Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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increase its level of specification or differentiation; and
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handle long-term, more integrated development.
A region with a lower level of differentiation may respond to this instability
by obtaining imported assistance such as goods, foreign investment and ser-
vices to meet the demands set by international tourism (Nuryanti, 1998). If
tourism is to be used effectively as a regional development tool, it is neces-
sary that backward and forward linkages be established throughout the sur-
rounding region. Telfer (1996a, 1996b) and Telfer and Wall (1996, 2000)
explored linkages between the tourism industry and the agricultural sector
on the islands of Lombok and Java in Indonesia. Case studies on both Lombok
and Java revealed that large-scale hotels are able to make a wide variety of
linkages with the local agricultural sector to purchase local products. The
hotels examined used both small-scale suppliers who visited local markets to
purchase products and larger suppliers with broad-based links throughout
the region. In the case of Lombok, a resort hired a small-scale fisherman
turned supplier to travel to the various fish markets and purchase fresh local
seafood. The hotel also provided a local farmer with a variety of seeds for
crops, some of which were not grown traditionally on the island. When the
crops were ready the hotel would purchase them from the farmer. Lombok
is a much smaller island than Java and less fertile so it was difficult for the
hotel to get all of the products it required locally. The economic benefits to
the region are improved when linkages are developed and maintained with
local industry. The challenge, however, is maintaining these types of initia-
tives on a long-term basis.
The form of tourism development created can have an impact on the
regional benefits of the industry for the island. Weaver's (1988) evolutionary
plantation model of tourism based on the Caribbean islands has three phases:
(i) pre-tourism; (ii) transition; and (iii) tourism domination. The model sug-
gests that the main town area is commonly the dominant focus of tourism
development in the initial stages. As stage three is reached, tourism develop-
ment is not evenly distributed in the peripheral areas and the centre of the
island is left as non-tourism space while the outer edges of the island are
more fully developed. McDonnell and Darcy (1998) also examined the form
of island tourism development. They compared Bali and Fiji and suggested
that one of the possible reasons for the decline in Australian market share for
Fiji compared to Bali was the lack of tourism precincts on Fiji. A tourism
precinct is defined as 'an area in which various attractions such as bars, res-
taurants, places of entertainment or education, accommodation, amenities,
and other facilities are clustered in freely accessible public spaces. Tourism
precincts by their nature enhance certain aspects of the tourist experience
and facilitate social interactions between tourists and locals' (McDonnell &
Darcy, 1998: 354). The term tourism precinct has its roots in the following
terms: recreational business districts, peripheral tourism areas, enclaves,
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