Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
fundamental role in the development of tourism and, as considered in
Chapter 12, the manner in which tourism is 'consumed' has significant
implications for the developmental outcomes of tourism.
At the same time, of course, tourists would not be able to travel without
the variety of services provided by the tourism industry, the nature of which
also influences the tourism development process. Therefore, tourism can be
defined here as a social phenomenon determined by the activities and atti-
tudes of its participants and possessing a number of characteristics which
may determine its contribution to development. In particular:
•
it is normally considered a leisure activity, generally associated with
short-term escape from the routine or ordinary and, implicitly, involving
freedom from (paid and domestic) work;
•
it is socially patterned. That is, the ability to participate in tourism and
the nature of tourism consumption is influenced by tourists' socio-cul-
tural background;
•
it is supported by a diverse, fragmented and multi-sectoral industry, the
structure and characteristics of which are significant determinants in the
nature of tourism development;
•
it is largely dependent upon the physical, social and cultural attributes of
the destination and the promise of excitement, authenticity and the
extraordinary. It is also, therefore, an 'ecological' phenomenon inasmuch
as tourism not only requires an attractive, different environment, but
also interacts with and impacts upon that environment.
In effect, these characteristics set an agenda for the study of the developmen-
tal contribution of tourism. That is, the nature of tourism, the tourism
industry and the destination are all factors which influence the manner or
extent to which tourism contributes to development. The next task of this
chapter is now to explore what is meant by the term development.
Defi ning Development
Development, according to Cowen and Shenton (1996: 3), 'seems to defy
definition, although not for want of definitions on offer'. It is an ambiguous
term that is used descriptively and normatively to refer to a process through
which a society moves from one condition to another, and also to the goal of
that process; the development process in a society may result in it achieving
the state or condition of development. At the same time, it has been suggested
that development is a philosophical concept as it alludes to a desirable future
state for a particular society (though desirable to whom is not always clear).
Or, as Thomas (2000: 29) puts it, development is 'a vision, description or
measure of the state of being of a desirable society', while development plans
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