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Tourism and Sustainable Development Study Guide

1. TOURISM: CONCEPTUAL ORIGIN

Etymology and Definition

  • Tourist (1772): From Greek/French "tour" meaning "circle" + "ist" (person who performs action)
  • Tourism (1811): "Tour" + "ism" (practice or theory)
  • Core concept: Tourism is characterized by a circular journey, ending where it began

Academic Perspectives

Tourism can be studied through multiple disciplinary lenses:

  • Sociologist: Relationships, roles, motivations, interactions
  • Psychologist: Internal processes, attitudes, emotions
  • Geographer: Movement, spatial distribution, impacts
  • Economist: Business aspects, economic impact, GDP contribution
  • Anthropologist: Cultural meanings, traditions, symbols
  • Ecologist/Biologist: Environmental consequences, habitat disruption

2. DIFFERENTIATING TRAVELERS FROM TOURISTS

Key Principle

"All tourists are travelers, but not all travelers are tourists"

Visitor Classifications

By Scale of Tourism Demand:

  • Inbound tourists: International visitors to a country (e.g., Vietnamese visiting Japan)
  • Outbound tourists: Residents traveling to other countries (e.g., Japanese visiting Vietnam)
  • Domestic tourists: Residents traveling within their own country (e.g., Oita residents visiting Tokyo)

By Length of Stay:

  • Tourists/Staying visitors: Stay overnight (24+ hours)
  • Excursionists/Same-day visitors: Arrive and depart same day

Visual Differentiation Factors

  • Attire: Clothing choices and style
  • Behavior: Actions and conduct
  • Posture: Body language and positioning
  • Equipment: Items carried or used

3. DEFINING TOURISM

Demand-Side Definition (WTO, 1992)

"Tourism comprises the activities of a person travelling outside his/her usual environment for less than a specified period of time, and whose main purpose of travel is other than the exercise of any remunerated activity at the place visited."

Three Key Criteria:

  1. Space: Outside usual environment (geographical boundary of regular routines)
  2. Time: 24 hours to 365 days
  3. Purpose: Non-remunerated activity (not primarily for payment)

Supply-Side Definition

"The science, art, and business of attracting and transporting visitors, accommodating them, and graciously catering to their needs and wants" - Industry perspective

4. THE TOURISM SYSTEM

Core Components

  • Traveller Generating Region: Origin point (demand side)
  • Tourist Destination Region: End point (supply side)
  • Transit Route Region: Connecting pathway
  • Environments: Human, socio-cultural, economical, technological, physical, political, legal

Tourism Industry Characteristics (Service Sector)

  1. Intangibility: Services can't be experienced before purchase
  2. Variability: Quality depends on who, where, when, how
  3. Perishability: Cannot be stored for later use
  4. Seasonality: Demand fluctuates throughout the year
  5. Inseparability: Services cannot be separated from providers

5. TOURIST DESTINATIONS

Definition (UNWTO)

"A unique place where a visitor spends at least one night and exhibits tourism products such as attractions, support services, and tourism resources complete with defined management, physical and administrative boundaries, and a well-known image"

Space vs. Place

  • Space: Geographical location/point on earth's surface
  • Place: Gives meaning, "personality," and connection to cultural/personal identity

How Places Become Tourist Destinations

Evolution Process:

  • Transit Regions (TR) → Tourist Destination Regions (TDR)
  • Example: Batu Ferringhi beach (Malaysia) - 1960s transit spot → 1975 mass tourism destination

Repurposing Process:

  • Places repurposed due to historical, cultural, natural, or scientific significance
  • Examples: Goree Island (Senegal), Robben Island (South Africa)

Destination Components (Supply Elements)

  • Tourist accommodation
  • Restaurants
  • Tourism information services
  • Attractions (key component)
  • Retailing
  • Events, conventions, meetings
  • Tourism business districts
  • Vacation/second homes
  • Souvenir shops
  • Local communities

Scales of Description

  1. Country level (e.g., Japan)
  2. Regions (e.g., Kyushu)
  3. Towns (e.g., Beppu)
  4. Specific sites (e.g., Kannawa Onsen District)
  5. Specific attractions (e.g., Umi Jigoku)

6. TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

Definition

"Any place of interest, site, or activity that draws people to a location from their usual place of residence"

Types of Tourist Attractions

Natural Attractions

  • Characterized by natural elements (untouched or minimally modified)
  • Examples: Sahara Desert, Norwegian fjords, Beppu hot springs

Cultural Attractions

  • Man-made attractions providing cultural insights
  • Examples: Pyramids of Giza, Jigoku Mushi cuisine

Recreational Attractions

  • Man-made/modified locations for entertainment and leisure
  • Examples: Tokyo Disneyland, Suginoi Palace

Event-based Attractions

  • Centered around specific events/festivals with limited timeframe
  • Examples: Oktoberfest, Beppu Onsen Festival

7. SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT

Global Tourism Industry Size

  • Growth: 25 million (1950) → 1.5 billion arrivals (2019)
  • Economic impact: 10.4% of global GDP (2019)
  • Employment: 1 in every 10 jobs globally

Japan Tourism Statistics

  • GDP contribution: 359 billion USD
  • Global ranking: 3rd largest market (after US and China)
  • International visitors: 31.8 million (2019)
  • Domestic travel: 70-80% of total tourism

Key Concepts

Development

"The process of expanding and advancing through progressive stages"

Sustainability

"The ability to maintain or support a process continuously over time"

Sustainable Development (Brundtland Report, 1987)

"Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs"

International Milestones

  • 1972: UN Conference on Human Environment (Stockholm)
  • 1987: Brundtland Report
  • 1992: Earth Summit (Rio de Janeiro)
  • 2000: Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
  • 2005: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
  • 2015: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Five Basic Principles of Sustainability (Brundtland Report)

  1. Holistic planning linking economic, environmental, and social concerns
  2. Preserving essential ecological processes
  3. Protecting biodiversity and human heritage
  4. Sustainable productivity for future generations (intergenerational equity)
  5. Better balance of fairness between nations

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - Problems

  1. Ignoring inequality: Didn't focus on different groups' progress
  2. Vague goals: Unclear measurement criteria
  3. Environmental overlook: Undervalued environmental issues
  4. Missed targets: Inadequate focus on decent jobs
  5. Lack of implementation: Poor execution of peace, security, governance

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Key Findings

  • Humans depend on nature and ecosystem services
  • Unprecedented changes to ecosystems for human needs
  • Weakened nature's ability to provide key services
  • Threat of species extinction
  • Local community involvement crucial for conservation success
  • Technology exists to reduce impact, but ecosystem services still perceived as free

8. ANTHROPOCENTRISM vs. ECOCENTRISM

Anthropocentrism

  • Definition: Human-centered worldview; humans as most significant entities
  • Humans have intrinsic value; other beings have only instrumental value
  • Similar to Ptolemaic system (Earth as center of universe)

Underlying Belief Systems

  • Position determines behavior and impact
  • Critical to examine our worldview and its consequences
  • Need to shift from anthropocentric to more sustainable perspectives

9. TOURISM PRODUCTS AND COMMUNITY TOURISM

What Makes a Tourism Product

  • Carefully designed and curated experience
  • Combines core elements, facilitating services, and supporting services
  • Includes storytelling, interpretation, and meaningful interaction
  • Transforms visits into memorable journeys

"Jewels" in Community Tourism

  • Definition: Hidden, overlooked, or underappreciated assets with potential tourism value
  • Types: Tangible (places, objects) and Intangible (traditions, practices)
  • Key principle: Value comes from how jewels are shared, interpreted, and experienced

Characteristics of Good Jewels

  1. Authentic and locally valued
  2. Tells a good story
  3. Low-cost to access and maintain
  4. Can be shared respectfully
  5. Connects to people, not just places

Formula for Tourism Product Development

Jewel + Story + Local Involvement + Visitor Experience = Tourism Product

Value Creation vs. Value Extraction

Value Extraction (Avoid)

  • Superficial tourist experiences
  • Locals excluded from decisions
  • Revenue goes to external investors
  • Sites overused and degraded

Value Creation (Pursue)

  • Tourists learn, contribute, leave changed
  • Locals are designers and hosts
  • Revenue supports local livelihoods
  • Assets preserved and celebrated

Core Principle

Shift from consuming destinations to collaborating with them

Key Examples from the Material

Beppu Case Studies

  • Evolution: Early 1900s transit region → mid-20th century major tourist destination
  • Repurposing: Beppu Park from military training ground → public recreational space → tourist attraction
  • Tourism Products: Kannawa walking tours combining geothermal culture, jigoku-mushi cooking, community baths

International Examples

  • Evolution: Batu Ferringhi beach (Malaysia) - backpacker transit → mass tourism destination
  • Repurposing: Goree Island (Senegal), Robben Island (South Africa) - historical sites → UNESCO Heritage tourism
  • Jewels: Liphofung Cave (Lesotho), Traditional dance (El Salvador)

Study Tips and Key Takeaways

Essential Memorization

  1. WTO Tourism Definition and its three criteria (Space, Time, Purpose)
  2. Tourism System Components (Generating Region, Destination Region, Transit Region)
  3. Four Types of Attractions (Natural, Cultural, Recreational, Event-based)
  4. Service Sector Characteristics (5 I's: Intangibility, Variability, Perishability, Seasonality, Inseparability)
  5. Sustainable Development Definition (Brundtland Report)

Critical Concepts to Understand

  • Circular nature of tourism (etymology and conceptual meaning)
  • Difference between travelers and tourists
  • Space vs. Place in destination development
  • Evolution and repurposing processes for destination development
  • Value creation vs. value extraction in community tourism
  • Anthropocentrism vs. ecocentrism worldviews

Application Skills

  • Identify tourism jewels in different communities
  • Distinguish between different types of attractions
  • Analyze tourism development through sustainability lens
  • Apply tourism product development formula
  • Evaluate tourism initiatives for value creation vs. extraction

Timeline Awareness

  • 1772: Term "Tourist" introduced
  • 1811: Term "Tourism" introduced
  • 1987: Brundtland Report (Sustainable Development)
  • 1992: WTO Tourism Definition, Earth Summit
  • 2000: Millennium Development Goals
  • 2015: Sustainable Development Goals

This study guide synthesizes the core concepts, definitions, examples, and frameworks essential for understanding tourism and sustainable development from both theoretical and practical perspectives.

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