10.1 Introduction
If we now think about the actual
planning of how to approach tourists and develop your share of the market, then
we are getting close to the policies and strategies that were mentioned in the
previous module.
However, it is perhaps best to
see those policies as generally coming from higher up the industry ladder,
whereas with this we are talking about the actual nitty gritty of getting your
name out there in front of those individuals that matter.
10.2 The Basics of Tourism Planning and
Development
At this point we need to cover
the basics of tourism planning and development for those individuals that are
likely to move into this part of the industry.
As you can imagine, the planning
and development of any business related to the tourism industry are going to
play a key role in it being a success and no matter which level you are working
at within that business there is no doubt that you have to be able to
understand what the plans are and what the potential future holds.
We incorporated aspects of the
approach to tourism planning in the previous module regarding the
implementation of policies, but in this module we will look more at the
planning and development of the goals and plans so that you are able to get to
where you want to be.
In order to do this, we have to
spend some time getting to grips with what we mean by the development of
tourism.
There should be a series of goals
that are to be aimed for including the following:
Increase visitor satisfaction.
Any part of the tourism industry
must be able to provide absolute customer satisfaction no matter the part of
the industry that you are working in. The development of the business,
attraction, or location should ultimately lead to an increase in visitor satisfaction
and the planning should be able to indicate how that is going to work.
Improve the business and the
economy.
As part of the development, there
should always be the target that it will also ultimately improve both the
business as well as the money that is coming into the business over the course
of the year. Exactly how that is done will depend on what your target is, or
how high the target is going to be, but it stands to reason that any plan that
allows the business to develop in a positive manner should always have the end
goal of increasing the number of customers.
Improve the local community.
Another aspect of the travel and
tourism industry that is often overlooked is the way in which the development
of any kind of location or destination should also attempt to improve the local
community to the best of its ability. This is because a destination or business
related to this industry will also often have to include a number of other
businesses that supply or provide some kind of product or service that makes
the entire thing tick along. Any development or improvement must also seek to
improve those businesses that rely on the tourism industry for everything to
work as smoothly as possible.
However, the planning and
development of the tourism industry and businesses related to it are also
closely linked to trends that occur at any given time.
You should take these following
points into consideration:
Travel is now a part of everyday
life.
In the past it used to be the
case that travel was restricted to those that were rich and were able to spend
months at a time checking out other parts of the world. However, due to the
lower costs of travelling that is no longer the case. Now, people do not even
feel strange flying to the other end of the country just for a day out or
visiting a tourist attraction. Travelling and moving around has now become
commonplace and your plans should reflect this change.
People are becoming more and more
interested in other cultures.
Thanks to the Internet, people
are becoming more interested in other cultures as they have been able to spend
time checking them out online and like what they see. They now feel that they
want to go and check out those sights and sounds for real rather than just
through a computer monitor. In the past, travel shows made things appear to be
out of the reach of the everyday person, but that is no longer the case. With
this increase in awareness of other cultures there is also an increase in the
number of people that are seeking something different when they travel and,
once again, your plans have to reflect this.
People are looking for new
destinations.
It is also the case that as the
world seems to be getting smaller and smaller that people are really on the
lookout for new destinations. Yes, the usual suspects are always going to be
popular, but there has certainly been a rise in the number of people that are
looking for something out of the ordinary and if you are involved in a part of
the industry that is able to provide this to people, then your plans should
certainly focus along those lines.
People want to partake in special
interests.
A final change and trend that is
currently hot in the travel industry are those individuals that are looking at
travelling in order to take part in some kind of special interest. They are
very aware of what they want to do and what they expect when they get there
which, to a certain extent, makes your job a bit easier. However, on the flip
side you need to be on the ball if you are the provider rather than the
individual that gets them there in the first place.
As a direct result of these
changes it is fair to say that the planning and development of the tourism
industry is something that is ever-changing. Being on top of this is essential
if your plans are to be a success and of course you need to understand the role
that you have to play.
FACT
A thriving tourism industry
creates beautiful places to visit all-round the country, which also improves
the quality of life for everyone who lives near them as well.
Source: Gov.uk
10.3 Your Role in the Process
So, what would be your role in
this particular process?
Well, clearly this depends on
where you are in the industry and the level you are working at as those at the
ground level will have certain requirements on them, which will be different to
those that work as supervisors or in managerial positions.
Keeping this in mind, we can look
at a number of the key points regarding the role you are going to play in both
positions. Do remember that the most important part that you will be involved
in is the implementation of the plans with these points being central to that.
Be aware of the approach that has
to be taken.
The approach to planning and
development of a tourism strategy is important, although not as important as it
is for you to be aware of what is expected of you. Is the plan to involve the
community more? Is the plan to focus on building the economy more? Understanding
where you are heading with the plan and the steps that need to be taken will
make it easier for you to understand the exact role that you need to be
playing.
Being able to take action on the
plans.
No matter which level you work at
within the industry, there will be a point where you have to be able to take
action on the plans that are being put into place.
For example
If you are typically involved in
dealing with customers on a day-to-day basis, then how do the plans affect
that? Have you to change the way in which you deal with them? Do you need to
sell and promote different things to them? If you work more on the logistics
side, then what do the plans say about that aspect?
Giving feedback on plans and
development.
Of course, there is also the
issue of you having to provide feedback on the plans and development because
the people behind them are often not going to be on the front line all of the
time. A vital part of the process is going to be giving feedback on how things
are going and whether or not the targets are being met. This is something that
you will need to be involved in as it will determine if things have to be
changed at any point.
Remember, the entire aim of
planning and development is to provide tourists with a better experience no
matter which part of the process you are involved in.
In other words, there are three
main areas that you have to think about when dealing with tourism planning and
development along with your role in the process. You must understand what is
being asked of you, or the destination or attraction, followed by being able to
put those plans into action in the correct manner, and finally giving feedback
on whether or not it is working. Each part is important simply because of the
way in which it forms part of the bigger picture.
10.4 Dealing with Issues and Identifying
Problems within the Market
When there are plans in place
there will always be the possibility of there being problems or issues that you
will have to deal with in order to continue to provide an adequate service to
your customers or clients.
Obviously the issues and problems
can vary depending on the market sector and as with other modules and
sub-sections within the modules, it is impossible for us to cover each and
every problem at this juncture.
However, once again we can look
at the main problems that do tend to crop up on a regular basis no matter where
you are operating.
Lack of understanding of the
market.
One of the major problems is a
general lack of understanding of the market.Who are you currently attracting
and how does that compare with whom you would like to target? Are you even
targeting the correct people in the first place? Is the market you are dealing
with so competitive that you are unable to really gain a foothold? Remember
that understanding who you are trying to draw to your destination or attraction
will have a major bearing on your marketing so a lack of understanding of the
market is a major problem.
A failure to understand
economics.
By mentioning a failure to
understand economics, we mean a failure to take stock of what is happening with
the economy in general. Remember that even though travel and tourism is now
cheaper than before, with more options available, that it is still tied in with
what people are earning and how the economy is doing.
For example
When there was a recession, there
were certainly fewer exotic holidays being booked with an increase in the
number of people staying within the country. Domestic tourism saw a boost even
though people were still able to go to the Med whenever they wanted to thanks
to budget airlines. However, even the fact that budget airlines were doing so
well was another indicator of the downturn in the economy.
When it comes to tourism planning
and development it is essential that you understand the kind of money that
people have available to then work this in with how you see your future. If you
are thinking about investing a considerable amount of money into developing the
attraction and yet people do not have the spare cash to go there, is it really
going to be such a good idea? People need to believe that they are getting
value for their money and your plans or development ideas should reflect this at every given
opportunity.
Understanding accessibility.
When it comes to developing a
tourist attraction, or business, then there is a very real need for you to
understand accessibility as this will determine whether or not it is worth the
investment in either monetary terms or at least with your time. Are people
going to be able to get to you? Is it going to be worth their time and effort?
Understanding marketing and its
impact.
We covered marketing in an
earlier module, but the way in which it has an impact on the planning and
development aspect cannot be overlooked. Is the correct marketing in place that
will then be able to really push the plans forward? Both have to work in tandem
with one another simply because there is no point in you putting effort into
developing policies and plans if you are unable to tell people that you exist
in the first place.
So, those are some important
points to keep in mind, but how do you deal with those issues? Clearly, being
aware of this will allow you to further your own career.
10.5 Turning Things Around to Your Advantage
So, what do you do when it comes
to the planning and development of a tourist location or attraction?
How do you manage to turn things
around to your advantage and do so in order to provide the best possible
service to your customers or clients?
In actual fact, it is a lot
easier than you think.
Identify the issue as early as
possible.
Obviously the first thing that
you have to do in order to turn things around to your advantage is to better
understand the issues in the first place. What are the aims of the development
and where can problems come into play? It is impossible to rectify things when
you are unaware of what the problem is.
Study the policy and plans.
Of course the next step is to
understand the policy and the target that you are aiming for with the business.
You need to be aware of what you have to do, or what is expected of you
depending on the level that you are working at. If you are unsure, then clearly
you need to get to the root of the plan before you are ever going to be able to
provide the perfect service and products to the customers.
Understand your position and how
to change it.
Plans will generally be created
by an individual that is in a higher position than you, unless you are running
your own business. When it comes to the development of tourism and the services
or products on offer, you need to understand your position and the limitations
that have been placed upon you so that you can deal with the issues and
problems that you face.
For example
If the plan is related to
developing the visitor experience, then you need to understand the exact role
you play in the visitor experience part. Are you more behind the scenes? If so,
you can then focus on making sure things run smoothly in an admin role. Are you
there on the frontline and dealing with the public? If so, you have to make
sure that you are able to provide
them with the
kind of experience they want.
Preparing yourself for a hard
time.
Remember that it is going to be
impossible for you to provide the perfect experience for every single customer
that you come across.
Tourists come from different
locations and cultures so they are each going to anticipate a certain
experience. Plans should of course try to take this into account, but that is
not always possible and how you handle it should form an important part of your
entire approach. Does the plan cover as many eventualities as possible? Does it
include what to do when you do come across those people that expect something
different? Preparing yourself for a difficult time will often then lead to you
being able to provide a better tourist experience.
In short, to turn things to your
advantage we recommend the following key points.
*Remember the market and who you
are targeting.
*Remember to identify any problems
early on to then tackle them.
*Remember to understand how you
can directly influence the issue.
*Remember that it is impossible to
please everybody but you can certainly please the majority.
No tourist attraction is going to
be perfect and it is crazy to even think that this is a possibility. The plans
and development that you are looking at putting into place should, by all
means, improve the way in which tourists experience the destination, attraction,
or company but there will always be issues.
Turning things to your advantage
has to involve the acceptance of learning from your mistakes and, at the same time, realising that
mistakes are going to happen. Tourists can be rather particular about what they
are seeking from a destination and no amount of planning can convert everybody
into a believer.
MODULE SUMMARY
In this module we have focused on
the concept of tourism planning and development and the role that you will
often play in this part of the industry. As we stated earlier, there is no way
we can cover every aspect of the development of each location or service that
is provided to customers on a daily basis. However, what we have shown is not
only how the planning aspect works, but how to make sure that everything goes
to your advantage.
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