international level tourism planning

Planning, tourism

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• Bihu Wu 3 &
• Alastair Morrison 4  

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Tourism as an activity in a destination is created through the existence of unique attractions and events. These may include beaches, natural scenery, parks, historical buildings and landmarks, unique cultural characteristics, one of a kind local events and festivals, and outdoor sports and recreation activities. If a destination area wants to maintain tourism as a long-term economic activity, it must have planning to preserve and enhance the special features that make it different from all other destinations.

Tourism planning is a “strategic activity comprising a number of stages that lead to the determination of a course of action to meet predetermined tourism goals. Tourism planning is concerned with the future; is devoted to acquiring knowledge and identifying appropriate courses of action; and is about anticipating change, developing a strategic vision and facilitating decision-making” (Dredge and Jenkins 2007 : 467). Tourism planning has five basic purposes: identifying...

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Dredge, D., and J. Jenkins. 2007 Tourism Planning and Policy. Milton: Wiley.

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Morrison, A. 2013 Marketing and Managing Tourism Destinations. London: Routledge.

Wu, B. 2001 Regional Tourism Planning Principles. Beijing: China Travel and Tourism Press.

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College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Yiheyuan Rd, 100871, Beijing, China

College of Health and Human Sciences, Purdue University, 101 N Grant St #110, West Lafayette, 47907, USA

Alastair Morrison

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Jafar Jafari

School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Honggen Xiao

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Wu, B., Morrison, A. (2014). Planning, tourism. In: Jafari, J., Xiao, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Tourism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01669-6_147-1

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01669-6_147-1

Received : 20 November 2014

Accepted : 20 November 2014

Published : 25 September 2015

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01669-6_147-2

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01669-6_147-1

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Tourism Planning and Development

This subject explores strategies to create sustainable, responsible tourism that benefits destinations and communities. It emphasizes the importance of careful coordination between various stakeholders to ensure the long-term success and competitiveness of tourism regions.

1 The Evolution of Tourism Planning

• Importance of Tourism Planning
• Planning Defined
• Planning Process
• Planning Approaches
• Tourism Planning

2 Environmental and Socio-Cultural Considerations in Planning

• Environmental Considerations
• The Impact on Environment
• Impact Mitigation Measures
• Environmental Planning Process
• Socio-cultural Considerations

3 Economic Consideration in Planning

• Tourism and Economy
• Planning to Enhance Economic Benefits
• Tourism Investment Strategy
• Economic Analysis and Recommendations

4 Political Consideration in Planning

• Role of Government
• Developed / Developing Countries
• Political Stability and Other Considerations
• Public Participation Issues

5 Planning in Tourism(Tourism System)

• Market – Supply Match
• The Functioning System
• External Factors

6 Approaches to Tourism Planning

• Levels and Types of Tourism Planning
• Public and Private Sector
• WTO Guidelines

7 Developing Tourism Plans – I – Components of Tourism Development Plan

• The Planning Process
• Goals for Development
• Components of Tourism Development
• Plan Preparation

8 Developing Tourism Plans – II – Techniques, Surveys and Area

• Supply-Side Planning Technique
• Plan Formulation by Checklist Techniques
• Survey of Area Characteristics
• Survey of Institutional Elements

9 Developing Tourism Plans – III – (Planning Tourist Attractions – (Natural, Cultural and Special Interest)

• Types of Tourist Attractions and Activities
• Planning and Managing Natural Attraction Resources
• Planning and Managing Cultural Attraction Resources
• Planning for Special Tourism Attractions

10 Developing Tourism Plans – IV – Implementation Elements and Monitoring

• Approach to Implementation
• Elements of Plan Implementation

11 Strategic and Tactical Perspective of Planning

• Defining Strategy
• Importance of Strategic Management
• Strategy Formulation
• Strategic Planning
• Conventional Planning vs. Strategic Planning
• Corporate Strategic Planning

12 Global Level Planning

• Necessity of Global Tourism Planning
• International Bodies
• International Source of Funds
• World Tourism Organisation

13 National Level Planning

• National Planning
• Government’s Role
• National Tourism Organisations
• National Plan and Sustainable Tourism Development
• Bottlenecks

14 Regional Level Planning

• Tourism Regions and Planning
• Establishment of Tourism Regions
• Regional Organisational and Planning Structure
• Regional Planning Through Critical Elements

15 Local Level Planning

• Importance Approaches and Issues
• Requirements for Local Level Planning
• Resort Development

Syllabus with topics linked

The Crucial Role of Tourism Planning in Sustainable Development

Tourism planning is increasingly recognized for its essential role in sustainable development, addressing earlier simplistic focuses on accessibility, accommodation, and attractions which led to mass tourism and its detrimental effects. Examples like the Caribbean and Mediterranean regions illustrate the negative impacts of unplanned tourism growth, including social and environmental issues. The importance of tourism planning lies in optimizing benefits and addressing economic, social, cultural, and environmental challenges through integrated and comprehensive planning.

Defining the Future of Tourism: The Role of Planning

Planning in tourism is a forward-thinking process aimed at managing and envisioning a better future for tourism development. Definitions by experts like D. Getz and Hall emphasize tourism planning as a means to optimize tourism’s contribution to human welfare and environmental quality, through anticipating change and promoting orderly development. The essence of planning in tourism management is achieving goals through preferable means, emphasizing the need for a systematic approach to avoid socio-cultural and environmental problems.

Navigating the Complexities of Tourism Planning: A Step-by-Step Approach

The planning process in tourism involves defining the system, formulating objectives, data gathering, analysis and interpretation, and several other steps leading to the implementation and monitoring of the plan. This comprehensive approach ensures that tourism development is beneficial, taking into account economic, social, environmental, and market factors. The planning process aims to engage stakeholders in a logical sequence of actions to achieve desired results, highlighting the importance of systematic planning in achieving tourism development success.

Strategic Approaches to Tourism Planning: Micro and Macro Perspectives

Tourism planning occurs at both micro and macro levels, involving strategic planning for individual businesses and comprehensive planning for destinations. Corporate planning models and strategic management play a crucial role at the micro level, focusing on aligning organizational strengths with market opportunities. At the macro level, the focus shifts to regional and local issues, including land use and destination development, with an integrated approach considering economic, environmental, and community impacts, advocating for a strategic planning approach to optimize tourism’s contribution to broader development goals.

Broadening the Horizon: Modern Perspectives on Tourism Planning

Tourism planning has evolved from narrow approaches to a broader and more effective philosophy that incorporates public involvement, participatory planning, and integrative planning. This modern awareness addresses the drawbacks of earlier planning processes, aiming for a dynamic, multi-scale approach that accommodates political, social, economic, and environmental changes. The shift towards interactive planning over conventional planning highlights the importance of stakeholder engagement and adaptability in planning processes, ensuring tourism development is sustainable and aligned with community and environmental goals.

Navigating Environmental Considerations in Tourism Planning

Environmental considerations in tourism planning emphasize the balance between industry growth and environmental conservation. Initiatives like the World Conservation Strategy and the Brundtland Commission have highlighted the need for ecologically sustainable development in tourism. Sustainable development is seen as a way to balance environmental and economic concerns, where sound environmental management can lead to benefits rather than just costs. Effective environmental planning and management are crucial for enhancing visitor enjoyment and ensuring ecological sustainability.

Assessing and Mitigating Tourism’s Impact on the Environment

Tourism’s impact on the environment can vary from positive enhancements to negative alterations of destinations and built areas. The potential consequences include changes in urban form, infrastructure overload, visual impacts, restoration efforts, erosion, and pollution. Strategies for impact mitigation involve changing tourist types, modifying the resource base for better resistance, educating stakeholders, and potentially curbing tourist numbers to preserve the environment while maintaining the attraction’s inherent value.

Strategies for Mitigating Environmental Impacts of Tourism

Impact mitigation measures in tourism focus on strategies to decrease pressures on the environment, such as targeting alternative tourist types, enhancing resource resistance, education, and regulating tourist numbers. These approaches aim to balance tourism development with environmental preservation, ensuring the sustainability of tourism attractions and activities. Effective mitigation requires understanding and addressing the environmental impacts of tourism, promoting responsible tourism practices among all stakeholders.

The Essential Steps in Environmental Planning for Tourism

The environmental planning process for tourism involves establishing development objectives, conducting surveys of the existing situation, and detailed analysis including socio-economic impacts and carrying capacity determination. This process ensures that tourism development aligns with environmental conservation goals, enhances the destination’s appeal, and supports sustainable use of resources. Incorporating environmental considerations from the planning stage is key to avoiding negative impacts and enhancing positive outcomes.

Socio-Cultural Considerations in Tourism Planning: Benefits and Challenges

Socio-cultural considerations in tourism planning address the impacts of tourism on local communities and cultures, aiming to preserve cultural heritage and promote positive interactions between tourists and host communities. Tourism can bring socio-cultural benefits such as improving living standards, conserving cultural heritage, and fostering pride in local culture. However, challenges such as over-commercialization, social tensions, and loss of authenticity necessitate careful planning and impact control measures to ensure that tourism development is socially responsible and culturally sensitive.

Maximizing Economic Benefits through Tourism Development

Tourism significantly influences various sectors of the economy by creating new local requirements for supplies, fostering employment opportunities, increasing urbanization, and enhancing state earnings of hard currency. It redistributes capital between developed and developing countries and accelerates the economic multiplier effect. Planning tourism development to maximize these benefits involves careful consideration of economic impacts at the national level, influencing all tourism-related businesses and services.

Strategies for Enhancing Economic Benefits in Tourism

To enhance economic benefits from tourism, it’s essential to match tourism facilities and services with demand, avoid excess capacity, and address potential customer dissatisfaction. Strategies include strengthening economic cross-sectoral linkages, promoting local ownership and employment in tourism facilities, enhancing local management capabilities, and encouraging local tour and travel services. These approaches aim to reduce economic leakages, increase local value addition, and ensure sustainable economic growth in tourism.

Crafting an Effective Tourism Investment Strategy for Economic Growth

A strategic approach to tourism investment is crucial for maximizing economic benefits. This involves identifying specific tourism development projects within a comprehensive plan, ensuring projects are evaluated for feasibility, minimizing foreign exchange costs, exploring domestic funding sources, and supporting projects with favorable fiscal, legislative, and administrative structures. A selective, monitored package of investment incentives can attract private sector projects, contributing to the overall economic development of the tourism sector.

Utilizing Economic Analysis for Strategic Tourism Development

Economic analysis, particularly through tools like input-output analysis, is vital for measuring tourism’s contribution to economic development. This analysis helps planners understand the interdependency of industries and sectors within tourism, project the output multiplier of tourism expenditure, and make informed decisions on investments. Recommendations for economic planning in tourism include enhancing economic benefits at various levels, strengthening cross-sectoral linkages, and integrating tourism into the broader economic development strategy.

Navigating the Role of Government in Tourism Development

The role of government in tourism development is multifaceted, encompassing support, regulation, and direct involvement in tourism planning and policy formation. Governments influence tourism development through both passive and active roles, impacting the industry’s growth through legislation, support for infrastructure development, and direct investment in tourism projects. The extent of governmental involvement often reflects the country’s political ideology, with tourism policies aligning with broader social, political, and economic goals. Understanding the governmental structure and political ideologies is crucial for effective tourism planning, emphasizing the need for a collaborative approach that includes government agencies, private sector, and community representatives.

The Diverse Government Roles in Tourism Across Developed and Developing Countries

In both developed and developing countries, governments play crucial roles in tourism development, either passively by influencing through non-direct actions or actively by setting specific tourism objectives and legislating for tourism development. The approach often correlates with the country’s level of development, with developing nations sometimes facing challenges like capital and expertise shortages. These countries may engage in partnerships with multinational firms or develop government-owned tourism enterprises. Understanding these dynamics is essential for tailoring tourism development strategies that leverage government involvement effectively.

The Impact of Political Stability on Tourism Development

Political stability is a critical factor in attracting tourists, with perceptions of stability influencing tourist decisions significantly. Areas affected by political disturbances often experience declines in tourism, while those perceived as stable and safe enjoy enhanced attractiveness. Additionally, public safety and the efficiency of law enforcement play pivotal roles in developing a tourism-friendly environment. Governments can foster tourism growth by ensuring political stability, public safety, and consumer protection in tourism, highlighting the necessity of integrating political considerations into tourism planning.

Embracing Public Participation in Tourism Planning for Democratic Decision Making

Public participation is recognized as a vital element in tourism planning, aiming to incorporate the views and interests of various stakeholders, including the general public, interest groups, and policymakers. Genuine political participation requires systems that enable meaningful engagement in policy decision-making processes. Advocacy planning and participatory design principles advocate for a proactive role in planning systems, challenging traditional roles of government in tourism policy and emphasizing the need for inclusive approaches that consider the diverse interests within a community.

Mastering the Market-Supply Match in Tourism Planning

Effective tourism planning hinges on the crucial balance between market demand and supply. Understanding travel markets, including market segmentation and forecasting, is fundamental for planners to match tourism offerings with consumer preferences. This alignment ensures that destinations can cater to the diverse needs of various market segments, preventing over or under-supply situations and leading to sustainable tourism development. Planners must navigate the complexities of travel trends and preferences, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative forecasting methods to anticipate future demand accurately.

The Dynamics of the Tourism System: An Integrated Approach

The tourism system is a complex interplay of various components, including attractions, transportation, services, information, and promotion. Each component is intricately linked to others, requiring a coordinated approach to planning and development. Recognizing the dynamic relationship between these components is essential for creating a tourism offering that meets market demand while fostering sustainable growth. Effective planning requires integrating the efforts of all stakeholders across the commercial, non-profit, and government sectors to address the evolving needs of the tourism market.

Navigating External Influences on the Tourism System

The functioning of the tourism system is significantly influenced by external factors such as natural and cultural resources, entrepreneurship, finance, human resources, and community perceptions. Planners must consider these factors to ensure the tourism system’s resilience and sustainability. Protection of natural and cultural assets, fostering entrepreneurship, securing finance, developing skilled human resources, and engaging with local communities are crucial for the successful planning and development of tourism. Understanding these external influences enables planners to create robust tourism systems that can adapt to changes and challenges.

A Comprehensive Overview of Tourism Planning Levels: From Global to Local Perspectives

The section on “Levels and Types of Tourism Planning” delves into the hierarchical structure of tourism planning, emphasizing the importance of a comprehensive approach that integrates tourism as a key component of broader developmental frameworks. This discourse outlines the various levels of planning, ranging from international to site-specific considerations, highlighting the distinctive focus and objectives at each level. It underscores the necessity for tourism planning to progress from a general framework to detailed, actionable plans, with an aim for these plans to guide and inform each other across different levels of specificity. The content examines the role of international organizations, such as the WTO, in facilitating global tourism planning, alongside the critical importance of national, regional, destination, and site levels in addressing the specificities of tourism development and management. This hierarchical planning framework serves as a foundation for understanding the nuanced and multi-layered process of planning in the tourism sector, spotlighting the diverse degrees of specificity and focus required at each level to ensure a cohesive and integrated approach to tourism development.

Exploring the Dynamic Roles of Public and Private Sectors in Tourism Planning

This section discusses the intricate roles of the public and private sectors in tourism planning, highlighting how their functions and responsibilities intersect and diverge in the context of developing and managing tourism initiatives. The public (or government) sector’s involvement is portrayed as essential for governance, regulation, and the provision of public goods and services crucial for tourism, such as infrastructure and environmental protection. Governments play a pivotal role in ensuring the sustainability and inclusivity of tourism development, often stepping in to promote and manage tourist attractions and resources. Conversely, the private sector’s contribution is primarily driven by profit motives, focusing on the development and management of tourism facilities and services. This segment illuminates the nuanced balance between these sectors, stressing the importance of collaboration and coordination to achieve sustainable tourism development goals. The narrative further explores the evolution of these roles, influenced by trends towards privatization and commercialization, and underscores the necessity for a strategic partnership between the public and private sectors to foster a robust tourism industry.

Navigating Sustainable Tourism: Insights from WTO Guidelines

The “WTO Guidelines” section emphasizes the World Tourism Organisation’s advocacy for sustainable tourism planning at all levels, encapsulating the essence of sustainable development within the tourism sector. It presents a holistic approach that prioritizes the conservation of natural, historical, and cultural resources while promoting economic and social benefits for the present generation. Key to achieving sustainable tourism are environmental planning, community-based tourism, and quality tourism approaches. These strategies aim to integrate environmental considerations into planning processes, engage local communities in tourism development, and attract tourists who value and respect local cultures and environments. The guidelines advocate for a planning approach that is adaptable, innovative, and responsive to change, ensuring that tourism development not only preserves but enhances the quality of tourism destinations for future generations. This summary captures the WTO’s vision for a sustainable tourism future, outlining the critical principles and approaches necessary for planning tourism in a way that respects and preserves the intrinsic value of tourism destinations.

The Blueprint of Tourism Planning: Understanding the U.S. Model

The “Planning Process” section introduces the U.S. model as a comprehensive framework for tourism planning, emphasizing the inclusion of economic development, human resource, physical land use, environmental, infrastructural, social facility, conservation, market, corporate, and regional and local planning. This holistic approach ensures the integration of diverse aspects critical for the sustainability and success of tourism development. It suggests a sequential process starting from inventorying social, political, physical, economic, and environmental factors to implementing the plan, with continuous citizen input. The concept of a “master plan” or a “comprehensive master plan” is highlighted as crucial for addressing long-term implications, risks, and benefits to communities or destinations over development or investment periods.

Key Objectives for Enhanced Tourism Development: Visitor Satisfaction to Community Integration

This segment outlines four primary planning goals essential for the improvement of tourism: enhanced visitor satisfaction, improved economy and business sectors, protection of resource assets, and community and area integration. Enhanced visitor satisfaction is emphasized as planning aims to eliminate obstacles to visitor satisfaction and ensure the fulfillment of their desires, habits, wishes, and needs. The economic and business sector’s improvement focuses on fostering private enterprise and public sector collaboration to meet new tourism demands responsibly. Protecting resource assets highlights the importance of sustainable attraction management to prevent resource degradation. Lastly, community and area integration discusses integrating tourism into the socio-economic fabric of communities, enhancing quality of life and ensuring comprehensive public and private services.

Essential Components of a Successful Tourism Development Plan

The “Components of Tourism Development” section identifies the foundational elements necessary for any tourism development plan. These components include tourist attractions and activities that draw visitors, accommodation facilities, other essential tourist facilities and services (e.g., restaurants, financial services, medical facilities, safety facilities, and travel facilitation), transportation facilities linking attractions and development areas, and other infrastructure like water supply and waste disposal. Institutional elements such as manpower planning, marketing strategies, tourism organization structures, legislation, and impact controls are also crucial for developing and managing tourism sustainably. These components must be well-integrated and destination-specific features should be considered to ensure a successful tourism development plan.

Crafting Tourism Plans: From Assessment to Final Report

The “Plan Preparation” section delves into the organizational aspects of tourism planning projects, starting from a thorough tourism assessment to the drafting of Terms of Reference (TOR) tailored to the planning needs of the area. It outlines the composition of a planning team, including specialists in various fields crucial to tourism development. The planning process is detailed through the preparation of sequential reports, including the inception report, interim report, draft report, draft final report, and the final report, each serving a specific purpose in the development of the tourism plan. This systematic approach ensures thorough analysis, stakeholder involvement, and the alignment of tourism development objectives with practical execution strategies.

Crafting Effective Tourism Plans: A Five-Step Supply-Side Approach

The “Supply-Side Planning Technique” section discusses a comprehensive five-step process crucial for formulating implementable tourism plans. The steps include setting clear objectives to address constraints and highlight potential destination zones, conducting thorough research using primary or secondary data, synthesizing research findings to derive meaningful conclusions, generating creative concepts through stakeholder engagement, and finally making practical recommendations to enhance the tourism system’s efficiency. This method is adaptable and emphasizes the importance of objectives, research, stakeholder involvement, and actionable recommendations in developing robust tourism plans.

The Ultimate Checklist for Developing Tourism Plans: Insights from WTO

Plan Formulation by Checklist Techniques introduces a detailed checklist approach for creating comprehensive national or regional tourism plans, as recommended by the WTO. This technique encompasses a wide array of elements from tourism development objectives, general background analysis, infrastructure, attractions, facilities, market analysis, policy and plan formulation, to implementation and monitoring. The checklist covers economic, environmental, socio-cultural objectives, analysis of tourist attractions and facilities, market projections, policy recommendations, and outlines a structured path towards sustainable tourism development, ensuring all critical aspects are considered for a well-rounded plan.

Exploring the Impact of Area Characteristics on Tourism Planning

The “Survey of Area Characteristics” segment highlights the significance of understanding the geographical, natural, historical, socio-cultural, and economic fabric of a region in tourism planning. It covers the necessity of assessing location advantages, climate patterns, natural environment features, historical influences, socio-cultural and economic patterns, and land use, which collectively shape the tourism development strategy. These characteristics not only influence the choice of tourism development areas but also determine the type and extent of tourism that can be sustainably supported, emphasizing the role of comprehensive area surveys in crafting informed and responsive tourism plans.

Institutional Frameworks and Their Influence on Tourism Planning

The “Survey of Institutional Elements” section delves into the importance of examining existing development policies, government and tourism organizational structures, investment policies, legislation, and educational programs as foundational aspects of tourism planning. It underscores the need for understanding the institutional environment to align tourism plans with national or regional development strategies, regulatory frameworks, and capacity-building mechanisms. This survey ensures that tourism development is supported by a conducive policy environment, adequate investment, and skilled manpower, highlighting the interconnectedness of institutional elements with the overall success of tourism initiatives.

Exploring the Diversity of Tourist Attractions: From Nature to Special Interests

Tourist attractions are pivotal in tourism planning and can be categorized into natural, cultural, and special interest types. Understanding these categories aids in aligning travel motivations with destination offerings. Natural attractions highlight the beauty and uniqueness of a region’s environment, cultural attractions focus on human activities and achievements, and special interest attractions are developed to cater to niche markets, including adventure sports and events. This classification is crucial for tourism developers to create and promote destinations that cater to varied tourist interests, ensuring destinations develop attractions that both preserve their uniqueness and meet tourist expectations.

Sustainable Strategies for Natural Attraction Management

Planning and managing natural attractions, such as national parks and wildlife reserves, emphasizes sustainability and environmental conservation. The process involves establishing clear development and conservation objectives, conducting environmental analyses, determining visitor carrying capacities, and implementing continuous management practices. A key principle is the integration of visitor facilities in a manner that respects the natural environment, often through the construction of visitor centers that serve as educational and operational hubs. Specialized nature facilities, including zoos and botanical gardens, play an increasingly vital role in conservation efforts and enhancing visitor experiences, underlining the need for thoughtful planning to balance ecological preservation with tourism demands.

Preserving Cultural Heritage through Thoughtful Tourism Planning

The planning and management of cultural attractions, such as historical sites, arts and crafts, and performing arts, require a policy that balances conservation with visitor access. Research into the historical significance, cultural and religious importance, and authentic forms of these resources is foundational. Strategies include conserving and restoring historical monuments, promoting traditional crafts, and organizing cultural events that reflect local traditions while engaging tourists. Special considerations for preserving traditional cultural patterns and economic activities highlight the delicate balance between showcasing cultural heritage and ensuring community privacy and respect.

The Art of Crafting Special Tourism Attractions: Theme Parks to Event Planning

Special tourism attractions, including theme parks, convention facilities, and event planning, cater to unique visitor interests and demands. Theme parks create immersive experiences around a central theme, requiring extensive planning, market feasibility studies, and sophisticated management. Convention facilities planning focuses on accessibility, infrastructure, and the synergy with local amenities to support large gatherings. Event planning for major sports or cultural events requires integrated planning to develop facilities that offer long-term benefits to the destination. These special attractions necessitate a coordinated approach to ensure they complement the destination’s overall tourism offer while meeting the expectations of diverse visitor segments.

The Roadmap to Implementing Tourism Plans Successfully

The approach to implementing tourism plans emphasizes the need for realism and political support. It outlines the significance of community involvement, government roles, and the coordination between public and private sectors in bringing plans to fruition. Successful implementation hinges on developing infrastructure, enforcing laws and regulations, fostering human resource development, and ensuring tourist safety, among others. The process necessitates a collaborative effort across various levels of government and sectors to address the multifaceted nature of tourism and its impact on communities.

Key Elements in Bringing Tourism Plans to Life

This segment delves into the essential elements for the successful implementation of tourism plans, including official approval and adoption, the allocation of responsibilities, staging and programming of development, zoning, and development standards. It underscores the importance of clear guidelines, strategic staging based on market growth and infrastructure, and the use of zoning to designate tourism development areas. Development standards ensure that tourist facilities meet specific criteria, contributing to a sustainable and responsible tourism industry.

The Imperative of Monitoring in Tourism Planning

Monitoring tourism plans is pivotal for evaluating their success and ensuring their objectives are met. This process involves continuous observation and assessment of plan implementation against set goals and schedules, identifying and addressing any issues, and adapting to changes in the external and internal environment. Effective monitoring employs both qualitative and quantitative techniques, utilizing data from various sources to inform decision-making and potential plan revisions. It highlights the dynamic nature of tourism and the necessity for plans to be flexible and responsive to change.

Understanding Strategy: The Key to Achieving Goals in Business and Tourism

Strategy in the context of business and tourism is described as a plan or approach aimed at achieving specific goals or objectives. The modern interpretation extends beyond its military origins, incorporating the idea of creating and maintaining an advantage in competitive markets. Notable definitions include Rumelt’s view of strategy as a means to sustain an asymmetric advantage and Mintzberg’s perspective that strategy reflects a pattern in conscious managerial decisions to ensure organizational adaptation. Tactics, closely related to strategy, are specific actions designed to execute these strategies, implying a hierarchical relationship where tactics serve the strategic objectives.

The Critical Role of Strategic Management in Tourism Development

Strategic management has evolved as a critical response to the dynamic and competitive nature of markets post-World War II. The necessity for strategic planning is highlighted by the shift from a predictable business environment to one where forecasting and adaptability became paramount. Within the tourism sector, strategic management emphasizes analysis of both internal and external environments to guide decision-making. This approach integrates social, economic, and environmental considerations, aiming to optimize tourism benefits while addressing challenges of competition and market changes. The process involves identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) to formulate strategies that align with national economic objectives and environmental policies.

Strategy Formulation: Crafting Success in Tourism

Strategy formulation in tourism involves a complex process of identifying target markets, leveraging unique competencies, and planning for future developments. This strategic planning is necessary to adapt to market fluctuations and competitive pressures, ensuring that destinations can meet tourist needs while managing resources effectively. Salah E.A. Wahab emphasizes the importance of strategic planning at national or regional levels, advocating for a balance between tourism growth and the needs of the country’s population. The focus is on developing policies that manage tourism services, promote quality assurance, and ensure sustainable development, supported by effective information systems for monitoring market trends.

The Evolution of Strategic Planning in Regional Tourism Development

Strategic planning in tourism at the regional level addresses the need to create attractive destinations, manage visitation, and sustain the environment while enhancing local and tourist experiences. This process involves considering various factors, including market intelligence, political agendas, and planning dispositions. The shift towards a strategic perspective in planning acknowledges the dynamic nature of tourism and the need for adaptability in response to social, political, and economic changes. Strategic planning emphasizes developing alternatives, managing crises, and engaging stakeholders to ensure that tourism development is resilient and responsive to changing market conditions.

Beyond Traditional Tourism Planning: A Strategic Approach

The distinction between conventional and strategic planning in tourism highlights the need for a more adaptive and flexible approach to managing tourism development. Unlike traditional master planning, strategic planning focuses on alternatives, risk assessment, and integrated decision-making across various levels and functions. This approach seeks to enhance organizational and community development, improve performance management, and ensure involvement of key stakeholders. It reflects a broader understanding of tourism’s inherent unpredictability and the necessity for strategies that can accommodate rapid changes and competitive challenges.

Navigating the Future: The Importance of Corporate Strategic Planning in Tourism

Corporate strategic planning in tourism involves a comprehensive analysis of an organization’s position, taking into account both internal and external factors through a SWOT analysis. This process is critical for identifying influences that can impact future operations and developing strategies that align with organizational goals. The planning process includes assessing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to inform decision-making and policy development. Various strategies are adopted based on the organization’s objectives and the capabilities of its managers, highlighting the importance of strategic planning in navigating the competitive tourism industry.

The Imperative of Global Tourism Planning for Future Growth

The necessity of global tourism planning emerges from the need to address the uneven distribution of tourist movements, which are predominantly focused on Europe, America, and showing growth in the South-East Asian region. Projections by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) indicate that tourist arrivals are expected to reach 1800 million by 2020, highlighting the importance of cooperation and competition among nations. The Helsinki agreement of 1975 and the formation of WTO are milestones in international cooperation for tourism, emphasizing the need for sustainable development, conservation, quality service, and mitigating negative impacts among other factors. A global policy framework could facilitate the removal of obstacles in tourist flows and ensure that national plans are aligned with international standards.

International Bodies Shaping Global Tourism

Since World War II, the significance of tourism has prompted the development of international bodies focused on guiding its global growth. While agencies like the World Bank and United Nations support tourism indirectly through investment in infrastructure and expertise, organizations such as the WTO, International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), and International Air Transport Association (IATA) play direct roles in tourism development. The WTO, in particular, is positioned as a pivotal entity by the United Nations, crafting the policy framework within which global tourism operates. Despite the establishment of conventions and agreements, most policies at this level are guidelines with limited enforcement, highlighting the challenge of implementing global tourism policies without a universal authority.

Financing Global Tourism Development: International Funding Sources

The financing of tourism development at the global level, especially in developing countries, relies on various international funding sources. These include the World Bank Group, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), European Union, bilateral sources, and private international capital. Each source offers different types of assistance, from infrastructure development to technical aid and investment in tourism projects. The collaboration of these funding sources is crucial for implementing tourism plans and projects, reflecting the importance of understanding and navigating the complex landscape of international finance in tourism development.

The World Tourism Organisation: Leading Global Tourism Development

The World Tourism Organisation (WTO), headquartered in Madrid, is the foremost inter-governmental organization focused on promoting and developing travel and tourism worldwide. With over 133 country members and 250 non-governmental affiliates, the WTO aims to foster economic development, peace, and understanding through tourism. Its work encompasses statistics, education, technical cooperation, environment, service quality, and communication. Despite criticism for its expansionist tendencies and governmental bias, the WTO’s influence on global tourism policy, exemplified by the Manila Declaration and the Hague Declaration, underscores its pivotal role in addressing worldwide tourism challenges and advocating for sustainable development.

The Critical Role of National Planning in Tourism Development

National planning in tourism is essential for managing the sector’s growth and mitigating its negative impacts. The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) outlines several advantages of having a national tourism plan, including establishing development objectives, ensuring the conservation of natural and cultural resources, integrating tourism with broader economic policies, and optimizing economic, environmental, and social benefits. Effective national planning facilitates coordinated development across the tourism sector, provides a basis for decision-making, and sets a framework for sustainable tourism development.

Navigating the Government’s Role in Tourism Policy and Planning

The government plays a pivotal role in formulating, adopting, implementing, and monitoring national tourism plans. It sets policy objectives and guidelines, balancing the needs of tourists, host communities, and the environment. In developing countries, where private sector capabilities and resources might be limited, governments often take on the role of entrepreneurs to spur tourism growth. Government intervention is crucial for raising or guaranteeing loans, regulating the industry, and deciding on the allocation of resources to support tourism development.

The Evolution and Impact of National Tourism Organisations

National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) are tasked with implementing government-approved tourism policies. There are various forms of NTOs, ranging from state tourism secretariats to quasi-public agencies and private industry entities. NTOs primarily focus on increasing foreign travel to their country, with a growing emphasis on sustainable tourism development that protects environmental and social resources. The structure and responsibilities of NTOs vary by country, with evolving roles in response to market competition and public policy changes.

Distinguishing Tourism Planning in Developed vs. Developing Countries

Tourism planning differs significantly between developed and developing countries. While developed countries often incorporate tourism planning into regional strategies without formal mechanisms, developing nations typically include tourism as a chapter in their national development plans. Effective tourism planning requires a comprehensive approach that considers environmental, social, and economic impacts; integrates tourism with other economic activities; and establishes guidelines for sustainable growth. National plans should align with broader policies on environmental conservation, infrastructure development, and cultural preservation.

Aligning National Tourism Plans with Sustainable Development Goals

National plans for tourism development increasingly prioritize sustainability, integrating economic, social, cultural, health, safety, and environmental objectives. Governments play a crucial role in promoting sustainable tourism through research, development models, regulatory standards, public consultation, educational programs, and effective implementation tools. National strategies should support domestic tourism and address global sustainability concerns, ensuring that tourism development benefits both local communities and the environment.

Overcoming Bottlenecks in National Tourism Planning

Developing national tourism plans faces numerous challenges, including a lack of awareness among policymakers about tourism’s economic potential, the need for skilled officials in tourism planning, insufficient information systems, and conflicts between host populations and the industry. Solutions involve educating decision-makers, providing training for tourism officials, developing effective information systems, and involving all stakeholders in the planning process. Addressing these bottlenecks is essential for the successful implementation of national tourism plans.

Unveiling the Essence of Regional Tourism Planning

Regional tourism planning is an integral part of national tourism development, focusing on the unique characteristics and potentials of specific areas within a country. These regions, defined by various geographic, political, or ethnic characteristics, aim to harness local attractions, infrastructure, and cultural assets in alignment with national tourism policies. Effective regional planning considers the region’s distinct features and development policies, ensuring that tourism growth is sustainable, leverages local attractions and activities, and integrates into the broader national economic framework.

Crafting Tourism Regions: Strategies for Sustainable Development

The establishment of tourism regions involves delineating areas based on their tourist attractions, accessibility, and potential for developing a cohesive tourism experience. This process prioritizes the concentration of tourist facilities and attractions within specific areas to optimize resource use, enhance tourist experiences, and minimize environmental and socio-cultural impacts. Regional planning encourages integrated resorts and urban tourism centers, focusing on areas that offer a mix of natural, cultural, and man-made attractions interconnected by efficient transportation networks.

Structuring Success: The Framework for Regional Tourism Organisations

Regional tourism planning structures are designed to combine diverse elements into cohesive tourism packages, increasing marketing effectiveness and establishing a unified regional identity. These organisational structures aim to foster partnerships, facilitate public/private cooperation, and develop a distinctive image that represents the region’s unique offerings. By coordinating efforts across various stakeholders, regional tourism organisations can effectively manage and promote tourism development, ensuring that both public agencies and private operators work towards common tourism goals.

Navigating Regional Tourism Development: A Critical Elements Approach

Regional planning involves a systematic approach based on critical elements like attraction clusters, community services, circulation corridors, and linkage corridors. This methodology ensures that tourism development zones are equipped with necessary attractions, adequate services, efficient transportation, and effective promotional strategies. By identifying and leveraging these elements, regional planners can create vibrant tourism destinations that attract visitors while preserving the natural and cultural integrity of the area. The integration of these elements is crucial for developing primary tourism development zones that align with sustainable tourism objectives.

Navigating Local Tourism Planning: Key Approaches and Challenges

Local tourism planning is essential for managing the direct impacts of tourism on communities and ensuring sustainable development. The shift towards a bottom-up approach emphasizes the importance of detailed knowledge at the destination level for formulating effective policies. Despite challenges such as inadequate data collection on tourism demand and environmental impacts, efforts are being made globally to develop measures for better local tourism management. The focus is on micro-level planning to address both internal factors, such as community awareness and external pressures like market demands, ensuring a balanced and sustainable approach to tourism development at the local level.

The Blueprint for Successful Local Tourism Development

Planning at the local level requires a detailed understanding of the available resources, community awareness, opportunity recognition, tourist profiles, and the use of zoning to manage tourism development effectively. Resource analysis helps identify attractions and services that can draw tourists, while community awareness programs educate residents about the benefits of tourism. Recognizing tourism opportunities and understanding visitor demographics are crucial for tailoring local offerings to meet tourist expectations. Zoning, as a planning tool, helps allocate specific areas for tourism-related activities, ensuring a sustainable balance between tourism development and local community needs.

The Collaborative Path to Local Tourism Planning

In local tourism planning, both the public and private sectors play pivotal roles. The public sector is responsible for land use planning, regulatory frameworks, infrastructure development, and community engagement, while the private sector focuses on developing tourism products and services within these parameters. Effective collaboration between these sectors is essential for harmonizing national, regional, and local plans, ensuring sustainable tourism growth. Local tourism organizations, involving community representatives, facilitate this partnership, highlighting the importance of joint efforts in destination management and consumer behavior influence towards sustainable tourism practices.

Crafting Idyllic Getaways: The Art of Resort Development in Local Tourism

Resort development is a strategic decision within local tourism planning, aimed at creating self-contained destinations offering a wide range of activities, facilities, and services. Thoughtfully planned resorts can cater to diverse tourist interests, from recreation and adventure to conferences and wellness retreats. The planning process involves careful consideration of local features, environmental regulations, and community impacts, ensuring resorts enhance the local tourism offer without compromising the integrity of local resources. Resort development requires expert input and should align with broader tourism and community development goals to ensure long-term sustainability and local benefit.

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Why tourism planning is important

Tourism planning should be an integral part of any destination’s tourism development plan in order to achieve the best results and satisfy all stakeholders. Tourism planning is key to maintaining sustainable tourism and whilst some destinations do this very well, others (often developing countries), fail the recognise the importance of effective tourism development planning.

In this post I will explain why tourism planning is so important and recommend some literature for further reading on this topic. This information on tourism planning should be helpful to a number of tourism stakeholders, including business entrepreneurs, Government bodies and tourism workers. It is also useful for those studying travel and tourism as well as those who have a general interest in the subject. For an introduction to the concept of tourism policy and planning visit this post- ‘ The different levels of tourism policy and planning ‘. 

Wait! Before you read on, take a look at the short video that I created all about the importance of tourism planning! 

What is tourism planning?

Tourism development refers to the growth and maintenance of the tourism industry in a given locality. And, of course, tourism planning is a very important part of this.

On a basic level, tourism development can be defined as creating strategies and plans to increase/develop/encourage tourism for a destination. The fundamental reason behind planning and implementing strategies for developing the tourism sector is primarily to make money and to subsequently increase the GDP of a country/area.

You might also be interested in my post- ‘ What is tourism? A definition of tourism ‘ 

Tourism development consists of many elements including, but not limited to: developing and managing private-public partnerships, assessing the competitors to gain competitive advantage, ensuring responsible and sustainable development, viewing tourism as an interconnected system and a demand-driven sector, assessing private sector investment and international cooperation, tourism clustering and involvement by the Government.

According to Williams cited in Mason (2003);  

‘The aim of modern planning is to seek optimal solutions to perceived problems and that it is designed to increase and, hopefully maximise development benefits, which will produce predictable outcomes’.

And Getz (1987) cited in Pearce (1989) defines tourism planning as;

“A process, based on research and evaluation, which seeks to optimise the potential contribution of tourism to human welfare and environmental quality”

Tourism development planning should be an integral part of any destination’s tourism plan in order to achieve the best results and satisfy all stakeholders. Tourism development planning is key to maintaining sustainable tourism and whilst some destinations do this very well, others (often developing countries), fail the recognise the importance of effective tourism development planning.

What is tourism development planning?

Tourism development refers to the growth and maintenance of the tourism industry in a given locality. And, of course, planning is a very important part of this.

Basic stages in tourism development planning

Tourism development planning is no simple task and there are many variables to consider. There are also different levels of tourism planning and policy . Fortunately , destinations can learn lessons from other areas which have been successful or otherwise. Take for example, over dependence on tourism in Egypt as I explain in this post- Why Unpaid Business is Better than No Business: The Case of the Egyptian Boatman. It is also worthwhile to look at the tourism policies of similar destinations. Some strong examples include Jamaica and Cape Town .

On a basic level, the main stages in tourism development planning include: the analysis of previous tourist development; evaluation of the position of tourism in the area including competition; formulation of relevant tourism policy by Government; the defining of a development strategy and the formation of a programme of action.

The benefits of tourism development

Tourism development planning enables a range of benefits to all stakeholders involved, for example:

• It increases income and jobs from tourist spending
• It helps preserve cultural and natural heritage for tourists
• It increases understanding of other cultures
• It builds new facilities such as sewage for whole communities or new roads

The costs of tourism development

There are also some costs which must be considered and planned for, which include:

• Costs of implementing tourist facilities can be costly
• The environment can be destructed to make room for hotels etc. to be built
• Social standards may be undermined e.g. topless women in Dubai
• The natural environment may be polluted

Formulating an approach to tourism policy and planning

There are six ‘golden rules’ that should be applied when formulating an approach to tourism policy and planning, as outlined by Inskeep (1991).

• Goal oriented

Clear recognition of tourism’s role in achieving broad national and community goals

• Integrative

Incorporating tourism policy and planning into the mainstream of planning for the economy, land use and infrastructure, conservation and environment

• Market driven

Planning for tourism development that trades successfully in a competitive global marketplace

• Resource driven

Developing tourism which build on the destination’s inherent strengths whilst protecting and enhancing the attributes and experiences of current tourism assets

• Consultative

Incorporating the wider community attitudes, needs and wants to determine what is acceptable to the population

Drawing on primary or secondary research to provide conceptual or predictive support for planners including the experiences of other tourism destinations

Why tourism development planning is important

Tourism development planning really can make or break a destination. If done well, it can ensure the longevity of the tourism industry in the area, take good care of the environment, have positive economic outcomes and a positive benefit to the community.

If done badly , tourism development can destroy the very environment or culture that it relies on. It can disrupt local economies, cause inflation and negative effects to local people and businesses. Unfortunately, developing countries tend to suffer the most from negative impacts such as these, largely as a result of limited education and experience in contrast with Western nations. For more on this topic, you can read this post.

If you wish to cite any of the content in the post please use reference ‘Stainton, Hayley. (2018) Lifeasabutterfly .’

§§cs§§

For more on what constitutes tourism planning I recommend that you refer to the texts Tourism Policy and Planning: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow by Edgell and Swanson and Tourism Planning and Destination Marketing by Camilleri .

Tourism development planning is no simple task and there are many variables to consider. There are also different levels of tourism planning and policy. Fortunately, destinations can learn lessons from other areas which have been successful or otherwise. Take for example, over dependence on tourism in Egypt as I explain in this post- Why Unpaid Business is Better than No Business: The Case of the Egyptian Boatman. It is also worthwhile to look at the tourism policies of similar destinations. Some strong examples include Jamaica and Cape Town .

You might also be interested in my post- ‘ Best Universities In The UK To Study Travel and Tourism ‘

There are six ‘golden rules’ that should be applied when formulating an approach to tourism planning and policy, as outlined by Inskeep (1991).

You might also be interested in my post- ‘ What is ‘begpacking’ and why is it so bad ?’

Tourism planning really can make or break a destination. If done well, it can ensure the longevity of the tourism industry in the area, take good care of the environment, have positive economic outcomes and a positive benefit to the community.

If done badly, tourism development can destroy the very environment or culture that it relies on. It can disrupt local economies, cause inflation and negative effects to local people and businesses. Unfortunately, developing countries tend to suffer the most from negative impacts such as these, largely as a result of limited education and experience in contrast with Western nations.

For more on this topic, I recommend the following texts:

Tourism Policy and Planning: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Tourism Planning and Destination Marketing

Leisure, Sport and Tourism, Politics, Policy and Planning

Tourism Planning: Policies, Processes and Relationships

UN Tourism | Bringing the world closer

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International Tourism to Reach Pre-Pandemic Levels in 2024

• All Regions
• 19 Jan 2024

Following a strong 2023, international tourism is well on track to return to pre-pandemic levels in 2024.

According to the first UNWTO World Tourism Barometer of the year, international tourism ended 2023 at 88% of pre-pandemic levels , with an estimated 1.3 billion international arrivals . The unleashing of remaining pent-up demand, increased air connectivity, and a stronger recovery of Asian markets and destinations, are expected to underpin a full recovery by the end of 2024.

Middle East, Europe and Africa performed strongest in 2023

The latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer provides a comprehensive overview of the sector's performance in 2023, tracking recovery by global region, sub-region and destination. Key takeaways include:

• The Middle East led recovery in relative terms as the only region to overcome pre-pandemic levels with arrivals 22% above 2019.
• Europe , the world's most visited region, reached 94% of 2019 levels, supported by intra-regional demand and travel from the United States.
• Africa recovered 96% of pre-pandemic visitors and Americas reached 90%.
• Asia and the Pacific reached 65% of pre-pandemic levels following the reopening of several markets and destinations. However, performance is mixed, with South Asia already recovering 87% of 2019 levels and North-East Asia around 55%. 

International Tourist Arrivals (% change over 2019)

Available data shows several destinations, including both large, established destinations as well as small and emerging ones, reporting double-digit growth in international arrivals in 2023 when compared to 2019. Four sub-regions exceeded their 2019 arrival levels: Southern Mediterranean Europe, Caribbean, Central America and North Africa.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili says: "The latest UNWTO data underscores tourism's resilience and rapid recovery, with pre-pandemic numbers expected by the end of 2024. The rebound is already having a significant impact on economies, jobs, growth and opportunities for communities everywhere. These numbers also recall the critical task of progressing sustainability and inclusion in tourism development"

International tourism hit US$1.4 trillion in 2023

The latest UNWTO data also highlights the economic impact of recovery.

• International tourism receipts reached USD 1.4 trillion in 2023 according to preliminary estimates, about 93% of the USD 1.5 trillion earned by destinations in 2019.
• Total export revenues from tourism (including passenger transport) are estimated at USD 1.6 trillion in 2023, almost 95% of the USD 1.7 trillion recorded in 2019.
• Preliminary estimates on the economic contribution of tourism, measured in tourism direct gross domestic product (TDGDP) point to USD 3.3 trillion in 2023, or 3% of global GDP. This indicates a recovery of pre-pandemic TDGDP driven by strong domestic and international tourism.

Several destinations reported strong growth in international tourism receipts during the first ten to twelve months of 2023, exceeding in some cases growth in arrivals. Strong demand for outbound travel was also reported by several large source markets this period, with many exceeding 2019 levels.

The sustained recovery is also reflected in the performance of industry indicators. According to the UNWTO Tourism Recovery Tracker, both international air capacity and passenger demand recovered about 90% of pre-pandemic levels through October 2023 (IATA). Global occupancy rates in accommodation establishments reached 65% in November, slightly above 62% in November 2022 (based on STR data).

Looking Ahead to 2024

International tourism is expected to fully recover pre-pandemic levels in 2024, with initial estimates pointing to 2% growth above 2019 levels. This central forecast by UNWTO remains subject to the pace of recovery in Asia and to the evolution of existing economic and geopolitical downside risks.  

The positive outlook is reflected in the latest UNWTO Tourism Confidence Index survey, with 67% of tourism professionals indicating better or much better prospects for 2024 compared to 2023. Some 28% expect similar performance, while only 6% expect tourism performance in 2024 to be worse than last year. Key considerations include:

• There is still significant room for recovery across Asia. The reopening of several source markets and destinations will boost recovery in the region and globally.
• Chinese outbound and inbound tourism is expected to accelerate in 2024, due to visa facilitation and improved air capacity. China is applying visa-free travel for citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia for a year to 30 November 2024.
• Visa and travel facilitation measures will promote travel to and around the Middle East and Africa with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to implement a unified tourist visa, similar to the Schengen visa, and measures to facilitate intra-African travel in Kenya and Rwanda.
• Europe is expected to drive results again in 2024. In March, Romania and Bulgaria will join the Schengen area of free movement, and Paris will host the Summer Olympics in July and August.
• Strong travel from the United States, backed by a strong US dollar, will continue to benefit destinations in the Americas and beyond. As in 2023, robust source markets in Europe, the Americas and the Middle East, will continue to fuel tourism flows and spending around the world.
• Economic and geopolitical headwinds continue to pose significant challenges to the sustained recovery of international tourism and confidence levels. Persisting inflation, high interest rates, volatile oil prices and disruptions to trade can continue to impact transport and accommodations costs in 2024.
• Against this backdrop, tourists are expected to increasingly seek value for money and travel closer to home. Sustainable practices and adaptability will also play an increasing role in consumer choice. 
• Staff shortages remain a critical issue, as tourism businesses face a shortfall in labor to cope with high demand.
• The evolution of the Hamas-Israel conflict may disrupt travel in the Middle East and impact traveler confidence. Uncertainty derived from the Russian aggression against Ukraine as well as other mounting geopolitical tensions, continue to weigh on confidence.

Related links

• Download the News Release on PDF
• World Tourism Barometer | EXCERPT | Volume 22 • Issue 1 • January 2024
• World Tourism Barometer | PPT Version | Volume 22 • Issue 1 • January 2024
• UNWTO Tourism Recovery Tracker
• UNWTO World Tourism Barometer
• UNWTO Tourism Data Dashboard

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Effective Tourism Destination Planning: Steps and Comprehensive Guide

The concept of tourism was introduced when early civilizations across the world started to travel for commerce and religious purposes, while some say tourism found its roots in the 17th century.

The Travel and Tourism Industry saw monumental growth during the second half of the 20th century when backpacking around Europe became a thing.

And today tourism industry is one the largest and fastest growing industry and sector responsible for economic growth. While it has great potential to boost the overall economy, strategic tourism planning is required to reap the benefits of the powerful and ever-expanding industry.

Destination and stakeholders must carry out purposeful, comprehensive, and, most importantly, inclusive strategic tourism planning. While we know that tourism destination planning is done to increase the tourism activities in the nation, but it is the responsibility of the authorities to make sure it is culturally appropriate for the citizens residing in it to support long-term success and sustainable growth.

While the trajectory of the tourism industry is unclear due to the covid-19 wave, now is the time to plan and adapt tourism destination planning and development strategies.

What is destination planning?

Destination planning refers to the process of strategically organizing and developing a specific location or area to attract tourists and visitors. It involves a comprehensive analysis of the destination’s resources, market potential, infrastructure, and desired positioning to create a sustainable and successful tourism industry.

How to start planning for destination development?

We need to understand the importance of developing tourism in a way that it provides/adds great benefits to stakeholders while conserving the natural assets for generations. To up the tourism game of a destination will never be a straight path, it will require critical research and strategic tourism planning and defining the best-suited tourism marketing plan for the destination.

The world we all live in is home to infinite unique destinations waiting to be charted and show the world their unique features and assets, and diversity is the strength that we must undeniably safeguard. Saying that safeguarding the undeniable strength is no secret recipe, just a few points to keep in mind while deciding the steps of destination planning.

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Steps of Destination Planning

Step 1  – Comprehensive Destination Assessment: A comprehensive destination assessment is the first vital step any destination or its stakeholder must take to understand the destination and its touristic approach.

Step 2  – Long-term approach: Comprehensive assessment must follow the long-term direction and should leave enough room for unforeseen circumstances, changing trends, and competition.

Step 3  – Record Consumer Behavior: Amid rising ecological consciousness or the ever-increasing presence of technologies, it is a must to record the behavior of the traveler.

When is the right time?

In the hope of economic prosperity and tourist dollars, the rapid expansion of the sector has set destinations to compete on a global scale. Before we hop on this train of the tourism destination planning process.

World travel and tourism council (WTTC), in a comprehensive study, outlines 75+ factors responsible for tourism growth. From tourist attractions and infrastructure to accommodations, connectivity, as well as overall economic development and tourism policies. The factors listed are essential factors

responsible to determine how prepared a destination is and the resulting challenges. It is necessary to keep in mind that the success potential of a destination does not depend on the number of arrivals but on effective resource management.

Meanwhile, as it is important to know when to start, it is equally important to know when to hit the brakes. Uncontrolled tourism development can result in environmental degradation, waste mismanagement, rising prices, overcrowding, social unrest among residents and overall exceeding of destinations’ capacity. Suggested Read:  Event Tourism – Impact and Types

Who should lead the effort?

Government plays an important role in the implementation of appropriate investment decisions, regulations, and policies and in mitigating the negative impact of tourism development.

Good governance should lead tourism destination planning to establish appropriate administrative structures and frameworks for private and public sector cooperation, regulate the protection of heritage, assist in education and training, and will identify clear developmental objectives.

A DMO is a destination’s strategic leader; it directs and coordinates the efforts of various organizations and people to achieve a common objective. The DMO serves as a mediator and advisor, pooling resources, and knowledge to provide key stakeholders with the resources they need to thrive by fostering strategic alliances between the local government, citizens, small enterprises, and NGOs. By bridging the gap between locals and tourists, a DMO will enable cooperative efforts to maximize the economic benefits of tourism. Suggested Read:  Tourism Planning: Importance, Benefits, Types & Levels

Effective Tourism Destination Planning FAQ’S

What is destination planning in tourism.

Destination planning in tourism management provides stakeholders with tools to produce competitive and sustainable tourism in the destination. It is organized around destinations’ unique assets, development, management and marketing needs.

What are the five A’s of tourist destinations?

The five A’s of tourist destinations are: Accommodation Accessibility Activities Amenities Attractions

What are the three features that make tourist destinations a hit?

The three features that make tourist destinations a hit: Gastronomy Culture Accommodation

What are the main purposes of tourism destination planning?

Destination planning ensures cultural and environmental protection while providing economic growth for local communities.

Who is responsible for tourism destination planning?

Generally, this task is given to the government of the area. The government appoints a Destination Management Organization (DMO) that leads and coordinates the activities of tour operators, travel suppliers and other stakeholders towards a common goal.

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Tourism Planning

• Post last modified: 2 October 2021
• Reading time: 19 mins read
• Post category: Uncategorized

Tourism planning like any planning is purpose-oriented, determined to accomplish some of the objectives by corresponding to the accessible resources and programs with the necessities and desires of the people.

Tourism as a whole is an activity that is judged as part of physical, environmental, social and economic planning. It is seen as a business activity, in which the public or private and individual stakeholders have different perspectives to plan it. But, the role of government agencies in developing countries is central to tourism planning.

Table of Content

• 1 Importance of Tourism Planning
• 2 Constraints in Tourism Planning
• 3.1 Transport
• 3.2 Accommodation
• 3.3 Tourist Activities
• 3.4 Product Development
• 3.5 Tourism Zoning
• 3.6 Marketing and Promotion
• 3.7 Institutional Framework
• 3.8 Statistics and Research
• 3.9 Legislation and Regulation
• 3.10 Quality Standards of Tourism Services
• 4 Types of Tourism Planning
• 5 Levels of Tourism Planning

Planning in tourism is setting and achieving the goals, keeping constraints in mind such as time, money etc. there are many approaches involved in tourism planning such as bottom-up approach, collaborative, boosterism, interactive, integrated etc. If you talk about planning in tourism in developing countries, it is generally taken by consultancy firms. But it has only been in the 1990s that tourism has been thought as a serious planning activity (Gunn, 1990; WTO 1994).

Tourism planning occurs at all levels international, national, regional and for specific areas and sites. National and regional planning establishes the policies, physical and institutional structures, standards for developments, while the local bodies generally implement them.

In 1992, Gunn spotted out that tourism industry was the result of the tourist’s desire to visit a particular location and culminated when his desires got fulfilled. According to him, planning helps tourism by critically reviewing the various choices available & to choose the most appropriate plan, so that the destination achieves the desired results in terms of economic and social aspects.

Hence, wherever planning is involved in tourism, the various things important are- reviewing the ground position w.r.t resources available (capital, material, human); setting objectives; appraisal of the various plans, selection of the most appropriate plan in tandem with the local community support & approach and achieving the desired results.

Importance of Tourism Planning

At all levels of tourism in order to achieve success, planning is vital for managing and developing tourism. This has been exemplified by many tourism destinations throughout the globe that planning that also long term can only lead to economic, socio-cultural and ecological benefits to both local community and tourists.

Following are the importance of tourism planning:

• Development of linkages and co-ordination of tourism with other sectors through policy formulation.
• Ascertaining the objectives and tourism policy in order to realize the goals.
• Preserving & conserving the resources (natural/cultural/man-made) efficiently and effectively, so that they are also kept for coming generations also.
• Planning can be used to upgrade and revitalize existing outmoded or badly developed tourism areas. Through the planning process, new tourism areas.
• Integrating tourism policy at national, regional and local level.
• Helps in making a tourism framework for effectual execution of hard work done both by public & private sector. The public sector creates an environment conducive for tourism development, while the private sector pours financial assets for developing tourism.
• Helps in the harmonized growth of the various elements of the tourist sector through co-ordination and involvement.
• It helps to maximize the benefits (economic, socio-cultural and ecological) to local community; poor people etc and help in impartial distribution of the benefits to everyone.
• t helps to minimize the negative impacts of tourism, if any.
• Right type of planning can ensure that the natural and cultural resources for tourism are indefinitely maintained and not destroyed or degraded in the process of development.
• Developing specialized training facilities.
• Achieving controlled tourism development requires special organizational structures, marketing strategies and promotion programmes, legislation and regulations, and fiscal measures.
• Planning provides a rational basis for development staging and project programming. These are important for both the public and private sectors in their investment planning.
• It promotes rational thinking and development for tourism growth and expansion.
• It helps in formulation of a skeleton framework which directs the tourism development in terms of facilities, infrastructure, services and attractions.
• Helps in formulation of tourism policy, plans and effective management of tourism areas, facilities etc.
• Helps in creation of guidelines and standards which help in preparing detailed plans for developing tourism destinations and circuits.
• Helps in incessant monitoring of the developmental activities of tourism.
• Positioning tourism as a major engine of economic growth.
• Developing suitable marketing plans with realistic, practical and sustainable targets.
• Employing sustainable environmental practices.
• Review of tourism polices and their evaluation.
• Development of planning criterion and analysis of resources.
• Providing adequate recreation opportunities and facilities in the tourist destination and tourist circuits.
• Proper land- use and planning of the physical spaces.
• Allocating an adequate level of funding for tourism programmes

In order to develop tourism, planning is done at all levels of tourism through policy formulation and planning activities. Though the nature and type of planning vary from one country to another ranging from developed to least developed countries.

But, tourism planning should have a firm foundation for which good research and study of the grass-roots level is very essential. Also, the plans need to be revised again & again based on the study results and likely future trends but retaining the basic structure.

Constraints in Tourism Planning

The constraints in tourism planning are:

• Lack of community participation : The unwillingness of the people to participate in the tourism activity limits its future. The tourism planning and in fact tourism can only give positive results, if it receives people support at every stage of tourism process.
• Limited budgets: Usually, government provides low or limited budgets to the tourism a Industry. And this makes tourism a very limited process.
• Accuracy and reliability of market data: for planning and management is also a serious problem in tourism. If the market information is incomplete or hazy, then also the goals of the tourism planning would be affected.
• Low priority accorded to the tourism sector: No, doubt, there has been a positive mindset w.r.t tourism in the Indian economy. But, still this sector deserves much more, then it has received.
• The poor quality of infrastructure & facilities present at the attractions: also act as a constraint in tourism planning and development.
• Quality of transportation service: The quality and quantity of transportation service is not very good. And needs great improvement.
• Multiplicity and high level of taxation: also gives less inspiration to the tourism entrepreneurs and creates more & more obstacles for the tourism.
• Facilitation of entry of tourists at ports(Airport/seaport/land port): The lengthy procedures involved in immigration should be made reasonable without giving the visitors much botheration and anxiety, before they visit the country for tourist purpose.
• Poor communication & awareness: A sound plan without clear communication can lead to duplication of endeavors and create differences among the stakeholders of tourism. It can also lead to occurrence of feuds among the stakeholders and create complexity.
• Conflict of interest: At times, the tourism policies can lead to conflict of interest among the stakeholders and create questions at the very start of the tourism planning. Hence, whenever policies are framed the local community should be involved at all levels, so that tourism policies not lead to planning failures.

Management constraints

• Legislative constraints and adherence to rules/regulations/ executive orders: Touism planning will have to abide rules & regulation related to environment, wildlife, local resources. And at times, it also creates impediments for the overall tourism project or plan for a particular tourism area/destination or tourism project.
• Environmental constraints: The presence of wetland, certain wildlife species, sensitive habitat, steep slopes, unstable soil, hazardous geologic conditions, tectonic movement, seismicity, critical habitat, lack of land base are the limiting factors or constraints in tourism development. And their incidence can create problems for infrastructure development and tourism planning.
• Carrying capacity constraints: Carrying capacity is the ability of a place to accommodate fixed number of individuals without affecting the ecology of the place. But, if this threshold increases, then it affects the ecology and resource base of that place. Carrying capacity can be divided into four types i.e. (1) social, (2) physical, (3) environmental (or ecological), and (4) facility. So, all these carrying capacity are adversely affected, if the number of individuals increases. This is one of the biggest constraints in the tourism planning as it is often violated in tourism.
• Apt understanding of ground realities: The improper understanding of ground realities can also lead to creation of tourism polices and tourism planning, which leads to no results. Hence, the policies become rudimental often at its inception stage.
• Inactivity dilemma: For the tourism planning process, the nodal agency involved may have large infrastructure, bureaucracy, man power involved but may suffer from the fear of change. This mental state creates a lot of obstacles in the tourism planning.

Scope in Tourism Planning

Tourism planning has come a long way in the tourism development process. But still, there is ample scope for betterment. The scope of Tourism planning are briefly explained below:

Accommodation

Tourist activities, product development, tourism zoning, marketing and promotion, institutional framework, statistics and research, legislation and regulation, quality standards of tourism services.

Accessibility plays an important role in tourism planning. It provides mobility to not only the tourists, but also the tourism policy or plan. If the means of transport such as land, air and water are developed, it also makes ground for implementing the tourism plan at the grass-root level.

Accommodation is one of the important A’s of the tourism industry. It also increases the carrying capacity of a place by accommodating more tourists. But, currently in India, if we want to increase the flow of tourists, then we also need more hotels or accommodation facilities to accommodate them. Hence, the tourism plans should give a priority to develop them.

The tourist activities such as adventure activities, non-adventure activities, experiential activities in tourism such as in rural tourism, village tourism, Geotourism, ecotourism should be given more space in tourism development. And, these should be developed along with tourism concept as it gives more innovation to tourism, apart from enhancing the variety of experience to the tourists.

The diversity of the tourism product should be enhanced to give a variety of experiences to all tourists suiting their age, taste and culture. Also, emphasis should be laid down to develop the tourism product through quality gradation and innovation.

Also, importance should be given to developing a native product which is unique, indigenous to the land and helps in portraying the image of the land in terms of its culture, heritage, cuisine, festivals, folklores, traditions, dance forms, dresses etc.

Tourism zoning is an important aspect involved in tourism destination planning. It divides the tourist destination into various regions and segregates the tourist activity in those regions.

Marketing and Promotion are important elements in tourism planning and development. It needs more improvement in case of India. As, the tourism product of India is very diverse, indigenous and unique, still it lags in attracting the number of tourists. So, surely it is an area in tourism planning which needs great attention and careful planning.

Tourism development in India is institutionalized at a central level, state level and local level. But, still, there are large lacunas associated with it. The coordination of the institutions is delayed due to non-streamlined procedures, bureaucracy, nepotism, corruption etc and hampering the state of tourism in the country.

The tourism planning in India, still requires more research base and groundwork, prior to making the tourism policies. And, hence, if we want to improve our tourism planning and tourism policy, the research wings for the tourism industry have to be made sound and strong.

The existing legislation and regulations need to be revised to match up the current environment. Also, the legislation should be made keeping in mind the perspectives of all the stakeholders. They should not be made just by keeping the tourist in mind.

There has been great growth in the tourist infrastructure. But, in order to increase tourism competitiveness, importance have to be given on the quality of services and facilities. Also, the pricing of the tourism services is a big question. And, they should be made affordable keeping in consideration not only the foreign tourists, but also the domestic tourists whose role can also not be ignored.

Types of Tourism Planning

There are ‘n’ numbers of types of Tourism Planning. Some important ones are as follows:

• Spatial Tourism Planning: The space as well as the environment is scrutinized for creating good quality infrastructure e.g. Jim Corbett National Park.
• Sectorial Tourism Planning: Region to be developed is divided in to various broad sections called sectors e.g. South East Asia
• Integrated Tourism Planning: Parts of a tourist region are integrated so that the region becomes a hot destination.
• Complex Tourism Planning: When several regions are considered for planning which are far away e.g. Char Dham Yatra.
• Centralized Tourism Planning: Single authority, usually state or central Government, no private sector intervenes.
• Decentralized Tourism Planning: Parties who are keen to develop the spot, Government do not interfere. But it provides financial support.
• Urban – modern infrastructure
• Rural – culture, history, built from scratch

Levels of Tourism Planning

Tourism planning is implemented at different levels from the general level which may apply to an entire country or region down to the local level which may apply to detail planning for specific resort.

What is important to emphasize is the tourism planning and development must be integrated among all levels to take into account different levels of concern and to avoid duplication of efforts and policies.

Each level involves different considerations as follows:

• International level: Tourism planning at the international level involves more than one country and includes areas such as international transportation services, joint tourism marketing, regional tourism polices and standards, cooperation between sectors of member countries, and other cooperative concerns.
• National level: Tourism planning at the national level is concerned with national tourism policy, structure planning, transportation networks within the country, major tourism attractions, national level facility and service standards, investment policy, tourism education and training, and marketing of tourism.
• Regional level: Tourism planning at the regional level generally is done by provinces, states, or prefectures involving regional policy and infrastructure planning, regional access and transportation network, and other related functions at the regional level.
• Local or community level: Tourism planning at the local level involves sub regions, cities, towns, villages, resorts, rural areas and some tourist attractions. This level of planning may focus on tourism area plans, land use planning for resorts, and planning for other tourism facilities and attractions.
• Site planning level: Site planning refers to planning for specific location of buildings and structures, recreational facilities, conservation and landscape areas and other facilities carried out for specific development sites such as tourism Uttarakhand Open University 48 resorts and may also involve the design of buildings, structures, landscaping and engineering design based on the site plan.

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Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024

3. Global context

With 2024 in full swing, the global t&t sector is on track to move past the covid-19 pandemic lows and even exceed the pre-pandemic highs..

Driven by the lifting of pandemic-related travel and other restrictions and strong pent-up demand, international tourist arrivals are expected to reach pre-pandemic levels in 2024, reaching 88% of the 2019 level in 2023, 1 while at $9.9 trillion, T&T’s contribution to global GDP is nearly at pre-pandemic levels. The Middle East had the highest recovery rates in international tourist arrivals (20% above the 2019 level), 2 while Europe, a resilient destination with strong intraregional travel flows, Africa and the Americas all showed a strong recovery of around 90% in 2023. In 2024, global tourism growth is expected to be reinforced by the continued satisfaction of pent-up demand and growth in major Asian markets after travel restrictions have been lifted following a delay compared to other regions. 3

If T&T can be developed in an inclusive, sustainable and resilient manner, it can become a powerful tool to address many worldwide challenges.

However, the uneven nature of the aforementioned recovery, labour shortages, and supply and demand imbalances leading to travel price increases and service disruptions have put pressure on destinations and businesses in the T&T sector. Moreover, while travel demand has proved resilient, the macroeconomic and geopolitical landscape, defined by economic uncertainty, high inflation and energy prices, increased interest rates and conflicts from Ukraine to the Middle East, has nevertheless exacerbated the sector’s difficult operating conditions and may yet dampen sector growth. 4 Combined with the impact of climate events such as global heatwaves and wildfires in countries like Greece 5 and the return of overcrowding at destinations such as Venice, 6 the sector’s exposure to and influence on economic, social and environmental issues has become even more apparent.

Against this dynamic backdrop, it has become imperative for T&T government and business decision-makers and other stakeholders to ensure that the sector not only addresses near-term issues such as supply and demand imbalances but also ensures sector readiness for the growing economic, environmental, societal, geopolitical and technological challenges and opportunities in the future. If T&T can be developed in an inclusive, sustainable and resilient manner, it can become a powerful tool to address many worldwide challenges, contributing to the collective well-being of the global community. To help guide this goal, this year’s Travel & Tourism Development Index special focus section will outline the external future risks and opportunities the sector will likely face in the coming years, and what can be done to help the sector deal with these trends while simultaneously making it a source of global resilience and prosperity.

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Process, elements, and stages of tourism planning and development

a lecture handout about the complete process of planning for tourism development, including its elements and stages of development.

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7 New Trends in Tourism Planning You Must Know

Written by Greta Dallan on July 26, 2022 . Posted in Blog , Uncategorized .

What is Tourism Planning? 

Tourism planning consists of creating strategies to develop tourism in a specific destination. Knowing and understanding current trends allows those in the industry to tailor their operations to meet demand. It is crucial for DMOs and tourism businesses to stay up-to-date.  

Origin and development of tourism planning

Tourism planning was born from the necessity of simultaneously balancing the economic goals of tourism and preserving the destination’s environment and local welfare. It  arose in the second half of the 1990s, when mass tourism brought an unparalleled change in the travel environment. Consequently, the industry had to develop new standards to adapt to this change. 

The aim of tourism planning

The current objective of tourism planning is to control tourism’s unprecedented expansion to limit its negative social and environmental effects, while maximizing its benefits to locals. 

These goals can be reached by:   

• Analyzing the development of tourism in the destination
• Examining the state of affairs in a specific area and executing a competitive analysis
• Drafting tourism policies
• Defining a development strategy and actionable steps

Businesses looking for support through this process can reach out to Solimar International or check out this free toolkit . Solimar has a dedicated team of staff who employ a wide range of skills to promote economic growth, environmental preservation, and cultural heritage conservation. 

Why is Tourism Planning Important? 

Tourism planning should be part of destination development plans because it supports a destination’s long term success and incentivizes the collaboration of key stakeholders.

Tourism planning maximizes tourism benefits like: 

• Promotion of local heritage and cross-cultural empathy
• Optimization of tourism revenue
• Natural environment and resource protection

Tourism planning also minimizes tourism drawbacks such as: 

• Overtourism, and consequently anti-tourism feelings
• Economic leakage
• Disrespect for the local culture
• Damage to the local environment

Tourism planning is also important because, by creating plans and strategies, destinations provide an example that other destinations can follow to improve tourism in their area. It ensures that the destination is consistent with changing market trends, constantly addressing tourist and resident needs as they arise. 

This was made clear in the Cayman Islands. The surge of cruise tourism caused a massive influx of tourists, which brought new challenges to the small islands. Consequently, the destination’s goal shifted from attracting tourists to sustainably managing them. The development of a National Tourism Management Plan was key to provide stakeholders with the tools they needed for sustainable tourism management. 

What are the Newest Tourism Trends?

In the planning process, it is fundamental to consider how new tourism trends influence the future of tourism planning and allow destination strategies to stay innovative.

1. Safety and Cleanness

The Covid-19 pandemic brought about significant change to tourism and tourists’ perception of travel. Tourists are now more concerned about safety and cleanliness. They have a preference for private home rental, contactless payments, and booking flexibility due to the constantly-evolving global health situation. They are also more willing to visit natural environments and less crowded destinations where they feel safer.

→ Tips for DMOs : Have safety and cleanliness standards, allow flexible bookings and contactless payments, and focus on open-air experiences. 

An excellent example of these practices is Thailand, which decided to boost tourism after Covid-19 by rebranding itself as a safe tourist destination , issuing safety certificates to infrastructures to build public trust. 

2. Social Media

Social media is the preferred channel for travel inspiration, influencing travelers’ decision-making because videos and pictures create an emotional bond between people and places. 

The preferred platform depends on the traveler’s generation :

• Gen X uses Pinterest and aesthetically pleasing blogs
• Millennials use Instagram
• Gen Z uses TikTok

Generation Z is also more willing to travel after Covid, and they will have  high spending power in the next few years . 

Video content is favorable because of the high engagement and interaction it creates compared to pictures. In this context, TikTok is the future of travel marketing. On this fast-growing platform, videos are likely to become viral because of the app’s algorithm. For example, the travel campaign #TikTokTravel, where people were invited to share videos of their past trips, was viewed by 1.7 billion people . 

→ Tips for DMOs : DMOs can use TikTok to promote attractions, restaurants, and tours partnering with influencers. Social media can attract new customers, monitor Instagrammable locations, and manage overcrowding by promoting lesser-known areas. This all helps shift tourists away from hot spots. 

Follow Solimar International’s success with social media promotion through their World Heritage Journeys of the European Union project. By providing research, media-rich itineraries, website promotion, and mobile maps, Solimar International can help your organization reach its target audience.

3. BLeisure Travel

Due to technology, the separation between work and life is blurred. This premise gives birth to the BLeisure travel, a genre of travel that combines business and leisure . Aside from those who travel for work, combining some leisure during their stay, there is an increasing number of digital nomads. These people are freelancers or smart workers who decide to adopt a traveling lifestyle. They will look for business hotels where they can easily obtain a fast Internet connection and a good working environment.

Some destinations are rebranding themselves, targeting those who work remotely. A good example is Aruba, which promotes itself as a paradise for workation .  

4. Destination Uniqueness

The tourism market is becoming increasingly competitive, especially for destinations with similar climates or natural features. To stand out, destinations need to focus on their distinctive assets. Places should identify a destination brand, which highlights their culture and the unique experiences they offer to tourists, instead of branding common and widely-available tourism practices.

An example of destination uniqueness as a trend of tourism planning is Uganda, which is widely known as a safari destination. The country rebranded itself by focusing on its one-of-a-kind cultures, landscapes, food, and traditions, labeling itself “The Pearl of Africa.” This is one aspect of Uganda’s tourism planning process. By identifying and promoting a destination brand, Uganda aims to develop an immersive tourism for meaningful and transformative experiences abroad. 

5. Transformative Travel 

Transformative travel is an expression of the experience economy combined with experiential travel. The latter is about living once-in-a-lifetime, off-the-beaten-track experiences rather than conventional ones, connecting visitors with local cultures. 

Transformative travel is defined by the Transformational Travel Council as:

 “ intentionally traveling to stretch, learn and grow into new ways of being and engaging with the world.”

Therefore, transformative travel is an immersive experience that aims to inspire personal transformation, growth, and self-fulfillment. People travel to transform their own lives and the lives of those who live in the destination. 

→ Tips for DMOs : Destinations should focus on providing unique and authentic experiences that connect travelers with locals. This enables tourists to experience local culture, food, and lifestyles, lending way to authentic experiences that they are sure to remember.

6. Sustainability and Community Engagement

Travelers are becoming more conscious of their environmental impact, and they are more willing to adopt a sustainable travel style. This means not only doing less harm to the environment, but also making a positive impact on cultures and economies, generating mutually beneficial relationships between tourists and locals.

An excellent example of a country that stays ahead of trends in tourism planning is Jamaica. Instead of boosting sun and beach tourism development, Jamaica has recently focused on community-based tourism , providing several experiences that empower locals. 

By focusing on poverty reduction, gender empowerment, equality and employment, Jamaica utilizes tourism to achieve social justice goals. 

Similarly, Solimar contributed to an Artisan Development project in Morocco. By strengthening the connection between local artisans and tourists, Marrakech and Fez saw a significant increase in direct selling to consumers, which contributed to increased local welfare.

7. Technology to Manage Overtourism

The rise of charter flights boosted mass tourism. This has pressurized cities, raising the debate on the limits of acceptable change and generating anti-tourism sentiments among residents. One example of this is in Sedona, Arizona, where we helped manage visitor flow by marketing and promoting the nearby towns and attractions in Arizona’s Verde Valley . 

→ Tips for DMOs : Destinations should exploit technological advances to develop crowd management techniques. Some DMOs used gamification to manage tourism flow, spreading visitors in less known or less crowded areas. This is popular in London, for example, with the Play London with Mr. Bean app, a program that allows tourists navigate to different parts of the city and find points of interest quickly. This gives the city the opportunity to redirect tourist flows to spread-out spots in London.

To learn more about the tourism planning process and future trends in the tourism industry, visit our Institute for Sustainable Destinations website today. 

By Greta Dallan & Hannah Lambert

Tags: #regenerativetourism , #SustainableTourism , #tourismstrategy , #travelindustry , destinationmanagementorganization , DMO development , dmos , regenerative travel , tourism development , Tourism Planning , Tourism trends