The tourism system model

The tourerry system modelThe Tourism SystemIn early tourism research, it was argued that by analysing disaggregated components of tourism, it is affirmable that an understanding of tourism as a whole could be achieved (Pearce, 1989). However, these reductionist claims often extend in a failure to explain the different mixed alliances, interactions, interdependencies and impacts within the tourism system (Carlsen, 1999).For example, handed-down tourism models such as Leiper (1979) tourism system model assumes that tourism players function in a arrange manner, suggesting that tourism could be controlled in a top-down approach (McKercher, 1999). However, tourism displays all the characteristics of complexity. Failing to acknowledge the elements of uncertainty, chaos, dynamics and non-linearity in tourist systems, these simplistic traditional approaches to tourism seems to become irrelevant and invalid.Tourism is an activity in which people freely engage in, for personal satisfac tion or pleasure, where their behaviour is voluntary and discretional proceeding from ones own free choice (de Freitas, 2002). Thus, tourists participation is expected to decrease as discomfort and dissatisfaction increase. Should clime change, so will be the tourism conduct (De Freitas, 2005, 35).Over the years, much sophisticated models have been developed in attempting to explain what tourism is, its composition and the relationships and interactions that exist within it. From the tourist personality type models (Plog 1974 Pearce 1990), Maslows power structure of needs (Maslow, 1954), expectancy theory based on Vrooms theory of work motivation by Witt and Wright (1992) to the Mieczkowski Tourism Climate Index (1985) and the push-pull tourism framework (Dann, 1977 Crompton 1979 Iso-Ahola, 1982, 1989 Klenosky, 2002), these approaches pull up stakes different but valuable insights for examining the motivations underlying tourist and controlation behaviour. These models have al so been useful for the study of the importance of clime to tourism as advantageously as the research on humor change and tourism, providing an understanding and agreement of the varieties and kinds of activities and stakeholders involved.Climate, a Tourism ResourceClimate exists revealside of each tourism project. However, it becomes a resource when incorporated within a broad(a) or service. This is illustrated by the high demand of North Europeans travelling to the Mediterranean resorts, seeing it as a land of paradise. In addition, climate is often said to delimit optimal zones for tourism at a global and regional scale, as illustrated by the agile tropical zone, considered optimum for sunbathe and beach tourism (Burton 1991). In this way, climate, a natural resource becomes part of the tourism product.All of respondents of the survey agreed that climate is important to tourism with 89% ranking it as very important. With the aim of accessing how climate fares in relation to other important ruminations in tourism demand, Table 2.1 illustrates the ranks respondents give to each of the factors relevant to their visit to a country for tourism. Attractions in the culture were viewed as the most important factor followed closely by climate.Of considerable importance to this study which may have been omitted in many studies focusing on the temperate regions, 95% of respondents believed that escaping from their countrys overwinter refrigerated is at to the lowest degree of most importance in their decision for travel. This battle arrays how live and climate are intrinsic components of the vacation experience and can act as a central motivator in an individuals selection of holi daytime destination, the timing of holiday travel as well as a salient factor in tourism spending and holiday satisfaction.This study measures up to many other researches such as that done by Hu and Ritchie (1993). Measuring the importance of destination characteristics, the y reviewed several destination image studies from the 1970s and found that natural beauty and climate were of universal importance in defining destinations attractiveness. Using a representative survey, Hamilton and Lau (2005) confirmed that climate is at least the third most popular attribute in tourists decision making.Climate can directly affect tourism. There seems to be a clear connection between weather, climate, and human sensitivity. Atmospheric weather conditions may impact tourist demand, participation, experiences and satisfaction (de Freitas, 2003 Yu et al, 2009). People usually dislike very cold or hot climates and possibly very humid ones probably for good reasons founded in evolutionary biology (Heal and Kristrom, 2002). Survey result of this study proves similar closing where 74% of respondents indicate that they were more likely to travel during their countrys winter and 19% during summer. None of the respondents chose autumn and spring as the season they would wan t to travel away of their country.A warm climate seems to be a huge attraction for many of the mid-latitude tourists with 100% citing a hot and sunny weather condition as the preferred choice in the country they visit, even for those who want to escape the summer heat in their country. This proves Maddison and Bigano (2000) findings that the ideal temperature at the most popular tourist destinations are those offering warmer temperatures of around 31oC.In Context SentosaClimate has been argued to be one important component which shapes a destinations image and in some regions of the world, constitutes the resource on which the tourism sector is predicated (Lohmann and Kaim 1999). For example, marketed as The Island for All Seasons, the Mediterranean climate which Cyprus, Greece has been blessed with, has identified as the fundamental attribute attracting tourists to the destination. Mather et al contends that the climate is a dominant factor in much of the travel that takes place f rom northern Europe to the Mediterranean () Not only is the purpose of this mass feces of people primarily leisure-based, visit a sunny beach destination is the intrinsic reason for travel (2005, 70).Being a tropical country, Singapore and in particular Sentosa has the perfect conditions for the creation of the ideal tourist coast all-year sunshine, warm water, white sensey carbonate beaches and coral reefs -popularised in the three Ss sun, sea and sand (Wong, 2003). Sentosa is Singapores premier island resort getaway and Asias leading leisure destination. It receives over 6 million visitors yearly, making it the most visited paid-access attraction in Singapore. According to partial break-down of visitor arrivals to all the paid attractions in Singapore as seen in Figure 2a, it show consistency with Sentosa being the most visited paid-access attraction among all groups of tourists. Thus, it makes a good case study for studying climate as a resource for beach tourism in Singapor e.Findings in this study shows that although the warm tropical climate of Singapore appeals to the mid-latitude tourists, inducing them to visit the Island of Sentosa as well as their beaches, weather did not prove to be the ultimate choice affecting tourists decision to Sentosa. In fact, although weather ranks second after attraction/activities, given only a choice, only closely one quarter, specifically, 27% of the tourists chose weather to be the most important. unrivalled reason for this may be because climate invokes the concept of weather which is what tourists anticipate experiencing at a specific destination and is a key factor of consideration for tourists, consciously or implicitly during travel planning (de Freitas, 2002 Gomez Martin, 2005). Thus, having already considered Singapores hot and humid climate before the trip, factoring in possible weather conditions that talent be experienced, attractions and activities that can be found in Singapore is determined to be mor e important at the expense of weather. This result corresponds to the activities that respondents carry out in Sentosa illustrated in Table 2.2, with visiting attractions being the most carried activities by all tourists during their day in Sentosa.The preference of tourists for certain climatic and weather conditions highlights the relationship between tourism and climate. Naturally, different tourism types and activities require different climatic conditions. Thus, climate is one important variable that regulates among other factors, what and when particular kind of tourism activities can be done carried out.For example, climate has been identified as the fundamental attribute attracting tourists to the Mediterranean area (Mather et al, 2005 Amelung and Moreno, 2009). Seeking and enjoying the sun is one of the main reasons wherefore many tourists go away on holiday, evident in 70%-80% of UK holidaymakers citing better climate abroad as the primary reason for their trip (Perry, 1 993). Similarly, winter sports depend directly on climatic resources. Without snow or low temperatures for the artificial production of snow, the development of ski resorts would not have been possible (Gomez Martin, 2005).In this study on Sentosa, the activities that can be carried out by tourists (Table 2.2) could be sub-divided into two categories weather dependent and weather independent. Swimming/sun tanning, picnicking and water sports/ acting volleyball is to a large extent dependent on weather, especially to the presence of sunshine and rainfall. Although a large percentage of 59% tourists came to Sentosa specifically for sun tanning and swimming, respondents seems to participate largely also in non weather specific activities such as visiting attractions, shopping and dining in an indoor eatery. This result points to an important fact that although Sentosa depends largely on its beaches as well as some alfresco attractions, they provide a diversified range of activities wh ich tourists are also attracted in but do not solely tap on the appeal of the weather.Climate versus WeatherClimate invokes the concept of weather in that it is outlined as the accumulation of daily and seasonal weather events over a long period of time whereas, weather is the condition of the atmosphere at any particular time and place (de Freitas, 2002). In a study of this nature, McEvoy (2008 103) reminds that it is important to differentiate between visitor responses to climate versus weather conditions. Decision-making relating to tourism such as the destination and period of travel has been found to be based largely on climate information. On the other hand, the vacation period is much more weather-dependent and reliant on short term forecasts where actual weather information is more important than climate information (Matzarakis, 2007).The nature of the relationship between the atmospheric environment and the enjoyable pursuit of outdoor recreational activity may be seen to be a function of facets of on-site atmospheric conditions, the weather. Pleasant weather increases tourist satisfaction, whereas severe weather conditions such as rain and strong winds recess outdoor activities. In southern Alaska, for example, tour operators noted a tag difference between the sunny, dry summer of 2004 and wet summer of 2006.Although this study fully acknowledges the importance of climate to tourism, with weather being an important factor, survey results show the possibility that destinations may also be chosen in spite of the likely bad weather. Figure 1 illustrates the findings.The result suggests that even if it rains on the day that tourist decides to go to Sentosa, 49% of the respondents would not alter their original plan to visit the island. The reasons cited were more or less similar in that they would choose to visit other attractions within Sentosa and stay in indoor venues. All of the 28% tourists who states that there will be changes to their plans to Sentosa were at Sentosa beach specifically for the purpose of outdoor beach activities such as swimming, sun tanning and picnicking. Therefore, with some tourist activities more sensitive to weather than others, metrological conditions may affect or disrupt the construction of the planned days event.On the other hand, Sentosa Island with many indoor attractions, allows for contingency plans to be made which enables tourists to be independent of weather conditions. With visiting attractions being the most carried out activity for respondents (Table 2.2), as well as attraction/activities cited as the most important factor affecting their decision to visit Sentosa, it suggests wherefore majority of tourists may not change their plans to visit Sentosa even under unforeseen weather events. Therefore, although climate and weather is one of the many factors that may influence tourist decisions, good weather may not be the primary reason for selecting destinations.Weather ForecastMark Twa ins famous quote of Everybody talks about the weather but no one does anything about it is often held up as a truism but Twain himself have said this aint needs so. Along the same line of argument, Dewar (2005) contends that humans may not be able to alter the day-to-day weather but they do alter their behaviours to either avoid or take advantage of these weather conditions. To some extent as discussed previously, a majority of respondents seems to have predicted that they would alter their behaviours, by visiting indoor attractions to avoid unfavourable rainfall events.Weather forecasting is a useful way to alter ones behaviour or plan activities to suit overriding weather conditions on the day of event. Favourable climate and weather conditions are essential advantages which influences the degree of satisfaction, allowing tourists to enjoy their holiday activities safely and comfortably, helping them fulfil the desires that earlier brought them to the destination (de Freitas 19 90, 2003 Blazejczyk, 2001 Gomez-Martin, 2005). However, it is surprising that although 59% of respondents engaged in a pre-planned weather dependent activity of sun tanning and swimming as well as 10% for picnicking, only a small percentage of 13% admitted to have checked the weather forecast before coming to Sentosa.