The International Tourism Marketing Tourism Essay

Tourism has experienced continued growth and deepening ‎diversification to become one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world. As an international exchange service, tourism has become one of the principal sectors of world trade.

This sector is a source of foreign currency, a catalyst investment, and a means of local development. If it is well-managed it may change people’s lives for the better, because it may increase formal employment, draw entrepreneur’s and politics’ attention in order to increase people’s quality of life and education, certainly propelled by communications and marketing activities not only in national extent but also international. Within the context of global competitiveness, it has been really hard to have a differential.

Tourism as an export accounts for 30% of world exports. For many countries it is a major source of income and principal export sector for job creation necessary.

It’s the fourth sector in terms of export volume and represents 5% of global GDP. It is responsible for one in twelve existing jobs in the world. In 2012, there will be one billion tourists traveling the world.

International tourist arrivals worldwide grew by almost 4% in 2011 to 983,000,000. International tourism in 2011 generated U.S. $ 1.032 billion (€ 741 billion) in export earnings.

Evolution of tourism marketing

The key to the importance of marketing within tourism has been the level of economic growth throughout the twentieth century which has led to subsequent improvements in living standards, an enlargement of the population, and increases in discretionary time.

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Before tourism demand was very limited, the firms were small and simple production systems and artisans where everything that is produced is sold by companies because they fit perfectly to the conditions of demand. Since 1960 the tourism market becomes more complex and actually starts a process of competition between firms and countries.

Throughout its relativity short history, organizations operating in the international tourism industry have sought informal arrangements with other companies as a way of expanding their business and providing better products and services to the travelling public. As competition in the industry has intensified, companies have sought to expand their operations and spheres of influence through mergers, acquisitions and more formal linkages with industry partners.

Globalization is one of the fastest-growing trends in the development of international tourism. Driven by economic and political motivations, the major commercial operators in tourism are seeking to grow their enterprises, increase market share and, ultimately, achieve world dominance in their particular industry sector. The most visible sign of the globalization of the international tourism industry is the growth in size and influence of the multinational corporations (MNCs), sometimes referred to as transnational corporations (TNCs).

National, regional and local public bodies play a significant role in international tourism, both directly and indirectly. The functions of public sector tourism bodies vary between nations, any country that has a significant and established tourism industry is likely to have a separate department of government, known as the national tourism organization or public agencies. The precise functions undertaken and degree of public involvement in tourism will depend on the importance attached to the industry by the government concerned.

Tourism marketing in every country differs depending on the type of product you offer. For example, Spain always offers an international tourism of sun and beach, which is now trying to change for a more cultural tourism. New Zealand moves the potential visitor to the country around the allure of “The Lord of the Rings”. Ireland always offers wonderful campaigns that promote their natural environment.

Negative impacts of international tourism

Private companies and countries have developed aggressive marketing practices to attract international tourists and as a result problems with over-exploitation tourism have ensued.

A) Environmental impact

As soon as tourism activity takes place, the environment is inevitably changed or modified either to facilitate tourism or during the tourism process. Many countries offer their products to international tourists regardless of the damage it can cause to the environment.

International tourism has been particularly violent with the environment in various countries: urbanization of natural areas or integrated into the landscape, overuse of water resources, problems related to the treatment of waste, water pollution from runoff, destruction of historical monuments, air pollution, landscape changes to promote leisure activities such as golf. These processes are more incisive in southern countries, where environmental regulations are often more lax to promote the tourism industry and natural resources are easy prey to speculation. As an example we can point to the ecological crisis that is hurting the coast of Quintana Roo in Mexico, due to the excessive development of resorts like Cancun or Cozumel, such as the impact of tourism on the wildlife of Africa or the pollution of water in the Mediterranean.

B) Ethical problems

There are many ethical issues affecting international tourism, starting with the types of tourism that are offered. Many underdevelopment countries, offer unsustainable tourism with the country life. In countries like Bath or Bali, the pools are full of water and the golf courses are watered every day, while the local fields are dry and the native people drink water from wells.

Women in parts of India walk miles to get water because groundwater is diverted to hotels. Farmers in Indonesia have been jailed for protesting the loss of their land for tourism development, and a protest in Mexico for the construction of a golf course on farmland led to clashes between farmers and authorities.

International tourism also causes effects on the local population as the case of Burma. In recent years, the government has forced thousands of Burmese to work in tourism projects and millions more have been forced from their homes to make way for highways, development of hotels and other tourism-related infrastructure. The abuse of human rights in Burma is related to the development of international tourism.

Another striking case about the ethical issues is the animal rights. Some African countries offer animal hunting tourism, for example South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana are four countries that have not banned the hunting of elephants. The activity is a source of income for these countries and is strictly regulated in areas where the elephant population is not particularly at risk. Developed countries also have ethical problems in tourism promotion. Tour operators from different countries promote tourism by advocating alcohol and sex. A very famous in this regard is the town of Salou in Spain, where they celebrate the “Saloufest” that brings together young people from around the world attracted by the offer of alcohol.

C) Socio-cultural issues

The impacts that tourism has on the social and cultural lives of communities is one of the most important issues debated by tourism researchers. The socio-cultural consequences of tourist activity have the potential to be more damaging in the long term. This is a particularly in the developing nations of the world, many of whose strong cultural identities and traditions are coming to light through tourist travel for the first time in their history. Sadly, the same concern for such serious consequences is seldom voiced in a concrete fashion by tourist industry operators, although many do now include mentions of tourism´s negative social and cultural effects in their policies and mission statements. International tourism also causes socio-cultural issues:

Loss of native language, the massive influx of tourists to a destination can alter the native language.

Loss of traditional industries, traditional industries can be lost when workers are tempted by jobs in tourism.

Alterations to religious codes, many international tourists are unaware of the religion of the country they visit. This causes conflicts between tourists and native people

Rise in social problems, tourism can be a catalyst for different social problems. Tourism can accelerates and exacerbates many social ills.

CONCLUSION

Tourism is an important economic sector for many countries. Today it represents an important source of economic development.

International tourism has evolved over time, from the early twentieth century when it was a large-scale phenomenon and many countries realized the economic potential of this sector. To seize market share countries adopt various measures to promote its attractions in order to differentiate them from competitors. These marketing policies cause a number of problems that result in over-exploitation of tourism and result in legal, cultural, ethical or environmental conflicts.

Therefore countries should adopt marketing policies that promotes responsible tourism.