Social Studies

• Tourism


  The services provided by people in the host country to people from another country who come to visit, usually on vacation
• Tourist


  Anyone travelling for such purposes as recreation, holiday, health, sport, visiting relatives, business, on a mission or as delegates at a conference. Must stay at least 24 hours and overnight, but not for more than one year, and not earning an income in the place being visited
• Types of Tourist


  • Domestic
  • Regional
  • International
• Domestic tourist


  Someone who travels within his/her own country and spends at least one night away from his/her usual place of abode
• Regional tourist


  Someone who travels from one country to another within the geographical region in which he/she lives
• International tourist


  Someone who travels outside the geographical region of his/her country of residence
• Visitor


  A person who visits a country for any reason. The visitor who stays for less than twenty-four hours is not considered to be a 'tourist'
• Excursionist


  A visitor who stays for less than 24 hours in a country and does not necessarily sleep in the country
• Tourism product


  The facilities and amenities, either man-made or natural which provide tourists with a variety of experiences
• Requirements for a tourism product


  • Accessible
  • Have accommodation
  • Have attractions
  • Have amenities
  • Have people with good attitudes
• Characteristics of a tourism product


  • Intangible
  • An export product because it is consumed by people who live outside of our country and it earns foreign exchange
  • Exploits the country's natural, man-made and cultural environment
  • Produced by those who work directly in tourism enterprises and also by the other citizens
• Types of tourism products in the Caribbean


  • Eco Tourism
  • Sports Tourism
  • Cultural/Heritage Tourism
  • Health tourism
• Eco Tourism


  Travel for the purpose of understanding cultural and natural history. Eco-tourists are concerned to safeguard ecosystems and encourage conservation
• Sports Tourism


  Tourism that has its main purpose either engaging in a sporting event as a player, attending a sporting event as a spectator or a player's supporter, or performing other duties resulting from sporting events such as sports journalism or sponsorship
• Cultural/Heritage Tourism


  For those who want to experience the culture and the history of the destination such as indigenous festivals, music, food, dances, art, language and dress. Also includes archaeological and historical buildings and sites, museums and monuments
• Health tourism


  The provision of health facilities which utilise the natural resources of the region, in particular mineral water and the climate. May also include special provision for recuperation from illness
• A country should develop new tourism products in order to be able to cater to the needs of different groups, attract more visitors to the island, and increase employment in the tourism industry and the country in general
• Factors that influence the development of tourism in the host country


  • Have a tourism organisation to develop policies and guidelines
  • Have an organisation to market the destination
  • Be serviced by aircraft and/or cruise ships
  • Have a variety of good quality and reasonably priced tourism services
  • Be perceived to be safe and secure
  • Be politically stable
  • Have a good infrastructure
• Factors that influence the development of tourism in the supply country


  • Visitors have a disposable income to travel
  • Visitors have easy access to affordable and reliable transportation
  • Visitors are made aware of the destination by tourism promoters and travel agents
  • Visitors have specific and detailed information about the destination
• Areas of impact of tourism on the Commonwealth Caribbean economy


  • Foreign exchange earnings
  • Employment
  • Government revenue
  • Agricultural sector
  • Imports
  • Consumer demand
• Tourism is the largest foreign exchange earner for most Commonwealth Caribbean countries. The foreign exchange is used to pay for imports of goods and services and to repay international loans
• Tourism provides direct employment for workers in the hotel industry and tourism-related enterprises, and indirect employment through linkages with other sectors
• Tourism contributes significantly to government's revenue through fees, taxes on goods and services purchased by tourists, and taxes on businesses in the tourism industry
• The higher wages in the hotel sector


  Attract workers away from the agricultural sector and make it difficult for that sector to maintain an adequate supply of labour
• Prime agricultural land is utilised for tourism facilities


  Reduces the amount of already scarce land available for agricultural production
• Large quantities of food have to be imported to feed the tourists, increasing the country's food import bill
• Tourism creates a greater local demand for imported foods as residents may imitate the consumption habits of the tourists
• Reasons why hotels may not use local produce


  • The quality may be poor
  • The items may not be available at the required time
  • The prices may be too high when compared with the prices of imports
  • The hotels may lack information on the availability of supplies
  • The variety may be limited
  • The suppliers may be unreliable
• Economic linkage


  When the output or product of one industry becomes input in another industry
• Economic leakage


  When a very high percentage of the foreign exchange which is earned from tourism goes back out of the country
• Ways to reduce the leakage of foreign exchange earnings from the tourism industry


  • Encouraging hotels and restaurants to substitute imported food items with locally-produced foods
  • Providing local farmers with incentives to develop local agriculture and produce high quality foodstuff
  • Encouraging more locals to own accommodation facilities by providing the necessary investment incentives
• Career opportunities in tourism


  • Managerial: hotel manager, travel agent
  • Professional: chef, accountant
  • Administrative: secretary, supervisor
  • Technical: information, specialist
  • Clerical: receptionist, front desk clerk
  • Catering: cook, bartender, mixologist
  • Sanitary: maid, housekeeper
  • Transport: taxi driver, airline worker
  • Unskilled: gardener, bell boy
• Tourism has a ripple effect on the manufacturing, industrial and service sectors of the economy through linkages
• Examples of linkages between tourism and other sectors


  • Agriculture
  • Manufacturing
  • Construction
  • Culture
• Ways hoteliers may improve the quality of workers


  • Organising on-job-training for new workers
  • Encouraging employees to attend retraining courses
  • Making financial contributions to hotel training schools and other hospitality training institutions
  • Providing scholarships and study leave for employees to obtain training
• Examples of misuse/abuse of natural resources by tourism


  • Forests - Removing rare species, destabilizing soil
  • Land - Using agricultural land for hotels, heavy use of chemicals on golf courses, increased solid waste
  • Beaches - Construction too close, dumping waste
  • Water bodies - Damage to coral reefs
  • Landscapes - Obstructing views
• Ways tourism organizations may help reduce damage to the marine environment


  • Lobbying government to construct sewage treatment plants
  • Encouraging hoteliers to dispose of sewage safely
  • Recommending government implement and enforce measures against illegal mining and dumping at sea
  • Promoting and supporting beach and underwater clean up campaigns
• Damage to coral reefs


  • Upsets tidal patterns
  • Upsets ecological balance and may lead to the proliferation of certain harmful sea creature (e.g the discovery of the lionfish in Barbados)
  • Causes beach erosion
• Construction of hotels on or near the best beaches


  • Obstructs people's view of these beaches (e.g the West Coast in B'dos)
• Effects of tourism on land ownership, land use, natural beauty and use of beaches


  • Residents are sometimes dislocated when their land, which was used for agricultural or residential purposes, is acquired by government for tourism developments
  • Absence of alien land holding legislation in some Commonwealth Caribbean countries makes it possible for foreigners to buy land for tourism development and for speculative purposes
  • Foreigners usually buy the best beachfront properties at very high prices, pushing land prices up and making it difficult for many local persons to own land
  • Locals are denied access to some beaches by hoteliers in some countries