The total number of tourists have reached to 1.13 billion by 2014 and expected to reach 1.80 billion by 2030. Overall TT Industry is growing at a fast rate but the size and incredible social-economic benefits which is generated from this progress have not been fully understood and ‘appropriate measures to be taken’ has not been realized yet. Therefore, it is a perfect conjuncture for further advocation of TT developments, within the current period of worldwide economic stagnation, in parallel with rising conflicts on the sphere.
In contemporary global developments, Travel and Tourism (TT) is evolving to be one of the top favorite economic preferences of World Nations. Especially within the last decades UNWTO and WTTC are closely following and reporting this fantastic growth in concrete figures. It is clear that world tourism is growing at a yearly pace of 4-5 percent with an astonishing share of 10 percent in overall world economy, also including the similar rate in total workforce created. This is a net outlook to heavy importance of Global TT!
The total number of tourists have reached to 1.13 billion by 2014 and expected to reach 1.80 billion by 2030. Overall TT Industry is growing at a fast rate but the size and incredible social-economic benefits which is generated from this progress have not been fully understood and ‘appropriate measures to be taken’ has not been realized yet. Therefore, it is a perfect conjuncture for further advocation of TT developments, within the current period of worldwide economic stagnation, in parallel with rising conflicts on the sphere.
Within this compact article, we intend to analyse the underlying main factors of this development and identify the basic procedures utilized within the related prospects. Since TT is an extraordinary industry that is composed of many economic sub-sectors, this character naturally leads to quite difficult media perspectives in terms of ‘macro industrial design and planning’ approaches. Taking a global outlook on “what is actually happening within this development and methods used in country experiences” we can reach to a simple set of important results, enabling us to catch some general synthesis findings.
UNWTO has recently reported an interesting data on official website, that enlists the “macro strategic and marketing plans activated by various countries” composed on collections of ‘reknown data’ from the market. This basic information gives a perfect outlook on the present global picture of the TT Industry. A brief analysis findings are; Total 82 Countries have been involved in Tourism Planning (40%) where 39 of them are still active in periodic coverage. Within long term planning, 57 Countries have 5 years and more national plans and 33 are focused on Marketing Planning. This composition proves the Global Interest in TT!
Tourism development requires Macro Planning Approach for a Healthy Growth
Although much has been produced and documented on ‘the importance and benefits of tourism’ as well as the presence of ‘the potential destinations to be visited’ in accordance with the main marketing efforts, there is not much material on “how to develop a Destination” utilizing the right macro planning tools. This gap is creating the inevitable need for new approaches and related measures to be taken, in paralel with the accelerating growth. Until now, the traditional tools and methods were used within the existing developments but it is evident that these are not sufficient to meet the future developments.
The countries are composed of many sub-destinations at different scales and importance, where each is experiencing their own synergic development and industrial activities. There is a crutial missing principle related on “who is the authority to give main decisions on details of destinational development?” which is widely vague in the real markets. Generally, the national Governments are exercising these roles, but are becoming insufficient when the ‘tourism developments exceed a ripened scale limit’ and innovative regional destination initiatives are needed to take over the related Management responsibilities. Thus, this is a matter of transitional criteria to be realized, with main principles to be clarified by each country.
A Macro Tourism Strategy document is needed for each country, clearly describing the TT Potentials to be developed according to priorities and calendar targets, as well as the basic procedures to be jointly exercised towards these goals, including the related organizational collaborations into action. If such principles are not clear, the prospective events due to unknowns and authorisations may easily cause the development to be delayed or caosed towards undesired circumstances. Normally, the procedure of ‘supporting the baby destinations from Capital and self catering of ripe destinations should be designed.
But we need to underline a further discrepency which is more effective! The normal practices available in the markets for planning are related to City and Regional Physical planning procedures, where the ‘specific expertize need for tourism planning’ is very scarce. Since the complex relations of tourism mechanisms is high above the normal life procedures, the traditional planning disciplines cannot possibly solve the practical needs. This is a major serious handicap to be taken into account and special measures are needed for “preparing proper tourism development plans” towards the best practices.
We can summarize the need for prespective planning approaches in paralel to relative area scales as; Village, Town, City, Province and ‘Regional Destination’ which may cover various provincial areas. All planning decisions must be matching each other and be in full conformity with higher levels of planning principles. Therefore, “the macro national strategy” stated above is the main vital document that must cover all the detailed planning principles and necessary leading procedures. When such macro directing documents are not available, chances of successful planning and applications will be inevitably lower.
Related Macro Measures to be taken for Prospective Global Developments
Due to the “unrealized complexity and need for heavy expert planning requirements” of the global TT Industry, we can clearly declare that “the existing market developments are not ready to match the needs of fast growth” where immediate measures are needed to support these technical requirements. There are various giant NGOs, as well as multi national regional development initiatives, which must take these considetations into their active agendas. We kindly request these “unforeseen matters” to be evaluated at full depth and related macro measures to be developed to attain a healthier and prosperious TT Industry.
In order to visualise the need, we can simply assume 50 forthcoming nations in need of full planned development, which has 100 sub-destinations each to be planned at various levels within a perspective of next 5 years. Who can possibly meet the need of “annual 1000 planning projects” worldwide? This is the simple case that we are seriously facing. Also, there is another ‘top concern’ to be solved for the sake of “glorious world tourism development” to be performed. Due to its special character, there is no authority to take full care of TT Industry on national and destinational scales, practically by definition.
Practically, everybody may seem to support tourism market and developments but in fact, nobody is directly related in full responsibility of incredible wide applications. This is the “Iceberg Effect of TT” where it is simply all visible but totally unforeseen in terms of real structure and physical functions. This character is directly bringing ‘the need for a new structure to govern and take care of macro tourism’ as a real owner or boss of the whole system. Such a fictive role can be created and actively played by DMO Model, which was theoretically proposed to the world markets by UNWTO within the previous decade.
As we have briefed this attempt in our prior article, the Govenments could not realize and perform the expected “National and Destinational Tourism Policy” into application and DMO Department is now giving supporting services within the basic functions as; Product development, marketing, value chain, public-private partnership, physical planning, master plans and strategic development. Where these are the breakdown of basic functions of an appropriate regional destination management organization. When these titles are activated on productive regional destinations, States can enjoy the best national harvests.
Clarifying the big picture scenery, National Tourism Policy includes two wings; (1) Strategic Planning and (2) Destination Management, both to facilitate the flight at prosperious horizons of TT success. Today, after 10 years of further international experience, the markets are more conscious and willing for expected tourism development. But the current main dilemma is “who will design the mainframe of this movement?” and this role is a cold meal between Public and Private partners. Therefore, today we propose the DMO Model to be recommended by UNWTO at global scale for ‘local destinational initiatives’ for application.
Furthermore, the original DMO campaign was in a raw theory phase with minimum market experiences. But now, there are esteemed market pioneers who has proved the application of this ‘good-old theory’ into successful practices. Recently we have discovered that it is widely applied at Australian Continental States and this development is not fully recognized yet by the global markets. We strongly beleive that, these examples will fluently guide the development of theoretical details , widely releasing the expected immense global applications at once. Web Site of a typical Tourism Industry Council: www.qtic.com.au.
Best wishes for a “conscious rise in World Tourism” to attain a catalyst effect for prosperious Humanity!
Related links:
http://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284416783
http://www.traveldailynews.com/columns/article/51352/smart-destinations-rising-trend-in
Zafer Cengiz has gained extraordinary experiences within Turkish Tourism development as multi-disciplinary expert and recently supporting professional media on 'macro analyzed articles' within the recent Decade.
He is a mediatic activist on patiently advocating the Turkish Tourism Strategy, as a member of Turkish Journalists Association TUYED in Istanbul.
