Tourism - answers from the Italian delegation

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Created on Monday, 16 April 2018 17:27

Written by italy

Tourism

1. How important can tourism be to a place`s economy?

 Tourism is a very important source of income for the economy of a country, as it brings money to both the state and directly to service providers. It increases the development of new business: not only hotels but also bars, restaurants, museums, tour operators and travel agencies, and other activities which provide workplaces involved in the tourist sector. It contributes to modernise the whole local system. It attracts capitals and investments. It improves life quality and the transport system, too. It also has some negative effects such as extreme exploitation of the space and consequent degeneration of the environment because of the pollution, rubbish and new constructions; decline of others economical activities. 

2. How can the tourist market be segmented and monitored for shifting trends, life-styles, needs and preferences? 

 The tourist market can be monitored by analysing the economic impact, the tourists’ interests, the environmental impact and the flow of tourism linked to the seasons. In this way there are all the data to improve the less developed areas and to adapt them to tourist needs.

3. What kinds of strategies and investments must places and businesses make to be competitive in the tourist industry?

 Competition is high in the growing and constantly changing tourism market. In addition to popular destinations, there are places in decline that need to be improved by making new investments. For example, there are countless places that have been capitalized on the birthplace of a famous character, an event or a battle. To attract tourists, locations must meet the basic requirements of cost, utility, comfort and opportunity. Tourists compare the costs and the benefits of each holiday place and the investments of time and resources related to a reasonable return in terms of culture, experience, fun, relax and memories. The government usually controls, plans and directs tourism development. The tourist expansion depends on public investments, together with private investments and with a market mechanism ready to respond to changes in consumers’ tastes and needs. Tourist locations must go beyond simple financial investments in hospitality facilities to attract tourists: they must increase public services, public safety, traffic control and crowd management, health emergencies and street cleaning. 

4. How can a place gain access to or establish a niche in the tourist business, and what are the risks and opportunities of such a venture?

 In order to gain access to the tourist business, a place must invest enormous resources and develop the tourist industry adapting the territory, transports and facilities to tourist needs. The risk is to fail and lose a lot of invested money and reconversion is a hard challenge. The opportunities are the incomes, the esteem of the place’s history, the readjustment of the territory and the availability of jobs for the residents.

5. What kinds of messages and media are effective in tourist attraction and retention?

 The definition of the image of a destination is very complex and articulated: it involves several sectors, from the physical and territorial ones, to the one of the creativity of advertisers who find the means and tools to spread it, to the institutional one that directs the regulation of facilities, operators and bureaucracy that form and organize the tourist sector of a locality. The image, therefore, constitutes for the locality a target to be achieved in order to introduce itself on the market with its distinctive feature; it is a resource that influences the flow of tourists as it influences consumers, providing them an anticipation, although ideal, of what they will find in the locality. The strength of this element is recognized by many researchers who have investigated the construct with the intent of giving it a global definition rather than identifying rigorous and appropriate techniques for its measurement. For example, according to Crompton (1979), the image constitutes the transposition of the representation of an area in the mind of the tourist allowing him a pre-experience of the place in order to generate expectations and a clear attitude towards the destination. In this way the image influences the behaviour of the potential tourist identifying the destination place through a limited number of elements.

6. How should a place`s tourism be organised and managed?

 Tourism can be organised and managed making a place friendly and attractive.  All the types of central tourist agencies (public, non-profit or private) have to improve their business through the organisation and management of  tourism. Agencies must try to make a place attractive for the tourist. A place has to increase their facilities, transports, access to travel location, the quality-price ratio and heritage. While organising, agencies have to avoid several errors for example: to overestimate a place, the lack of knowledge about tourists’ interests and forgetting to give importance to the environmental impact.

Celeste Cavinato, Marco Miolo, Andrea Torresin

Tourism - text from Norway

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Created on Sunday, 15 April 2018 12:49

Written by norway

Question 1

The term tourism is defined as people traveling outside their usual environment. The question in how important tourism can be to a place´s economy depends on whether the place is a popular destination for travelers or not. It constitutes a major and important part of the contribution to the economy in business, especially in the tertiary industry. Many tourists seek something due to their travel, whether it's warmth, family or attractions, thus there are plenty of places that can offer what is being sought, which will benefit most from tourism. Based on the information you have now read, you have probably already concluded in whether the tourism benefits or not, and how important could be in some situations.

Question 2

What most people take for granted is that the demand from tourists is getting bigger and constantly changing. Think about yourself, through your years of traveling as a tourist, you may have experienced that you often looking for new things, right?

After a place has decided what kind of tourists they are looking for, they should use strategies to meet the demands they receive. Of course, one cannot offer a snow museum in the south, but what matters is to build on what they can build on, and use the resources, history, culture and facilities they already can. The more tourists they want, the more they should work to fulfill the demands.

Question 3

There is a few different ways to attract more tourism in the modern world. One way is to invest in restoration of older and historical local heritage. That way you attract people using a historical appeal. A lot of people want to see cities, villages and other areas like it used to be before modern times.

Another way is appealing with “untouched” nature. A lot of people would like to see and experience a more untouched world. It is also one of the cheaper investments to make, because by not spending money you could make money on other attractions nearby, such as restaurants and hotels.

Question 4

Well, the best way would be to find something about the place where the tourists come to, for example in Loch Ness lake in Scotland, the Loch Ness monster, or in Switzerland where they have great chocolate! Also where you have your store, location (is it far away from hotels, main streets and so on? Does the store appeal to tourists? Tourists will also like it if you find something new about the location that tourists can buy/see, do something different but they also like if you keep the tradition of the place.

Question 5

Good weather, hot weather, beautiful beaches and just interesting nature. Also location of the place and what it offers of stores and activities. When going out in the media showing a tourist place you want it to look good and attracting so that people want to come visit. Take Turkey as an example, big vacation land, but after the crisis with the government the tourism have been down by very much in comparison to the years before.

Question 6

It’s important that tourism to different areas is managed properly. There should always be someone in the local area. The number one step is to have tourist information available in any area. I believe there should always be a public tourist information centre managed by the municipality or other local government. It should be their obligation to make sure there is at least some information available to tourists travelling in the area.

It would also be beneficial for any area to have a privately managed tourist centre. They don’t necessarily have to be as generally focused, and could rather be focused on more general tourist attractions. It’s always healthy for any market for there to be some private competition in any industry, including tourism.   

Lina, Benjamin and Magnus

Preperation Denmark

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Created on Saturday, 14 April 2018 09:36

Written by denmark

1) How important can tourism be to a place`s economy?
(Due to location, climate, limited resources, size and cultural heritage, some regions have no real choice but to engage in tourism grow, develop and improve their living standards.)

Tourism is crucial for a country’seconomy. Or at least it is in Denmark. Copenhagen has many tourist attractions and spends a lot of money advertisingwiththese in different countries. However, there arestill a lot of tourists who visitDenmark to experience its nature reserves and coastal areas.

Denmark’s climate also means that there is a lot more tourismin the summer period. It is also in this period there is the biggest opportunity to experience e.g. Copenhagen, since it, among other things, is not possible to go on canal tour excursions in the winter.

Denmark often gets visited by tourists from other EU-countries, e.g. Germany, Norway, Sweden, Holland and England. Denmark’s tourism is rising and has been rising for several years. This is because Denmark is constantly evolving, also outside major cities.

2) How can the tourist market be segmented and monitored for shifting trends, life-styles, needs and preferences? (Places must decide on not only how many tourists they want and how to balance tourism with other industries or strategies but also what kind of tourists they want. The choices will be constrained, of course, by the places`s climate, natural topography and resources, history, culture and facilities.

Denmark is easily influenced by new trends. This is due to the fact that we are a small country, which has to stay updated to attract as many tourists as possible. However, with that being said, we still keep our Danish values and won’t change our culture radically. The Daneswish to give visitors the best possible experience and understanding of Denmark

3) What kinds of strategies and investments must places and businesses make to be competitive in the tourist industry? (A major trend in place revival is heritage developement, the task of preserving the history of places, their buildings, their people and customs, the machinery and other artifacts that portray history.

First of all, it is important that the places and businesses know what kind of tourists they want to attract. This is of courseinfluenced by what the area has to offer. So if you are surrounded by Mountains then there is potential to invest in tourism, that is centred around the different activities that mountains offer. It’snot only the surroundings, that arethe important factors for what kind of tourists an area attracts. It is also important to look at the history and culture the area has. In some way you can divide tourists into people who want to explore the past, and tourists that want to “make” their own story, and participate in different events.

When a business or a place hasfigured out, what kind of tourists they want to attract, it is important that they ensure that the visitors have a high quality experience. In heavily touristy areas, competition is high many different businesses offerthe same. Therefore to be the ones with the most success, ensuring a high quality experience is very important. In addition to, the attractions tourists visit are also influenced by what they have heard from friends and family. Quality ensures a good reputation.

Finally if your businesses or place issupported by regions to respond and benefit from increasing visitors numbers, it will help as well. Working together with your local government can for example help you preserve a different area that is a part of your tourist attraction. Attracting tourists gives wealth to the whole area, soitthe local government can also see a benefit fromworking with you. The help your local government can offer, can potentially lower your expenses, and therefore be the cheapest offer in the area, making you more competitive.

4) How can a place gain access to or establish a niche in the tourist business, and what are the risks and opportunities of such a venture? (Places must respond to the travel basics of cost, convenience and timeliness. Tourist weight the costs against the benefits of specifies destinations and investment of time, effort and resources against a reasonable return in education, experience, fun relaxation and prospective memories.)

In order to attract tourists to a particular place it is important to be innovative by creating something new and exciting that fits in with the charm of the city or area. Involving the local citizens is, of course, an important factor, as their support and involvement will help create a good atmosphere. It is important to create something new and exciting that can attract tourists from far away, while taking into account the city’s history, structure and local community. In order to adapt tourism to the city's range of qualities, it must be clear what values and opportunities the city has. Advantages of tourism in a certain place can be, economic growth, cultural exchange, better international relations, enjoyment, better health and wellness. The risk of such a venture is that the commercialization of culture can undermine the soul of a tourist destination. Local traditions that have a rich cultural heritage can be reduced to wearing costumes and putting on acts for the tourists in return for money.

5)  What kinds of messages and media are effective in tourist attraction and retention? (Place images are heavily influenced by pictorial creations of the place, often in movies and on television and sometimes by music.

In attracting tourists and ensuring retention it is important to do something locally. You can put advertisements up on your local dashboard and set up other types of local advertisements. Atyour local tourist information centre you can displayflyers, Tourists can pick up when they stop by. To ensure retention, it is effective to have display signs, that tell the tourists what is allowed and what not. In proportion to, how damaging different violations are, you can hand out fines.

Since the internet and social media have become a worldwide phenomenon it is now a very effective platform to get out messages and media about your attraction and retention. It’s a gigantic market where you can show, what you can offer. In these times it is common, that different tourist attractions gets viral, from a small video showcasing their attraction. If you want to build up a reputation and at the same time get more customers, you can create an account on TripAdvisor and other sites. They all have in common, that tourists use them for checking out what the area has to offer, and what have gotten positive reviews. For preservation, you can also upload an video to different platforms (YouTube, Facebook Instagram etc. ) what they should be aware of, when they visit.

  6) How should a place`s tourism be organised and managed? (Making a place tourist friendly is the task of a central tourist agency which may be public, nonprofit or private.

In every city it is essential for tourism to be present and organized. It would be possible to make the city more attractive, by having tourist agencies offer a variation of activities to the tourists. Apart from this it would benefit the tourism if there were a set of tourist facilities in the city, such as information centres placed across the city, perhaps one or more in each area, which could recommend different attractions or help the tourists find their way.

Attracting tourism- Bilbao

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Created on Tuesday, 10 April 2018 11:21

Written by basquecountry

ATTRACTING TOURISM

(Maria del Rio, Laura Marquez; Botikazar BHI, Bilbao, Basque Country)

1)      How important can tourism be to a place`s economy?(Due to location, climate, limited resources, size and cultural heritage, some regions have no real choice but to engage in tourism grow, develop and improve their living standards.)

Nowadays tourism is probably the most important point of a city's economy. People who are looking for places to relax take into account the location and the climate of a place, some other who only want to visit new places take into account the popularity of the place, the culture, and the facilities the place has. That’s why it’s important for a city or village to work on the appearance of the city and the resources in order to attract more tourists.

2)      How can the tourist market be segmented and monitored for shifting trends, life-styles, needs and preferences? (Places must decide on not only how many tourists they want and how to balance tourism with other industries or strategies but also what kind of tourists they want. The choices will be constrained, of course, by the places’ climate, natural topography and resources, history, culture and facilities.

The tourist market should always bear in mind the type of activities that can be carried out in each place. According to the type of tourism you can offer, you will want to address to specific kind of tourist; if your region has marvelous forests, your ideal tourist is the one who respectfully admires nature.

3)      What kinds of strategies and investments must places and businesses make to be competitive in the tourist industry? (A major trend in place revival is heritage development, the task of preserving the history of places, their buildings, their people and customs, the machinery and other artifacts that portray history.

Again, each place must take into account their strong points and elaborate on them; so as to narrow down tourists’ choices, avoiding massified natural reserve, for example.

4)      How can a place gain access to or establish a niche in the tourist business and what are the risks and opportunities of such a venture? (Places must respond to the travel basics of cost, convenience and timeliness. Tourists weigh the costs against the benefits of specific destinations and investment of time, effort, and resources against a reasonable return in education, experience, fun, relaxation and prospective memories.

A touristic place must have a series of characteristics to establish a niche in this business. In a huge city a well-connected transport system is a must, on the contrary, in smaller towns might be just added value, emphasizing, perhaps, cultural activities.

The main risk of tourist investment is to misunderstand the actual interests of potential customers, wasting resources in non-profitable infrastructures.

5)      What kinds of messages and media are effective in tourist attraction and retention? (Place images are heavily influenced by pictorial creations of the place, often in movies and on television and sometimes by music.

It is always necessary to face the features of the city by advertising the most famous landmarks; the local product can also be a good way to advertise the city. Appearing in films, TV programs or international advertisements is the most common way but also the most effective one in order to attract tourists.

6)      How should a place`s tourism be organized and managed? (Making a place tourist friendly is the task of a central tourist agency which may be public, nonprofit or private.

Tourism should always be well organized and present in every city. Agencies should offer visitors different kind of activities in order to make the city more attractive. It is also needed to show the facilities the city has for foreign visitors such as information points in every area or the recommendation of places that might be interesting.

7)      Are the central access points to your community equipped with visitor information-centers or do they provide instructions to easily accessible information?

Our city is equipped with some visitor centers, which provide the tourist with basic information to start their trip around the town and the surrounding areas. It is also provided with some signs, although they neither give too much information nor are really frequent.

8)      Should an airport be the primary access point, does it provide a full range of visitor- information services (accommodation, visuals on sites, listing of events and what to do, specialized information for the   elderly, foreigners and families?

In our case the airport is the main access point for foreign visitors. It is located 20-30 minutes away from the center of the city and we can find plenty of information and facilities such as bus station, taxi stops and also hotels for people who are waiting for their plane.

9)      Do visitor facilitators- cabs, buses, airline personnel, security, airport operators, receive any formal training and does a system exist to monitor quality of visitor facilitator services?

All visitor facilitators receive a specific training before starting to work. Any transport driver must pass a text in which it can be seen that this person is qualified and security or airport operators must learn who to face public and the information needed in order to fulfill their needs. Obviously these services are checked from time to time in order to ensure a good quality.

10)  Do hotels offer in-house television access channels for visitors with information on events, attractions, restaurants and things to do?

Hotels normally have plenty of information about events, places to visit, restaurants and events. You usually can find this information divided in different sections, depending on the needs of the visitor.

11)  Is a single organization responsible for visitor-business and are public funds provided for its activities?

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12)  Does the place`s hospitality industry accommodate foreign visitor`s needs ( language, directions, special interests)

They do. When talking about hotels, we are always going to find workers who can at least speak 3 different languages, which means it is not going to be a problem when communicating with visitors. Hotels are also going to provide the information each client needs.

13)  Does the organization have a marketing profile of visitors, and is this profile used in marketing-activities?

Organizations which are interested in drawing visitors’ attention will, in all likelihood, be provided with detailed profiles of the target customer type, being used in advertising activities.

14)  Does a range of accommodations exist to meet actual or expected visitor- needs (by price range, size, facilities, access to sites)

We can find a range of different types of accommodation, which are sectioned by price, size, location and facilities. We can find an expensive hotel situated in the middle of the city, which includes different activities and free meals; but also cheap guesthouses in which you might be sharing room with someone else or might not be located in the main part of the city.

15)  Does the place welcome visitors and accommodate their needs (commercial hours, credit cards, language, signage, traffic, parking, public services?

Our city has a lot of facilities for local and foreign visitors. We can find public services easily, such as: bus, cabs, train, underground and tram. The traffic is not normally a big problem and the signage is not a problem either. We can find public parkings in every area which is also really helpful if visitors bring cars. Commerces are always open except Sundays, it is normal to be able to use any credit card we have and if we have doubts or problems we are usually going to find at least one person in each commerce who can speak English.

16)  Is access to sites, attractions, and amenities (events, recreational, central location) easily available at a reasonable cost?

Tickets to museums or events are normally not very expensive. Moreover most of the museums have one free day every week so that people who might not afford the ticket or want to visit more than one museum can freely visit it.