Destination Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Destination Development - Essay Example TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction 4 2. Emergence of Destination Development 4 3. Concepts & Approaches 5 a. Stage of Development 6 b. Approach to Destination Management 7 c. System of Governance 7 d. Research Undertakings/Application of Research 8 e. Tourism Policy & Planning 9 f. Stakeholders 9 g. Forms of Tourism 10 h. Application of Sustainability Indicators 11 i. Competition And Collaboration 12 j. Destination Marketing 12 k. Tourism Trends 12 4. Findings 13 5. Conclusion 13 6. References 15 1. Introduction The recent surveys by the tourism department of France have clarified the fact that Paris is one of the most preferred travel destinations in the world. The city receives about 27 million visitors every year. Among them 17 million are international visitors. If the visitors in the surrounding regions are included then the number would read 44 million (Staab et al, 2002). There are about 3800 historical monuments in Paris and the surrounding areas along with four UNESCO World H eritage Sites. Furthermore, there are several famous attractions available in Paris, which include Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysees, Notre Dame de Paris, the Louvre, Basilique du Sacre-C?ur, Pompidou Centre, Arc de Triomphe and Musee d'Orsay. In Paris, many forms of public transportation are available, which include metro, bus and boats (Heath, 2002). Though there is evidence of Paris receiving the lowest level of rainfall in France, there are chances that tourists can experience some unexpected rainfall throughout the year. Hence, it’s evident that destination development pertaining to Paris will go a long way in making Paris even more tourist-friendly and popular in the coming years. 2. Emergence of Destination Development It is not possible for a destination to promote experiences and products that are not available. Destination development is a continuous process in which development and coordination of products, services, facilities and amenities take place (Poon, 1993). The continuous development helps enhancing the quality of experience of the tourists and visitors. Destination development is an important process in order to implement tourism management. In this process, the destination managers and stakeholders play an important role in prioritizing the strategies and plans which were developed during the destination planning process. It is important to inform the destination development process by the process of situation analysis and in the process planning phase (Crouch & Ritchie, 1999). The destination performance process needs to be monitored against the KPI’s that are clearly depicted and the tourism industry in Paris also follows the same (Staab et al, 2002). Beech and Chadwick (2006, p. 23) state ‘An important factor to take into account is the spatial dimensions of tourism. Any basic understanding of tourism shows a requirement for travel and, hence, consumption away from home where goods and services are usually purchased and used. Leiper’s (1979) landmark work usefully explains this difference by proposing three different ‘geographies’ or spatial components: (i) tourism in the generating or home region of the traveler; (ii) tourism at the destination region; and (iii) the transit routes – the ‘area’ or supply of travel and transport facilities between the two regions. While all three are naturally highly interconnected in terms of an individual’s trip, each of these ‘