Role of Local Government in Promotion of Tourism

7/29/2019 Role of Local Government in Promotion of Tourism

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What is modern 21st century tourism? According to UNWTO, tourism means people travelling to a

destination from their homes for a variety of temporary purposes. Thisencompasses much more than aholiday including:

Business, conferences, exhibitions, meetings etc;

Socialising, from visiting friends and family to clubbing;

Culture and entertainment, watching and participating in

sports, concerts etc;

Shopping, including out-of-town malls;

Health, treatments and indulgence; Education, courses and self-improvement.

Tourism includes both overnight stays and day-trips.


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Why should local governments invest

in tourism? Tourism earns almost US$ 367.8 Million p.a. (2011) in foreign exchange.

Although currently, it contributes 0.3% of total GDP, yet it has apotential of contribution up to 5-10% of GDP.

Tourism directly employs almost 700,000 people but it has a potentialto employ over 2 mn people in Pakistan.

Therefore, the support and development of Tourism should be an

integral part of many local governments economic developmentaspirations.

Wider than that, tourism contributes to the social, economic andenvironmental well-being of an area.


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Tourism Offers following benefits: A significant catalyst for economic growth and employment. Brings expenditure from external sources into the local market. Supports and helps to maintain local services. Helps to diversify over-specialised economies. Provides re-skilling, training and employment opportunities at a variety of

levels. Provides supplementary incomes to those seeking second jobs, part-time

hours, unsocial hours. Leads to the creation and maintenance of local amenities. Supports a programme of events, arts, sports and other culture. Encourages residents to stay and spend leisure time. Helps to build distinctive communities, thus increasing local pride and self-

confidence.

Provides opportunities for social inclusion. Encourages cultural diversity. Encourages upgrading and re-use of derelict land and buildings. Protects and provides a source of income for natural and built heritage. Enhances the image of an area, turning a location into a commodity, attracting commercial investment outside the tourism industry as well, by demonstrating

to potential investors that the place is good to locate to.


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Tourism can bring following difficulties

A fragmented sector so co-ordination is complex and ongoing. Tourism spending is dependent on economic, social and other factors.

International and local inflation level may reduce the numbers of andspending power of foreign (and Pakistani) visitors and encouragesPakistanis to travel overseas (to cheaper destinations).

Requires all weather facilities and activities. Is very competitive and increasingly sophisticated.

Demand can be seasonal and variable over a weekly cycle, whichimpacts particularly on employment.

Places strain on transport infrastructure, particularly roads.

Can be an unattractive sector for people entering the labour market. Requires ongoing investment from the local government.

Can place additional pressure on sensitive local environments andtherefore needs effective visitor management.


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Local governments have

greater responsibilities Essentially it is the job of a local government/authority to

strategically manage tourism, to ensure that its net localbenefits outweigh its disadvantages this is the key to

long-term sustainability.

The significance of tourism to the economy of an area,depends on factors such as history and geography, and

determines the scale upon which a local government/authority needs to invest in and support local tourism.


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What is the principle role of a local

government in tourism? Competing budgetary pressures are placing considerable

strain on the ability of local authorities to participate innon-statutory services such as tourism.

Therefore, it is essential that local governments tacklepriority tourism issues and functions that can be fulfilledby no other agency.


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Only a local government can:

Provide a strategic and operational role in maintaining ahigh quality physical environment;

Provide links and continuity of policy between the services,such as planning, environmental health and highways, thatare essential to a sustainable tourism

destination;

Ensure that the needs of the whole destination, including

residents, businesses, and the environment, arerepresented and considered in the management oftourism.


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Providing a high quality

physical infrastructure Street cleansing Street lighting Accessibility Parks and gardens

Leisure and arts facilities Coastal protection and beach cleanliness Water safety Conservation of the natural environment Preservation of historic buildings Building and planning control Environmental health Public conveniences Footpath maintenance and development Car parks and park and ride schemes Security

Signage


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Ensuring tourism is a

corporate consideration

Sustainable tourism relies upon the successful deliveryof a wide range of council services, across the full range

of council departments.

Only a local government can combine the delivery,coordination and promotion of tourism in one bodyand in order to make the most of this, a council needsto ensure tourism is a corporate consideration andresponsibility.


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Ensuring continuity of tourism policy

Continuity of tourism policy across a local government/authority can be achieved by addressing tourism inthe following local authority plans:

Local Plan

Unitary Development Plan

Community Plan

Local Transport Plan Local Cultural Strategy

Local Agenda Plan.


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Representing the needs of the destination

Local governments, with their democratic basis, offer impartialdecision-making that places the wider good of an area abovecommercial considerations, in a way that membership organisations,like Regional/Provincial/Federal Tourist Boards, cannot.

In representing the destination in its totality, local bodies are theguardians oflocaldistinctiveness, championing local culture, people,products and environment.

With this remit, it is the role of the local government to develop a long-term, strategic direction for the destination, bringing together andbalancing the needs of different interests. This is best achieved througha clear understanding of the volume, value and impact of tourism uponthe locality.


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Representing the needs of the destination

A tourism strategy should be achieved through cooperationbetween key players in order to establish shared goals, localownership, individual responsibilities, the basis for poolingresources and a platform for further partnership initiatives.

As the representative of the destination local authoritiesplay an important role in linking into provincial andnational initiatives, particularly ensuring the needs of the

local tourism industry are understood by Provincial TouristBoards, Provincial Development Agencies, Small BusinessService, Learning and Skills Councils, Government Officesand Provincial Assemblies.


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The catalyst for partnerships

Tourism is a fragmented industry, forcing together diverse players,from international corporations to castles to conference centres tocanals. Therefore, partnership is both an obvious and necessary way of

working; combining expertise, perspectives and priorities across thepublic, private and voluntary sectors.

Local governments/authorities, with their honest broker role, arecrucial to bringing together and directing these partnerships.Partnerships vary in composition, size and targets but should share acommon goal - the strategic and wise management of tourism.

Partnerships can be used to tackle a range of different issues fromvisitor management to regeneration to raising quality standards. Withthe increasing pressure on local governments budgets, partnershipsshould be used by councils to identify and address their own local

tourism priorities, as demonstrated by the case studies below.


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Marketing, promotion and

information provision

Effective tourism promotion requires high levels of skill to respond toincreasingly sophisticated market needs. Not all local government can justifythe level of investment necessary to acquire such skills. Tourism marketing andpromotion is therefore a function worth considering for outsourcing orundertaking via a partnership. Joint working can also help minimise

duplication of promotional activity - the ripple effect of promotion at the town,then district and county level.

To outsource tourism promotions requires a (financially) strong base ofpartners, who can influence the direction of joint promotions. Too many microplayers can lead to design by committee and unsatisfactory, but time-

consuming, results.

Tourists do not recognise local government boundaries. In many instances, thetourism product exists across several authorities. Therefore, many localgovernments have to join together with other authorities and partners from theprivate sector to pool resources and promote a brand which relates to the needs

of customers as opposed to administrative boundaries.


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Marketing, promotion and

information provision Good information provision can generate additional income, longer

stays, return business and new visitors. Tourists have informationneeds that should be met prior, during and after their visits.

Tourist Information Centres (TICs) and the Internet are both powerfuland essential tools for the industry, which local authorities are findingincreasingly difficult to fund alone. Their development is a nationalpriority, which needs national, provincial and local collaboration.

At present, the lack of national TIC network funding means there is a

lack of standardisation across TICs. These are more parochial and aremoving away from the original objectives of networked TICs, whichwas to cross-promote.


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Conclusion

With increasing pressure on budgets and non-statutoryservices, Local Governments need to ensure that theirinvolvement in tourism is cost-effective and focused uponlocal priorities.

There are many contributors to tourism and thereforemuch scope for duplication of effort.

Local authorities can play a unique and valuable role in theindustry for the benefit of visitors, residents, businesses

and the environment alike.

Best Value should demonstrate the validity of this role andhelp local authorities to focus upon its fulfilment.

Documents

Role of Local Government in Promotion of Tourism