SASS EGeog Tourism Gateway 1

Subject: Geography Topic: Global Tourism Gateway 1: How does the nature of tourism vary from place to place? _____________________________________________________________________________________ Who are the tourists? Tourists: Persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for m than _ h but not more than o consecutive y for leisure, business and other purposes. Tourism: Activities of tourists International Tourism: Tourism o of a tourist’s own country Domestic Tourism: Tourism w a tourist’s own country How do tourist destinations differ from one another? Different places and environments provide different opportunities for a wide range of tourist activities: • N environments e.g. coasts, mountains • H environments e.g. cities, historical sites A destination may have a different tourist activity from another due to: • Topography • Climate • History • Investment in facilities Example: Climate - Warm climates and clear coastal waters allow activities such as swimming and sun-bathing - Cold climates and mountains provide opportunities for skiing Tourist destinations may provide different o for tourist activities depending on the characteristics of the location: • Places of scenic beauty: - Honeypot Tourism • Places with good facilities: - Meetings, Conventions, Incentives and Events - Medical - Theme Parks • Places with rich culture: - Heritage - Film-induced tourism - Religious pilgrimages • Places of conflicts: - Dark Tourism

1. Places of scenic beauty • Earth’s n environments (e.g. mountains, valleys, rivers, deserts, waterfalls, coral reefs and rainforests) have become major tourist destinations • Often involve awe-inspiring s _ • Different from b environments of towns and cities • Provide opportunities for mountaineering, hiking, cycling and swimming • For example: • Wildlife sites give visitors a chance to watch lions, elephants and giraffes closely in their natural habitat e.g. The Safaris in Kenya • Mountainous areas have unique combinations of vegetation, wildlife, weather and high altitude that draw mountaineers e.g. Nepal is very popular mountaineering site because of the beautiful mountains there • Tropical coastal resorts are popular among tourists who want to escape the cold winters of Europe and North America e.g. resorts in Bali, Indonesia and Phuket in Thailand are overcrowded during peak travelling seasons • Honeypot tourism: Tourism that attracts l numbers of people due to a site’s scenic beauty. • Tourists come to these sites like bees to flowers; hence the term ‘honeypot’, e.g. Grand Canyon, Halong Bay, Victoria Falls • O during peak seasons as tourist facilities such as hotels, shopping centres and transport stations are developed at these sites, more tourists are attracted 2. Places with good facilities: Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Events (MICE) facilities • MICE facilities: - Can host l -s events, e.g. meetings, conventions - Have supporting i and services, e.g. hotels, retail shops - Attract t f and i conferences that bring in business travellers - Provide advantages for cities associated with o attractions, e.g. resorts, entertainment, shopping - Some cities are more successful, especially those located along international a r . • For example: Singapore - Singapore is the l convention city in Asia-Pacific in 2012 and held title for ten consecutive years - Around 25% of all visitors, about 3.2 million, to Singapore are business travellers. - Singapore has many MICE facilities such as Suntec Convention Centre and the Marina Bay Sands which have many meetings rooms, restaurants, shops and hotels. - Singapore hosted many i meetings, conventions and events such as o Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group in 2006 o Youth Olympic Games in 2010 o International Air Transport Association (IATA) Global Aviation Human Capital Summit in 2011 - Key factors that contribute to Singapore’s success: o Reputation as a m aviation h _ o Availability of reliable t networks o Variety of s and e options nearby o Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre was voted Asia’s Best MICE Hotel in 2011 and 2012 Note: Why recreational facilities may be found close to MICE centres? - Larger MICE centres will attract many visitors, allowing nearby businesses that do recreational activities to attract some of the MICE users. These MICE centres are likely to be located in cities along international air routes. These cities have supporting infrastructure and services such as hotels and retail shops. They also have other attractions such as coastal resorts, entertainment and shopping. In addition, the presence of nearby infrastructure, services and recreational activities gives organisers a good reason to relocate an exhibition or conference in that area.

3. Places with good facilities: Medical facilities • Medical and spa facilities - A growing number of people are travelling internationally for m and h reasons - A country will attract more medical tourists if it offers quality health care services at a _ prices • Medical tourism: When people travel to a destination to undergo m procedures that would e or r health. Some countries have excellent reputations for medical procedures. • For example: S K _ - Is popular with people seeking cosmetic surgery as they are renowned for having highly skilled doctors and advanced medical technology • Health tourism: When people travel to a destination to maintain, e or r their m _ and bodies. They make visits to spa towns, thermal springs and mud pools • For example: D S , I /Jordan - It is located 400 metres below sea level between Jordan and Israel. - The high level of salt and mud contents believed to be beneficial to those suffering from rheumatologic, arthritis and skin conditions Note: 1. Why do you think people from developed countries travel overseas to seek medical attention? - They want to avoid long waiting periods or high costs for medical treatment in their home countries. 2. Why do you think people from less developed countries travel overseas to seek medical attention? - They want to seek better quality medical treatment or procedures than what is available in their home countries. Sometimes, these procedures are not readily available in their home countries. 3. Why is Singapore so successful in attracting medical tourists? - Singapore has an excellent reputation for medical procedures. Many chose Singapore through word-of-mouth, good track record as well as the high quality of medical procedures - Singapore ranked 6th out of 191 countries in terms of health systems, and that medical travellers still chose Singapore as it is a trusted medical hub in the region - Singapore has good MICE facilities and infrastructure as well as an integrated system with a very good airport. 4. Places with good facilities: Theme Park • Theme parks: Places with a p settings. They are attractions that have a central subject or theme, such as movies, history, education and fantasy - Cater to a v of p , including the young and old - Often a l -s enterprise that is part of an international c