Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
extent, financial capital may be concentrated in the hands of the ruling elite.
However, in both cases political and institutional structures are but one ele-
ment of a destination's capitals and, therefore, planning and decision-making
processes are, just as sustainability is, inherent in the model.
Considering the model in more detail, the first stage in the process is the
identification of the goals and objectives of tourism development - in a sense,
the destination's mission statement. Typically, these are seen to embrace four
distinct goals: enhanced visitor satisfaction; resource sustainability; improve-
ments to the local economy and businesses; and, effective integration of
tourism into the destination's economy and communities. However, for des-
tinations, tourism is a means to an end. The principal objective of developing
tourism is to meet local or, in some cases, national needs and, therefore, the
destination capitals approach commences with establishing what benefits
are sought from tourism development with respect to these needs. Typically,
such benefits are economic in character and frequently reflect regional or
national development policy.
Consequently, the analysis of destination capitals, or the 'internal audit'
of the destination, is framed and guided by the objectives of tourism develop-
ment. That is, the potential contribution of destination capitals, both indi-
vidually and collectively, to generate a flow of benefits to the destination is
assessed according to the desired outcomes of tourism development. In other
words, it is those assets which, when exploited through tourism, have the
potential to optimise the returns to the destination that should form the
basis of tourism development. At the same time, however, the exploitation
of those assets should evidently also reflect what are referred to in Figure 15.5
as tourism development opportunities. These include particular markets
(that is, particular countries or tourist generating areas, or particular seg-
ments within markets, such as the family market or the youth market) and
particular products, such as adventure tourism, ecotourism, sun-sea-sand
tourism or cultural/heritage tourism, or even more specialised products, such
as medical tourism. Other opportunities include international investment by
multinational corporations and the support of international agencies, non-
governmental organisations and other organisations. For example, for those
destinations with significant human capital that, for one reason or another,
remains excluded from the formal economy, pro-poor tourism initiatives sup-
ported by the UNWTO and other agencies represent a vital opportunity for
enhancing income and employment amongst the local community.
It is also important to recognise external factors that may restrict or
otherwise influence the nature and extent of resource exploitation in destina-
tions. Such factors may emanate from the national context within which
destinations are located - for example, land-use planning laws or employ-
ment regulations and other legislative controls, such as licensing or gaming
laws, may all facilitate or hinder the destination's ability to utilise fully its
capitals for tourism development. Equally, more general political, economic
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