Tourism Planning Process

T O U R I S M

P L A N N I N G

P R O C E S S

-ongoing process that must keep up with the changing character of the world & of the destination area

5 ESSENTIAL STEPS IN TOURISM PLANNING PROCESS 1. Background-analysis phase (Situational analysis) (Identification of Tourism System) The first step in the tourism-planning process is a situational analysis that provides the basic direction for the succeeding steps. National Tourism Policy – must first be considered and interpreted before establishing a national tourism plan. Tourism policy goals are usually classified into four: economic, consumer/social, resource/environmental and government operations. The background analysis should produce an inventory or listing of the area's tourism resource components. COMPONENT

SUB-COMPONENT

NATURAL FEATURES

Landscapes/Geological resources – topography, soils, sand dunes, beaches, caves, rocks & minerals, fossils unique features Climate-seasons Water resources-lakes, streams, waterfalls Flora-forests, flowers, shrubs, wild edibles Fauna-fish & wildlife Scenery-combinations of all of the above

HISTORICAL & CULTURAL FEATURES

Historic buildings, sites Monuments, shrines Cuisine, Ethnic cultures Industry, government, religion, etc. Anthropological resources Local celebrities Performing artists-music, drama, art, storytellers, etc. Craftsman and artisans

TOURIST OPERATIONS & FACILITIES

attractions accommodations food service events

HOSPITALITY SERVICES

information centers reservation systems commercial stores & services (banks, retail stores) Infrastructure-transportation roads, airports, railroads, harbors & marinas, trails & walkways

HUMAN RESOURCE

population & work force ethnic community attitude toward tourism

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GENERAL SOCIOECONOMIC PRESENT LAND USES

employment/unemployment industries economic conditions social problems land ownership planning & zoning regulations future growth & development

The next step is a description of existing tourism demand in the destination area using readily available secondary or published sources of information. The final step in the background analysis is a review of the major strengths, weaknesses, problems and issues within the destination area’s existing tourism industry.

2. Detailed research & analysis phase Research should be concentrated in four distinct areas: resources, markets, activities and competition. The first step in the resource analysis involves the preparation of maps identifying the location of major resources. The last stage is the resource classification – ranking or grading of the scope of appeal of the tourism resources of the destination area. Activities - includes all the things the tourist can do while visiting the destination area. The detailed research analysis can assist in identifying the most competitive destinations, their individual strengths and weaknesses and the steps to be taken to make the subject destination area unique among its competitors.

3. Synthesis phase This is where major conclusions regarding previous work are formulated. It is one of the most creative and important steps in the process. The first step in the synthesis phase is the preparation of position statements. The position statements indicates “where we are now” with respect to development marketing, industry organization, awareness and other support services. The second step is to determine “where we would like to be” or the desired future situation. It is useful for the destination area to verbalize these desired states in terms of tourism development, marketing, industry organization, awareness and support services.

4. Goal-setting, strategy selection, and objective-setting If tourism is identified as a means of serving broader community goals, it makes sense to develop plans with more specific tourism development objectives. These are generally defined through a continuing process in which various groups and organizations in a community work together toward common goals. A local planning authority, chamber of commerce, visitor’s bureau, or similar group should assume a leadership role to develop an initial plan and obtain broad involvement of tourism interests in the community. Public support for the planning process and plan is also important. Having a good understanding of tourism and the tourism system in your community is the first step toward defining goals and objectives for tourism development. The types of goals that are appropriate and the precision with which you are able to define them will depend upon how long your community has been involved in tourism and tourism planning. In the early stages of tourism development, goals may involve establishing organizational structures and collecting information to better identify the tourism system in the community. Later, more precise objectives can be formulated and more specific development and marketing strategies evaluated. Once the planning goals have been set there are various approaches or strategies that can be employed to achieve them. 5. Plan development The last step of the tourism planning process is the development of the plan. The plan includes the action needed in achieving the objectives, implement the strategy and satisfy the planning goals. Successful tourism planning and development means serving both tourists and local residents. The bulletins in this series stress the importance of a market orientation for attracting and serving tourists. This market orientation must be balanced with a clear view of how tourism serves the broader community interest and an understanding of the positive and negative impacts of tourism development. Remember, tourism should serve the community first and the tourist second. Tourism development must be compatible with other activities in the area and be supported by the local population. Therefore, the tourism plan should be closely coordinated with other local and regional planning efforts, if not an integral part of them.