Part II: Speed
What Is the Relationship Between Tourism and Economic Development?
[Time 2]
Tourism and economic development are linked by the various ways in which tourism can contribute to the economic development of a tourist destination. This relationship between tourism and economic development is the basis for the dependence of some tourist-based economies on the effects of tourism for their economic development. For instance, tourism provides more jobs for local citizens, helps local citizens start businesses that cater to tourists, leads to the generation of revenue from tourist spending and fiscal policies, and aids in the development of infrastructure.
One of the benefits or links between tourism and economic development is the fact that a vibrant tourist region provides employment for the citizens of that area. Tourism needs a lot of services in order to sustain the industry. For example, the hospitality industry creates jobs for people in businesses like hotels and restaurants. Employment is a macroeconomic factor that contributes to the growth of an economy by providing workers with disposable income and consequently leading to an increase in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the region.
Another way in which tourism and economic development are linked is through the provision of small or micro enterprises for certain citizens. The citizens that might benefit from small businesses linked to tourist include individual or sole entrepreneurs with limited funds and other types of collaborations that do not require a lot of finance. For instance, some people might open a store that mainly caters to the needs of tourists. They could collaborate with local artisans and craftsmen to supply them with handcrafted objects, which they would sell to the tourists as souvenirs.
The store owners will share the profits with the local artisans, or they may buy the objects from them outright. This helps the economy by providing the poorer members of the community with disposable income. Tourists also like to visit places with a rich cultural heritage. Most times, these places are located in villages that would otherwise not receive much government attention. Due to the significance of the villages, they will receive more attention and more development as a result.
Infrastructure to support the tourist market or trade includes factors like good airports, security, hotels and roads. Such factors help facilitate economic development and might not be as developed if not for their importance to the economy. For instance, a tourist destination that is located in a remote village will need good access roads, which might not be built if not for the tourist interest in the area.
[415 words]
Source:WiseGEEK
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-relationship-between-tourism-and-economic-development.htm
International Tourism Brought $181 Billion to U.S. Economy in 2013 Samantha Shankman, Skift Mar 04, 2014 2:30 pm
[Time 3]
International visitors to the United States spent a record-breaking $180.7 billion on travel-related goods, services, and airfares in 2013, according to data released today by the National Travel & Tourism Office.
Tourism receipts increased 9 percent since 2012 and average monthly spend rose by $1.3 billion.
Money spent on food, lodging, recreation, entertainment, and local transportation accounts for the majority, or $139.6 billion, of the record-breaking receipts. This is an 11-percent increase over 2012.
The other $41.2 billion represents fares received by U.S. carriers, a 5 percent increase over last year’s record $39.4 billion in receipts.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker takes the spending hike as a sign that President Obama’s national strategy for increasing tourism, outlined in 2012, is working. And that the U.S. is on its way to reaching its goal of 100 million international visitors by 2021.
But it’s largely factors outside of U.S. control that are attracting new travelers.
It is growing middle class economies in countries like Brazil and China that are allowing more people to travel the world. And the United States’ position as global leader and its prevalence in pop culture has more do with these visitors’ interest than Rosanne Cash singing for BrandUSA.
Real U.S. government initiatives that have helped the U.S. attract more visitors are shortening visa wait times and speeding up airport customs.
The U.S. government will have to continue making it easier for travelers from Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East to visit if it wishes to reach its 100-million visitor goal.
[260 words]
Source:SKIFT
http://skift.com/2014/03/04/international-tourism-brought-181-billion-to-u-s-economy-in-2013/
New wave of Chinese tourists is helping to boost growth in the Pacific tourism industry, new report says Jemima Garrett for Pacific Beat Posted Tue 25 Feb 2014, 9:42pm AEDT A new wave of Chinese tourists is helping to boost growth in the Pacific tourism industry, a new report from the ANZ Bank says.
[Time 4]
The bank's latest Pacific Economic Quarterly says a rise in tourist arrivals over the last 10 years has created new jobs and boosted government revenue, outpacing economic growth in the region.
Australians make up the majority of visitors to the region, however, a sharp increase of tourists from China is helping the sector expand.
Report author, ANZ Bank Asia Pacific economist Dan Wilson, said although China's overall economic growth is slowing down, a shift towards higher private consumption and income growth is providing new opportunities for the Pacific tourism sector.
"When we think about tourism from China we think about a massive market," Mr Wilson told Pacific Beat.
"To give you some numbers behind the figures, from 2009 to 2012 the percent of outbound tourists from China increased only from about 3.6 per cent of the population to about 6.1 per cent of the population.
"But in terms of absolute numbers this increased from about 50 million people to about 90 million people.
"So a small percentage change in the amount of people that are leaving the country are leading to big absolute effects." he said.
Tourism investment needed: report
Mr Wilson said the sector now needs to turn its attention to investment to ensure the region's tourism industry grows.
"When we look at the tourism industry we think Fiji is a fairly good model where we have seen very high levels of investment for a number of years and they have started to yield dividends," he said.
"So the tourism industry, both direct and indirect effects in Fiji, account for about 40 per cent of the economy and this has grown considerably over the past few decades.
"To really take advantage of the upcoming tourism boost coming from Chinese departures into the Pacific and more broadly globally, it is just going to take investment in tourism infrastructure and this is everything from hotels, to roads, airplanes, airports."
However, he cautioned that Pacific countries must not become too dependent on tourism and need to diversify.
With Australia and New Zealand still providing the vast bulk of tourists, Mr Wilson said the possibility of a weaker Australian dollar might see some tourists decide to holiday closer to home.
New Zealand dollar growth into Pacific tourism has increased by four to five per cent a year over the last few decades.
[389 words]
Source:Australia Network News
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-25/pacific-tourism-growth-report/5283842
Tourists from Thailand have their photos taken in Owakudani, a volcanic valley with sulfurous fumes and hot springs in Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, last August. (Asahi Shimbun file photo) EDITORIAL: Foreign tourists vital for Japan's economy, relations January 18, 2014
[Time 5]
The number of foreigners who visited Japan for sightseeing or business surpassed 10 million last year for the first time.
During the first 11 months of the year (detailed data for December is not available yet), the number grew by more than 20 percent from the same period the previous year. A confluence of factors contributed to the strong visitor numbers to Japan. These included spirited tourism campaigns promoted by both government and industry, a weakening yen, which increased the purchasing power of foreign travelers, and an expansion of international services by low-cost carriers operating in Japan.
But Japan is not yet high in the world tourism rankings. In terms of international tourist arrivals in 2012, Japan was ranked 33rd among all countries and eighth among only Asian countries.
Japan can learn a lot from South Korea’s successful strategy for attracting foreign tourists, which has been integrated with the “Hanliu (Korean Wave)” campaign to promote its cultural exports. There is a growing trend in Japan toward integrating its “Cool Japan” cultural promotion campaign with the national strategy for becoming a tourism powerhouse. But local governments are making efforts to lure foreign visitors on their own without any policy or strategy coordination among them. A number of problems need to be addressed to ensure effective efforts to strike the ambitious government-set target of 30 million foreign visitors per year.
An increase in the number of foreign visitors brings economic and various other benefits to Japan.
Spending by foreign tourists on hotels, restaurants, leisure activities and shopping contributes a great deal to revitalizing the local economies. Main tourist resources are basically existing facilities, social and cultural assets, and natural scenery. In other words, there can be effective ideas to increase tourism that don’t involve any massive investment. That’s why tourism is an important element in the government’s strategy for stoking economic growth.
It should also be pointed out that an increase in the number of foreigners who have had first-hand experiences in Japan also expands the depth and breadth of Japan’s ties with other countries and thereby contributes to stability in Japan’s diplomatic relationships. This is all the more important because of Japan’s strained ties with South Korea and China, which are among the countries that are the largest sources of foreign visitors to Japan.
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[Time 6]
One notable factor behind the growth of international tourist traffic into Japan is a series of moves made by the government last year to ease its visa regulations.
The government, for instance, exempted short-stay Thai and Malaysian tourists from the visa requirement. It also started issuing multiple entry visas to tourists from Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia and Laos, which allow them to enter Japan any number of times during a certain period. These steps were taken mainly to commemorate the 40th anniversary of friendship between Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. But these measures have done a lot to increase the number of foreign visitors to Japan.
The government should consider easing the visa regulations for Chinese tourists as well.
Currently, the government issues basically single entry visas to Chinese tourists. They are entitled to multiple entry visas if they stay in Okinawa Prefecture or in any of the three Tohoku prefectures of Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima, which were hit hardest by the 2011 disasters. The number of visitors from China began to recover sharply in autumn last year after months of running below levels of a year earlier. It is important to give an additional impetus to the recovery.
Standing in sharp contrast with the upturn in the number of Chinese visitors is the trend among South Korean tourists visiting Japan. South Koreans were the largest group of foreign visitors to Japan last year. But the growth in the number of South Korean visitors quickly lost steam starting last summer, when the problem of accumulating radioactive water at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant was reported in the media. Around the same time, South Koreans also began to avoid seafood caught in waters around Japan.
The issue of safety and security is crucial not just for promoting Japan’s relations with other countries. Creating a safe and convenient living environment for Japanese will also help increase the number of foreign visitors to Japan.
[328 words]
Source:The Asian Shimbun
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/views/editorial/AJ201401180023
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