Topic 1

• what is a tourist ?

  • a person who makes a trip outside his usual environment for leisure or personal purposes
  • the trip may be completed within the same day or may last several days
• what are the 3 interconnected components in a tourist system ?

  • tourist generating region
  • where tourists come from
  • where people and businesses that offer tourism products and experiences may be based
  • transit routes
  • region or route a tourist travels through to reach their destination
  • includes stopover points which may be used for convenience or their attractions
  • tourist destination region
  • attracts tourist
  • attractions, amenities and facilities cater to needs
• how does the availability of transit routes travel between regions ?

  availability of transit routes influence the volume and direction of travel
• how does the availability of transit routes travel between regions ?

  when there are limited or inconvenient transit routes, volume of travel may be low
• how does the availability of transit routes travel between regions ?

  when there are more transit routes available, volume of travel may increase

  • lack of direct flights from sg to brazil and inconvenient transit routes btwn them result in fewer tourists
• how does the availability of transit routes travel between regions ?

  when there are convenient or attractive transit routes available, tourists may opt to travel via the transit route rather than travelling directly

  • travellers may find 8 hr direct flight from new delhi, india to sg too tiring or have no suitable flights available
  • hence they may choose to take a shorter flight to bangkok, thailand before continuing their journey to sg
• what is the relationship between tourist generating and destination regions ?

  • generating regions create push factors that cause ppl to want to leave the generating region
  • like stressful work environment, unpleasant living environments and lack of recreation and entertainment options
  • destination regions create pull factors that attract tourists
  • like places of scenic beauty, special events like concerts or festivals, and attractions
• what are the factors leading to the growth of tourism ?

  motivation, ability and mobility to travel
• why does need for relaxation lead to growth of tourism?

  • need for relaxation
  • increasing pressure of work and hectic lifestyles increase motivation to travel to relieve stress, rest and rejuvenate
  • survey found that one of the main reasons british tourists visit phuket, thailand, is to rest and enjoy scenic views
• why does the need to achieve personal growth and self- fulfilment lead to growth of tourism ?

  • need to achieve personal growth and self- fulfilment
  • a way for self- growth and achieve fullest potential by developing themselves through learning something new
  • participate in physically and emotionally challenging activities like skydiving to push their limits
  • in the last few decades, the number of tourists climbing mount everest has increased as they are motivated to challenge themselves and achieve their fullest potential
• what are some needs that influence a tourists' motivation to travel ?

  need for relaxation, personal growth and unique travel experiences
• why does the need to discover unique travel experiences lead to growth of tourism ?

  • want to satisfy their curiosity about the world
  • explore different environments and cultures
  • participate in special or uncommon tourism activities like trekking along the slopes of a volcano
  • social media has raised interest in unique destinations especially amongst younger travellers
  • tourism numbers in antarctica have increased significantly in the last 2 decades as they seek to satisfy their curiosity about one of the world's last uninhabited regions
• what does increase in ability to travel refer to ?

  • increase in disposable incomes
  • increase in leisure time
  • lower transport costs
  • lower accomodation costs
• how does increase in disposable income lead to growth of tourism ?

  • after ww2, economic development led to an increase in disposable incomes in north america, western europe and japan, resulting in greater spending on travel
  • today, in rapidly developing countries like china and india, a fast growing middle class with increased disposable incomes is cause a large demand for tourism
  • in china, as gdp quadrupled, international tourism grew from about 9 million departures in 1999, to 154 million departures in 2019
• how does increase in leisure time lead to growth of tourism ?

  • people are more free from work responsibilities
  • this comes in the form of more paid leave, more public holidays and shorter working weeks, giving more people more time to travel
  • increase in paid leave also increases ability to finance their travel
  • in 2015, the chinese government encouraged employers to give workers half a day of paid leave on fridays during the summer months to help boost domestic tourism
• how does lower transport costs lead to growth of tourism ?

  • international tourism relies heavily on air transport, which have become increasingly affordable
  • air fares have dropped significantly over the years especially with the emergence of budget airlines
  • budget airlines use fuel- efficient planes which reduce fuel costs and fly to airports with cheaper fees, enabling them to offer lower transport costs
  • budget airlines like airasia which offers significantly lower prices, have become increasingly popular to travel within southeast asia
• what does mobility in travel refer to ?

  • expansion of public transport
  • introduction of new modes of travel
  • increase in private car ownership
• how does expansion of public transport services and infrastructure lead to growth of tourism ?

  • in recent years, more countries are constructing transport infrastructure like roads, railways and airports
  • connectivity within a country has also increased, allowing tourists to travel to more places in much shorter time
  • opening of changi airport's terminal 4 means that there can be more flights from other parts of asia to sg, making travel within the region more convenient
• how does introduction of new modes of travel lead to growth of tourism ?

  • rapid development of transportation technology has resulted in new modes of travel
  • tourists can travel faster and further via land, sea and air transport
  • in 1965, a conventional train would take 6 hours and 40 minutes to travel from toyko to osaka but with the bullet train, it now takes 3 hours and 10 minutes
• what are the stages of tourism development ?

  1. exploration
  2. involvement
  3. development
  4. consolidation
  5. stagnation
  6. decline
  7. rejuvenation
• what are the characteristics of the exploration stage ?

  • small number of adventurous tourists
  • visits are irregular and do not occur throughout the year
  • tourists make minimal contributions to the local economy
  • has natural attractions, cultural attractions and lack of facilities
  • jaco island in timor leste
• what are the characteristics of the involvement stage ?

  • increase in tourist arrivals due to an increase in advertisements and publicity
  • tourist arrivals vary at different time of the year
  • tourists' contributions to the local economy begin to grow
  • has goods, services and facilities to cater to tourists
  • goods and services are usually provided by locals
  • kuang si waterfalls in laos
• what are the characteristics of the development stage ?

  • tourist arrivals increase rapidly
  • tourism sector employs a significant number of workers, contributing significantly to the local economy
  • labour from other parts of the country will be attracted to work there
  • number of attractions and facilities built increase rapidly
  • heavy advertising of destination
  • increase in large and medium businesses in retail and leisure
  • phy quoc island in vietnam
• what are the characteristics of the consolidation stage ?


  • total annual tourist arrivals outnumber the local population
  • growth in annual tourist arrivals start to slow
  • tourism industry dominates the local economy
  • number of attractions and facilities built slow down
  • majority of tourist facilities and hotels are owned by large mncs
  • goa in india
• what are the characteristics of the stagnation stage ?

  • tourist arrivals have peaked and begin to decline as destination has reached or exceeded its carrying capacity
  • contributions to the economy start to stagnate
  • destination may no longer be attractive
  • facilities and attractions may decline as they become old and run down
  • tourist start to feel that the location no longer has anything to offer
• what is an example of a country that faced stagnation ?

  Hawaii, USA from 1990s to 2000s

  • tourism arrivals and expenditures began to decline
  • waikiki, a major tourism spot had become very crowded and the facilities and attractions were getting old and run down and in need of major renovations
• what are the characteristics of the decline stage?

  • tourist arrivals decline significantly
  • contributions to the economy decline significantly
  • local businesses are affected and may close, negatively affecting the economy and livelihoods
  • less money available to maintain and improve facilities
  • facilities deteriorate further , leading to fewer tourists
• what is an example of a country that faced decline stage ?

  blackpool, UK

  • in the 1990s, it lost its attraction due to competition from other european coastal locations with more competitive pricing
  • with fewer tourists, many old inns either deteriorated or had to shut down
• what are the characteristics of the rejuvenation stage ?

  • becomes more attractive again by
  • new investments to develop attractions and facilities
  • re- branding of the destination leading to an increase in tourist arrivals again
  • contributions to the economy increase again
  • funding is provided to
  • redevelop the area
  • advertise the revamped destination
• what is an example of a country that faced rejuvenation ?

  present day blackpool, UK

  • local authorities engaged the private sector to invest 300 million pounds to build blackpool centra, a world- leisure development which aims to attracts 600 000 visitors annually
  • re- marketed itself as a muslim- friendly and disabled- friendly destination
• what are the 2 tourist personalities ?

  dependables and venturers
• what are the characteristics of dependables ?

  • more cautious about spending money
  • guided by authority figures in making travel decisions
  • follow travel trends set by other venturers and public personalities
  • prefer structure and routine
  • travel in groups as they like to feel comfortable and secure
  • visit popular and familiar destinations that have well- developed tourism facilities and amenities for their convenience
  • more likely to return to the same place again
  • participate in mass tourism
• what are the characteristics of venturers ?

  • spend money more readily
  • guided by their personal judgement rather than authority figures
  • prefer to be spontaneous and have a diversity of activities
  • explore less developed, unique places, where they can participate in new experiences and activities even if it is less convenient
  • participate in niche tourism
• how do personality characteristics influence travel patterns ?

  • features of tourist destinations may appeal more
  • activities cater to the preferences
  • mongolia is just beginning to develop its tourism industry and mostly attracts venturers but there are dependables who visit their urban attractions
  • venturers visit the more undeveloped areas of mongolia like the plains or grasslands
• how does personality characteristics influence the development of tourist destinations ?

  • destinations are dynamic and are constantly evolving, changing their features and the type of tourists they attract
  • costa rica used to mainly attract venturers but started to attract more dependables and hence lost its appeal to venturers
  • to remain profitable, local authorities were advised to protect its natural environment and promote more adventurous tourist activities to attract venturers