You've Grown Up!

Due to constant changing economic conditions, Tourism industry growth in any country is prone to change. When a country is passing through a low economic phase or job's are at stake, people choose to not travel. Under these certain circumstances, this poses a limitation on spending power, and people tend to settle for low budget restaurants, hotels and opt out of amusement parks or nearby expensive places. The Ministry of Tourism is working on the development of Tourism in a country. Policies adopted by Ministry of Tourism are aimed at enhancing services and tourism tools to attract as many tourists as possible.This will also include working on Eco-tourism as well.

Tourism improvement programs aim at:
-Making the marketing tools and promotional tools strong
-Employ trained personnel
-Make the programs act as catalyst in investments by private bodies.
-Propounding projects and programs at the national level.
-Carry out research work for the betterment of the Tourism industry.
-Infrastructure is developed.

"Economy Watch - Follow The Money." Tourism Industry Growth. EconomyWatch, 30 June 2010. Web. 12 May 2013.

The Hassels of Travel

There are many activities that require many types of travel. Whether it's air travel, business travel, family travel or international travel, international travel has a very large outcome of the tourism industry the most.
International travel to the United States is one of the nation’s leading exports. In 2008, 58 million international travelers visited the U.S., up 4% from 2007. Total spending (excluding passenger fares) from all international visitors in the U.S. was $110.4 billion in 2008, an increase of 14% over 2007. In 2008, the top five overseas markets for travelers to the U.S. were the U.K. with 4.5 million arrivals, Japan with 3.2 million arrivals and Germany with 1.8 million arrivals, France with 1.2 million arrivals, and Italy with 780 thousand arrivals. Unfortunately, although international travel has boomed over the past several years, with 48 million more overseas trips taken in 2008 than in 2000, America actually lost visitors, welcoming 633,000 fewer overseas travelers in 2008. If the United States had simply kept pace with global travel trends, 58 million more overseas travelers would have visited the United States between 2000 and 2008 – and would have generated an estimated 245,000 new U.S. jobs in 2008 alone.

"U.S. TRAVEL ASSOCIATION." Travel Facts and Statistics. U.S. Travel Association, 2008. Web. 12 May 2013.

Changes for Tourism Impacts

Tourism has a whole variety of economic impacts. Most of them contributing to sales, profits, tax revenues, jobs and income in the field. The primary tourism sections: lodging, restaurants, transportation, retail trade and amusements are the most direct effects of this. Through secondary effects, tourism affects most sections of the economy. An economic impact check point of tourism activity normally focuses on changes in sales, income, and employment in a region resulting from the tourism activity. Although these are the main ones, there are several other economic impacts that are usually not covered in economic assessments. For example,
- Changes in prices, tourism can sometimes inflate the cost of housing and retail prices in the area,

frequently on a seasonal basis.

- Changes in the quality and quantity of goods and services – tourism may lead to a wider array of

goods and services available in an area of either lower or higher quality.

- Changes in property and other taxes – taxes to cover the cost of local services may be higher or

lower in the presence of tourism activity. The impacts of tourism on local

government costs and revenues are addressed more fully in a fiscal impact analysis.

"3. ECOTOURISM." 3. ECOTOURISM. Forestry Department, 2005. Web. 10 May 2013.

It's the Southwest, Ya'll

In the Southwest, climate is an important natural resource and a draw for tourists. Many people come to the southwest region to take advantage of its warm, mild winters, to go hiking in the cactus covered mountains, or to boat, kayak and swim in the cool lakes and rivers. The natural beauty of the Southwest’s national parks attracts approximately 35 million eager visitors who spend an estimated $1.3 billion in the region annually.

Changes in season lengths could be positive or negative, depending on activity or location. Warm weather activities, such as camping or boating might see an increase in the length of their operating seasons.Winter activities such as snowmobiling or skiing could be negatively affected by shorter, warmer winter seasons, as well as decreased precipitation. Water activities, such as kayaking or rafting, could be affected by changes in seasonal precipitation patterns.

Ponnaluru, Srinivasa. 2005. Visitation to the National Parks of the Southwest: The influence of economic and climate variables. MS Thesis. Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Arizona.

You're Killing Me

Traveling to the mountains, beach or theme park, whether it's all of these or one, vacations are for relaxing and taking a break from the daily grind. However, some of these excursions can be considered harmful or have negative affects on tourism, by experiencing a national park by car or touring historic sites alone. It's the cumulative effects of many enjoyable trips, more than 1.4 billion in the United States in 2001, that damage or disrupt many tourist destinations.The tourism industry does offer economic benefits. In 2008, Americans spent a total of $767 billion on tourism-related costs like hotels, air travel, food and shopping. This spending carried down into individual communities in the form of income for business owners and sales tax revenue for state and local governments. Tourism can either pose a threat to the natural or man made environment, or it can pose a threat to sometimes both the local culture and society. Vacation destinations are unique in that they must try to accommodate a large number of tourists without disrupting the setting the tourists are attracted to. The tourism industry also creates jobs, as it is well known. Hotel staff, airline pilots, transportation staff, souvenir vendors and other tourism-related jobs totaled 5.9 million in 2008. If tourism develops greatly in a hometown or general communities, citizens may start to criticize because of tourism development.

Already, parts of the Great Wall of China have been hurt by tourism.

 Pumphrey, Clint. "Can Tourism Kill a Destination?" HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks, 2011. Web. 10 May 2013.

Let's Roleplay, Communities

Business and public organizations involved with tourism are increasingly important in the tourism industry. More importantly, business and public organizations are interested in the economic impacts of tourism at national, state and local levels. Tourism's economic benefits are acclaimed for a variety of many reasons. Translating into decisions or public policies that are favorable to tourism, claim's of tourism's economic significance gives the industry a greater respect among the business community, says Daniel Stynes.

Community also plays a major role in the support of the tourism industry, as it does affect the community as a whole. Tourism’s economic impacts are therefore an important consideration in state, regional and community planning and economic development. Marketing and management decisions stem from important economic impacts. Stynes, says, "Communities  therefore need to understand the relative importance of tourism to their region, including tourism’s contribution to economic activity in the area." So why does religion and community go so hand in hand? Although religion is a rough subject, it does play a part in the communities impacted by the tourism industry.

 "A Community Guide to Nature Tourism - Introduction." A Community Guide to Nature Tourism - Introduction. WDFW, 2012. Web. 10 May 2013.

Making Tourism Sustainable

National Park Authorities want to work with local communtities and other organizations to try and make tourism sustainable. They have concomed a list of things we can do

Show visitors how they can be responsible tourists with events, leaflets, information centres, guided walks and events, signs and websites.

Encourage visitors to leave their cars behind and use greener travel, like bikes, buses, boats and trains.

Support outdoor activities that don't damage the countryside or harm wildlife.

Encourage visitors to buy local products and food.

Run green business schemes to encourage businesses to recycle, reduce energy, conserve water and be sustainable.

Ask local communities for their views and ideas by setting up forums, groups and consultations.

Reduce erosion caused by visitors, by creating and repairing footpaths.

Use planning policies to control the spread of buildings in built-up areas development.

Encourage green energy-efficient buildings with planning policies and grant funding.

Encourage small-scale renewable energy schemes, like woodchip boilers and solar panels, with planning policies and grant funding.

"The Impacts of Tourism." The Impacts of Tourism. National Parks, 2012. Web. 10 May 2013.

Tourism vs. Eco-Tourism

According to the World Tourism Organization, a United Nation's agency that serves as a global forum for tourism policy, worldwide international tourism grew by 5.5 percent in 2010. International tourism is expected to surpass 1.6 billion arrivals by 2020, which does not include domestic tourism. In the U.S., Americans took almost 2 billion trips within the country in 2010. This growing industry is driven by various segments, and Eco-tourism represents one of them. Some dealing with a minimizing impact call it "responsible tourism." Eco-tourists basically leave the environment they were in as it was when they first arrived. Kayaking down a river would have little to no impact on the environment but a hunting expedition may result in animal death, mating habits and offspring survival. Eco-tourists also make financial contributions to the Eco-tourims cause and raise awareness to large bodies of people to get them to increase sensitivity to tourism's overall impact to the natural and friendly environment.

Fulton, Jeff. "Tourism Vs. Eco-tourism." Travel Tips. USA Today, 2013. Web. 08 May 2013

Why Travel Matters

Travel and tourism is...

One of America’s largest industries-

• Generated $1.8 trillion in ECONOMIC IMPACT with $759 billion spent directly by domestic and international travelers that spurred an additional $1 trillion in other industries.
• Directly generated $118 billion in TAX REVENUE for local, state and federal governments.
• Each household would pay $1,000 MORE IN TAXES without the tax revenue generated by the travel and tourism industry.
• Direct spending by resident and international travelers in the U.S. averaged $2 billion a day, $86.6 million an hour, $1.4 million a minute, and $24,000 a second.

One of America’s largest service export-

• $134 billion in travel exports (including traveler spending in the U.S. and international passenger fare payments to U.S. carriers) and the...
• $103 billion in in travel imports (including U.S. residents' spending abroad and international passenger fares paid to foreign carriers) creates...
• $32 billion in BALANCE OF TRAVEL TRADE SURPLUS for the U.S.

One of America’s largest employer-

• Supported 14 million JOBS, including 7.4 million directly in the travel industry and 6.7 million in other industries.
• $188 billion in travel-generated PAYROLL for those employed directly in the travel industry.
• 1 of every 9 U.S. non-farm jobs is created directly or indirectly is induced by travel and tourism.
• Travel is among the TOP 10 INDUSTRIES in 48 states and D.C. in terms of employment. 

Destinations, Elevate. "Travel Matters: Making Meaning In Faraway Places." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 17 July 2012. Web. 08 May 2013.

Employment at A Glance

The U.S. Tourism Industry determines to a large extent the Economy of the United States of America. The effects of tourism in the United States economy indicates how important the tourism industry is in America. Contribution of travel and tourism industries have a huge impact on the US tourism industry itself. These industries encompass the real estate industry, entertainment industry, hospitality industry and transport industry, etc.

US tourism industry suffer setback after 9/11 attacks: In 2000, things were looking up for tourism industry but not for long. Tourism and travel related employment drastically declined by about 160,000 jobs. Due to the slow nature of the economy and the terrible 9/11 attacks in 2001, the US tourism and travel industry took some major setbacks.

US tourism industry and employment at a glance: According to article by Economy Watch, around 5.6 of the employment in the non farming section in the US was from the travel and tourism industry as of 2004. Food sector consisted of the major employment generating segment creating as many as 2.4 million jobs in the year 2004. The lodging/hotel employed as many as 1.2 million individuals. Approximately 1.1 million jobs came from the segment belonging to the entertainment industry. International or overseas travel yielded about 69,500 job opportunities in 2003 through 2004. This figure implied the first ever escalation in the job opportunities after 2000, and the set back after the attacks in 2001.

EconomyWatch. "Economy Watch - Follow The Money." US Tourism Industry. EconomyWatch, 30 June 2010. Web. 08 May 2013.

Labor in the Tourism Industry

Since the 1980's, international tourism is an industry that has risen dramatically, as the price of traveling internationally has fallen with things such as airfares. This has created a situation where the countries with few exports suddenly have tourism to rely on, even though it is mostly a service-based industry within a country, tourism is still an export because it brings foreign money in.

Tourism is labor-intensive, meaning it employs a lot of people. And, tourism employees do not need to be highly-skilled or make long-term time commitments. Not only is it easy to just hire tourism employees, but also can be quickly done, due to the large amount of tourism employees that are mostly local people. This means that it is extremely accessible to local populations, which means that local populations can receive an economic boost from tourism; as opposed to some other exports, the money from tourism often goes directly to the local people. This gives the people who don't get as much the opportunity to profit from increased exports. Profiting from this type of employment not only increases the yearly income but greatly affects the lives of the "little people" benefiting from it.

"CICS News – Canada's Immigration News Source." CICS News Canadas Immigration News Source. CICS News, 6 May 2013. Web. 08 May 2013.

25 Most Visited Tourist Attractions in US

There are many, many tourist attractions to go and see in the US. Whether it's amusement parks, National parks, cities, etc., US tourism has no problem with amazing tourist attractions that draw crowds in!

Here is the list of the most visited 25 tourist attractions in the US (according to Forbes).

1.Times Square, New York City, N.Y
2. The Las Vegas Strip, Nevada
3. National Mall and Memorial Parks, Washington, D.C
4. Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, MA
5. Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, FL
6. Disneyland Park, Anaheim, CA
7. Fisherman’s Wharf/Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, CA
8. Niagara Falls, N.Y.
9. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tenn./N.C.
10. Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
11. Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Ariz./Nev.
12. Universal Studios Orlando/Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando, FL
13. SeaWorld Florida, Orlando, FL
14. San Antonio River Walk, Texas
15. Temple Square, Salt Lake City, UT
16. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Penn./N.J.
17. Universal Studios,Hollywood, CA
18. Metropolitan Museum, New York, N.Y
19. Waikiki Beach, Oahu, Hawaii
20. Grand Canyon, AZ
21. Busch Gardens Africa, Tampa Bay, FL
22. Cape Cod National Seashore, MA
23. SeaWorld San Diego, San Diego, CA
24. American Museum of Natural History, NY
25. Atlantic City Boardwalk, New Jersey

Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Florida

Forbes. "Top 25 Most Visited Tourist Destinations in America." The Travelers Zone RSS. Forbes Magazine, 10 May 2008. Web. 08 May 2013.

U.S. Travel Industry Impact

Top 12 effects of the Travel Industry
- Higher income increases travel.
- Higher prices for gas and vehicles reduces travel.
- Higher prices for inner city apartments increases travel because it induces people to live far away from work.
-Government subsidies for travel tickets increase travel.
-Lack of border controls, visa requirements and tariffs increase international travel.
-Safer means of transportation increases travel.
- Living on the country side rather than in the city increases travel.
- Effective marketing of travel increases travel.
- Effective marketing of products and services competing with travel reduces travel.
- International differences in law (e.g. legality of prostitution and drugs) increases travel.
- War increases travel.
- Good infrastructure increases travel. Economic inequality in a geographical sense increases travel.

(Based on website data)

 

"Strategy Plan One." Strategy Plan One. Strategic Business Blog, 3 June 2012. Web. 08 May 2013.

Positive and Negative Economic Effects of Tourism

In rural and developing countries, tourism can bring a whole deal of economic and social benefits, but mass tourism is also associated with negative effects. Tourism can only be sustainable if it is carefully managed so that potential negative effects on the host community and the environment are not permitted to outweigh the financial benefits.

Positive Economic Affects:
Tourism creates many jobs, both indirectly and directly. Indirectly through sectors such as retail and transportation. Directly through direct employment within the tourism industry. This all creates the "multiplier affect", when these people spend their wages on goods and services, it leads to creating more jobs. Not only does the tourism industry provide opportunities for small-scale business enterprises, which is especially important in rural communities, but it generates extra tax revenues, such as airport and hotel taxes, which can be used for schools, housing and hospitals.

Negative Economic Affects:
Successful tourism relies deeply on establishing a basic infrastructure, such as hotels, roads and visitor centers. The cost of this infrastructure typically falls on the government, so it then has to come out of tax revenues. Money formed by tourism does not always benefit the local community however, as some of it spreads out to large international companies, such as hotel chains. Jobs created by tourism are often seasonal (holidays, school breaks, summer), and poorly paid, but tourism can push the cost of goods and services and local property prices. Destinations dependent on tourism can be adversely affected by events such as terrorism, natural disasters and economic recession.

Simm, Carole. "Positive & Negative Effects of Tourism." Travel Tips. Demand Media, 2012. Web. 08 May 2013.