Travel and Tourism Council. (2003). Bahrain: Travel and Tourism-A World of Opportunity. [Pdf]. Available At: http://www.bahrainembassy.org/view/resources/uploaded/worldtravel-bahrain.pdf. [Accessed on June 19, 2011]. Appendices Figure 1: Forecasted Income Levels from the Different Tourism Sectors in Bahrain (Source: World Travel and Tourism Council, 2003, p.11) Figure 2: Occupancy Rate of Non-Bahrainis in Real Estate Properties (Source: Oxford Business Group, 2008, p.145) Read More