Varoon Nasa

Varoon is a Master in Tourism Destination Management student from India. He’s currently writing his thesis and will be looking for a job in The Netherlands afterwards as part of the opportunities provided by the so-called Orange Carpet regulations. He shares some of his experiences in this short blogpost.

Studying in The Netherlands seemed a place so far away for a Bachelor student from India. Yet studying tourism was always my passion and I started researching for a good university with a competitive study program while finishing my last semester in my Bachelors in India. NHTV Breda came across as an interesting and esteemed university with professional credibility. The Master in Tourism Destination Management programme (TDM) enabled me to gain extensive theoretical knowledge which was later used effectively in our field research in Tasmania (Australia), Singapore and Bali. TDM is by far the only course which offers a student to work directly in the destination and explore the tourism environment first hand.

The Netherlands for me was the best choice while choosing a country to study as it gave me an opportunity to interact and study with people from all over the world. As a part of the orange carpet opportunities, The Netherlands offers international students the oppertunity one year after finishing the study to to look for a high skilled job. Currently I am working on my thesis with close contact from my supervisor, which in itself is a whole other experience from what we all were studying while on field research. Future plans would include finishing my thesis as soon as possible and working in Europe for some time and then returning to the place I call home India.

TDM students on Bali Radio

During the field trip 2010, TDM students interviewed Ratna Soebrata, who is a very active representative of the tourism industry on Bali. Besides her job at the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) on Bali as well as her own tour operating company and numerous other important tourism positions, Ratna is also working at a local radio station on Bali.

As an expert in tourism, Ratna moderates the ‘Insight Tourism’ show, which is on every Thursday night. The show informs the audience about developments in tourism on Bali and seeks to provide interesting conversations on tourism with guests and listeners alike. Three TDM students were invited by Ratna to be her guests at the show, which was broadcast live on April 13 from 19.15 until 20.30. The girls had a good chat with the host about the changes that are happening on Bali, the most beautiful places and tourism products Bali has to offer as well as the Balinese culture. Laura, Carla and Judith would like to take this opportunity to once again say thanks to Ratna for this great experience and her very welcoming and hospitable attitude.

Prof. Dr. Brian Wheeller

Recently Brian Wheeller has given keynote presentations at three international conferences: ‘The Best of Times: The Worst of Times’ at the Cities as Creative Spaces for Tourism, University of Bogazici, Istanbul, Turkey: ‘What do they know of Tourism who only Tourism know’ at the Beyond the Boundary: Creating New Epistemologies in Tourism, University of West Indies, Bridgetown, Barbados and ‘Sustainable Tourism? Time to Exit Fantasy Land’ at the ‘Sustainable Tourism …Just Do it’ conference at Etten-Leurs, The Netherlands.

A personality like Brian Wheeller will help strengthen the leading role that NHTV would like to play in international tourism destination management around the world.

Open evening on 15 April

Time: 18.30 to 21.30 hrs

What can you expect?

On this open evening you can get acquainted with the study programmes offered by NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences. To find out which study programme suits you, you can attend presentations, ask questions to students, lecturers and student counsellors, and get a taste of the atmosphere. Registration is not necessary.

TDM

The TDM department can be found on the 2nd floor of the main N: building at Hopmansstraat 1 in Breda. Several employees are available to answer any questions you might have. Don’t miss this opportunity to get a taste of the atmosphere at NHTV and at TDM in particular!

Directions to the various locations can be found here.

Registration is not necessary.

On Saturday 13 March 2010 from 10.00 a.m. till 15.00 p.m, the NHTV will open its doors so that you can get acquainted with the various study programmes offered by NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences.

This is a great opportunity to meet our lecturers as well as current students and get a taste of the atmosphere at NHTV. You can find TDM on the second floor of the main building at Hopmansstraat 1.

Directions to the various locations can be found here.

Free buses go from the train station to the locations. The NHTV buses stop at the international bus station.

Registration is not necessary.

Representatives from the master programme in Tourism Destination Management will present at the Master fair in Utrecht. The fair is held on 26 and 27 February 2010 at Jaarbeurs in Utrecht, The Netherlands.

This would be a great opportunity to find out more about NHTV University and our Master programmes in particular! It is also possible to plan a meeting with one of the lecturers present, just send us an email at master-tdm (at) nhtv (dot) nl

See you there!

For more information (in Dutch):  http://www.masterbeurs.nl

An article about alternative tourism in Palestine by NHTV Lecturer Rami Isaac, was published in Tourism, Hospitality, Planning & Development Journal:

Violence, conflict and war, being sporadic or systematic, may affect uninvolved potential tourists. The eruption of the second Palestinian uprising (Intifada) in October 2000 (its Arab name Al-Aqsa Intifada) introduced Bethlehem to a reality of fluctuating political violence and counter-violence, tension and instability. But it has also promoted and brought about the emergence of a new tourist phenomenon whereby certain tourists and visitors come to the city, which lies at the heart of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, in order to show their solidarity and support for Palestine and Palestinians.

Isaac, R. (2009) Alternative Tourism: Can the Segregation Wall in Bethlehem be a Tourist Attraction? Tourism, Hospitality, Planning & Development 6: 3, 247-254.

Photo credit: pedrosimoes7

As part of their TDM study programme, the master students at this moment are writing their own articles and contributing to debates on tourism destination management.

This is a roundup of their articles and we’d hereby like to offer you the opportunity to interact with the current master students and the TDM curriculum: feel free to read and comment on their contributions! We’re very interested in seeing you join the discussion!

20 Oct 2009, Nina Nguyen on Climate change and destination tourism development

Climate change is known as global warming, ice melt, violent storms, drought, floods, extinction of species, etc, Vietnam potentially is one of the countries where climate change could have the most dramatic impact. Climate change in Vietnam would threat 2,000 miles of coastline in danger of losing land and people as well as bring more frequent and severe typhoons and rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns with. Vietnam has a large amount of forest area covering almost 40 percent of the country. According to Vietnam’s forest use classification system, 17 percent of these forests are considered special use, 41 percent are considered as protection and 42 percent are classified as production. Climate change by its very nature has not only become a challenge to environmental protection but also to tourism industry development in Vietnam.

Tourism is a resource industry, dependent for its basic appeal upon natural resources and society’s heritages. Natural resources are the combination of local physical attributes including:  climate, landforms, landscapes, flora or fauna; while socio-cultural heritages draw tourists’ attention to historic buildings, works of art, cuisine, festivals and spectacles. As tourism is a key industry in Vietnam, protecting mentioned tourism resources as well as related elements with respect to infrastructure, accommodation, transportation against the threats of climate change has become crucial than ever.

The major challenge of climate change with regards to Vietnam tourism is dynamics of tourism market. As demand side, tourists always seek for good weather by changing destination and travel patterns, Vietnam thus would face with high tourism seasonal problem during the rainy season. The damage of infrastructure would be recognized as tourists’ frustration while travelling within Vietnam as well as increasing the cost of maintaining. On the supply side, climate change presents a serious risk to areas which are highly dependent on tourism as a main source of income. The degradation of coastal zones, rising sea level and decline in biodiversity could make Vietnam lose its attractiveness to tourists. In brief, climate change could affect to the livelihood of the destination, decrease the amount of tourist arrivals as well as cause the lost in productivity by the cost of maintaining infrastructure, protecting environment.

According to the UNWTO’s “Climate Change and Tourism: Responding to Global Challenges” report, it is clear that tourism has become a non-negligible contributor to climate change. The economic, environmental and social impact of climate change makes tourism both a victim and a vector. Vietnamese government therefore should draw efficient development strategies to adapt to the changing of climate. Promoting public awareness on climate change, developing sustainable plan for building infrastructure, protecting tourism resources with regards to climate change should be essential goals in the country’s plan.

Bibliographic references

• Article: The Responsible Travel and Tourism Showcase is produced by Baxter Travel Media for the Responsible Travel and Tourism Forum and as a supplement to the Dec. 3/2007
• Digital edition of Canadian Travel Press, 310 Dupont, Toronto, Ont., M5R 1V9,
• WWF climate change program: No place to hide: Affects of climate change on protected areas
• http://www.terradaily.com/2006/070205100236.qijukvv4.html (Vietnam highly vulnerable to climate change: expert. HANOI, Feb 05, 2007)
• http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/KHII-7WK5FW?OpenDocument (Vietnam: Economics of adaptation to climate change study. The World Bank Group, 30 Sept 2009)

25/10/09, Dina Kupryushina on consumer market trends and destination competitiveness

Tourism is undergoing through extremely difficult conditions as the international economy continue to deteriorate and Asia and the Pacific, being attractive and lucrative tourism regions in the world, are also strongly crushed with the impact of the global slowdown. As it was concluded by almost 100 experts from 25 countries participating for the second UNWTO conference on Tourism Trends and Outlook in Guilin , if tourism is promoted properly it can overcome the economic slowdown and difficulties and also to some extent can resolve the financial crisis of some countries. This paper discusses various elements of sustainable tourism in case of destination competitiveness with respect to South Asia and the concept of sustainability mixed with destination competitiveness is new to tourism world but it would definitely help to resolve black clouds of tourism crisis. This paper will also highlight the strategies and competitiveness development methods thereby recognizing the pattern of growth in tourism industry.

Destination Competitiveness-in case of South Asia

To develop competitiveness with regard to destination can be defined as the mixing of the individual products and experiences that would result a total experience of area visited. In the case of South Asia, the experiences and opportunities can be explained in terms of various areas of travel and tourism. Some developing countries despite of having advantages of travel destination for travelers are not able to receive attention from the global travel community, as such there is a need to draw strategic tourism planning and implement it effectively. Tourism industry in South Asia still lacks the key situational factors prevailing in much destination competitiveness. A few of key strategic gaps and challenges are highlighted below. Treating surrounding communities like a threat, lack of strategies and actions, narrowed and short time strategies has restricted tourism industry to grow.  Coordinated efforts, continuous support and coaching, sufficient financial support is crucial for improving attraction to destinations of South Asia countries.

In order to enhance destination competitiveness we have to understand various factors in a long-term period.  Support activities such as infrastructure, human resources, capacity, policies etc need to be combined with key drivers factors such as inputs (i.e. business model, cooperation, investments, resources), sustainable process (i.e. build image, competency, development, service delivery), operations (i.e. brand management, core competencies, expansion, positioning). Destination marketing is one of the important tools and helps highlight the service difference from competitors.  Sustainable service includes such features as services experiences, hospitality, accommodation, entertainment and it’s must be made to ensure quality of service approach to visitor satisfaction, moreover, innovation of services can create “value-competitive advantages”.

Ways for tourism competitiveness

Recognizing a pattern of development through tourism researchers contributing in competitiveness enhancement. Stimulation programs seek to create jobs and reignite growth. Tourism has more capacity for job creation and economic regeneration than virtually any other sector. Involving a diverse range of stakeholders in tourism destination development and planning. Value of ecotourism will give poor countries an advantage because of their nature, culture, and very lack of intensive development. The research is significant of understanding competitiveness variables to destinations in case of South Asian countries.

Sources:

• Article “Sustainable Tourism: A Case of Destination Competitiveness in South Asia” by Viju Mathew. South Asian Journal of Tourism and Heritage (2009) vol. 2, No.1
• Article “Asia Pacific Tourism Witnesses Improving Trends”, by Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)

23-10-2009,  Carla Flores on Market Trends and Destination Competitiveness

Over the last decade the gay market segment has been targeted more and more. The United States, Australia, South Africa and Europe have targeted gay travelers as a potential market generating a lot of revenues and positive exposure for a destination. But, in general, this is not the case of Asian destinations, where homosexuality is not accepted. The purpose of this article is then to create a space to reflect on how destinations that are opening up to tourism should confront contrasting behaviors, and specifically that of homosexuals.

Pritchard et al. (2000) argued that “the need for safety, to feel comfortable with like-minded people, and to escape heterosexism, often to specifically gay spaces, emerge as key influences on their choice of holiday”. When traveling to Asian countries the Euro-American gay tourists sometimes may escape from one “prison” to encounter themselves imprisoned in silence as in some countries, mostly Muslim, being gay is still considered a sin. As mentioned by Hanot, these societies are rather conservative and a large share of the population strongly relies on their traditional values. In this discussion, the fact that everybody has the opportunity to “be one-self” and the fact that certain behaviors can sensitively offend others is controversial (Waitt and Markwell, 2006). However, as more countries recognize the incomes generated from gay tourists, some countries where homosexuality is not accepted have started developed a more open attitude in their tourism development by attracting gay segments. This is the case of Cambodia and Taiwan, where gay accommodations and travel agencies have begun to flourish. Also in 2007, Bangkok was considered by Lonely Planet’s Blue List as one of the ten hottest spots for gays in the world. So far, Bangkok is the only city in Asia to have received such a distinction (Hanot, 2009). Which one then is the right attitude? Should countries that open up to tourism accept behaviors and attitudes that they condemn in their own societies or should gays hide themselves and pretend something they are not? Is it possible to create a space in which there is a meeting point between the local culture´s values and norms without offending and obligating the “others” to change the behavior that seems and feels natural to them?

In order to have this meeting point, it is necessary to broaden the mind and also to make sacrifices. Both parties, local´s and gay tourists, must consider each other. In this sense neither the host population should condemn gay behavior, but gay tourists should also consider the host community and not publically behave inappropriate in countries and regions like the ones mentioned before. Codes of conducts for tourists could be an option, as well as, like mentioned before a wider mind in order to accept social differences.

Reference list

• “Sexuality and Holiday Choices: Conversations with gay and lesbian tourists”, Pritchard et al. 2002
• “Gay Tourism: Culture and Context”, Waitt and Markwell, 2006
• “Gay tourism remains mostly ignored in Asia”, Hanot, 2008

Until the mid-1960’s Bhutan was a non-monetized economy, operating in isolation from the rest of the world. The last 40 years have seen major change with tourism emerging as one of the country’s foremost industries. For all the change that has occurred, Bhutan essentially remains a very traditional society. The maintenance of tradition, coupled with spectacular natural landscape and the kudos of being the only Himalayan Buddhist Kingdom in the world, has seen demand for Bhutan as a destination increase dramatically in the past 10 years.

For centuries Bhutan – or ‘the land of the thunder dragon’ as the Bhutanese call their country – has been a non-monetized economy, operating in isolation from the rest of the world. Starting from the mid-1960’s isolation was decreasing and interest to the rest of the world was slowly increasing. The tourism industry for instance is a relatively young industry that has grown into one of the country’s foremost industries.

Bhutan is both modern as traditional. The tourism industry therefore is facing a conflict between future tourism strategies with the intention to preserve the traditional culture. With a growth of 300 tour operators in the last 3 years, the National Assembly wanting 60% of the land to be maintained a forest area and knowing that Bhutan is as mountain country, it almost seems an impossible task to conduct a modern tourism policy while preserving a traditional status.

Bhutan’s approach to tourism remains highly unusual and unique. Compared to other countries, tourism is tightly controlled. The country sells itself as an all-inclusive destination which can only be entered by paying US $200 a day. These ‘all-inclusive packages’ can only be sold by inbound tour operators. This creates a barrier for tourists to visit the country. However, the country persistently aims on experienced travelers and high class tourists unlike low-budget travelers.

The high entrance fee for entering the country is seen as a major obstacle in many ways. The high price makes it less attractive to stay longer within the country borders. Mainly because of the mountainous landscape, people are not willing to move around much because it takes too much time; and time loss means a waste of money. For local entrepreneurs the growing tourism industry can also not be seen as a positive impact. While the all-inclusive packages already implement drinks, food etc. it makes it hard for them to set up a business.

Tourist activities in Bhutan fall into two broad categories: trekking tourism and cultural tourism.  When trekking, mountaineering is illegal. The Bhutanese believe the mountains sacred deities and climbing them is seen as disrespectful. This eventually means that trekking tourism only covers a small market. Cultural tourism, strangely, is specified as all types of tourism accept trekking. By using this broad term, it is hard to specify ‘the real’ tourism market. So, what is the actual supply for the country?

The combination of selling the country as an all-inclusive destination by specifying only two tourism categories, makes it almost impossible to build up a structured tourism industry. It therefore seems that the country is trying to improve the industry without actually knowing which future goals and strategies to follow. The traditional authentic moral still seems to have high influence into modern thinking. So, it is not particularly the question what types of tourism should be offered, but how? Using the scope of modern thinking with preserving a traditional moral, a balance should be found between both which can lead to a great success of improving the national tourism industry.

Sources:

• Janet Cochrane (2008), Asian Tourism: Growth and change, first edition ©2008 Elsevier Ltd.
• http://books.google.nl/books?hl=nl&lr=&id=F0kf9i2go1sC&oi=fnd&pg=PA273&dq=bhutan+tourism+policy&ots=ji4DpXV5uF&sig=EfH2C3rMjuhL3OrY5l2tHeOPFUs#v=onepage&q=bhutan%20tourism%20policy&f=true
• Nicki Grihault (2006), Bhutan is the one to watch
• Travel Weekly UK, 12/1/2006, p90-91, 2p
• http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy1.dom1.nhtv.nl/ehost/detail?vid=6&hid=106&sid=1d1df69b-2e2e-4707-9b49-2bd25e350472%40sessionmgr110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=hjh&AN=23394371#db=hjh&AN=23394371

The Government has a role to play in tourism planning which is not limited to economic development and poverty reduction but includes building the nation’s image and identity (Chheang, 2009). Tourism is widely recognized as a major income earner for various nations and the government is generally required to take on an active role in establishing policies that promote tourism for the economic betterment of the country and its residents. It is however increasingly apparent that tourism policies are being developed to advance not just the tourism industry but the government’s political ideologies.

The tourism industry is monopolized by private sector companies; whose role is focused on marketing and maintenance of tourist facilities whilst the public sector focuses on managing the tourism environment, issuing policy guidelines and protecting the nation’s image. Tourism is generally a major economic contributor, tourism policies are often formulated to maximize the profit potential of the industry, generate foreign exchange earnings and create employment opportunities within the country.

Increasingly, polices are also being used to promote various political ideologies. Some countries use tourism policies to raise the political image and legitimacy of the State. Others such as Indonesia use policies to alleviate ethnic friction between groups for national harmony.  Chheang references work undertaken by Dhales in 2001 in which he investigated tourism development in Yogyakarta under Indonesian national tourism policies and the politics of the New Order regime. In this instance it was argued that “tourism is promoting two types of development “modernization” mainly for the local tourists and “ethnification” for foreign tourists (Chheang, 2009).  Whether they are successful in promoting cultural integrity, diversity or identity the Government continues to link cultural identity and image with tourism development” (Chheang, 2009). This is hypocritical as promotions are not indicative of the ethnic reality neither do they deal with the issue of inter-ethnic tensions. Studies have shown that tourism instead intensifies inter-ethnic tensions.

Various Governments have also been advocating for regional cooperation and integration. This is not only prominent within Southeast Asian countries but also among African countries. In March 2004, the East African Community (EAC) was established through membership of five East African countries; Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. The aim of this joint initiative is based on the assumption that cooperation in regional tourism development encourages countries to work closely together and in so doing increases their probability of co-operating and integrating in other economic and social fields for the mutual benefit of all parties. However, countries such as Tanzania are reluctant to fully commit to the partnership for fear that they may be marginalized by their more influential partner.

The case study conducted on Cambodia does provide hope that ideological and economic policies can be used to promote tourism development particularly with leadership support from high ranking Government officials. This is evident in the country’s successful implementation of a “Rectangular Strategy” “focused on promoting economic growth, employment, equity and efficiency in the public sector” while at the same time using tourism to reestablish the nation’s identity tarnished by civil war, French colonization and neighboring influences. This is evident in the resurgence of the Angkor Monument as a symbol of national pride.

I therefore agree with Butler, attention should be focused on addressing the relationship between politics and development. As this ensures policies tackle aspects of cultural heritage management, regional cooperation, political stability, security and safety while incorporating;

• environmental protection;
• stakeholder collaboration;
• human resource development;
• legal measures;
• destination product diversification as well as marketing promotion; and
• development of infrastructure and tourism facilities.

References:

• Butler, W. Richard. (2006). The Tourism Area Life Cycle, Applications and Modifications, Vol. 1, Aspects of Tourism 28. Clevedon. Buffalo. Toronto. Channel View Publications
• Vannarith Chheang. (Spring 2009). State and Tourism Planning: A case study of Cambodia. Turismos [Electronic Version]: An International Multidisciplinary Journal of Tourism, 4, (1), 63-82.
• (2007). Regional Overview: Membership Organization [Electronic Version]. Country Report. 49-51.
• (2009, October 18). East African Community. Retrieved October 24, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_African_Community

After several years of rapid growth in developing countries, the financial meltdown has ushered in dramatic shifts in the economic landscape with direct implications for tourism sector, Tourism is facing a decline stage due to the global economic crisis, and many countries change their market strategies, one of the country in Southeast Asia is Malaysia (Langkawi Island).

Langkawi island is one of the most beautiful islands in Malaysia. It is also geologically a very old island rich in terrestrial and marine biodiversity, with pristine forests and seas. It is also settled by local communities of farmers, fishermen and other rural inhabitants who rely on the island’s natural resources for a livelihood.

Government of Malaysia has planned Langkawi Island as a Geopark and before declaring as a geopark, Langkawi has been a tourism islands for many years. It has all the necessary infrastructure and utilities to support any future development for sustainable tourism. And Langkawi Island also well-known with international events, such as de Langkawi Tour (Bike Racing) , aerospace competition and also as free trade zone.

According to UNESCO, A geopark is a geological heritages scenic spot of special geoscientific significance, rare natural attribute and aesthetically ornamental value and with given scale and distribution scope, which integrates other natural scenes and sights and that of cultural interest into a unique natural area. It is not only a site for travel and sightseeing, vacationing and health recuperation as well as cultural recreation at a relatively high scientific level, but also a key protected area of geological heritages and base for geoscientific research and popularization.

And according Wikipedia Heritage refers to something which is inherited from one’s ancestors. It has several different senses, including Natural heritage, a nation’s fauna and flora, natural resources, and landscape

Langkawi Island as one of the well known tourist destinations based the abundant natural resources, its needs a lot of support from research and development (R & D) to sustain its tourism industry. For this reason, Government of Malaysia has cooperated with the university focuses on multidisciplinary researches, spearheading the goal of approaching sustainable development of ecotourism in Langkawi. Results of the researches purpose to UNESCO that Langkawi Geopark is the first geopark established in Malaysia and is one of the rare island geoparks in the world comprising 99 islands.

Langkawi Geopark possesses one of the most beautiful tropical island karst landscapes in the Southeast Asian region. This scenic beauty blended with its rich biodiversity has been Langkawi’s main tourist attraction. Knowledge on the origin of the limestone karst and the beauty of the landscape are the greatest assets to Langkawi Geopark to be shared with the rest of the world.

Langkawi Island has a high potential for conservation of biodiversity and geodiversity. Geoforest park highlights the geological components within the park area and emphasize on the balanced protection of geological and biological heritage. and geoforest park also promote the area for education and recreation purposes and also promotion of ecotourism.

Other significant threats to the geopark are threats to the sensitive nature of forests and biodiversity. If the natural heritage of Langkawi is not protected, the ecosystem’s health as a biological hot spot will also be affected. For example, if the forest is not healthy, freshwater lakes such as Dayang Bunting (one of 99 islands) will not be healthy. A unhealthy lake will destroy its attraction as a destination. Furthermore, fisheries will be negatively affected. A polluted lake will destroy biodiversity and fishery.
Langkawi Geopark is Malaysia’s first geopark and is located in the far northwestern corner of peninsular Malaysia. Located in northern State of Kedah, it is unique in the sense that it was formed on 99 islands that together made up the legendary Langkawi Archipelago, The total land area of Langkawi Geopark is about 478km2.

Conclusion
recently Malaysia success to establish Langkawi as new natural heritage to upgrade economic asset in developing new markets and create an economic environment where local communities will get real benefits and be encouraged to protect their quality environment.
Langkawi geopark, can be a special destination in Malaysia to challenge and attract special tourist with special purpose.

Refferent :
1. Weng Chan, Ngai, 2008, Protecting And Conserving Our Natural Heritage: Potentials, Threats And Challenges Of Langkawi Geopark, Malaysia

2. G.J. Ashworth, 2008, Causes, Causes and Consequences of Transition from Blue to Grey Tourism.
3. G.J. Ashworth, 2004, The blue – grey transition: heritage in the reinvention of the tourism resort.
4. Amano, Kazuo, 2009, The East Asia Geopark Vision –Economic Development of Regional Communities and the Role of Universities-Case of Ibaraki-Universiti.
5. Norhayatiahmad, 2007 accessed on http://norhayatiahmad-herpetologist.blogspot.com/2007/02/langkawi-geopark.html

Global warming. To some countries it only has a small negative connotation but for others, the devastating effects are more than only a surrealistic scenario. One of the main consequences of global warming is the melting of the ice caps which gradually causes a rise in sea level, threatening different countries across the world such as the Netherlands, but also countries on the other side of the globe. Many Pacific countries have coral atolls no more than 3 meters above sea level and rising oceans are already inundating some coastlines, polluting freshwater sources and killing off fruit-bearing trees and other crops. The tropical island Vanuatu is one these islands which, if immediate actions are not undertaken by worlds biggest economies, faces a wet future and eventually even total obliteration. The purpose of this article is therefore creating awareness about this topic in order to maintain these paradises and give its people the future they deserve, with land to grow and air to breathe.

The effects of climate change and rising sea levels can be seen on many islands in Vanuatu. The Sea Level and Climate Monitoring Project, set up in 1993 by Australian scientists, recorded the sea level at 12 points in the South Pacific and detected a rise of, on average, 6 mm per year. Another institution, Vanuatu’s Meteorological Department, also recorded an increase in the number of storms due to climate change. In the Forties, the number of storms was 5 every year, nowadays the average is 15. These numbers inevitably present themselves in the everyday life of the local communities, floods become a regularity in peoples lives. Rising sea levels, washed out beaches, bleached coral reefs and turbulent weather affect not only the comfort of living of the citizens but also the fast growing tourism industry (20% of GDP, 2006) and Vanuatu’s main export, coconuts, to eventually it will evolve into a total submersion by the ocean.

Some climatologists, such as Stephen Koletti from the University of Southern California, say it is still too early to jump to conclusions. He says that washed out beaches alone are not sufficient evidence for a rise in the sea level. According to him, the ocean and the beach are part of a dynamic system with beaches that are washed out by the ocean during storm season and then being replenished during summer. However, the fact that Vanuatu’s coastlines are not being recovered and the scientific results of the SLCMP measurements are indicators of change which can not be ignored, even by critics.

6 August 2009, leaders from the South Pacific ended the Pacific Islands Forum* which this year focused largely on the key issues of climate change. They seek urgent support from world leaders because it is not just a matter of importance or a matter of urgency, for many of them, it really is a matter of survival.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, the new forum chairman, stressed the impacts of the coastal devastation because half the population of the affected islands countries live within less than 1.5 kilometers of their coastlines. In 2005, an entire coastal village in Northern Vanuatu was already relocated to higher ground, making 100 people the first climate-change refugees ever.

So which measurements can be taken in order to stop this threatening rise in sea level? The answer is simple but the elaboration is not: stop global warming! Again, it are the big economies with polluting industries who are pointed at with the finger and quite rightly because their acting affects nations in a region which has contributed little in the way of carbon emissions. In a joint statement the members of the forum therefore called upon world leaders to urgently increase their level of ambition and to give their negotiators fresh mandates to secure a truly effective global agreement. Their plea towards all nations to formally agree to cut emissions by at least 45% by 2020 is consequently totally justified and should be executed by those who are responsible. If not, once Vanuatu will vanish and the earth will loose another oeuvre d’art because of human greed and indifference. It is our shared responsibility to not let this happen.

* The Pacific Islands Forum meets each year to discuss key regional issues. There are currently 15 forum members: Australia, the Cook Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa, Micronesia, Kiribati, Niue, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Sources:
Author unknown (August 6, 2009), “Pacific leaders call for ramped up efforts to tackle climate change”, Japan Economic Newswire
(http://newsportal.lexisnexis.nl.proxy1.dom1.nhtv.nl/nhtv/)
Komai Makereti (August 6, 2009), “Pacific states seek urgent climate change action”, Associated Press Worldstream
(http://newsportal.lexisnexis.nl.proxy1.dom1.nhtv.nl/nhtv/)
Jolly Lynn (August 3, 2009), “Paradise Isles trip no junket”, Paisley Daily Press (http://newsportal.lexisnexis.nl.proxy1.dom1.nhtv.nl/nhtv/)
Boehm Peter (August 30, 2006), “Global warning: Devastation of an atoll”, The Independent UK

Destination branding is a set of marketing activities that support the creation of a name, symbol, logo, word mark or other graphic that readily identifies and differentiates a destination”(Steven Pike, 2009).

In recent months, Africa has been in the spot light and still is for the right reasons in terms of sporting events held in major African cities. FIFA’s third biggest tournament (under-17 tournament) kicks off this weekend in Abuja, Nigeria just after another FIFA tournament ended in Egypt last week and in less than a year the biggest football tournament in the world, the World Cup will be held for the first time on African soil (South Africa).

A destination brand is described as a power tool used to create an emotional appeal to the targeted consumers and brand image is crucial to the marketing success of a tourism destination (Marzano & Scott, 2009).The hosting of mega-events like the World Cup is a valuable opportunity for South Africa and Africa as whole to broadcast their identity and core values that they have as a continent. It is a once in lifetime chance that may never come again.

One vital issue in branding a destination is to deliver core values that are deemed valid, distinctive, appealing, durable and communicable. These core values can be used to distinguish South Africa from other previous countries who had hosted the World cup before (Gertner & Kotler, 2004). The Local Organising Committee (LOC) has chosen Ke Nako, to celebrate Africa’s Humanity as the theme of the tournament. Ke Nako means it’s time for people all over the world to change the negative perceptions about Africa and also to position South Africa positively as the theatre and Africa as the stage where people are passionate about football. The branding of Africa as having a humanity side should be able to convey both the intentions of the local organizing committee and the experiences that the spectators and tourists will feel when they visit the country.

The publicity attached to the sporting events is too enormous for it to be ignored. South Africa has started realizing some benefits associated in hosting the World cup. During the hosting of the confederation cup in June in preparation for the next year World cup over six hundred thousand fans attended the two weeks tournament were beautiful football skills were on display.

A mega event like the World Cup has characteristics of longevity, sustained attention and unforgettable experiences which can help promote South Africa as one leading destination on the continent. With exposure to billions of television viewers, 2010 provides an unparallel opportunity to enhance the brand awareness of South Africa as premier tourist destination and even generate years of follow-on tourists and deliver South Africa with future tourism growth.

However, destination branding is a long-term process in which the branding goals cannot be effectively achieved through a single event, even if that event itself is high-profile and can generate world attention and global influence. South Africa have to continue to promote the brand awareness of the country if it wants to sustain the interest generated by the World Cup and tourism arrivals and even go beyond the expected the arrivals. Branding should be able to change the negative perceptions that people have about destinations and also included in the long-term economic and social development plan of the country.

References

Pike Steven (2009). Destination brand positions of a competitive set of near-home destinations. Retrieved October 23, 2009 from http://www.sciencedirect.com.proxy1.dom1.nhtv.nl/

Oluwashina Okeleji.  (2009, October 20). Yar’Adua backs U17 World Cup. Retrieved October 24, 2009 from the BBC website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/africa/8316909.stm

Lotter Karen. (2007, November 27). Official Slogan and Poster Revealed in Durban, South Africa. Retrieved October 23, 2009 from suite 101.com website:  http://2010-fifa-world-cup.suite101.com/article.cfm/fifa_2010_world_cup_draw#ixzz0UqdURmPz

World Sport Destination Expo. (2009, September 21). Sports Tourism Spearheads South Africa’s Tourism Recovery. Retrieved October 15, 2009 from World Sport Destination Expo Web site: http://www.worldsportdestinationexpo.com

Zhang Li et al (2009). City branding and the Olympic effect: A case study of Beijing. Retrieved October 22, 2009 form: http://www.sciencedirect.com.proxy1.dom1.nhtv.nl/

Tourism is an industry that has an extended compromiser network (tourism can exercise power on many stakeholders). In terms of economical prosperity, on global level, tourism is one of the biggest contributors. On the other hand, tourism if not planned could also be the biggest contributor to economical failures and the mega-exploiter of natural and human environment that attracts visitors in the first place. Unfortunately, the tourism network is solitarian (tourism lack influence and power) in terms of solutions against economic decline and over-exploitations. Any tourism destination wishes to benefit the tourism industry by exploiting the resources but without damaging them (sustainable tourism). One important step towards achieving sustainable tourism is a plan and the inclusion of the different stakeholders in the tourism development.

Stakeholders and Sustainable Tourism Development.
Sustainable tourism was defined by the World Commission on the Environment and Development (WCED) as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generation to meet their own needs”. The general goal of sustainable development is to meet the basic needs of society and extend the opportunity for a higher quality of life.

As mentioned previously, it is clear that the participation of stakeholders is an important issue in (sustainable) tourism development. The participation of stakeholders became more important in 1984 by Freeman (when Freeman wrote Strategic Management; A stakeholder approach). A stakeholder is defined as; any group or individual who “can affect or is affected” by the achievement of the organization objectives.  Goeldner & Ritchie, 2003 consider the participation of these stakeholders – tourists, residents, entrepreneurs and local government officials important for tourism development. The WCED identified two stakeholder groups that match with the definition of sustainable tourism – present users and future users of a resource. The identification of who are the stakeholders and what are their interests differs per tourism situation.

What is important to be aware of is that the inclusion and participation of stakeholders in any activity is very crucial especially in sustainable tourism development. The idea is to include different perspectives and to categorize different groups involved in the tourism development process. For example, taking care of the needs and wants of the tourist in terms of attractions and facilities (physical developments) is what bring them to the destination. The communication with the local community is then important since they will have to host the tourists. Although many professionals (Andereck & Vogt, 2000; Andriotis, 2005; Ap,1992; Byrd & Gustke, 2004; Gunn,1994; Gursoy et al., 2002; Ioannides, 1995; Tosun, 2006; Yuksel et al., 1999) are aware of the importance of the inclusion of stakeholder in the tourism development process, the inclusion  of stakeholders has not yet been complete realize. According to Ioannides, 1995 & Tosun, 2006, stakeholder involvement is difficult or impossible to accomplish.

Conclusion
Different studies have been done and conclusion were made that the inclusion of stakeholders in sustainable tourism development is difficult or even impossible. However, results also show that their inclusion is very important. The article talks about stakeholders including – tourists, residents, entrepreneurs, government officials, in fact, stakeholders differ according to the situation.
There is a clear relationship between definitions of what are stakeholders and identifications of who are the stakeholders. Groups of people with a clear relationship with corporations are considered stakeholders, as it has been illustrated above. However, in a wide definition of stakeholder, any entity affected by corporate actions is also stakeholders (Freeman and Reed, 1983 and Freeman 2004 labeled both narrow and wide definitions). Within this wide definition of stakeholder, there is space for non-human aspects of the Earth- the natural environment (Stakeholders; Theory and practice. Friedman & Miles, 2006. P 13).
One question arises when looking back at the introduction of this article, the natural and human environment is what attract visitor in the first place. The natural environment is also a stakeholder. This categorization could be related to the Freeman’s (1984:46) definition – can affect or is affected by the achievements of the organization’s objectives but it also fit in the Bowie (1988: 112)’s definition – without whose support the organization would cease to exists.
So, are the right stakeholders considered in sustainable tourism development?

Bibliography
Book
Andrew L. Friedman and  Samantha Miles, (2006), Stakeholders, Theory and Practice. Oxford University Press Oxford New York.

Articles
Erick T. Byrd, Holly E. Bosley, Meghan G. Dronberger (2009) Comparisons of Stakeholder perception of tourism impacts in rural eastern North Carolina. Elsevier, Tourism Management 30 (2009) 693 – 703

Erick T. Byrd (2007) Stakeholders in Sustainable Tourism Development and their roles: Applying Stakeholder Theory to Sustainable Tourism Development. Tourism Review. Vol 62 No. 2/2007

Sustaining tourism as a vehicle for economic development in any destination depends on maintaining destination competitiveness. What makes a tourism destination truly competitive is its ability to increase tourism expenditure, to increasingly attract visitors while providing them with satisfying memorable experiences and to do so in a profitable way while enhancing the well being of destination residents and preserving the natural capital of the destination for future generation (Ritchie and Crouch, 2003:2). Ritchie and Crouch (2003) identified six dimensions of destination competitiveness, being economical, political, social, cultural, technological and environmental. However, the question that raises here is; which dimension has the priority label when it comes to compete as a tourism destination?

The long term success of a destination heavily depends on how competitive they are in the marketplace and how well they are positioned. Especially on today’s world, competitiveness concept has become even more significant due to the economic downturn and the new consumer trends. Destination management teams are heavily focusing on the six dimensions mentioned above to compete in the market and by doing this trying to increase their market share.
For many destinations around the world, especially developing countries it is almost impossible to focus on all six dimensions at the same time. Consequently, the actors in charge are making priorities among these.

In this case, one specific asset of the Libyan master plan has been analyzed. Libya is located in North Africa and is boarded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north. To date, Libya has been heavily reliant on oil as its main source of foreign exchange earnings. However, the Libyan government identified tourism as a key sector for economic development and diversification and therefore aiming to have an internationally competitive industry.
Due to this fact, Libya has developed the Libyan tourism master plan which includes consideration of the social dimension. Libya, in order to become an internationally competitive tourism destination carried out an analysis of their human resources issues in relation to the hotel sector. The results of this analysis will be used to adapt their master plan. The main results of this analysis showed that there is a lack of cooperation between public and private sector in relation to the human resources. Besides, the country suffered from a poor image in terms of employment conditions and benefits-low social status of hotel jobs and long working hours. E.g. two of these local constraints are legally prescribed low salaries and lack of understanding of the importance of tourism for the country.
Libyan authority mentioned that by identifying these issues and work towards improvement will open the doors of international market towards Libyan tourism institutions to accomplish competitive advantage. Reaching high standard level of quality service is the key to achieve an excellent tourism industry.

People are likely to position destinations in their mind using a set of attributes that determines relative competitiveness (Gursoy, D., Baloglu, S., Christina, G., 2009). One of them is the service received from the local population in a destination. The human resources required to serve the needs of a tourism destination are particularly diverse. Unfortunately, the important role of the human resources in facilitating tourism development has been overlooked or underestimated in several destinations. The important point here is that destinations in the tourism and hospitality sector must recognize that its success depends also upon the partnership between public and private sector (as stated in the Libyan master plan) and the quality of the people it employs. Consequently, it is recommendable to pay more attention to develop the human resources as there are most of the time many issues – not only in Libya but in many other (developing) countries – to be considered, especially in the hotel sector. Hotels are a major component of the tourism industry and human resources issues are important to serve quality and therefore one of the major keys to international competitiveness.

To conclude, employees are critical assets within the tourism and hospitality industry for sustaining and enhancing competitiveness and quality. Consequently, when it comes to market and position your destination within the international market, the starting point is to invest in the social dimension (human resources).

Bibliography List

Article:
Naama, A., Haven-Tang, C., & Jones, E. (2008). Human resource development issues for the hotel sector in Libya: a government perspective. International Journal of Tourism Research, 10(5), 481-492.

Gursoy, D., Baloglu, S., & Christina, G. (2009). Destination Competitiveness of Middle Eastern Countries: An examination of Relative Positioning. An International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research, 20 (1), 151-163.

Literature:
Brent, R. & Crouch, I.(2003). The competitive destination, A sustainable tourism perspective. United Kingdom: CABI publishing.

Jones, E. & Haven-Tang, C., (2005). Tourism SMEs, Service Quality and Destination Competitiveness. Kingdom: CABI publishing.

Consumer trends in tourism develop in many directions, one of them is based on the constant search for novelty and something more extreme. On 11th October 2009, Guy Laliberté, the seventh space tourist, returned to earth and this raises the question again if the final frontier for tourists is ultimately space. This article will not review the technological developments and potential innovations for the future but tries to explain the human desire on which space tourism is based.

When basic physiological needs, and then the need for safety, social belonging and also self-esteem are met, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs defines the highest level people can strive for as the need for self-actualisation and self-fulfilment. Many rich individuals in Western societies have reached this highest level. In order to distinguish themselves from the mass, “hedonic conspicuous consumption” (Cooper et al 2005:743) becomes crucial. This especially holds true for tourism.

Generally it can be said that an increasing number of tourists is „experienced, sophisticated and demanding“ (Cooper et al 2005:766) and thus always looking for new experiences. Holloway argues about that type of tourist that “however satisfied they might be with the former holiday, they will be unlikely to return to the same destination, but are forever seeking something more challenging, more exciting, more remote“ (Holloway 2006:70). This also explains the growing demand for long-haul trips to remote, unexplored and exotic destinations. As soon as the mass arrives at those new places, the upper-end of the tourists will turn towards new destinations again in order to “satisfy the search for status” (Holloway 2006:70). Because possibilities on earth are exhausted, the next frontier consequently has to be space.

The desire to travel to space is shared by the mass already. Most respondents of a research on public interest in different countries „would like to travel into space if they could“ (Crouch et al 2009:442). But the actual demand cannot be based on such research outcomes because the amount of people that share the desire for travelling to space is disproportionate to those who are able and willing to pay for it. While a hotel on the moon still remains more or less a dream, other space related adventures like sub-orbital flights, spaceflight trainings to experience zero-gravity are promising developments and realizable in the near future. But even if these experiences are less pricey than a trip in an actual space shuttle, space tourism is undoubted “unprecedentedly expensive“ and therefore “the highest value tourist destination” and its tourists form a “very elite group” (Tate 2006). Cater states that it is “undeniable that there is significant status gained by being able to engage in such a high profile adventure“ (2009:3).

Laliberté paid $35 million to the Russian Federal Space Agency (Moskowitz 2009b) for a 12-day trip and according to him the experience was “worth every penny” (Moskowitz 2009a). It has to be added that his purpose for the trip was to use the world wide attention to “create awareness toward the situation of water in the world” (op. cit.). Nevertheless, he as well as all other space tourists so far were billionaires. Is he different from the elite-class of tourists only because his ambition was officially humanitarian or might there still be an unconscious egoistic need for self-fulfilment and prestige?

Sources:

Cater, Carl Iain (2009) “Steps to Space; opportunities for astrotourism” in Tourism Management xxx (2009) 1–8

Cooper, Chris; Fletcher, John; Fyall, Alan; Gilbert, David & Wanhill, Stephen (2005) “Tourism: Principles and Practice” 3^rd edition. Pearson Education Limited, Essex

Crouch, Geoffrey I; Devinney, Timothy M.; Louviere, Jordan J.; Islam, Towhidul (2009) “Modelling consumer choice behaviour in space tourism” in Tourism Management 30 (2009) 441–454

Holloway, J Christopher (2006) “The Business of Tourism” 7^th edition. Pearson Education Limited, Essex

Moskowitz, Clara (2009a) “Circus Billionaire Says Space Trip Worth Every Penny” 06^th October 2009 (accessed 18^th October 2009) http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/091006-space-clown-settles.html

Moskowitz, Clara (2009b) “Billionaire Clown Lands After Space Mission” Space.com,  11^th October 2009 (accessed 18^th October 2009) http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/091010-exp20-landing-wrap.html

Tate, Paul (2002) “Space tourism: the final frontier” in the Mintel Report on Alternative Destinations – Global – February 2002

“Ethnic” has become a popular tourist icon consumed and promoted locally and afar (Gladney,1999)(1). Together with culture tourism, in recent years, ethnic tourism has been increasingly developed. Ethnic tourism is employed by many countries to facilitate economic and cultural development and to assist in heritage preservation (Li Yang, Geoffrey Wall, 2009)(1). Vietnam is striving to develop this type of tourism. This country has 54 people groups, in which 53 minority groups comprise 14% population with diversified and exotic cultures. This article aims to indicate the consequences of rapid development in a typical ethnic tourism destination at Vietnam, Sapa.

Ethnic tourism is not a new concept, since the first use of the term ‘‘ethnic tourism’’ was attributed to Smith in 1977. He defined ‘‘ethnic tourism’’ as tourism ‘‘marketed to the public in terms of the ‘quaint’ customs of indigenous and often exotic peoples’’ (1).  It includes the consumption of artifacts, handicrafts, performances, and other products or services. It is the strangeness of ethnic tourism that excites human curiosity, and then brings about the needs to study and discover. Celebrations of ethnic diversity nowadays constitute an important aspect of global culture as well as of tourism (Kahn, 1997). “With the broad integration of ethnicity into tourism worldwide, the representation, consumption, and experience of ethnicity have become fashionable”(L.Yang and G.Wall, 2009) (1).

Sapa is a mountainous district in the northwest of Vietnam. Tourism in Sapa has developed remarkably thanks to the beautiful landscape, the cool climate and especially the diversity of ethnic groups’ cultures. Number of tourists visited Sapa have increased ten times in the ten-year period from 30 thousands in 1997 to over 300 thousands in 2007(3,4). In the interview of VOVNews in February 2009, Mr. Mai Quang Trung, district party committee secretary of Sapa, said that Sapa would be expanded 5 times and would have 5 or 6 more minority ethnic communities joining in tourism in the near future (2). The question that arise is should the government invest on expansion for a rapid development or preservation for a sustainable development?

In Sapa, the minority ethnic groups, living in the surroundings of the town, hold more than 80% of population. The rapid development of tourism has brought not only benefits but also many negative impacts on local community. The obvious benefits from tourism are creating jobs, increasing incomes, broadening community knowledge, developing economy, improving infrastructure and etcetera. However, those benefits are limited to minority ethnic groups. It is because of the fact that major tourism businesses, such as hotels, restaurants, markets are taken place in the town, where majority group are living. Even tours to minority ethnic villages are day tours, mainly for sightseeing and there’s little benefit for the villages. Whereas, threats to sustainable development are recognizable, especially in terms of culture. These minority ethnic groups are sensitive and prone to injury. The most typical example for negative impact of tourism is the disappearance of “love market”*. With tourism and curious tourists, the real love market does not take place anymore. Currently it is just a representation of the love market. Commercializing and imitating are damaging traditional ethnic values. Lifestyle of young ethnic generation is changing in negative way. Bad situations such as street kids, tourist harassment by vendors are increasingly becoming popular. Some studies about Sapa also indicated that tourism have damaged minority ethnic groups more than benefits it has brought to them (Michael Digregorio, 1996; Mark E.Grindley, 1997; Pham Thi Mong Hoa, Lam Thi Mai Lan 1999) (2).

From that fact, in my opinion, Sapa government should concentrate on preserving ethnic culture for a sustainable development rather than expanding tourism industry. To do so, a series of works need to be done, such as formulating detail planning, efficient managing, educating and training minority ethnic groups, etc. These works cannot be done overnight. It requires a lot of time and efforts.

* The love market in Sapa used to be the place for dating. On Saturday, after a hard market-day, all young girls and boys gather together at the love market to find a partner to get married. They sing songs to attract opposite sex.

References:

(1)   Li Yang , Geoffrey Wall (2009), Ethnic tourism: A framework and an application, Tourism Management 30 (2009) 559–570

(2)   Sapa tourism will have a new look (“Du lịch Sapa sẽ mang một diện mạo mới”), VOVNews Online, available at http://vovnews.vn/Home/Du-lich-Sa-Pa-se-mang-mot-dien-mao-moi/20092/104215.vov

(3)   Pham Thi Mong Hoa, Lam Thi Mai Lan (1999), Tourism to minority ethnic groups in Sapa district, Lao Cai Province (Du lịch đối với dân tộc thiểu số ở Huyện Sapa, Tỉnh Lào Cai), www.tailieu.vn

(4)   Sapa tourism statistics, Sapa Tourism Office, available at  http://sapatourism.info.vn/images/file/baocaodulich2007.pdf