ID: 198801236

& Name: Refat Md Naiem Nawshad Al

Summary: What are the tasks of tourism development planning? What

should the plan generally include?

Ans: Tourism development refers to the growth and maintenance of

the tourism industry in a given locality. And, of course, planning is a

very important part of this. On a basic level, tourism development can

be defined as creating strategies and plans to

increase/develop/encourage tourism for a [Link] needs to

be coordination among national, regional, metropolitan and local levels

of government on policy and planning and in developing infrastructure,

among the various different government agencies involved in aspects

of tourism at each level, and between the public and private sectors at

each [Link] aims of tourism planning include increased visitor

satisfaction, increased economic benefits, and the protection of basic

cultural and natural resources.

The 5 Strategic Planning Models That All Executives Should Know

Basic Strategic Planning Model. Basic or simple strategic planning

models are often chosen by new organizations that have minimal

experience with strategic planning. ...

Issue- or Goal-Based Strategic Planning Model. ...

Scenario Strategic Planning Model. ...

Alignment Strategic Planning Model. ...

Organic Strategic Planning Model.

The 4 Types of Plans

Operational Planning. “Operational plans are about how things need to

happen,” motivational leadership speaker Mack Story said at

LinkedIn. ...

Strategic Planning. “Strategic plans are all about why things need to

happen,” Story said. ...

Tactical Planning. ...

Contingency Planning.

There are several processes or analysis of a plan for tourism

development. It is very important that these processes are properly

adhered to. The description of these planning processes as given here

can only be briefly indicative and limited to mere suggestions of the

topics or steps without entering into detailed analysis.

Any plan must take into account these processes if it is to attain

objectives in a given period of time. The main steps or phases in the

planning process are as follows:

(a) Assessment of tourist demand and supply;

(b) Establishing objectives;

(c) Territorial planning;

(d) Basic infrastructure;

(e) Financial planning;

(f) Human resource planning;

(g) Administrative structure;

(h) Marketing and promotion

(i) Monitoring progress; and

(j) Time factor.

1. Assessment of Tourist Demand and Supply:

One of the early steps in planning is gathering information on the thing

the way they are and on the potential available for desirable growth.

One of the main problems in investigating the potential of tourism can

be the simple lack of information.

Recording of information and the development of statistics is,

therefore, of utmost importance. The important initial steps in

evaluating a potential for tourism development lives in determining

present status. An analysis of the present structure of demand and

supply in tourism is a precondition of any other estimate.

This information base is a prerequisite for initiating tourism planning

programme. In the first place there must be a survey of the tourist

attractions of various types which the country has to offer.

Without a full study of the attractions a country possesses, it is not

possible to plan for future expansion. It is, therefore, of fundamental

importance that very careful assessment be made of all attractions-

physical, cultural, historical – that a country [Link] lays down

a number of principles on which assessment should be based.

1. It is highly desirable that the attractions should be developed

progressively throughout the entire country so that tourism is spread

as widely as possible. In this way the benefits which accrue from the

industry are also widely spread and most parts of the country benefit.

2. Areas and attractions which are singled out for special development

should appeal to the widest possible cross section of tourists over the
longest possible season. By adhering to this principle, overdependence

upon a particular season of the year will be avoided.

3. Priority should be given to those attractions which can be most

easily and most successfully developed viz. those which can be based

upon the existing infrastructural services and would require less

finance.

4. Since it is very difficult, rather impossible, to develop all the

potential attractions at the same time, it is important that similar or

competing attractions should not be embarked upon until the volume

of visitors can justify them.

5. It is important to know that the tourist is usually looking for

something new; he desires new experiences, different environments,

new thrills, etc. Any country possessing attractions which are unique or

out of the ordinary should attempt to capitalise on these for they are

likely to have a great drawing power.

Demand must then be estimated, for both national and foreign

tourists. Both internal and external data on tourism activities affecting

the area under consideration should be assembled.

This task should use published statistics on travel and tourism which

are readily available from international and regional organisations. In

addition travel and accommodation statistics can be assembled from

the region under study.

Next the tourist supply must include all the different types’ of facilities

additional to various type of accommodation establishment. Special

attention must be given to the seasonal factor, i.e., the annual

fluctuations in the demand as related to the country’s tourist

attractions.

2. Objective Setting:

The initial data or the information thus gathered should develop a

composite picture of what tourism can do for and to a particular area.

In order to relate these projected results to a decision on whether to

proceed with tourism development, there must be a basis for

comparison.

This basis is the cumulative set of objectives which should be

developed concurrently. Basically, objectives for tourism should be a

sub-set of the overall objectives (either implicit or document) for the

nation, its economy, people and the social structure within an area.
There are, however, no hard or set rules as to what the objectives

should be.

In general, however, tourism objectives should deal with growth

leading to increased standard of living, employment levels, and

opportunities for intellectual growth, enhancement of the investment

potential in an area or country. Cumulatively, tourism objective should

describe the set of conditions under which a favourable decision

should be made.

If the data indicate that reasonable objectives for tourism development

can be met, this will generally lead to a decision to proceed with a

conceptual planning study. As a first step towards preparation of

conceptual plan for tourism development, a market study begins with a

determination of the type of tourism business which exists and can be

expected.

Market study provides the basis for conceptual planning. The

conceptual plan provides a general view of the future tourism

development programme and the steps necessary to achieve targeted

results. The various steps involved in conceptual planning, once the

market survey has been performed, include:

(i) Statement of objectives

(ii) Selection of site

(iii) Requirements of various facilities

(iv) Supplementary attractions

(v) Land use allocation and control

(vi) Budgets and

(vii) Legislative requirements.

Preparation of master plan is another important step in planning.

Master Planning is a process for completing and detailing additional

work on the portions of the conceptual plan which are approved for

further development. The differences between conceptual and master

planning lie largely in the level of details involved.

Where conceptual planning, for example, might indicate the need to

expand airport runways and terminal facilities, master planning would

go into specifics on land and construction.

3. Territorial Planning:

The need will arise for locating each pole of tourism development so as

to fit in with the general policy of territorial planning. Particular

attention must be given here to natural and cultural assets of the

country, while avoiding the damage which results from an unbalanced

exploitation of their economic value.

The need for tourist territorial planning must be reconciled with the

limits in place of industrialisation and urbanisation which, even though

complementary to tourism, can constitute a serious danger to it. It will

also be necessary to plan further tourism development in the selected

zones in order to avoid excessive concentration in one area.

4. Basic Infrastructure:

If a tourism development programme is to succeed, it is necessary to

provide life support through a number of infrastructure facilities and

services. Infrastructure elements comprise the system of services and

utilities which are necessary to the operation of a tourism destination.

The estimation of the basic infrastructure required for tourist

expansion accordingly becomes a key economic factor in proceeding to

the active phase of implementation.

This infrastructure will be either specifically touristic in nature, e.g.,

transport, or more general, such as energy producing units, and will in

any case relate with the type of tourism envisaged. The requirements

for infrastructure will vary for different areas.

The requirements, for example, will be different for a mountain resort

and for a tourist pole adjacent to some cultural attraction. The

requirements will be for both tourists and local residents. As various

agencies are responsible for the development of infrastructural

services, coordination is very essential.

Without coordination, different elements of infrastructure may infringe

upon others resulting in wasteful expenditure. Specific areas of

infrastructure are power, water communication, sewage and drainage,

roads and highways, parks, recreation and health care facilities.

5. Financial Planning:

Financial planning is very essential for a successful tourism

development plan. Before any major attraction facility of a destination

gets into full swing, considerable expenses are involved. There follows

the study of a vital element in tourist development, that is, the

financing of both infrastructure and superstructure.

Assessing the cost of the project is relatively easy when compared to

assessing benefits. There may be a choice of locations or a choice of

techniques. Estimates must be made for each choice within a feasible

range.

Each proposal must be assessed separately to establish its feasibility,

cost benefit and degree of priority in making a plan. Agencies

concerned with the development of an optional national investment

programme should compare investment in tourism facilities and

related infrastructure with alternative investment opportunities in

other sectors.

In World Bank Group Operations, this comparison is attempted on the

basic of economic rates of return for well defined investment

proposals. In evaluating tourism investment, the World Bank Group

pays very close attention to the projected financial results. In general,

tourism, projects financed by the World Bank Group are justified in

terms of both their economic impact and their financial viability.

In the case of the countries which already possess an active tourism

industry or have a potential for increased tourism development,

finances for investment will usually be available readily. However, in

the case of developing countries, which are anxious to develop

tourism, due to financial constraints, the provision of adequate

resources of capital may be difficult.

The development of tourism sector will be only one of the numbers of

options for development before a government, since government

resources will inevitably be inadequate for all the competing claims

upon them. In view of this the proposed investment in tourism must be

justified in terms of its anticipated contribution, to the economic

development of the country.

Except in centrally planned economies, such as in countries like CIS,

Poland, Yugoslavia, public investment will be supported by private

investment as happens in mixed economies like France,

Italy and India, The government may take the initiative in project

development, but it will expect private investment support. If the

government in anxious to develop and promote an active tourist

industry it will help the private investor to the maximum extent.

This can be done first, by creating a favorable climate for investment

and, second, by assisting private investor to consider tourism

development as an attractive investment proposition.

This could be done by way of offering special financial incentives such

as subsidies, tax concessions, preferential rates of interests, credits,

special facilities for purchase of land, etc. All these investment

incentives in some form or the other encourage private investment in

tourism sector.

In addition public and private finance, foreign capital also plays an

important role in tourism development programmes. Attention will

have to be given to financial means and facilities designed to attract

foreign capital.

A basic obligation at this stage will be the calculation of the output

capital ratio, which will depend for the most part on the external

economies which can be achieved. Foreign investment is usually

welcomed by many developing countries, largely because of their own

acute shortage of capital resources.

6. Human Resource Planning:

Efficient and professional management is an obvious prerequisite of

successful tourism development. Of equal importance, however, is the

quality of staff training, which is often relatively neglected during the

early stages of tourism sector development.

Tourism basically being a service business, a developing destination

must take the necessary steps to build a pool of efficiently trained

manpower to fill various jobs which will be created subsequently.

A variety of jobs will have to be created to look after and manage

various tourist services. Special attention, therefore, will have to be

given to needs in manpower and personnel to be trained and rendered

qualified for the various tourism professions.

Special care has to be taken to ensure that there will be no shortage of

trained manpower in case there is expansion of facilities and services.

In the case of a developing country, it will also be appropriate to study

at this stage the volume of manpower required for activities

complementary accommodation industry, in particular in the

commercial sector.
In planning for human resources development, programmes should be

established to screen and train prospective employees so that they

could acquire both attitudinal as well as technical skills, characteristics

contribute to an employee’s success in tourism position and include

pride, flexibility, adaptability and judgement.

Technical skills required include facility and equipment operation and

maintenance, financial management, food and beverage production

and service, personnel management and administration and system

analysis and design. In order to determine the need for various

personnel required, a staff planning exercise may be done.

This involves a series of steps which include job analysis, preparing job

descriptions, job specification and preparing staff forecast. This

sequence of activities leads to a detailed of exactly what types of

persons, with which specific qualifications and skills will be required at

all major facilities within the tourist destination.

All this helps in determining the development of requisite education

and training programmes within the country for local residents. This

will also help in determining whether there is a need for trained

personnel from other countries and also whether local people are to be
sent for training elsewhere.

7. Administrative Structure:

Next comes the necessity of setting up an adequate administrative

organisation to look after various aspects. If a tourism programme is to

succeed, the responsibility of success must be assumed by some entity

in the form of an organisation. This organisation should have a charter

and resources appropriate to carry out various functions.

Many countries have established special department or agencies to

manage and coordinate tourism programmes.

Depending upon the economic, social and political structure in the

country, the tourism organisation may be a governmental department,

a semi-government agency in the form of corporation supported by

government but operating outside its organisational structure.

It may also be a private sector organisation with government support

and recognition. Whatever form the tourism organisation takes, it

needs to exercise its authority and responsibility in the sphere of

tourism development.
The administrative organisation looks after both the legal aspects, i.e.,

the preparation of the legislation required for the installation of the

various tourism services, dealing with such matters as the classification

of hotels or the control of travel agencies, etc. It has various

departments for planning, marketing, research, training, legal and

administrative service.

8. Marketing and Promotion:

The final stage of the plan is concerned with the preparation of

promotional activities aimed at launching the new tourist industry both

within and outside the country.

The main concern of tourists is having an enjoyable and pleasant

experience rather than details associated with planning their journeys.

Most of the tourists leave these details to travel professionals and

intermediaries who look after all the details to travel plans.

Contacts with and support of travel professionals and intermediaries

are among the most important factors for successful marketing and

promotion of tourist destination.

Facilities and specialities of travel professionals include national tourist

offices, regional travel promotion organisation, and airlines including

other carriers, tour wholesalers, tour operators, travel agents, travel

clubs and convention and conference organisers.

The various channels of communication used to inform and stimulate

include tourist literature in the form of catalogues, brochures and

folders, direct mail, advertising, public relations and publicity.

All these media are selected and organised into promotional campaigns

aimed at selling to consumers and travel professionals and

intermediaries.

The media campaigns are timed in such a way that these correspond

with the selling efforts supporting a destination. It is very important to

ensure that these activities match the level of tourist development to

be achieved.

9. Monitoring Progress:

Monitoring the progress periodically is very crucial to get the best

results. Preparation of a plan document is not an end in itself. The task

of the planner does not end when a plan for three years, five years of

seven years has been prepared. A system of constant revision and

monitoring of the plan progress should be a part of the exercise of the

planning.

Targets must be revised continually in the light of changing resources

and other circumstances. To use a more elegant vocabulary, a plan is

static and planning must be dynamic. Plans are interesting

mathematical or literary or technical exercises that can be formulated

with a great variety of methods and degrees of perfection.

Planning on the other hand is a diffuse but coherent process of making

and revising decisions that must be closely attuned to the

implementation of planned action. What is needed is a system of

monitoring progress and mechanisms for constantly and rapidly

adjusting to the changing conditions and circumstances.

10. The Time Factor:

Time factor is a very important element. The main purpose of

developmental planning is to move towards self-sustaining growth;

that is, to create a cadre of trained manpower, to increase knowledge

of natural resources and their effective utilisation and to create

institutions for enterprising investment.

All this takes time. The plan could be for 25 years, 10 years, 7 years or 5

years duration. Many planners are of the view that the first

development plan should be a 10-year plan, as it requires an

assessment of long term perspective.

Time is a fundamental factor in the preparation of the plan and in the

identification of the objectives to be attained upon its termination. The

medium-term plan ranges between three and seven years with five

years as the most popular choice. The long term ranges upwards from

10 years to 25 years.

The short-term plan on the other hand is an annual plan which is the

controlling plan, as it is the authorised document to check its possible

achievements being matched by available resources year by year.

It is governed by the medium-or-long-term plan, which sets its

direction. The annual plan is the operative document, while long-term

or medium-term plans are merely a set of intentions. Thus the need for

orienting the short-term plan budgets with the long-term or medium-

term plan budgets is the core of planning process.

Time factor is the main element in the planning including planning

tourism in any nation. It is vital to the prospect of achieving the

economic and social expansion which is linked with tourism.

Tourism is receiving ever-increasing attention from national

governments and from international developmental agencies. It can

generate the much needed foreign exchange for financing other sectors

of the economy of a developing country and also for bridging the trade

gap.

In its broadest sense, tourism can do more to develop understanding

among people, generate employment and raise the living standards

than any other economic force known.

There is unlimited potential for tourism development. If properly

conceived and executed such development will prove not only to be

financially viable but will also prove to be of immense benefit to a

country. Inadequate planning and development on the other hand, can

increase probabilities of failure resulting in great loss.

It is perhaps much easier to have planned development in countries

where there is potential which is only just beginning to be realised.

However even in these countries with a long established and a highly

developed tourist industry, some measure of planning is essential.

Planning is essential for three main reasons:

1. Most countries, to a lesser or greater degree have planned

economies and if tourism development is to be part and parcel of

national economic development, then this sector of economy also

should be subjected to planning.

2. The success of tourism development depends very largely upon

appropriate facilities being available in the right place and at the right

time and these can only be provided by adequate research into

national tourist assets and markets. Research has a very important part

to play in the future planning of tourism development.

3. Planning is required to ensure that the natural and man-made assets

are conserved and protected to maintain tourist appeal, for lack of care

and coordinated development may impair and even ruin those assets

upon which the tourist industry in founded.