13.3. Models of and Types of Tourism

Question 1

Butler’s Tourism Area Life Cycle Model

Answer 1

• Proposed in 1980 by R.W. Butler, with observations mainly based on HIC tourist destinations.
• The model theories the cycle of tourist resort development, tourism and decline.
• In the model, tourism is viewed as a resource that can be exploited

Question 2

Primary Tourism Resource

Answer 2

These are attractions that pre-date tourism i.e. the reason that destination was so attractive in the first instance (climate, scenery, wildlife, indigenous people and cultural/heritage sites)

Question 3

Secondary Tourism Resource

Answer 3

• The extra facilities that are now there to accommodate the tourists (hotels, restaurants, water parks, shopping, adventure providers etc)
• If these resources are eroded or taken away by human action, then there will be fewer tourists visiting the place

Question 4

Purpose of Butler’s Tourism Area Life Cycle Model

Answer 4

1) The purpose of the Butler Model is to look at the way that tourist resorts grow and develop and decline.
- Model - something used to understand the general theory and process of something

2) The tourist industry, like all industry, is dynamic and constantly changing.
- Therefore, the Butler Model is a way of studying tourist resorts and seeing how they change over time and in relation to the changing demands of the tourist industry.
- These changes can then be compared to the predictions as shown on the model.
- Model is useful for tourist destinations - how to manage the area

Question 5

Stages of the Butler Model

Answer 5

1) Exploration
2) Involvement
3) Development
4) Consolidation
5) Stagnation
6) Either: Rejuvenation stage or decline stage

Question 6

Exploration Stage of the Butler Model

Answer 6

• A settlement is ‘explored’ or ‘discovered’ by a small number of people who later tell others about their experience.
• Small number of tourists attracted by culture/natural beauty.
• Few facilities exist to support tourists
• Difficult to get there
• For example, Hang En Cave Vietnam, Antarctica, Ubon Ratchathani

Question 7

Involvement Stage of the Butler Model

Answer 7

• More tourists arrive having heard about the place by word of mouth, articles in Travel Supplements in papers, brochures or tourist guides.
• The extra tourists attracted by the publicity and people willing to visit somewhere new will lead to the building of new hotels, restaurants, shops and services to cater for the influx of people.
• Examples: Myanmar, Similan Islands

Question 8

Development Stage of the Butler Model

Answer 8

• Mass tourism replaces the original economic function of the settlement.
• This may cause some resentment with people in the area who have not benefited from the new industry or from the loss of distinct identity.
• It may appear that the local culture is being diminished by a more international and non-unique culture.
• Example: Koh Chang

Question 9

Consolidation Stage of the Butler Model

Answer 9

• Tourism constitutes major part of economy.
• Tourist numbers may begin to plateau.
• Older facilities (hotels, water parks, restaurants) seen as “second rate”
• Established, not fashionable destination because everyone knows about it now - not for adventurous couples
• Growth of tourism starts to drop off
• Examples: Koh Samui, Phuket, parts of Bali

Question 10

Stagnation Stage of the Butler Model

Answer 10

• When the resort has become so established and unfashionable
• People may become bored with the resort.
• Little of the original natural environment will remain and negative comments about what it used to be like may lead people to find somewhere new to discover.
• Falling tourism leads to economic decline and the under-utilisation of tourist infrastructure, with a rise in unemployment.
• Declining faster and further
• Example: Pattaya

Question 11

Rejuvenation stage or decline Stage of the Butler Model

Answer 11

• Attractiveness continues to decline with visitors lost to other resorts / destinations.
• Resort becomes dependent on day / weekend visitors from limited geographical area.
• Unless the resort is able to rejuvenate and develop more sustainable strategies to attract tourists based upon lower visitor numbers
• If tourist levels fall → high rates of unemployment, crumbling infrastructure, large inequality → outmigration
• Examples: Areas of southern Bali after the Bali bombings, New York in 1990s

Question 12

Sustainable Tourism

Answer 12

• Sustainable tourism is tourism attempting to make a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate future employment for local people.
• The aim of sustainable tourism is to ensure that development brings a positive experience for local people, tourism companies and the tourists themselves.
• Sustainable tourism is not the same as ecotourism

Question 13

Environmental Sustainability in Tourism

Answer 13

• use renewable energy sources to power tourist facilities
• promote use of public transport
• avoid deforestation or damage to natural habitats
• recycle waste

Question 14

Social Sustainability in Tourism

Answer 14

• ensure all local tourist facilities are able to be accessed by locals and that they can be affordable
• promote local food, dance, music, languages
• educate about local culture and history
• preserve historical and archaeological sites

Question 15

Economic Sustainability in Tourism

Answer 15

• employ local workers and provide them with training programmes
• only buy local products to support local economy
• reinvest all tourist company profits in the economy to minimize economic leakage
• use local guides and companies

Question 16

Ecotourism

Answer 16

Responsible travel to fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas that strive to be low impact and (often) small scale (as an alternative to mass tourism).

Question 17

Possible Ecotourism Destinations

Answer 17

• Rainforests, Antarctica, Coral Reef, Deserts (Sahara and Atacama), Savanna (areas of grassland - common location to go on safari in central and southern Africa), Mountain ranges (Himalayas and Andes) and remote islands (Galapagos Islands)
• Some countries, such as Ecuador and Costa Rica, market themselves as ecotourist destinations

Question 18

Possible Ecotourism Activities

Answer 18

Bird watching, Walking, Cycling, Rafting and kayaking, Safari (looking for animals), Restoring water ways, Flora and fauna surveys (counting and cataloging species), Cleaning beaches and reefs, Hot air ballooning, Horse riding, Surfing, Tree planting and Swimming and diving

Question 19

Similarities between Sustainable Tourism and Ecotourism

Answer 19

• Both attempt to minimise the impact on the environment
• Both attempt to minimise the impact on local populations. With ecotourism this might include indigenous groups
• Both aim to create a unique and enjoyable experience for tourists
• Both aim to educate tourists about responsible travel
• Both hope to be sustainable over the long-term

Question 20

Differences between Sustainable Tourism and Ecotourism

Answer 20

• Ecotourism is usually on a smaller scale, whereas sustainable tourism can be on a much larger scale
• Sustainable tourism also focuses on the economic needs of areas
• Ecotourism is usually to remote areas of natural beauty, where sustainable tourism can be to any location e.g. cities or beaches
• Ecotourism usually involves physical activity
• Ecotourism is a type of tourism that is included under the umbrella of sustainable tourism

Question 21

Sports Tourism

Answer 21

• Increasingly, people are prepared to travel long distances to attend international sporting events
• This provides income for the airlines and the hospitality industry in the host nation
• For example, it was estimated that during the 2012 London Olympic Games generated 10bn pounds for the British economy and that the tourists spent 2.1bn pounds in London 2012 during the games

Question 22

Niche Market Tourism

Answer 22

Specialist tourism catering for specific interest groups is growing