This document provides an overview of tourism planning. It discusses what planning is, focusing on accommodating future change. Comprehensive planning considers all tourism resources, organizations, markets, and programs within a region, as well as economic, environmental, social, and institutional aspects. The tourism planning process involves issue definition, policy formulation, implementation, and redefinition. Tourism is changing rapidly and can economically and culturally boost or detrimentally impact societies and environments. Government plays a role in regulating competition, providing infrastructure, and maximizing domestic tourism opportunities while encouraging foreign exchange through inbound tourism. Both positive and negative political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and employment impacts of tourism are covered. The significance of tourism as a global industry

2. WHAT IS PLANNING?
• Focuses on change
• Needed to accommodate future change
• Planning produces a set of decisions which allow for the
preparation of future action
• Planning could be for roads, balance sheets,
destinations, from the perspective of a private firm,
nationally etc.

3. A DEFINITION OF PLANNING
“Planning is the process of identifying
objectives and defining and evaluating methods of
achieving them. By comprehensive planning we mean
planning which considers all of the tourism resources,
organizations, markets, and programs within a region.
Comprehensive planning also considers economic,
environmental, social, and institutional aspects of
tourism development.”
Stynes and O’Halloran, Michigan State University (1987)

4. TOURISM PLANNING PROCESS
• Issue/problem definition
• The process of problem definition (e.g. there
are not enough tourist attractions, the airport is
too small or perhaps there is not enough
interest in investment, etc.)
• Policy formulation
• Policy implementation
• The problem is superseded or redefined
• Policy Outcome

5. TOURISM’S GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT AND NATURE
• Tourism is changing at a rapid pace.
• It can give an economic boost to society, different parts of the
economy, culture, etc. However, tourism can equally have a
detrimental effect upon the environment.
• Tourism supports the production of goods and services.
• Usually only front-end tourism is observed, but there are many
indirect effects – multiplier effects
• Tourism is a fragmented product (and a fragmented industry). It
affects both the public and private sector. It is unlike the
manufacturing industry which is self-contained for example.
• Tourism affects many different parts of the economy, some obvious,
such as accommodation and transportation, others less so, such as
the landscape or farming.

6. TOURISM’S GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT AND NATURE
• Probably the key reason for the development of tourism
is foreign exchange. Excellent examples are Spain and
the Maldives (Indian Ocean) which have developed and
modernised due primarily to tourism.
• Tourism is an “invisible export” industry. Tourists from
the US, France, etc are invisible exports. Whilst they are
not physical exports in the manner of cars or inanimate
objects, their impact is considered the same. All
countries with international tourism face similar
problems and challenges.

7. TOURISM’S GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT AND NATURE
• Tourism is dominated by SMEs (small mediumsized enterprises).
• It includes a multitude of leisure-time activities.
• Tourism supply is a result of productive activities
and services. These services meet tourism
demand (or that is the general idea).
• Tourism supply is expressed in tourism
consumption.

8. POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF TOURISM
POLITICAL
• The Balearic Islands’ (Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza, Formentera, etc)
government fell as a result of its tourist policy. Majorca’s tourist
policy failed and led to a change of government.
• Tourism has been used as a means of establishing international
acceptability (e.g. Turkey, Cuba)
ECONOMIC
• Large leakages of capital, expensive damage to environment or
strains on local infrastructure
• Increases in employment and indirect employment

9. POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF TOURISM
SOCIAL
•
•
Tensions between locals and holidaymakers.
In the Costa del Sol and Andalusia holidaymakers have appreciated the
area so much that they have purchased property there – also see property
purchasing in the WESTERN CAPE
TECHNOLOGICAL & CULTURAL
•
•
Potential loss of identity as places become more westernised.
Improvements in technology and the establishment of small businesses
such as web cafés.
ENVIRONMENTAL
•
•
Destruction of natural environments, water shortages, loss of natural areas.
Increase in awareness and education of natural protection and the
development of sustainable tourism

10. TOURISM EMPLOYMENT
Many Positive aspects:
• It is easily developed.
• It has many sectors/opportunities.
• Work is flexible: there is both part-time and seasonal
work, and it provides employment for unskilled labour.
• Tourism is a labour-intensive industry: its “personal”
service can not be replaced by machine labour.
• It is seen as an interesting industry for its workers.
• It has a “low-entry cost”: it costs approximately two
thirds less than the cost of the set up of a factory job.
• It has destination-area (i.e. local) impacts.

11. NEGATIVE IMPACTS
• The tourism product is a perishable product: it has a
life-span. For example, hotel rooms are perishable
products. If a company makes 100 holidays and sells 90,
there are 10 it never can sell.
• Tourism is subject to unpredictable external
influences, for example the weather, politics,
economics, natural disasters etc. For example, foot and
mouth disease prevented countryside tourism in England
for around 2 years.
• The capital costs to produce are not significant if
success is achieved. A successful destination, such as
Majorca, required few objects to start, and produced a
considerably high yield. On the other hand, it can be an
expensive mistake.

12. IS TOURISM SIGNIFICANT?
• Tourism constitutes more than 9.3% of the world GDP
(gross domestic product) - US$6, 630.4bn (Total
contribution)
• International arrivals worldwide have grown by 5% in
2013 reaching a record of 1, 087 million (additional 52
million international tourists in 2013)
• It is estimated that it generates 261, 394, 000 jobs (101,
118, 000 direct)
• Travel & Tourism investment in 2012 was USD764.7bn,
or 4.7% of total investment. It should rise by 4.2% in
2013, and rise by 5.3% pa over the next ten years to
US$1,341.4bn in 2023 (4.9% of total).
•
Source: http://www.wttc.org/site_media/uploads/downloads/world2013_1.pdf

13. HOW SIGNIFICANT IS TOURISM?
• International tourism in emerging & developing markets has grown
at an average rate of 6-8% over the past decade. Twice the rate of
industrialized countries.
• Tourism is a crucial contributor to these countries’ income - up to
70% for the world’s poorest countries.
• Development financing from global Trade; Poverty Alleviation and
Climate Response should recognize the long term potential of
tourism as a sustainable growth engine.
• With international travellers projected to almost double by 2020, the
most significant increases are expected to take place in markets like
China, India and destinations in South-East Asia.
•
Source: World Tourism Organization 2008

14. PLANNING FOR TOURISM – GENERAL PRINCIPLES
Three general principles:
• Anticipate. Projections need to be made: will tourism
grow or shrink?
• Regulate. Tourism in SA is in many ways not highly
regulated, although it is indirectly in other ways but this is
slowly changing.
• Monitoring. A collection of data is made to see how the
industry is performing.

15. PLANNING FOR TOURISM – GENERAL PRINCIPLES
In addition:
• We try to enhance the tourist experience.
• We try to contribute to the wider sustainability
of the destination/place without causing long
term side effects or being detrimental to the
host population.

16. AIM OF PLANNING
• The aim of planning is to balance public and
private sector interests.
• The private sector is profit-driven.
• The public sector is more concerned with
managing growth.

17. TOURISM POLICIES
• What are the aims of tourist policy? Who are its
targets?
• Tourism policy implies the direction and
objectives an organisation wishes to pursue
over a set period of time.
• SA: expansionist policies.
• Some countries consider that they have
enough tourism.
• Some tourist policies may be not-for-profit

18. GOVERNMENT INTEREST
• A key interest is to curb outflow.
• The government tries its best to boost domestic
tourism for obvious reasons.
• Governments may attempt to maximise the opportunities
of the domestic population to travel – SHO’T LEFT &
VAYA MZANZI
• Inbound tourism is encouraged to intake foreignexchange earnings. In association with this, SA Tourism
has tourist offices abroad.
• “Social tourism” policies are sometimes adopted, such
as enabling holidays within the governmental country.
For example, in Spain, retired people are allowed
subsidies to holiday within Spain.

19. GOVERNMENT INTEREST
• Tourism can be useful for seeking political
acceptability, such as in Turkey and Vietnam.
• In the USSR and the former Eastern Bloc tourism was
tightly controlled to deter it’s own citizens from travelling.
• Spanish Dictator General Franco also used tourism as a
vehicle to gain political acceptability during the 1960’s.
• Libya also opened up to tourism as a means of
attempting to improve international relations

20. STATE INVOLVEMENT
• Competition needs to be encouraged and regulated.
• The state provides infrastructure. In most countries, the
state provides airports, planning, regulation; it plans for
tourism development. Most airports think in terms of
expansion, of a growth strategy.
• The public interest is planned for (supposedly) by the
state.

21. STATE INVOLVEMENT
• Most countries have a NTO (National Tourism
Organisation or National Tourism Office). In SA, this is
“SA Tourism”. Most of these are funded, and this funding
is often 2-way or 3-way.
• In SA, the state funds the NTO. In many other countries
however, NTO’s are funded by the private sector. Usually
NTOs are provided by a hybrid of funding bodies.
• Usually the tourism body “resides” in a department or
ministry (a larger body than a department) – not so in SA

22. CRITICISMS OF PUBLIC SECTOR AND RECREATION TOURISM
DEVELOPMENT RESPONSES
• As a political activity, tourism policy can be criticised, due to
changes with:
• Attitudes (national attitudes could be strongly against tourism
within their country).
• Too narrow or too broad outlooks
• Political Ideology
• Tourism policy tends to be complex and convoluted
• Tourism is usually not the core focus of the planning process.
There is a cross-agency responsibility.
• Public sector responses are ad-hoc: they tend not to be planned
with an over-arching plan, but incrementally – this can be
dangerous

24. CLASS EXERCISE
•
BACKGROUND OF THE AREA:
• Highly populated, mostly informal settlement
• Box manufacturing company that employs about 200 workers (mostly
from the nearby community)
• Approximately 15 locally owned guesthouses that are not appealing to
tourists and are not sustainable
• One national monument
• 3 old and run-down churches
• Three primary schools
• Two high schools
• One world cup stadium
• Roads typically in bad condition except near the stadium
• One separate sports field that was supposed to be used for youth
development but closed to the public and not looked after
• Somewhat unreliable public transport service that includes taxis and
buses

25. CLASS EXERCISE – TASK INFO
• TASK:
• You are an investor that wants to build a soccer themed theme
park in the area
• Will need some of the land on which the manufacturing plant is
located as well as a nearby primary school
• Come up with a short proposal that includes an idea or ideas on
how this can benefit the local community as well as contribute to
South Africa’s growing tourism industry.
• Focus on one aspect and try to come up with an innovative
solution that will make your proposal more appealing to the
community, government, local businesses, and other potential
investors