SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN Singapore

 PART 1: CASE STUDY: TOURISM IN SINGAPORE

TOURISM IN SINGAPORESingapore is among most favored tourism places of the world. Tourism industry in Singapore is a major contributor to the economy of the country. Total number of tourists in Singapore per year is more than the populations of the country. In 2010 total number of visitors was 11,638,663. Tourism industry in Singapore got affected a little due to the global economic crisis in 2008 – 2009 but the country is now emerging. Total visitors day was a record for Singapore in 2010 which was 44.9 million days. Statistics clears that one visitor stayed in Singapore for 3.86 days.

Growth of tourism industry is year on year and of worth $ 6 billion, estimated in third quarter of 2011. Number of tourists has also increased to 3.5 million at a rate of 15 % in 2011 (Asia One 2012).

RATIONALE FOR TOURISM

There are many factors which are reasons for the higher rate of tourism in Singapore. First of all increasing population of the world as well as increasing disposable income of people especially in Asian countries. Countries like China and India are the big contributors to the tourism industry of the world. This increasing trend of tourism has increased the demand for luxury goods and these demands of tourists can be fulfilled in Singapore very easily.Main attraction of Singapore is its cultural diversity i.e. people from every ethnicity e.g. Chinese, Malay, Indian and Arab. Singapore is also environmentally friendly. Other factors of better tourism in Singapore is its language as English is dominant language in the country which makes conversation easier for the tourists and transportation system in the country is also excellent which makes travelling convenient (Euro Monitor International 2012).

RATIONALE FOR TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN SINGAPORE

Biggest reason for development of tourism in Singapore is its contribution to the economy of Singapore. It is a pillar for the economic development of Singapore. Minister of trade and industry in Singapore has revealed the targets of tourism in Singapore. Singapore tourism board has revealed that tourism will be the key economic pillar for Singapore and country has set the target to triple the tourism receipt by 2015 to S $ 30 billion. It has also decided to double the arrivals of visitors to 17 million by 2015 and also 100,000 jobs will be created during the period of 2005 to 2015 in the services sector.

Government of Singapore has provided S $ 2 billion for tourism development in the country. All the above facts clearly explain that economic contribution of the tourism industry to the economy of Singapore is the main reason for tourism development in the country (Singapore Tourism Board 2012).

TOURISM STRATEGY

The strategy for tourism development may include the following:INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

To achieve growth in tourism strong infrastructural development is required. Although Singapore is highly developed in terms of infrastructure but further infrastructural development will support the country in tourism development.

1. CAPABILITY DEVELOPMENT

When tourism will grow, players of the industry will be required to enhance their capabilities to fulfill the demands of the tourists and Singapore needs to focus on this factor.

1. ANCHORING MAJOR EVENTS

Singapore can also focus on the major events of the world as it will attract the premiere and business class tourists of the world.

1. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

There should be products available to satisfy the needs of international tourists. As we know that tourists who come to Singapore are from different parts of the world and they have different taste and preferences for the products available to them (Singapore Tourism Board 2012).

STAKEHOLDERS BENEFITS

First of all stakeholders of tourism industry are much diversified as tourism industry involves many others industries in it and hence stakeholders of the tourism industry are of different kinds. For example tourism industry involves Tourism companies, hotel industry, food and beverages industry, transportation as well as government. All these are the stakeholders of the tourism industry along with tourists. The strategy discussed above will benefit all the stakeholders of the tourism industry.

Government will get benefit as tourism will enhance the economic development of the country i.e. it will bring foreign exchange and increase the taxes. Tourism companies will get benefit of increased revenue and market share similarly hospitality industry will also be able to increase its sales revenue. Food and beverages industry will be able to capture new customers as well as it will help them in new product development (Hai 2009).PUBLIC/ PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP IN TOURISM PLANNING

Public – Private partnership also known as PPP is nothing but government service or private venture which is funded and operated with the help of government and one or more private organizations. Similarly, in Singapore there is a government agency named Singapore Tourism Board which is responsible for the tourism development in the country. Government of Singapore has provided S $ 2 billion which would be utilized by STB and other private sector companies to develop the tourism industry in the country (STB 2012).

STB has set some goals and has strategic planning to achieve those goals. STB ensures the development of tourism industry with the help of partnerships with private sector companies. STB mainly focuses on three goals which are: strengthening the position of Singapore as a leading convention and exhibition city in Asia; Development of Singapore as a leading leisure destination and establishment of Singapore as a service center of Asia. There are many advantages and disadvantages of public – private sector partnership in tourism industry. Some of which are explained below:

The biggest advantage of PPP in tourism is easing of budgetary constraints. Funding becomes easier in PPP. A better coordination and great synergy can be achieved through PPP in the phases of construction and operation. Greater efficiency in management as well as better quality of services is offered to the tourists. Similarly, there are many disadvantages as well. Bothe the parties in PPP try to maximize the profitability which they gain from the relationships. Resultantly, users have to pay for the services which they were taking free of cost previously. Also there are high levels of risks involved in the PPP e.g. many financial stakeholders are involved in PPP which creates financial uncertainty, also there are uncertainties in construction and operating costs (Singh 2012).

PART 2: ESSAY ON DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO TOURISM PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTTourism development involves the development of all the stakeholders of tourism such as hospitality industry, food and beverages sector, Tourism Company, tourists as well as government agencies and economy of the country. Development of tourism aims to the more and more benefit to people of tourism sector, development of skills as well as new job creation. Wealth creation is another goal of tourism development. Tourism development program may include support of entrepreneurship and sustainability; funding for the development of infrastructure of tourism industry; building of capabilities and skills development programs; and cape craft and design institute (Western Cape Government 2011).

There are many levels in the tourism development and each level has its importance in the development of the industry. The different levels of tourism development are shown in the diagram below:

(Source: Alberta n.d.)

Above diagram clearly explains the different levels of the tourism development. First of all an idea is needed to develop the tourism industry e.g. Singapore has set the targets to triple the tourism receipts by 2015 and it has decided to focus on some particular things like infrastructural development, capability and skills development etc. After that funding is required; this can be done through PPP as well. In the case of Singapore; government is providing S $ 2 billion for tourism development. After funding initial review is required, this includes market demand and market supply analysis, which can be done through market research. After initial review main review is done based on which a business plan is made and all approvals are taken (Alberta n.d.). There is an approach of interactive planning system which is known as interactive planning system. A brief description of interactive planning is provided below:

Interactive planning is about creating a better future by designing a desirable present. Interactive planning is not like the reactive planning or proactive planning. There are three principles of interactive planning: Participative principle, continuity principle and holistic principle. Participative principle says that all the stakeholders of tourism industry will participate in the planning process. Since the values of the industry change and uncertainty exists therefore planning process should be updated continuously and holistic principle talks about the different components of the tourism industry.

Apart from above there are some phases in Interactive planning for tourism industry. These phases involve; formulating the mess which talks about the determination of the future of industry by applying the current principles. After formulating the mess ends planning come which talks about the goals of the industry.

Interactive planning becomes highly important in tourism industry as all the stake holders of the industry participate in the tourism planning and contribute. Interactive planning system clears that the activity of planning is more important than the plans it produces. The biggest benefit of interactive planning system is that all the participants i.e. stakeholders of tourism industry become able to understand the objectives of the industry and prepare them according to the objectives. Also when the objectives of the industry changes; stakeholders become able to change their roles easily (Investopedia 2012).

Measurement of tourism impacts helps in the understanding of whether the above tourism planning has been able to achieve the objectives of the industry or not. There are different methods available to measure the impacts of tourism planning. There are mainly three types of impacts economic, environmental and social. There are many economic measures available such as increased tourism receipt, increment in the gross income of the people located in the tourist areas etc. Tourism industry has a great impact on the environment as well. There are many countries that have passed regulations like Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for projects running in the country which includes tourism industry as well. Things which are considered under EIA are Environmental auditing procedures; limited use of natural resources; problems in the environment and impact on the project on water, soil, air and culture of the country. Similarly, there are social measures which consider socio – cultural impact of tourism planning (Andriotis n.d.).PART 3: SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

Sustainability is nothing but a model made for the development of tourism industry which is aimed to satisfy the requirements of the society and business. Generally organizations have to utilize the natural resources available to it for the development of the organization. Similarly, tourism industry uses natural resources available to it. If the tourism industry will exploit the resources then the development of the industry is not going to sustain for a long time. The resources mainly include natural, cultural, and social resources. Three factors are there which are responsible for the sustainability in the tourism industry. These factors are economic, environmental and social (Dodds and Butler 2010). We can better explain the three factors and their uses in tourism development with the diagram given below:

(Source: Cayuga n.d.)

ENVIRONMENTAL: For tourism development a better environment is required. As we have discussed above that tourism industry involves hospitality sector in it and hospitality has a great impact on the environment and natural resources of the country. Hotels and food and beverages companies should take care of natural environment around them.

SOCIAL: Sustainable tourism development can only be possible when the organizations in tourism industry try to develop the community in which they operate. An organization can get involved in many thongs for community development such as exploring the things which can improve the living conditions of the local people or development of infrastructure for the employee etc.

ECONOMIC: The companies and customers should be able to survive economically. Organizations should have capability to fulfill the demands of customers and customers are also required to be able to pay for the services they receive (Cayuga n.d.).

FACTORS PREVENTING SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENTThere are many factors which can affect the sustainable tourism development. Similarly Singapore may face following problems in its sustainable tourism development:

• In some parts of the country there could be lack of potential for the tourism development. Although Singapore is highly developed country for tourism but it may need to enhance its natural and cultural capabilities for sustainability in tourism.
• Lack of knowledge and awareness among many organizations in the country can also be a reason of hindrance in Sustainable tourism development.
• Lack of technical knowledge and promotional activity could be another problem faced by the country.
• Lack of tourism related infrastructure is a challenge for the country. Singapore has set to triple the tourism receipt by 2015 and for that it will be required to develop its infrastructure at that level.
• Other problems may include lack of tourism investment, lack of consistent strategies and policies and safety reasons (Dabour 2003).

PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABILITY

There are stages of planning for sustainable tourism development. These stages are explained below:

• First of all a SWOT analysis of the entire industry is required. SWOT analysis of Singapore tourism industry will tell the opportunities available in the industry as well as give a direction for the strategic development.
• Then critical success factors of the tourism industry in Singapore will be explored. These factors may include cultural diversity available in the country, language, transportation facilities and level of hospitality services etc.
• Now development of long term goals will take place e.g. in case of Singapore there are long term goals decided by the government agencies for tourism development which include tripling the tourism receipt up to S $ 30 billion by 2015; focusing in the infrastructural development of the country and enhancing the capabilities of the industry players to serve more tourists.
• After the long term goals development of strategic objectives take place. Objectives are the ways to reach the goals and hence strategic objectives should be in the direction of goals.
• When strategic objectives have been decided then strategy development stage comes. Better strategies will be required to achieve the strategic objectives of the tourism industry.
• Performance evaluation system should also be there to evaluate the business activities of the organizations which are involved in the tourism development.
• At the end review of the performance comes and if there is a requirement to improve; the improvement should take place (Donyadide 2010).

PART 4: ISSUES RELATING TO TOURISM DEVELOPMENT PLANNING

INTRODUCTION

India has been selected as a developing country. Reason behind this is the high potential of tourism in the country. Also India has emerged as the fastest growing economy of the world. There are many places in the country which are favorable for the tourism development. Main tourist places in India are Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Pushkar, Khajuraho, Varanasi, Kashmir, Leh and Ladakh etc.We have selected Jaipur as a popular enclave tourism destination in India. Jaipur is famous in India as Pink City. The main attraction of the destination is its architectural places and monuments. Jaipur was found in 1727 AD by Sawai Raja Jay Singh and currently the most beautiful and interesting city of India (Indian Travel n.d.).

ETHICAL AND MORAL ISSUES

Tourism has now become one of the fastest growing industries in the world and hence there are many ethical and moral issues involved in the tourism development. Tourism has become a political issue in every part of the world. Similarly in India which may affect the tourism development in Jaipur. There are many issues related to the society, cultural and economy of the tourist places.

Tourism provides a large amount of wealth to the tourist place and the wealth should be used in the development of the place not in some other unethical activities e.g. in Burma wealth from tourism is spent on military. Also people who are living in those places have to face many difficulties such as they have to vacate their homes and provide cheap labor so that infrastructural development can be done for tourists. Similarly, there are some moral responsibilities of the tourists as well such as what should not be done by the tourists in a tourist places, how should the money be spent and so on (Gunawan 2008).

DEVELOPING DESTINATION

We have selected Kenya as a developing destination for tourism industry. Tourist industry in Kenya is the largest source of income. It brings huge amount of foreign exchange in the country. The main attractions for tourism in Kenya are the photo safaris through the 19 national parks and reserves of games. There are other attractions available in Kenya some of which are listed below:

• Mosques situated at Mombasa
• Renowned scenery of Great rift valley
• Mountain Kilimanjaro
• Coffee plantations at Thika etc.

CONFLICTS OF TOURISM IN KENYA

Kenya has a high potential of tourism development but there are many conflicts available in the country which are affecting the tourism industry. The political uncertainty and increasing violence have driven away millions of visitors. Now the country has announced a major economic slowdown as tourism is a pillar for the economic development of the country. Tourism industry also provides more than 500,000 jobs in East African countries.

There are political uncertainties exist in the country. More than 600 people have been killed in politically motivated clashes also huge number of people has been driven away from their homes. These riots had a big impact on the tourists and many American and European tourists cancelled their vacations to Kenya (Kilongi 2008).

Resolving the above conflicts have become very essential for the country as it can harm the economic situation of the nation. First of all country is required to solve the political conflicts available in the country. This can be done by having some rules and regulation on election procedures. Political stability has become very essential for the country. Similarly, country is required having some policies regarding tourism industry. It should have tourism development plan and sustainability management for the tourism industry. Kenya is required having vision for the tourism development just like Singapore and other tourist places.SUGGESTIONS

There are many things on which country is needed to focus. Some of the important factors are highlighted below:

• Since the country is suffering from political instability and it is affecting the tourism industry in the country therefore Kenya is required to solve the political mystery first.
• Country can have tourism development plan which will enhance the tourism receipt of the country.
• Kenya should have a budget to spend on tourism plans. This budget can be spent on infrastructural development and transportation development.
• Another factor is enhancing the capability of the tourism stakeholders i.e. when the industry will grow the demands will increase and hence the organizations in the tourism industry will be able to fulfill the demands (STB 2012).

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