Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
entertainment, sports venues as well as tourism reception services (Table 3.4). While
there is an inevitable degree of overlap in this conceptualisation of tourism supply with
leisure and recreational uses, it highlights the scope of productive activities associated
with tourism supply.
The feature which makes many of these resources of interest to the geographer is what
Urry (1990) describes as 'spatial fixity'. In other words, tourists are mobile consumers
and able to consume at a global level. This contrasts with most forms of supply which are
fixed at specific locations. Perhaps the exception here are the transnational corporations
that are able to relocate capital at a global level to meet shifts in demand. Underlying the
concept of spatial fixity is the nature of tourism entrepreneurs who are largely small scale
in their operations and less able to access forms of capital to relocate to new sources of
demand. Thus supply is often unable to respond geographically to demand beyond a fixed
point, and this means that peaks and troughs in demand at particular locations
Table 3.4:
Elements of the tourism industry
Tourism resources
Free
• climate, culture, traditions and 'way of life'
Scarce
• land
• labour (including goodwill)
• capital (public and private provision)
General and tourism infrastructure
• means of communication and travel
• water, power and sewage
• transport infrastructure
• information technology
Receptive facilities
• accommodation for visitors
• accommodation for staff
• food and beverage premises second homes
Entertainment and sports facilities
• recreational
• cultural facilities
• sports facilities
Tourism reception services
• travel agencies
• promotional offices
• information offices
• car and transport hire
•
guides, interpreters
Sources:
after Bull (1991); Sessa (1993)
