Advances in Hospitality and Leisure

Joseph S. Chen, Joseph S. Chen

• Publisher: Emerald Publishing Limited
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781839823862
• Topic: Betriebswirtschaft
• Subtopic: Business allgemein

Advances in Hospitality and Leisure (AHL), a peer-reviewed research journal, has been published annually since 2004. AHL is indexed in Scopus and included in the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) journal quality list. Its editors, editorial board members, ad-hoc reviewers entail scholars from North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. AHL with international in focus attempts to divulge the innovative methods of inquiry so as to inspire new research topics that are vital and have been in large neglected in the context of hospitality, tourism, and leisure. It strives to address the needs of the populace willing to disseminate seminal ideas, concepts, and theories derived from scholarly inquiries. AHL covers full papers and research notes in the matter of conceptual models and empirical investigations using inductive and deductive methods.
The authors of this publication come from America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia, and Pacific. Potential readers may retrieve useful articles to outline new research agendas, suggest viable topics for a dissertation work, and augment the knowledge of the new subjects of learning.

FULL PAPERS

Developing Tourism in Remote Communities: An Open Architecture Approach

Bruce Prideaux and Michelle Thompson

Abstract

Remote communities often face a range of problems related to distance, service provision, high costs, and economic uncertainty. Many of these problems are structural and a direct result of their location on a periphery. In recent decades many remote settlements have looked to the tourism sector to supplement existing local economies. Numerous tools variously described in the literature as theories, models, and frameworks have been suggested as approaches for assisting local economies develop tourism. In searching for solutions, it is not unusual for researchers to advocate a standalone theory, model, or framework as a preferred approach. However, this method ignores the complexity of the real world and that solutions usually require a multidimensional approach based on combining various theoretical tools. This paper proposes an open architecture approach that utilizes a number of theories and models that can be selectively and collectively used to assist remote settlements develop a tourism sector. This approach was tested in Cooktown, Australia. One outcome was the identification of a range of deficiencies in the strategies currently used by the destination.

Keywords: Remote communities; periphery; tourism; Cooktown; models; barriers; open architecture approach

Introduction

Many remote settlements encounter problems in providing services to residents and attracting investment in the local economy (Schmallegger & Carson, 2010). Problems of this nature may arise from poor or limited access to national transport networks, inadequate communications systems, high cost of imported goods and services, skills shortages, and service standards that may not meet those normally accepted in larger centers. The structure of the local economy may also pose problems particularly where the community's principle economic sectors are subject to the vagaries of domestic and international market forces. Cooktown, Australia, is an example of one such settlement. In recent decades many remote settlements have looked to the tourism sector to supplement existing local economies. However, this requires these communities to adopt strategies that support tourism development. Huskey and Morehouse (1991) observed that development in remote areas is a process of overcoming obstacles that may include conflicting social, economic, and political objectives often compounded by differences between the objectives of the community and the external agencies they rely on.

The aim of this chapter is to examine how existing theoretical tools can be used to assist remote communities develop a tourism sector. The premise underpinning this approach is that tourism development is based on the interplay of three key concepts:

Supply—a realistic assessment of a destinations' ability to provide appealing tourism resources within the context of its location and access to potential generating regions and tourist segments.

Tourist experience—the range of tourist experiences and supporting services able to be offered by the destination.

Demand—the ability of the experiences offered in the destination to attract tourists.

Many of the available theoretical tools offer a narrow rather than broad holistic approach to understanding the interplay of supply, demand, and the tourist experience.

Models and theories that relate to aspects of destination development were reviewed to identify those that assisted in developing an understanding of the factors, processes, and relationships that affect supply, tourist experience, and demand in remote communities. Selected models and theories were incorporated into an open architecture framework illustrated in Fig. 1. For the purposes of this chapter, open architecture is described as an approach that enables models and theories to be used singularly, collectively, in parallel, and/or sequentially to solve specific tourism planning issues. In computing and other industries, an open architecture system is one that allows the integration and/or interfacing of components, information systems, and programs from multiple suppliers into a single framework. A closed architecture approach does not allow integration of products and services from multiple suppliers. When applied in a tourism setting, the open architecture system recognizes that current theoretical tools explain various elements of the tourism development process rather than the process as a whole. Incorporating a range of theoretical tools into an open architecture framework allows them to be “plugged in” where and as required. Although applying this approach to a tourism setting is novel, it has the potential to make far better use of theoretical tools, including models and theories, than presently occurs by contributing to a more holistic understanding of problems and solutions. The framework was tested in Cooktown, a small remote community located in northern Australia. While the following discussion has a specific tourism focus, the role of other sectors in the local economy also need to be considered based on the significant level of interdependence between each sector.

Fig. 1. Tourism Development Model. Source: Authors.

Models and Theories

A review of the literature indicates a propensity for researchers to focus on one or occasionally several models or theories to explain issues related to the development of remote or isolated communities. Models are generally created to explain complex problems (Getz, 1986) but with the realization that they represent an aspect of reality, not reality itself. A key element of successful model building is the reduction of complex sets of cause and effect into a simplified set of relationships that explain why certain sets of factors affect other sets of factors under specific conditions. Theory also provides explanation but from a different perspective. According to Dann, Nash, and Pearce (1988, p. 4), theory can be described as a body of logically interconnected propositions that provide an interpretive basis for understanding phenomena.

McKercher (1999) observed that reality is complex, even chaotic. By simplifying the vast range of factors that may affect a particular set of relationships, models and theories can assist in reducing complexity and identify key drivers, but the process of simplification may not capture the entirety of the processes that are operating. A major criticism of models and theories is that by simplifying complex relationships, important cause and effect factors may be overlooked. Another significant criticism is that there is a tendency to use a single model and theory when the complexity of the factors being investigated is such that multiple models may be required. In a review of four models used to explain aspects of tourism development on the Gold Coast, Australia, Prideaux (2009, p. 31) observed that “while each model in isolation appears to offer a satisfactory analysis… other factors that were not identified also offer valid explanation.” In some cases, there may be overlaps between models where similar factors are viewed from different perspectives. A more appropriate approach to using models and theories is to assemble “the findings of a number of models (and theories) to enable a more holistic view of the development processes (that are occurring) (p. 31).” This approach is adopted in this chapter.

Literature Review

Models and theories are widely used in the tourism literature to discuss a range of issues related to remoteness. Examples include periphery, staples theory, economic base theory, comparative and competitive advantage, push-pull, co-creation, innovation, dependency theory, marketing theory, and the principles of smart tourism. The following discussion reviews a range of models and theories that have been used to understand problems associated with tourism development in remote areas. Space limitations preclude a more detailed discussion of the following models and theories.

Periphery is an example of a theory often employed to examine issues related to remoteness. From a tourism perspective (Harrison, 2015; Wall, 2015; Weaver, 2015), periphery refers to the relationship between major tourism generating regions and remote destinations. Discussions on the impact of periphery on tourism demand usually include analyses of measurable factors including actual distance, perceived distance, scale, cost, and occasionally time. In reality, complex sets of factors affect distance relationships, including competitive advantage, uniqueness of attractions, governance, economic factors, and personal preferences. Wall (2015, p. 180) observed that

…periphery should be seen as being primarily a spatial concept, albeit one that can be linked to other concepts such as population density, economic structure, level and type of development, modernization, economic structure, and globalisation.

Wall (2015) also observed that peripheries include relationships between centers and edges and that there are some arguments that development can “trickle down” from the core to the periphery.

From a different perspective, Chaperon and Bramwell (2013) observed that periphery is a function of the location of a destination and its key source markets, and the difficulty of travel between the destination and its source markets where travel is measured in terms of cost, time, and inconvenience. A peripheral location need not be a major impediment for a destination if its key tourism assets are sufficiently unique or novel that the strength of the destination's pull factors is enough to overcome constraints imposed by the length of time taken to reach the destination and the cost of that travel (Prideaux, 2002). Where uniqueness provides tourists with a rewarding experience, the additional cost of travel may be offset by an enhanced level of enjoyment of their touristic experience (Prideaux, 2013). The significance of uniqueness is apparent in the Maldives, which while remote has been able to build a premium tourism experience based on unique island experiences and remoteness (Schey...