Contemporary issues in travel and tourism - Assignment Example

? CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM By Location Contemporary issues in travel and tourism Introduction Tourism has emerged to be one the fastest growing economic sectors in many countries. For instance, in Costa Rica, tourism has been serving as the largest foreign exchange earner since 1995. The natural attractions such as Poas Volcano Crater and Cocos Island have enhanced the growth of the sector in Costa Rica. Since the year 1999, tourism in Costa Rica has earned more foreign exchange than agricultural product exportation in the country (Jawahar 2009, p. 268). Despite the tourism sector being the leading foreign exchange source, it also brings consequences such as terrorism and security, health and safety impacts, and negative social and cultural impacts in the country. Task 1 Current issues affecting tourism in Costa Rica Insecurity issue There are many current issues affecting travel and tourism in Costa Rica, which include insecurity and natural hazards such as earthquakes. The problem of insecurity in Costa Rica towards tourists may pose a greater negative impact to tourism in the country. Costa Rica hopes to make billions of revenue from the travel and tourism sector this year, so travelling to Costa Rica is very imperative to sustain the country’s economy (Costa Rica News 2011). Tourists should be aware of the current possible insecurity matters in the country. Terrorist attacks in the country occur randomly anytime and anywhere. Examples of these attacks include suicide bombs, car bombs, kidnappings, and shootings. Therefore, tourists should be aware that there is an increment in the number of crimes around the entire country including pick pocketing and stealing of passports (Costa Rica News 2011). Ecotourism issue On the other hand, there is the issue of ecotourism in Costa Rica whose development has highly enhanced growth of the travel and tourism industry, hence increasing the rate of revenues earned from tourists. Ecotourism development and management in Costa Rica has shown responding to the emerging trends in Costa Rica. Ecological tourism is responsible travel to pristine, fragile, and usually in protected areas that endeavors be small-scale and low impact (Costa Rica 2013). Ecotourism in the country helps in provision of political, social, and economical funds, educate travelers, directly benefits local communities’ political empowerment and economic development, and ensure protection of different cultural practices and human rights. “Take the only memories and leave only footprints” is a common slogan used in Costa Rica in protected places (Costa Rica 2013). However, tourist destinations in Costa Rica are shifting carbon free area following the trend of tourists being more focused in environmentally responsible hence adopting a sustainable tourism (Donald 2005). Task 2 Key statistics of tourist for the last five years in Costa Rica Costa Rica remains to be the most visited country in Central American States, with 2.2 million tourists in the year 2011. The total of tourists touring the destination surpassed the two million landmarks in the year 2008 representing 54% U.S. tourist visiting Costa Rica. Due to the combined global economic crisis and the flu epidemic, this occurred in the year 2009, lead to a reduction of the number of tourists in 2009 to 1.9 million visitors. This was a reduction of 8% percent compared to the turn up in 2008. In the year 2010, the number of tourists rose to 2.1 million, barely breaking the record of 2008. An historical record was set in the year 2012 with 2.34 million tourists visiting Costa Rica, a 6.9% increase over the year 2011. The global tourist receipts increased to 2.4 billion dollars in the year 2012, and the leading country of origin was United States with a total of 864,340 visitors, Nicaragua in 474,011tourists being the second, and Canada with 136,261 visitors. Emerging trends in terms of product services offered The Costa Rica tourism composes of visible actors-like airlines and hotels, as well as associate industry such as food, transportation, attractions, support services, tour operators, and training. The tourism sector in Costa Rica is focusing on the emerging trends in tourism sector in order to innovate and improve its products and services continuously. The main motivation that attracts many tourists in Costa Rica is natural and cultural attractions (Gustav 2013, p.25). Tourism attractions in Costa Rica Costa Rica has a superior geographic location, which enables the country to attract large number tourists. This is because the country is located almost near one of the top ranked tourists’ source market in the entire world: the Unite States. Costa Rica is also a small country, therefore is an added advantage because variety of large profitable activities in the country takes place within relatively short duration (Howard 2007, p.430). For instance, within a short period, tourists can go from Pacific Ocean to Atlantic Ocean and within few days, they can visit beaches, national parks, forest, and other diverse attraction sites in the country. During the eighteenth centuries, the international trends towards ecology gathered momentum and environmental conservation, Costa Rica since it was biological diversity, and politically stable attracted many research institutions that have remained for many decades in the country doing first-class research (Howard 2007, p.79). These entities have highly spread the fame of Costa Rica as one of the countries, which are ranked as committed to biodiversity and environmental conservation. Additionally, the country has established an exemplary game reserves and national parks, where tourists enjoy relatively easy access and large national territory percentage. As a result, the country’s tourism sector is well positioned to benefit from its ecological tour products, which are increasing continuously in global popularity, generally, and among the United States “Baby Boomers” in particular. Moreover, tourism sector in the country offers a range of tourism products and services with high potential of tourism, such as adventure tourism, nature tours, business tourism, and other several tourism activities (Howard 2007, p.246). Since Costa Rica is one of diverse countries with a variety of tourists opportunities, often found in some of geographical area within the nation, this tourism product supply analysis simply basis on the type of product. Costa Rica has so many natural attraction sites, which benefits the country due to attraction of large number of tourists but there are most commonly known tourist sites in the country. First, the most famous attraction base is North Pacific (Howard 2007, p.430). Currently, North Pacific is one of the most profitable tourists’ attractions site and so far the most developed tourist centre with respect of tourism services and infrastructure. It has most conducive beaches, such as El Coco, Conchal, Flamingo, Tamarindo, and Bahia Culebra. The North Pacific primary characteristics include nature and landscape, Beaches and sun, Handicrafts, Agro-tourism, Folkloric culture, and Scuba diving and snorkeling. Secondly, there is the South Pacific attraction site (Lennon 2003, p.154). This vast extension has countless beaches, picturesque cities, and villages. The central pacific also has protected area, game reserves, and national parks where tourists can visit. This is the second most utilized tourism product in Costa Rica after the North pacific and receives large number of international tourists. The mid pacific peak season is from December to April. The site has a variety of accommodation supply starting from Five Star to bed and breakfast hotels. The mid pacific also includes Quepos, Manuel Antonio, Jaco, Punta Leona Private Reserve, Dominical, and Carara National parks (Carol 2004). The site’s primary characteristics are Sports tourism, Biological reserves, Nature and landscape, and water activities (surfing, kayaking, and rafting). Other tourism attraction sites in Costa Rica include the OSA Peninsula and the South Pacific, northern mountains, central valley, Caribbean, museums, and handicraft centers. Accommodation One of the most essential and dynamic sectors in tourism industry offering accommodation for the tourists is the lodging sector (Darlin & Victor 2009, p. 200). The significance of this sector in Costa Rica is highly evident due to its high investment share it has being doing for over many years and job generation for the citizens. Costa Rica lodging sectors have come up with a new hotel system to enable the sectors to meet the demands of the tourists. The hotel/lodging sector in Costa Rica has highly improved with the highest percentage of hotels being established in the central valley. The tourism board in the country is implementing a new hotel/lodging system mainly purposed for communicating correctly to the visitors the hotel operational standards (Darlin & Victor 2009, p. 202). These new hotel/lodging standards are associated with those of United States because the Americans account for approximately forty-five percent of the total current tourists in Costa Rica. Task 3: How Costa Rica Aramalf Tours has responded to the emerging trends in the terms of travel and tourism product demanded and the changing pattern of customer requirements. Aramalf Tours is one of the famous travel and tourism organization, which its main aim is transport tourists to various tour sites around the country. The organization however has established five star hotels in different tour sites in Costa Rica. These hotels and restaurants are highly advanced to meet the lifestyle standards of the tourists since large percentage of Costa Rica tourists come from America. There have been recent developments in Costa Rica tourism sector to cater for emerging trends in travel and tourism in the terms of travel and tourism product demanded and the changing pattern of customer requirements (Stocker 2013, p.189). The Aramalf Tours has ensured an up-trend over the last years since international travels for short-term breaks are highly common. Since tourists have a wide range of taste and budgets, Aramalf Tours organization establishes a wide variety of hotels in the tourism sites to cater for the tourists’ requirement. For instance, some of the tourists prefer simple beach holidays while others prefer vacations that are more specialized, family-oriented holidays, quieter resorts, and destination hotels in market-targeted places. The Aramalf Tours in Costa Rica has also ensured development of standard hotels with high-class accommodation facilities to cater for the needs of the tourists (Stocker 2013, p.186). Since a large percentage of its tourists come from United States, these hotels, Aramalf Tours ensures improvement of these hotels to meet the living standards of the Americans. This has highly helped the tourism sector to attract a large number of tourism hence making the sector the main source of foreign exchange currency in the country. Secondly, Aramalf Tours organization ensures advancements in transport and technology infrastructure, such as low-cost airlines, Jumbo jets, and many accessible airports in the country have made a number of tourism highly available in the country. This has lead to increase of the number of tourists who use air transport increase to approximately five hundred thousand since this form of transportation is the most convenient (Stocker 2013, p.186). However, since there has been a great change in people’s lifestyle, Aramalf Tours has also come up with new improved services to cater for different lifestyles. For instance, many retirement-age groups maintain year round tourism. With Aramalf Tours, this is highly enhanced by internet sales available in the tourism sector. The Aramalf Tours has now developed websites where customers can log in to have a look at the available tourism services and even make online payment transaction (www.servicecarrental.com ) (Stocker 2013, p.186). Technology advancement in the country has resulted to internet sales, which highly facilitates tourism services. Furthermore, some tourism sites in Costa Rica have now started offering dynamic packaging, whereby an inclusive cost is quoted for the tailor-made package demanded for tourist upon impulse buying. Moreover, Aramalf Tours ensures there is sustainable tourism in the country (ICT 2013). Sustainable tourism in the country is envisaged as the most leading management tool for managing all tourist resources in such a manner that social, economic, and aesthetic requirements can be satisfied maintaining essential ecological processes, cultural integrity, life support systems, and biological diversity. Sustainable tourism implies that, the tourism sector meets the tourists’ requirements of the current without compromising the future generations’ ability to meet their own demands (Stocker 2013, p.186). Sustainable tourism in Costa Rica is seen as having regards to social-cultural and ecological carrying capacities and involves destination community in tourism development planning. Sustainable tourism also involves incorporating tourism to go with current growth and economic policies in order to diminish some of the current negative social and economic impacts of “mass tourism”. Lastly, ecotourism is also another development that has shown respond to the emerging trends in Costa Rica (Stocker 2013, p.186). Ecological tourism is responsible travel to pristine, fragile, and usually in preserved area that endeavors to be small-scale and low impact. It helps provide conservation funds, educate travelers, directly benefits local communities’ political empowerment and economic development, and pay respect to dissimilar cultural practices and human rights. “Take the only memories and leave only footprints” is a common slogan used in Costa Rica in protected places. However, tourist destinations in Costa Rica are shifting carbon free area following the trend of tourists being more focused in environmental responsible hence adopting a sustainable tourism (Stocker 2013, p.187). Task 4 Ecotourism being one of the responses to emerging trends has positively affected travel and tourism sector in Costa Rica. Promotion of ecotourism in the country has resulted to several desirable outcomes (Buckley 2009, p.218). For instance, its continued expansion has created income generation opportunities and employment opportunities, at both local and national levels. In addition, ecotourism in Costa Rica provides greater incentives encouragements for natural resources preservation in the outline of nation-protected areas and private properties. As a result, conservation of natural in Costa Rica is on the rise (Buckley 2009, p.308). With almost half million acres of land in Costa Rica appointed as protected areas, tourism in the country has surged, with nature and scientific tourists from all countries around the globe congregating on this naturally bestowed, tourists’ delight. Lastly, heightened stress focuses on environmental education in Costa Rica (Buckley 2009, p.295). While the government of Costa Rica has successfully influenced economic growth and environmental conservation by marketing the state’s ecotourism destinations, current studies shows that it is yet to invest adequate resources and attention for natural assets management, which attracts more visitors or in the infrastructure needed to support ecotourism in the country (Buckley 2009, p.302). Consequently, fragile sites of cultural significance or ecological have been exposed to the degradation threat by the less regulated tourism over-visitation and development. In short, whereas the explosion of tourist has attracted international attention and new revenues to Costa Rica, it has however put a tension on the state’s population and environment. Secondly, some of travel and tourism organization in the country such as Aramalf Tours has responded to the emerging trends in tourism sector, such as low-cost airlines, Jumbo jets, and many accessible airports in the country have made a number of tourism highly available in the country (Martin 2004, p.202). This advancement has effectively affected the tourism sector in Costa Rica since it has influence increase of the number of tourists visiting the country. Increase in the number of tourists entering the country boost the countries economy since tourism is the main source of revenue especially foreign currencies. This has also le to creation of job opportunities in the infrastructure sector whereby, many people play the role of fetching tourists around the country’s scenery sites and around the National parks (Martin 2004, p.27). However, since there has been a great change in people’s lifestyle, Costa Rica tourism sector has also come up with new improved services to cater for different lifestyles. For instance, many retirement-age groups maintain year round tourism. In Costa Rica, this is highly enhanced by internet sales available in the tourism sector (Luck 2008, p.108). Many tourism sites in the country have now developed websites where customers can log in to have a look at the available tourism services and even make online payment transaction. Technology advancement in the country has resulted to internet sales, which highly facilitates tourism services. Furthermore, some tourism sites in Costa Rica have now started offering dynamic packaging, whereby an inclusive cost is quoted for the tailor-made package demanded for tourist upon impulse buying (Luck 2008, p.109). The tourism sector in Costa Rica ensures sustainable tourism in the country hence effectively leading to development and increase of tourist percentage in the country (Tourism in Costa Rica 2012). Sustainable tourism in Costa Rica remains as the most leading management tool for managing all tourist resources in such a manner that social, economic, and aesthetic requirement can be satisfied maintaining essential ecological processes, cultural integrity, life support systems, and biological diversity. Sustainable tourism in Costa Rica entails that, the tourism sector meets the tourists’ requirements (Bernardo 2004). Moreover, Costa Rica tourism sector ensures there is sustainable tourism in the country. Sustainable tourism in the country is the most leading management tool for managing all tourist resources in such a manner that social, economic, and aesthetic requirements can be satisfied maintaining essential ecological processes, cultural integrity, life support systems, and biological diversity. Sustainable tourism implies that, the tourism sector meets the current tourists’ needs without compromising the future generations’ capability to meet their own requirements. Sustainable tourism in the country has regards to social-cultural and ecological carrying capacities and involves destination community in tourism development planning (David 2012, p.11). This response to emerging trends also involves incorporating tourism to go with current growth and economic policies in order to diminish some of the current negative social and economic impacts of huge numbers of tourists. Conclusion In conclusion, tourism in Costa Rica has emerged to be one the fastest growing economic sectors. For instance, in the country, tourism has been serving as the largest foreign exchange earner for over many decades (Buckley 2009, p.295). Tourism in Costa Rica has remained successful because of the sector’s ability to establish new measures to respond to the current emerging trends in travel and tourism. This new developments has highly enhanced the tourism sector to manage the tourism sites enabling attraction of large number of tourists each year. Since the year 1999, tourism in Costa Rica has been earning more foreign exchange than agricultural product exportation in the country. Despite the tourism sector being the leading foreign exchange source, it also brings consequences such as terrorism and security, health and safety impacts, and negative social and cultural impacts in the country (Buckley 2009, p.297). Therefore, the sector should make efforts of minimizing these negative impacts, which the visitors bring to the country. 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