Dynamic Tourism

Journeying With Change

Priscilla Boniface

• Publisher: Channel View Publications
• Year: 2001
• ISBN:
  9781845413941
• Topic: Betriebswirtschaft
• Subtopic: Gastgewerbe, Reise- & Tourismusbranche

This book portrays a fresh approach to tourism. It argues for increased and radical change by the tourism industry and claims that this change is made necessary by the emergent sophistication and increased experience of tourists who require a different style of treatment and type of product. Dynamic Tourism is presented as a formula to meet the needs of the prevalent consumer society, to cater for its changing wishes, to reflect society's contemporary concerns and to accommodate the ongoing projected growth of tourism. The focus is upon the tourist, highlighting the need for the tourism industry to give greater consideration to tourists' changing needs, and to take a more flexible, modern and thought-out approach. The argument is delivered in three parts. First, the book indicates why Dynamic Tourism is needed as a method, and shows its first signs of appearing. It then delivers the detail and practicality of the process. Finally, the complete concept is outlined and the method of future implementation is projected. Examples from around the world are used to explain and illustrate the argument. Underlying the whole discussion is the recognition that the tourism arena is a resource of finite size, needing capacity for renewal and requiring the most intelligent, adaptable and considered use. The intended readership for this book includes all participants in the tourism experience: the tourism industry, its policy makers, operatives and stakeholders, and those students who intend to join their ranks, existing tourists who are disappointed with the limited provision offered to them at present and who wish for better in the future, along with the increasing number of new tourists whose outlook is very different from those of the past.

Chapter 1

Introduction

Why Change?

Dynamic Tourism is about change, perpetual change over a wide range of components and facets. Its power lies in its speed and flexibility of response, for change is a necessity in tourism. Tourism is not only an industry, confined to a particular sector of an economy or population, it has emerged as a phenomenon that everyone in a society now experiences. We all have our encounters with tourism and are touched by it in some way.

Meanwhile, the industry’s method of operation has remained static, beached in a style developed in its infancy. The demand (consumer) side shows a new sophistication that is not matched by the supply (industry) side. No major alteration in approach has yet responded to reflect and accommodate present-day tourism, still less has any alteration been made in anticipation of what tourism will become. Much of the change now occurring in the industry is due to impetus given by the developing Internet and its attendant innovations and opportunities. There has been little of the requisite wide-ranging and strategic thought and pro-active recognition that should drive development of the industry. The main reasons for this industry-wide stagnation and immaturity could be: a blind eye turned by the industry to its own shortcomings; a lack of appreciation for the need and reasons for development; a failure of ideas and imagination.

Why argue for change?

• The impulse to travel – whether a wish to reach a definite destination or a need to escape from a certain somewhere – seems innate in most people. At present, a huge group with this instinct to travel also has the necessary money and time to indulge the impulse.

• New travellers constantly appear, yet established and experienced voyagers, who have already ‘seen the sights’ are still eager to travel.

• Modern life in our consumer societies demands novelty. We expect new things. We like stimulation. We are increasingly well educated and informed about choices.

• Society is changing rapidly, and tourism within society must reflect and remain in tune with its changes. The need to synchronise with customer tastes is pressing for any industry. It is especially pressing for tourism, since this particular industry bears such a heavy weight of expectation for growth and serves as a motor for economic development.

Tourists, as travellers and as members of society, have changed and are changing; this is the essential point for Dynamic Tourism. Within this dimension of change, in keeping with a constant demand for novelty and a continual replenishment of the new tourist market, it is inevitable that the whole world must eventually be seen as a potential tourist product. Only the entire world can hope to accommodate the eventual needs of tourism. Logically then, even though some populations in some parts of the globe are unable or reluctant to be tourists themselves, it is highly unlikely that they will escape playing the role of host. It is not only travellers who are becoming well versed in the ins and outs of tourism; hosts, too, are acquiring similar knowledge of and sophistication about their industry. Thus the tourist industry, as it delivers its products in these circumstances of continual change, must remain alert, aware of this volatile situation and in pace with it. Not to do so is to risk being marginalised, side-stepped, and done without.

It can be argued that tourism represents a main, perhaps the main, material of expression for the developed world in the early twenty-first century. MacCannell (1999: 1) has described the tourist as, ‘one of the best models available for modern-man-in-general’. Many features of human life are active in the tourism industry and affect its pursuit, and this human variability accounts for part of the difficulty in maintaining consistent quality in the product. So much of modern society is already reflected in the activity of tourism, for example, our frequent use of consumption as a means of self-definition, our wish for constant, speedy motion, for fresh sensations and experiences. This is the time for tourism to develop as a real reflection of contemporary society, of its thoughts and its manner of operation. If a serious dichotomy develops – a wide division between the demands of the travelling public and what the current travel industry offers – society will abandon tourism for some other, more effective, means of expression and fulfilment.

Tourism belongs to our free time. We travel as tourists by our own choice. Such travel can be said, therefore, to reflect our personal essence, since it is a part of life in which we are burdened by fewer constraints and conditioning than in our routine existence. Travel as tourists avoids the duties and influences of everyday life. It gives us the opportunity to do what we really want, or what we think we want, in a concentrated way, without interruption. To aim the product at fulfilling this demanding brief, tourism providers must know us and our needs, and what conditions those needs.

What, then, are the elements that are necessary to satisfy us, and how can we define Dynamic Tourism to embody these elements? One general feature is an attention to catering for our contemporary tastes, outlook and activities where we seek fulfilment through tourism. Yet another necessary feature for Dynamic Tourism must be a mechanism to accommodate burgeoning numbers of tourists. This second necessity presupposes the whole range of environmental requirements – those already in place and those that are still only emerging – as well as protections for landscapes, cultures and communities that must be preserved or sustained as far as possible. Dynamic Tourism also, by definition, must be ‘light’; it is critically important for the industry to be able to expand, while still meeting the obligation of serving ever more tourists without harming natural or cultural environments. This ‘light touch’ must be shown in physical terms, in relation to the Earth, but it must also appear in the approaches that attempt to avoid other harmful impacts on our surroundings, as lightness that allows quick change for more effective response to changing situations. The character and tenets of Dynamic Tourism require lightness of approach and attitude; these are fundamental both for industry practitioners and for tourists themselves. As far back as 1939, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry recommended as much, saying ‘He who would travel happily must travel light’.

Moreover, as part of the change understood in Dynamic Tourism, existing tourist destinations that have begun to lose their appeal, whether they are specific places, attractions or hotels, must undergo alteration. Heavy industry has its ‘brownfield sites’; these tired and unappealing destinations are the tourism industry’s ‘brownfield sites’. Their reuse and reconfiguration allows immediate economic and social objectives to be reached in such areas. In the larger context, revitalisation of older sites allows full and efficient use of all the world’s tourism resources.

Why Dynamic Tourism?

By now, the outline of a picture begins to emerge, the outline of what is required to produce Dynamic Tourism, a sketch of the needs it must meet. It is necessary that:

• The tourism industry should use fresh approaches to deliver an altered product. The process of change and rejuvenation must keep pace better than in the past with contemporary consumer tastes and concerns. It is necessary to accommodate the increasing numbers of people who are expected to travel should industry growth continue as predicted. It cannot be emphasised enough that the whole range of resources and persons in all sectors of the industry are involved: accommodations, transport systems, destination and attraction areas, tour services, travel agencies, and industry planners. Not only are large-scale providers involved, but many small and medium sized enterprises are also included.

• Tourists, with the encouragement and help of the industry, should bring more deeply into their tourist consumption the impulses and tastes from their everyday life as general consumers and members of society.

To some eyes, the agenda for Dynamic Tourism might appear over radical and unnecessarily disruptive of the status quo, even before its particular features and aspects are fully presented and analysed. The arguments for change are:

• Tourism, as it stands, is already not working very satisfactorily for many involved in it, whether as tourist or provider.

• The potential of the industry remains unseen or unaccepted by many people, and so remains largely undeveloped.

In its definition of tourism, the Commission of the European Communities (1995: 24) observes that: ‘Very few activities are as directly involved in the process of transforming and developing modern societies as tourism’, and continues that, ‘tourism is the medium par excellence for bringing people close together’. Tourism’s strength and potential as an engine of social transformation are seen here, but tourism is also shown as a mechanism that can provide possibilities for individual personal development, and can also generate opportunities for individuals to meet.

People who provide the tourism product must recognise more clearly and respond more acutely to the needs and wishes of their customers, both as individuals and as members of the greater society. They should identify how tourism can serve these requirements while also meeting the needs of the industry itself. This is an industry that is still in its early phase. Tourism has yet to ‘grow up’; it is falling behind in its markets. Essentially, the industry has remained at the ‘package holiday’ stage, as it was developed by Thomas Cook in the nineteenth century. Turner and Ash (1975: 59) remark on the benefits and defects of that approach, saying, ‘This new standardisation was double-edged in effect; on the one hand, it meant greater comfort and convenience and less need for decision making on the part of the individual tourist; on the other hand it meant a decrease in the elements of real novelty and adventure in tourism’.

Inexperienced tourists are attracted, of course, to this kind of package holiday, where they may avoid much individual effort, decision and responsibility. There will always be such novice travellers, since new tourist markets are continually emerging. On the other hand there is also a large pool of extremely experienced holidaymakers. Such groups of seasoned voyagers will find the ‘nannying’ aspect of package tours irksome. The removal of individual choice is a disadvantage for them; they want something more suited to their level of sophistication and knowledge. This tendency in tourists to become more independent and sophisticated is typified by the Japanese. At first, they journeyed abroad on holiday in intensely organised groups. Now, many Japanese holiday on their own, as individuals, couples, or in small clusters of friends.

Observation of such developments suggests that more of us want greater flexibility in travelling than is permitted by the traditional package holiday. We are seeking greater personal choice and more room to allow for individually driven fulfilment. Moreover, as general consumers, we increasingly expect high quality and sophistication in the products we buy. Furthermore, as global citizens we have been forced to accept the fact that our world is finite and sensitive; it is a vulnerable resource. The combination of all these elements points to the identification of more tourists who fall within the categories of adventurer, discoverer, pilgrim, explorer, culture vulture, eco-tourist and environmentally sensitive voyager. Their values ought to influence the available models of contemporary tourism. Already there has been a transformation: what was once seen as ‘alternative’ and ‘minority’ has come to be mainstream in today’s tourism. The classic definitions of tourism have lost much of their appeal, because well-seasoned travellers want more than routine, customised approaches. As Turner and Ash (1975: 138) reflect in commenting on historic monuments, ‘it is arguable that sites that have become institutionalised tourist sights are no longer worth seeing’.

There seems to be a lag in awareness of the significance of this change in the tourism industry. In 1995, Barrett (1995: 64) reported that government statistics for the United Kingdom had revealed that, over a five-year period, independent foreign travel had increased by more than 32%, whereas package travel had shown an increase of only 20%. The director of the independent firm WEXAS was quoted as claiming that, ‘the mainstream travel trade is failing to cope with the more sophisticated demands of Nineties travellers’. Argyle (1996: 264-65) describes Pearce as producing five traveller types in 1982 through the assistance of multi-dimensional scaling: Exploitative, Pleasure First, High Contact, Environmental and Spiritual. Three of these types are likely to demand a Dynamic Tourism kind of product. The Exploitative type, exemplified by business travellers and jet setters, clearly includes the target traits of independence and experience. Only the Pleasure First tourist is likely to fall within the category of the stereotypical ‘package travel’ holidaymaker.

Social Influences for Change

As certain key characteristics become apparent in society in general, they are also revealed as present among consumers of tourism. It has become a worldwide trend, revealed in the overall reduction of Communism, that societies are less controlled and regulated than in the recent past. There is a general move in the direction of reducing hierarchies and increasing social equality. The political climate is moving toward styles that place more emphasis on individual responsibility and freedom of choice, with Capitalist financial styles in a more prominent position. Linked to this change in climate, there is a global unity of attitude on a range of matters from the environment through to finance. As technology makes information more readily available, the development of common patterns of style, conduct and attitude is hastened. This technologically driven speed of communication now means that changes of taste and opinion can occur and spread rapidly. Increased sophistication and technological capacity ease the process of change; more radical transformations can occur with less radical difficulty. Thus one of the key concepts of Dynamic Tourism, that tourism be able to operate successfully throughout the entire world, is nearer to meeting its necessary prerequisites of globally concerted aim and activity.

Recognising the existence of this new trend is not enough. Its existence and the changes necessary to facilitate it carry implications and make demands on the tourism industry. Mulgan (1997:50-51) argues that the fact that we are living together as a society, and that we need to do so, requires us to restrain our individual freedom to some extent, and to develop considerable management structures. Plog (1994: 50) specifically recommends, ‘To protect the world for tourism, and protect the world from tourism, a common set of goals, evolving into specific plans for different regions, is desperately needed’. Of course, the critical aspect in defining tourism frameworks within the principles of Dynamic Tourism is to ensure that the frameworks are of a style and quality to allow flexibility for responsiveness and change.

Take museums: many of them are good examples of traditional tourist attractions that need to adapt to change. To remain relevant and attractive to consumers, museums must demonstrate their customer orientation; the traditional position of a haughty superiority of knowledge is no longer possible. Many museums still need to learn to communicate with a wider audience, in a style that has more popular appeal. In describing the democratisation of the museum world, MacDonald and Alsford have emphasised the need to offer the public, ‘increased opportunities for personalised and self-directed learning along pathways set by individual interests’. They continue, more generally, that:

Democratisation means greater participation by the community in the content and direction of museums. … Society places greater value today on accountability and public involvement with public institutions. If museums are to remain viable service institutions, they cannot keep aloof… but must find their own ways to respond to changing social demands. (MacDonald & Alsford, 1989: 40)

The ‘greying’ of the population, as the proportion of the elderly grows, has a critical impact on tourism. Today’s elderly are not the same as those of yesteryear. Generally speaking, they are affluent, fit, ready for adventure and exploration, and keen for personal development. In the United States (US), a major market of tourism consumers, ‘the fifty-plus age group will make up 38 per cent of the population and hold 75 per cent of the nation’s wealth’ (van Harssel, reporting Wolfe in 1990). Using US Travel Data Center figures from 1990, van Harssel predicts that travel by the US mature market ‘will significantly increase’. He continues with a comment based on Forbes (1987: 17-21), ‘Today’s older Americans are significantly different from earlier generations of seniors. They are better educated, more active and more vocal than any previous senior generation. Advanced years are now seen as a time of challenge’ (van Harssel, 1994: 364). Handy, discussing Third Agers and seeing them as having little opportunity for earned income from work, predicts that ‘They will… begin to find that there are satisfactions and achievements which cannot be measured by money’. He sees the group as engaging in ‘study work’. Since there are so many of them, ‘they will be noticed’. Handy (1994:232) continues his description of Third Agers with the comment, ‘They will not be old, as we used to think of old’.

Society is ageing. It is also becoming more urban. The day-to-day life of about half the world’s population is conducted within an urban milieu. This is a fundamental dimension of the definition of contemporary and future tourism products. Essentially, the matter is this: as human beings, we are most whole and content when we are in a balance of opposing and complementary factors. As tourists, we usually seek difference and escape from our routine way of life. Thus, urban dwellers on holiday are drawn to things they cannot easily find in the city, just as residents of the countryside relish city holidays for their charming novelty. Another inference we may draw is that, for maximum consumer satisfaction, each holiday should offer a balance of contrasting experiences and sensations. Here again, we must stress that our core requirement is to satisfactorily identify the needs of tourists. We must re-emphasise the message that the world’s full range and diversity can and should be represented in tourism. This means that a full complement of types of venues, accommodation and transport should be offered as appealing to tourists, that they should all be formulated in new and different combinations and offered on varying occasions with an eye toward fresh circumstances. Furthermore, we must stress that, in the course of this general attempt to encompass all possibilities, no matter which of these changing dimensions is included in the tourism entity, it must represent high quality in its category.

Within the field of tourist product elements, there are certain critical contrasts, where differences are pushed to the extreme; the elements of people, modernity, overtly man-made monuments and manufactured entities compare vividly with the elements of peace, quiet, traditionalism and nature. Stereotypically, we divide them between the city and the countr...