Destinations
Destinations in Decline
(640 Words)
Any sustainable holiday destination must be nurtured not only through continuous maintenance but also through the recognition of emerging trends and the implementation of appropriate improvements. These are some of the challenges that every tourism destination must address. The tourism life cycle of any holiday town or city is subject to variation, meaning that periods of stagnation can occur alongside periods of significant development and growth. There is also the constant emergence of new destinations that can capture tourists’ interest almost immediately. Consequently, established resorts must continually evaluate their position and adapt accordingly in order to remain competitive while other destinations continue to prosper. This essay will examine some of the key factors associated with the decline and rejuvenation of tourism destinations.
To begin with, recent high-profile travel destinations such as Dubai and Singapore have demonstrated how strategic tourism planning can contribute to the successful development of a destination. Theme parks, globally recognised architectural structures, and events such as Grand Prix racing have all helped to raise the profile of these destinations. Although these locations are considered high-end tourist destinations, their success demonstrates that, in order to remain competitive, tourism destinations must continue to develop, diversify, and expand. Within the tourism life cycle, some destinations may enter a period of rejuvenation, while others experience stagnation or decline.
A useful example is Benidorm in Spain. The town experienced substantial growth and became highly popular with European visitors during the late 1980s. Over time, however, it became increasingly associated with sunbathing, nightlife, and mass tourism. The natural landscape, including trees and vegetation, was significantly replaced by concrete apartment developments. This illustrates how a destination can reach a stage within its product life cycle where tourists may become less interested in an experience that is perceived as repetitive or lacking in variety.
This raises the question of who should be responsible for sustaining or revitalising tourism destinations. Political decisions can play an important role, particularly through investment strategies and policies designed to encourage foreign investment. However, it could also be argued that decisions should be made at a local level, as local knowledge can provide a better understanding of the unique qualities and characteristics that a destination can use to rejuvenate its tourism industry. Nevertheless, even local decision-making does not guarantee success. Destinations can stagnate when those responsible for development lose sight of what makes the location attractive and viable to visitors.
Moreover, Pattaya in Thailand provides another example of a destination that appears to have struggled to establish a clear tourism identity. Pattaya initially became prominent as a destination for rest and relaxation among American military personnel and subsequently developed a strong reputation for nightlife and entertainment. Although this has generated significant economic benefits, Pattaya has also introduced a range of attractions intended to appeal to families and other visitor groups beyond its traditional nightlife market. This raises the question of which target market the destination is ultimately attempting to serve.
Pattaya offers attractive beaches and a warm climate; however, Pattaya Beach itself is relatively limited in size, while further expansion is difficult. In addition, aspects of the beach environment and surrounding urban landscape may be perceived as unattractive by some visitors. These factors illustrate the difficulties faced by a destination that is attempting to diversify and develop without necessarily having a clearly defined strategy for competing with other international tourism destinations.
In conclusion, this essay has highlighted the importance of recognising that no tourist destination should take its success for granted. As with any life cycle, tourism destinations experience periods of growth, stagnation, decline, and potential rejuvenation. Modern tourists increasingly seek experiences that offer more than a traditional mass-tourism holiday, including greater variety, authenticity, and distinctive experiences. Destinations that recognise these changing expectations and adapt accordingly are more likely to remain competitive and sustainable in an increasingly dynamic global tourism market.
Information Technology and Bookings through GDS
Global distribution and reservation systems (GDS) have revolutionized the travel industry over the years. The Four Major GDS Systems Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre, and Worldspan help buyers search for the best deals for their holiday quicker and easier. On the plus side, these systems have helped consolidate the industry and make it easier for travel agents to give out prices to their customers. Travel agents use this system as a backbone for their industry. All this is well and good but with the economic downturn in the last few years plus the rise of other travel, the rise of the internet, also competition amongst GDS systems and other factors the success of global distribution of travel bookings has to be looked into. In this essay, I will discuss some of the issues relating to GDS.
To begin with, we live in times that have seen major banks and companies around the world collapse. Customers want better prices. Airlines, travel agents, hotels are also looking to cut costs while still wanting to maintain their customer base. This is the dilemma for all involved. So as times change within the industry, the advantages of GDS and competition amongst the companies involved should hopefully have the knock on effects to the customer with lower prices. There is also the case as the global slowdown happens that companies will look elsewhere by trying to get customers to book direct with them. This leaves a gap where GDS systems still need to make their money and additional costs may be added. On the other hand, these companies by avoiding using GDS systems risk losing trade with these global players. We are also faced with the concentration of power amongst these travel systems who can monopolize the market and see prices rise as a result of their control of the market through the four GDS systems.
Furthermore, the GDS players have now more to do as competition gets harder. The rise of the internet has to be the main competition for GDS. By avoiding extra cost through GDS companies can make more money. Many low-cost airlines in different countries offer seats at reduced fares by paying direct to their website. One has only got to do a search on the internet to see the array of companies offering booking information to see that competition amongst the smaller travel agents and airlines is there. The internet has also allowed people to go and make their own travel plans instead of leaving it all to a travel agent.
However, we still see that most travellers use travel agents to book their travel arrangements. Travel agents and travel destinations are now faced with what of the four GDS systems to use which highlights the future development of the major players in the GDS system as competition gets more intense to attract interest to their system. For example, travel agents are trying to reduce costs while still maintaining sales so each GDS system has to try and offer the best deals to these people. In reality, the future looks bright as GDS has to create better management and sales plan while becoming more professional to win these contracts. This also could impinge on the GDS industry as it tries to become more competitive by being more aggressive in the market. All this determined effort to be more successful may turn airline/travel agents away. We will have to wait and see
To conclude it is hard to say if any interested party will come up with a system to rival these GDS companies. Millions of dollars are now being pumped into Africa and the Arab region as contracts are signed as these GDS companies try to consolidate their interest in these regions. The only people that can stop their dominance for these distribution and reservation systems are the airline themselves. Companies like Emirates are major players in the world market for travel. Hopefully, the customers feel the benefit for the competition and not the pain as costs are pushed onto them.
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