DEVELOPMENT BY TOURISM

Global Tourism : Development by Tourism / GNI and HDI wealth measures 24

Key Terms :

Per capita (per person)

GNI Gross national income

HDI Human Development Index

Composite Measure

UN United Nations

Example / Case-Study :

Australia HDI 0.93

Spain HDI 0.86

Costa Rica HDI 0.72

Belize HDI 0.69

Possible Questions :

Why are some measures of development better than others?

What are the pros and cons of 2 measure of a country’s wealthy that you have studied?

Weblinks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Index

The easiest way to get information about a country’s wealth is to find out how much the country makes each year – and divide it amongst the country’s population (per capita) to give an Average income per person. But this can give an inaccurate impression. A country may seem to have quite a high ‘average’ income per person – but in reality there may be just a few super-rich people in the country, and the vast majority are quite poor. In the past this figure has been called GDP per capita (Gross Domestic Product), but a more recent term is GNI – Gross National Income.

More recently the United Nations (UN) has used a COMPOSITE MEASURE (a number calculated from 3 different sets of numbers). The Human Development Index (HDI) can indicate the quality of health services in a country (by looking at ‘Life Expectancy’) and the quality of Education (by looking at ‘Literacy rates’) as well as average income through the GNI. Combining these figures gives a more accurate picture of what life is like for most people in that country.




LEDC – so prices once you are there are quite

cheap for local food, drink and tourist

activities

Easy to fly to from the USA and only 7 hours from Europe (closer tropical resort than

Thailand or India) - the main places where

wealthy tourists come from

Close to the equator – so high temperatures all

year. Ideal as a ‘Winter Sun’ destination for

tourists from cold N. USA and Europe in November

- March

Global Tourism : Development by Tourism / LEDC case-study : Belize 26

Key Terms :

Eco-tourism

Winter sun destination

Accessible

Wide variety of habitats

Low-cost destination


Belize – Central America


What makes certain places more suitable to tourist development than other places?

What are the physical, economic, social and transport factors that make some places successful tourist destinations?

Weblinks

http://www.travelbelize.org/

http://www.travelbelize.org/about-belize/general/about-belize.html

Belize – a small country in Central America is using tourism as a way to develop. It has a range of factors which give it lots of advantages as a popular international tourist destination of the future

On the Caribbean Cruise ship route –

so lots of customers as ships stop off for

a day or two

Has an international airport – so

visitors can fly in easily

Contrasting tourist attractions – coral reefs in the tropical waters, long sandy beaches

and rainforest inland. Lots to do and see.

Is seen as a peaceful country with good safety, little crime and welcoming to

tourists

Is selling itself as an Eco-Tourism country

with fabulous unspoilt scenery &

wildlife habitats





Global Tourism : Development by Tourism / Belize Tourism Benefits 27

Key Terms :

Employment opportunities

Primary occupations

Secondary occupations

Tertiary occupations

Development Tourism




How can development tourism benefit a country?

How does investment in tourism help raise people’s standard of living?

Belize – a small country in Central America – is developing itself as a major Eco-tourism resort. It is developing the resort of ‘Belize Caribbean Riviera’ as a centre for study and enjoyment of marine and coastal wildlife, and the inland Rainforest environment. It expects tourists from the USA, Europe and cruise ships which tour the Caribbean.

Jobs in the Belize Caribbean Riviera resort from tourism Construction work : designing and building hotels & tourist attractionsManaging : Hotel management, hotel reception, hotel cateringActivity : tour guide in local area, teaching scuba diving, driving hire boatsMaintenance : ground staff for town parks, monitoring aquarium wildlife

Jobs in the local region around the resort from tourism Transport : air traffic control & airport baggage handlers at Belize airportSecurity : immigration officers at airport and ports, traffic policeFarming : fishermen and farmers producing food for tourist hotelsJobs in the whole country which can develop from tourism Transport : building roads, driving taxis, flying tourists inConstruction : building power stations, water supply and sewage treatmentPlanning : advertising Belize to foreign tourists, planning future developments

Weblinks



By focusing on tourism growth, Belize can move many of its people from low-pay Primary jobs as farmers (Nepal), to higher-pay Secondary jobs (making furniture for hotels; making souvenirs) – as in Brazil, or higher skill Tertiary jobs (service jobs in hotels, bars, tourist activities etc) as in the USA





Global Tourism : Development by Tourism / Belize Tourism Problems 28

Key Terms :

Seasonal jobs

Coastal migration

STDs sexually transmitted diseases

Low-wage spiral




What are the problems of tourism in an LEDC you have studied?

What are the negative impacts tourists bring – and which are the most serious?

What can cause tourists to decide not to go to a resort that was once popular?

Weblinks

http://takenwomen.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/canadians-boycott-belize-tourism-murder-capital-of-the-world/

http://www.belizeforum.com/belize/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=99242

Many jobs are low-skill and low pay with few chances of promotion such as bar

staff

Many jobs are ‘seasonal’ – they just last for the

holiday season. You may be out of work during the

hurricane season July - Nov

Many jobs are low-skill and low pay with few chances of promotion such as bar

staffMany teenagers drop out of school early to earn money selling legal (& illegal) items

to touristsThere is the spread of disease brought in by

visitors – particularly STDs from those involved in paying for prostitutes

There is a flow of young people from the interior of Belize to the coast seeking

work. This breaks up traditional families.So many people are

looking for work in tourism that it drives down the

wages to low levels

Beach-front is bought up by hotels and locals are banned from using the shoreline of

their own countryCruise ships often discharge sewage & waste illegally off the coast at night –

polluting the water for fishermen & scub divers

Economic problems

Social problems

Environmental problems

Is Belize Tourism set for the Long-term, or Boom and Bust ?

There is a range is issues which could put tourists off returning to Belize – or putting off friends and family from booking. Bad news spreads quickly on the internet, and one person’s bad experience can lead to dozens of people cancelling :

• Serious Hurricane Damage closing airport and wrecking hotels causes people not to return or cancel. (Physical)

• Reports of crime, rape, murder – which may not be more than in other resorts but may give Belize a bad reputation. Quickly spread on internet chat rooms (Social)

• Economic recession in Europe and the USA – so tourists cut down where they go and how often – cancelling long haul trips to places like Belize (Economic)

• Safety fears over STDS, accidents from speedboats etc. or coach accidents – which hit the headlines. (Social)

Global Tourism : Development by Tourism / Belize Leakage of Revenue 29

Key Terms :

Leakage of tourist revenue

Tour company

Tax revenue




Why does being a popular tourist resort not guarantee the country becomes wealthy?

How do global travel companies manage the way holidays are arranged?

Are global travel companies a ‘friend’ to less affluent countries wanting to develop tourism?

Weblinks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leakage_effect

Leakage of tourist revenue means that much of the money that is spent on holidays doesn’t end up in the country that the tourist is going to – but stays in the country where the visit was booked – especially if the airlines and hotels are owned by companies in the MEDC.

Ways of keeping tourist revenue in Belize include ………..

• setting up a national airline so that visitors fly there on Belize planes and this company gets the profits

• insisting that a percentage of hotels are owned by Belize companies – and not just foreign tour firms

• ensuring home-grown food and drinks are sold in hotels and bars as well as imported brand names

• insisting that tour reps and guides are local Belize employees – and not from the tour company’s country

Global Tourism : Development by Tourism / Belize Evaluation 30

Possible Questions

Compare the effects of tourism in an MEDC with those in an LEDC

For a tourist destination you have studied evaluate the extent to which it is successfully managing its tourism.

What is meant by ‘sustainable tourism’ and how do countries try to achieve it?

Belize is trying to close the Development Gap by focusing on tourism. In particular it wants to develop as an Eco-tourism resort with smaller numbers of wealthy tourists rather than Mass Tourism. It aims for Sustainable tourism which will bring it benefits long into the future. The question is – has it worked?

There are increasing numbers of better paid Tertiary jobs in tourism such as

hotel receptionist, and tour guide leader

This gives people a better standard of living and allows them to pay for

medical care for children and school fees so they get educated

BUT….The jobs are ‘seasonal’ and people have to make sure pay lasts during the hurricane seasons when fewer tourists

come to Belize

The Belize government can tax the tourism industry – hotels, planes

landing and tourists and invest the money

Roads get improved, local people can use the modern airport, water and electricity supplies are improved

BUT….Because of the huge ‘leakage’ of revenue – Belize only gets about 18% of

the money spent on holidays there. It could improve a lot more if it reduced

‘leakage’

Eco- tourists want to see wildlife – both in the sea and inland in the rainforest

and employ local guides to show them

This protects the natural environment and local people help ensure habitats

are protected. Animal numbers (turtles) are now increasing

BUT….so many people want to go to see the coral reefs, they are being destroyed by propellers, anchors and sand being disturbed making the water less clear

There are more cruise ships visiting the ports in Belize which brings extra

tourists on a regular basis

They buy a lot of souvenirs made by local craftsmen and want to see traditional customs. This keeps traditions and the culture alive

BUT….The cruise ship tourists bring diseases – like STDs which are spread through the population from prostitution

Lots of young people are migrating to the coast to find work in the tourism

industry as they see this as the future of the country

With so many young people looking for work, employers can pay less in wages and keep holidays fairly ‘low cost’ and help keep Belize attractive to tourists

BUT….The migration of young people breaks up families and their low pay

means some turn to crime & drugs to earn money. This gets Belize a bad reputation

There are many economic, social and environmental benefits to Belize coming from its growth as an eco-tourist centre. Being close to the USA it can attract many wealthy tourists. But there are also many negative aspects of tourism. If Belize could reduce the ‘leakage of revenue’ and keep more of the profits from tourism – it could improve the social areas of life for its citizens faster. It’s likely that the environment won’t be damaged – as in Benidorm – because focusing on eco-tourism means everyone is trying to protect the habitats. But there are many factors which could still cause tourists to stop coming to Belize in the future which are outside the control of the Belize people – more hurricanes, recession in the USA, or bad internet rumours about crime or accidents

Benefits Linked consequence

DEVELOPMENT BY TOURISM

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