Characteristics of Travel and Tourism » Review and Assessment

What you'll learn this session

Study time: 30 minutes

Review key characteristics of the travel and tourism industry
Understand how to assess tourism impacts using case studies
Evaluate the economic, social and environmental effects of tourism
Apply assessment frameworks to real tourism scenarios
Prepare for exam questions on tourism characteristics

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Reviewing the Characteristics of Travel and Tourism

The travel and tourism industry is one of the world's largest economic sectors, connecting people across cultures and creating millions of jobs. In this review session, we'll revisit the key characteristics that make this industry unique and explore how to assess its impacts.

Key Definitions:

Tourism: The activities of people travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for leisure, business or other purposes.
Tourist: A person who travels to and stays in places outside their usual environment for more than 24 hours but less than one year.
Excursionist: A visitor who doesn't stay overnight (also called a day visitor).
Tourism sector: The collection of businesses and organisations involved in delivering tourism products and services.

⊕ Types of Tourism

Domestic tourism: People travelling within their own country

Inbound tourism: Non-residents travelling in a given country

Outbound tourism: Residents travelling to another country

⊕ Tourism Motivations

Leisure: Holidays, recreation, visiting friends/relatives

Business: Meetings, conferences, trade fairs

Other: Study, religious pilgrimages, health treatments

Assessing Tourism Impacts

A critical part of understanding tourism is being able to assess its impacts. Tourism creates significant effects on destinations that can be positive or negative across three main categories:

£ Economic Impacts

Job creation
Foreign exchange earnings
Infrastructure development
Multiplier effect
Economic leakage
Seasonality issues

♥ Social Impacts

Cultural exchange
Preservation of traditions
Improved facilities for locals
Overcrowding
Changes to local culture
Potential for crime increase

⊕ Environmental Impacts

Conservation funding
Protected area creation
Environmental awareness
Pollution (air, water, noise)
Habitat destruction
Resource depletion

Impact Assessment Framework

When assessing tourism impacts for your iGCSE exam, use this structured approach:

✓ Assessment Steps

Identify the type of tourism taking place
Describe the specific impacts (positive and negative)
Explain why these impacts occur
Evaluate the significance of each impact
Suggest management strategies to enhance positives and reduce negatives

☆ Exam Success Tips

Always use specific examples and case studies
Balance your answer with both positive and negative impacts
Consider short-term vs long-term effects
Link impacts to specific stakeholders (locals, businesses, government)
Use tourism-specific terminology

Tourism Development Models

Understanding how tourism develops in a destination helps assess its characteristics and impacts. Two key models to remember:

Butler's Tourism Area Life Cycle

This model shows how tourist destinations evolve through six stages: exploration, involvement, development, consolidation, stagnation and then either decline or rejuvenation.

Exploration: Small numbers of adventurous tourists discover an unspoilt area
Involvement: Local businesses begin providing basic services for tourists
Development: Large companies invest, visitor numbers increase rapidly
Consolidation: Tourism dominates the local economy, growth slows
Stagnation: Peak visitor numbers reached, destination becomes less fashionable
Decline or Rejuvenation: Either visitor numbers fall or the destination reinvents itself

Doxey's Irridex (Irritation Index)

Benidorm

This model describes how local residents' attitudes toward tourists change over time:

Euphoria: Locals welcome tourists and the benefits they bring
Apathy: Tourists are taken for granted, interactions become more commercial
Annoyance: Locals become irritated by crowding and disruption
Antagonism: Open hostility towards tourists as negative impacts dominate

Case Study Focus: Benidorm, Spain

Benidorm transformed from a small fishing village to one of Europe's largest resort destinations:

Economic impacts: Created 150,000+ jobs, generates €12 billion annually, but suffers from seasonality with winter unemployment
Social impacts: Improved infrastructure for locals, but traditional Spanish culture diluted by British-themed pubs and restaurants
Environmental impacts: High-rise development reduced sprawl, but beaches suffer from overcrowding and water shortages occur in summer
Management strategies: Winter festivals to reduce seasonality, water recycling systems, height restrictions on new buildings

Benidorm demonstrates both Butler's Life Cycle (currently in consolidation/stagnation) and Doxey's Irridex (many locals in the annoyance stage).

Sustainable Tourism Assessment

Sustainability has become a crucial framework for assessing tourism development. Sustainable tourism aims to:

Minimise negative environmental impacts
Respect and preserve local cultures
Provide fair economic benefits to local communities
Involve local people in decision-making
Create enjoyable experiences for tourists

⊕ Sustainable Tourism Indicators

When assessing sustainability, look for:

Local ownership of tourism businesses
Use of renewable energy
Water conservation measures
Waste management systems
Protection of natural habitats
Preservation of cultural heritage

⊕ Mass vs Alternative Tourism

Mass tourism characteristics:

Large numbers of tourists
Package holidays
Seasonal visitation
Foreign-owned businesses

Alternative tourism characteristics:

Small-scale development
Independent travellers
Year-round activities
Local ownership

Exam Preparation: Characteristics Assessment

For your iGCSE exam, you'll need to assess tourism characteristics and their impacts. Practice using this structure:

Describe the tourism type (e.g., coastal mass tourism, ecotourism, cultural tourism)
Identify key characteristics (scale, seasonality, tourist types, infrastructure)
Assess impacts using the triple bottom line (economic, social, environmental)
Support with case study evidence (specific examples, statistics, stakeholder perspectives)
Evaluate management approaches (what works, what doesn't, future challenges)

Assessment Example: The Lake District, UK

The Lake District receives 15.8 million visitors annually, creating both opportunities and challenges:

Characteristics assessment:

Mix of domestic and international tourists
Strong seasonality (summer peak, winter low)
Mainly leisure tourism focused on natural landscape
Diverse accommodation from camping to luxury hotels
Accessible by road but limited public transport

Impact assessment:

Economic: Tourism worth £1.4 billion annually, supports 18,500 jobs
Social: Improved amenities for locals but housing prices increased by 31% in five years
Environmental: Footpath erosion, traffic congestion, but conservation funding increased

Management assessment:

Visitor payback schemes fund conservation
Traffic management through park-and-ride schemes
Affordable housing initiatives for local workers

Final Review Tips

As you prepare for your assessment on tourism characteristics:

Learn at least three detailed case studies (ideally from different continents)
Practice explaining both positive and negative impacts
Understand how characteristics (like scale and type) influence impacts
Be able to apply tourism models to real examples
Consider different stakeholder perspectives when assessing impacts
Link your assessment to sustainable development goals where relevant

Remember, a strong assessment doesn't just describe tourism characteristics but explains their significance and evaluates their consequences for different stakeholders and environments.

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