The Geography of Resources for Tourism

Learning objectives

1 Appreciate the nature of resources for tourism.

2 Distinguish the methods used to classify and evaluate resources for tourism.

3 Outline the main factors favouring the development of tourist resources.

4 Understand the way that destinations evolve.

5 Appreciate the need for tourism planning, marketing and sustainable development.

The Geography of Resourcesfor Tourism

• Common Features of Tourist Resources

• Planning for Tourist Resources

• Carrying Capacity

• Types of Carrying Capacity

• Tourism Resources at the World Scale: Physical Features

• Tourism Resources at the World Scale: Cultural Features

• Tourist Resources at the Local Scale

• Tourist Resources at the Local Scale: Resorts

• The Resort Life Cycle

Common Features of TouristResources

• Amalgam

• Cultural and economic appraisal

• Perishable

• Shared

Planning for Tourism Resources

• Introduction

• The needs of tourism planning

• Benefits of tourism planning

• The approach to tourism planning– Background analysis/research

– Synthesis/goals and strategies

– Plan development/implementation

Figure 3.1

Figure 3.2

Carrying capacity

The maximum number of users who can use a destination without an

unacceptable decline in the physical environment or the experience of the

visitor

Types of Carrying Capacity

• Physical

• Environmental

• Psychological

• Social

Tourism Resources at the World Scale: Physical Features

• Sea

• Mountains and hills

• Coast

• Inland water

• Forests

Tourism Resources at the World Scale: Cultural Features

• Culture

• Lifestyle

• Heritage

• World heritage sites

Tourist Resources at theNational Scale: Attractions

• Attractions generate tourism

• How do we classify?– List? – natural/man-made/events

– Or analyse using Clawson and Knetsch framework:

• Market oriented – resource based

• Reproducible – non-reproducible

Table 3.3

Tourist Resources at the Local Scale

• Agents of development

– Public sector

– Private sector

– Community

• Accessibility

Tourist Resources at the Local Scale: Resorts

• Townscapes

• Recreational Business

• Resort Life Cycle

Figure 3.3

Figure 3.4

The Resort Life Cycle

• Exploration

• Involvement

• Development

• Consolidation

• Stagnation

• Decline

• Rejuvenation