Marketing in Hospitality & Tourism

Individual Assignment

M. Shahrie Rabbani
1763620043
Batch 20

I. Mass Tourism

Mass tourism is a form of tourism that involves tens of thousands of people going to the
same resort often at the same time of year. It is the most popular form of tourism as it is
often the cheapest way to holiday, and is often sold as a PACKAGE DEAL. A package deal is
one in which all of the tourists needs are catered for by one company, these needs include
travel/flights, activities, accommodation and sometimes food (called full board when all
meals are included, half board includes 2 meals a day whilst self-catering means you cook
for yourself). These types of holiday are often the opposite to sustainable tourism, extreme
tourism and ecological tourism.
There are many types of mass tourism, including skiing in the mountains, sunbathing on a
beach, visiting a theme park (e.g. Euro Disney near Paris) or taking a cruise. Governments
and local people often support mass tourism because it generates a lot of income for local
areas.
Unfortunately for our beautiful earth, tourism can sadly cause a lot of devastation to its
surface. As more and more people visit a destination, the demand continues to rise and land
is constantly being destroyed to create more hotels, restaurants and appealing landmarks.
With such a large increase in tourism and recreational facilities, deforestation is one of the
largest issues. This sadly results in excessive land clearing and loss of ecosystems for wood
collection, which also leads to wildlife loss too.

Here are the Pros and Cons of Mass Tourism:

1. Pros
a. Investment for Country
> Roads, rail, facilities, electricity services etc. all need improving to accommodate the
tourists – local people also benefit from these INFRASTRUCTURE developments.
> Transport facilities are developed.
> The local tax base increases so the local government/council can invest in schools,
healthcare and social services.

b. Multiplier Effects (Added more jobs for locals)

> Jobs are generated by tourism in many areas – In the initial construction of the resorts, in
travel, in food provision and in other service related industries.
> Local people benefit directly from employment.
> Tourists introduce new values and cultures and learn about new cultures – this causes
cultural UNDERSTANDING.

2. Cons
a. Leakage (Income not distributed well for locals)
> TNCs (Trans National Corporations) from rich countries are often involved - this can result
in a lot of profits leaving the country.
> Jobs can be seasonal - especially in beach and skiing based resorts. People can therefore
find themselves out of work in the close season.

b. Spillover Costs (Unnecessary waste on resources)

> Tourists consume huge amounts of resources including food and water – this type of
tourism is particularly UNSUSTAINABLE in this manner.
> Tourists introduce new values and cultures – this causes cultural pollution.
> Land is lost from farming to tourist developments.
> Increase litter and pollution

Mass tourism is probably the easiest type of tourism to encounter around the world. It exists
in almost every single country, that has plenty of tourism attractions, and promote tourism
and hospitality as one of their main GDP income. In my opinion, this type of tourism is no
longer need any promotion or selling, as it is basically one of several tourism types that
many people unconsciously have been doing by relying on travel agents to manage their
travel itinerary, obviously in groups.
So, what can we do to avoid, or help repair the damage?
1. Always look for hotels that are environmentally conscious. Support
the accommodations that are sustainable, eco-friendly, and who care for the
environment rather than contributing to the destruction.
2. Research what the current environmental crisis is and do your very best to avoid
contributing to it.
3. Make sure that you read the signs, don’t cross the barriers, don’t “do it for the
gram”, and just be a respectful human, as for the simple problem of people
disrespecting the local land and destroying the fragile environment.
4. Avoid the locations that are overly westernized.
5. Avoid going to a restaurant, hotel chain, or store that exist in your home country.
this doesn’t mean that you can’t go there on a rare occasion, it just means that you
should try your best to support the places that are authentic to the destination.
6. Visit the temples, stay in the smaller villages and support what the country
is really beautiful for.
7. Use sustainable travel alternatives wherever you can – walk, bike, tuk-tuk and train.
8. Use a reusable water bottle, avoid single-use plastic, use waste free skin-care, don’t
get your room cleaned every day.
9. Do your research before visiting any destination.
10. Learn about what’s right and what’s wrong – don’t support animal exploitation,
don’t give money to begging children, don’t volunteer for the wrong reasons, don’t
support the behaviour that has been negatively adapted to us. Essentially, be the
most responsible tourist that you can possibly be.
11. Always support the locals! Avoid the major chain hotels, stay in locally run
accommodations, small boutique hotels or air bnb’s… Don’t go to McDonald’s when
there is a restaurant run by local people that need all the help they can get.
12. Shop in local stores, buy things that are handmade and essentially… Go where the
locals do!

II. Sustainable Tourism (Ecotourism)

Buzzwords like ‘sustainability’ and ‘sustainable tourism’ are becoming more and more
common. But they can be transparent to the average person. Thankfully, the concept of
sustainability is straight to the point. In short, it all centers around sustaining resources or
avoiding the depletion of resources — whether environmental, economic, or cultural.
That said, sustainability can be practiced across many sectors. There is sustainable fashion —
where clothing is made in a way that is kind to the environment and its workers. There is
sustainable development — where communities in need are given infrastructure in a way
that doesn’t erode their natural resources. And then there is sustainable tourism.

Expressed simply, sustainable tourism can be defined as:

"Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental
impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host
communities"
Sustainable tourism is a way of traveling and exploring a destination while respecting its
culture, environment, and people. Common sense says that this is simply the definition of
travel — and that the term ‘sustainable’ is unneccessary. Unfortunately, most people do not
travel this way.

Conceptual definition
Sustainable tourism development guidelines and management practices are applicable to all
forms of tourism in all types of destinations, including mass tourism and the various niche
tourism segments. Sustainability principles refer to the environmental, economic, and socio-
cultural aspects of tourism development, and a suitable balance must be established
between these three dimensions to guarantee its long-term sustainability.

Thus, sustainable tourism should:

1) Make optimal use of environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism
development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural
heritage and biodiversity.
2) Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and
living cultural heritage and traditional values, and contribute to inter-cultural understanding
and tolerance.
3) Ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits to all
stakeholders that are fairly distributed, including stable employment and income-earning
opportunities and social services to host communities, and contributing to poverty
alleviation.
Sustainable tourism development requires the informed participation of all relevant
stakeholders, as well as strong political leadership to ensure wide participation and
consensus building. Achieving sustainable tourism is a continuous process and it requires
constant monitoring of impacts, introducing the necessary preventive and/or corrective
measures whenever necessary.
Sustainable tourism should also maintain a high level of tourist satisfaction and ensure a
meaningful experience to the tourists, raising their awareness about sustainability issues
and promoting sustainable tourism practices amongst them.

How do we promote Sustainable Tourism?

To ensure companies, organisations, and destinations prioritise sustainable travel, we must
increase the numbers of travellers who value an industry that is accountable to itself —
 accountable to the fact that climate change is wreaking havoc on the world’s most
biodiverse ecosystems. Accountable to the fact that tourism contributes to global issues like
water scarcity in vulnerable areas and accountable to the fact that travellers have stoked
demand for tourists attractions that jeopardise animal welfare.
These are the pressing issues that travellers must commit to making right in their own
travels, and commit to sharing with others the important steps we can take to make a
helpful, sustainable, and healthy Travel & Tourism industry that lifts and supports the
people, places, and environments that we so value on our trips.

A. Educate
In order to create the global movement needed to affect real change, travellers must
commit to spreading their knowledge and approach to travel. It’s not enough to pick a
responsible vacation yourself, but as you see the very real and immediate need for
sustainable travel solutions, you must educate others — your friends, family, neighbors —
 about how they can make responsible tourism choices.
Tourism organisations have cottoned on to the fact travellers are looking for new ways to
create a positive impact in the communities they visit. Sustainable tourism marketing is a
growing niche, and there are even industry conferences and countless panels about how to
increase traveller knowledge of sustainable tourism products and services. But many of
these conferences are either industry-facing events, or they preach to the converted —
 those travellers who already understand the sustainable imperative.
The next stage of growth for sustainable tourism lies within the travellers themselves. To
grow demand for sustainability within the industry, more travellers must expect it of the
tour companies, cruise lines, hotels, and restaurants that they use on vacation. Once you’ve
committed to responsible travel, talk with others about your decision to change your
consumption habits. Share with friends and family the booking engines, websites, and
companies you use to maximise the sustainability of your trips. Help them understand what
it means to be a responsible traveller, and how you’ve managed to implement those
changes in your own life.
Choose genuine ecotourism programs. Thoroughly research your organization to make sure
it meets all the expectations of the 4C’s philosophy. If an organization fails to uphold one or
more of these principles, it’s probably not a genuine ecotourism program. The 4C's include:
 Conservation: Is the organization safeguarding the biodiversity and integrity of
ecosystems?
 Community: Is the organization supporting basic rights of locals while enhancing the
well-being of communities?
 Culture: Is the organization nurturing the education of cultures to its tourists? Is it a
positive experience that promotes respect and understanding?
 Commerce: Is the organization building the local economy?

Stay at green lodging services: Stay at hotels that implement green policies, like providing
eco-friendly soap or encouraging their guests to reuse towels.
Reduce your carbon footprint: If you can book a nonstop flight, you should do it. Also
consider taking public transportation over renting a car. Always try to travel on foot or with
non-motorized vehicles when possible.
Recycle always: If there are recycle services available, make an effort to implement that into
your waste reduction strategy.
Bring eco-friendly toiletries: Chemicals found in common toiletry items might be hazardous
to the exotic environment, depending on the country’s waste and water treatment.
Purchase eco-friendly shampoos, soaps, deodorants, and cosmetics to help eliminate this
potential problem.
Reuse anything you can: Towels, water jugs, plastic silverware—anything that can be reused
should not be thrown away.
Adhere to regulations: If you’re on a trail that says “Do not leave marked path,” stay on the
trail. If a town has a no littering policy, don’t litter. In other words, follow the established
environmentally–conscious rules.
Buy local: Supporting locally–grown food reduces the need to import goods, thus creating
less travel waste with boats and other modes of shipment while pouring money back into
the local community.

B. Talk
As you share with others your decision to travel responsibly, you will also meet others who
share this concern and focus. One of the best ways to create sustainable vacations is to
better understand the landscape. Talk with other experienced travellers and use their
knowledge to increase your own.
Throughout our busy lives, it can be difficult to stay up-to-the-minute on the latest industry
news, but by talking with others who you know share a passion for sustainable travel, you
can broaden your knowledge and discover new areas that you may need to research further.

C. Learn
Sustainable tourism is no longer a small niche part of Travel & Tourism, instead, the industry
is increasingly taking to heart the urgent need to bake into every business model a long-term
plan for responsibility to the local cultures and environments. As a traveller, develop a
curiosity about the many ways you can be a part of the solution. Best practices in the
industry evolve every year as new technologies and standards move to the forefront, and it’s
important that you maintain your knowledge base around responsible travel. Here are a few
resources that will expand and increase your knowledge, sharing stories of tourism done
right and ideas of how you can travel the world in a responsible manner filled with positive
intentions and actions.
 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards: These annual awards recognise best practices in
sustainable tourism within the industry globally, based upon the principles of
environmentally friendly operations; support for the protection of cultural and
natural heritage; and direct benefits to the social and economic well-being of local
people in travel destinations around the world. Use these awards to learn about
projects, programmes, and organisations taking innovative approaches to
sustainability within Travel and Tourism.
  Ethical Traveler: This resource point helps travellers better understand the many
ways to travel with a focus on responsible and sustainable tourism practices.
Covering a broad range of subjects, you can use this as a portal of the latest Travel &
Tourism industry updates related to issues of sustainability.
 Responsible Travel: From guides to articles to tours, this website holds more than a
decade of information to help travellers make responsible tourism choices. The
database includes all of the world’s most touristed destinations and you can use it to
research tourism challenges in your next destination.

As we move towards a Travel & Tourism industry that has sustainability baked into every
aspect, travellers will continue to play an important role by supporting those companies that
have invested in sustainable business models.

How do we (as tour operators) sell Sustainable Tourism?

Often, the pressure to travel more sustainably is placed on travellers themselves, as they are
the people directly interacting with the environment. However, it’s easy for individuals to
rationalise the relatively small impact that they are having in the larger scheme of things –
and therefore place less importance on minimising their environmental and social impact. Of
course, if every tourist is going through this same thought process, the impact is significant.
The unique role that tour operators such as yourselves have in the travel sector gives you
the opportunity to make sustainably conscious choices around where you send your
customers, what businesses you choose to use in the local area and the information you
provide your customers with before they go. Here’s how we sell this type of tourism while
can still contribute to it:
 Reduce the environmental impact that our customers make on their journeys by
providing them with conservation resources for the environment that they are
visiting or promoting sustainable activities such as cycle tours or wildlife sanctuaries
while they are there.
 Encourage your customers to reduce their waste and take their rubbish with them,
consider investing in an electric vehicle for tours, and reduce your own waste by
using electronic check-in and management systems rather than print resources.
 Protect the economy of the local communities our customers are visiting by using
local guides and taxi services, eating at locally owned restaurants and staying in
locally owned and staffed accommodation. Keeping the profit in the community will
 both ensure that the destination continues to exist and the local community can
prosper.
 Educate your customers about the culture of the place they are visiting and
suggesting that they buy locally made products. If your business sells to a specific
destination you could even look into supporting a local conservation project
yourselves and encourage your customers to think about doing the same.

The Pros and Cons of Sustainable Tourism

1. Pros
Global Solutions
 Valuable biological Information: Ecotourism provides the opportunity for not only
environmentalists, but also tourists to learn more about the ecosystems, biology,
and geology of a specific location. Knowing the components of an ecosystem can
lead to a better understanding of how to conserve different species and natural
formations. Ecotourism provides an impactful firsthand experience about
sustainable living and eco-friendly practices.
 Increased environmental awareness: Most ecotourism programs include
educational components about environment preservation. The tourists can help
spread environmental awareness by taking the information they’ve learned and
apply it to their daily lives.
 Financial benefits toward conservation: When people spend money on ecotourism,
some of it goes toward conservation efforts like reforestation and endangered
species repopulation projects. Essentially, the more money spent on ecotourism, the
easier it will be to finance conservation projects.
 Natural resource management: In a global economy where many businesses exploit
natural resources for personal gain, ecotourism introduces the idea of natural
resource management. Rather than depleting resources to meet a high demand,
ecotourism suggests adapting a conscientious mindset to extract natural resources
in the most efficient and sustainable way possible.
 It is very affordable: Many ecotourism experiences can be enjoyed for a fraction of
the cost of a traditional vacation at a traditional resort location. There are fewer
services and resources needed and many of the supplies, like tents or sleeping bags,
can be used for future adventures as well.
Local Solutions
 Local economic improvement: In some cases, ecotourism provides sustainable
economic growth for countries. Places like Ecuador, Nepal, Madagascar, and Costa
Rica rely on tourists to build their economies. Regular travel and tourism usually
returns only about 20% of revenue back to local communities while ecotourism
can return as much as 95%.
 Ecotourism isn’t only about conversing environments; it’s also about sustaining
communities. For example, Madagascar’s government has started promoting its
tourism as an economic strategy to shrink its 81% poverty rate. Although it’s still in
the idea phase, it’s possible that ecotourism could be the answer to their
unemployment crisis.
 Positive impact on community culture: Not only does ecotourism create jobs for
locals, it also promotes and preserves traditional practices. Locally grown food and
crafted goods creates a direct economic and cultural connection between the tourist
and citizen. Ecotourism promotes these cultural traditions rather than altering
native customs to fit specific international norms. Some consider ecotourism to be a
means to end cultural ignorance, stereotyping, and fear in the world through its
ability to educate travelers.
 It is a way to create good paying jobs for local workers: People will pay top dollar
for memorable ecotourism experiences. Whether that is being on a boat to observe
orcas or dolphins in the wild or taking a trip through a rain forest, tourists need to
have guides and a system of supports in place where they choose to create a base of
operations. This gives local workers the chance to earn a good living while showing
others why they love the area so much.
 It is a sustainable way for local economies to make money: Because ecotourism is
concerned about the condition of the environment, it encourages development
options that are sustainable to nature itself. This means that there will always be a
renewable source of potential revenues because the natural resources that people
are coming to see will be preserved.

2. Cons
 Damage to nature can occur despite our best intentions: Humans always have the
desire to explore more, go further, and push the rules. That means there will always
be someone who does something that they’re advised not to do while enjoying an
 ecotourism adventure and that activity may very well disrupt the entire
environment in a negative way. Humans can often cause lots of damage despite
their overall best intentions.
 Cultural change occurs, whether it is intended or not: People are also a lot like
sponges. Everyone tends to absorb a little bit of everyone that is around them. Over
time, this means local cultures change simply because they have welcomed others
into the community. As these changes happen, it means that a little piece of their
culture gets lost because it is being shipped away with every tourist that pays them
with a visit.
 It can turn people into tourist attractions: The native tribes of Africa or the Amazon
are classic examples of this. People may go on an ecotourism adventure, but the
goal is to see and possibly interact with other humans that they’ve never
encountered before. This type of attitude is more than just patronizing. It’s
disrespectful. If you work in an office in the city, would you like to have groups of
strangers coming by to observe everything you do? A documentary could be made
about how often you get up to go refill your coffee mug. It would interfere with your
working style, just as ecotoursim interferes with traditional lifestyles.
 There is no system of support: Ecotourism goes to remote corners of the planet,
which means tourists don’t have a support system in place should something go
wrong. If they have a medical emergency, for example, the response to provide the
needed care for life may be delayed by hours or even days.
These ecotourism pros and cons show that it is possible to see the world in a unique
way. We just have a responsibility to leave the world in the same condition that we
found it when we’re exploring. As long as we can do that effectively and be
respectful of local cultures, ecotourism can be a very good thing.

III. Virtual Tourism

Virtual Reality is the most talked about invention in recent times. While the technology
holds many advantages for various industries like education, healthcare, military training,
architecture and civil engineering, art etc., I think the technology might stand a chance to
hamper the booming tourism industry.
VR technology can lead to exciting new experiences. You can experience Paris while you are
still sitting in India. Whenever it is too dangerous or impractical to do something, you can try
it by using Virtual Reality. Similarly, there might be many people who dream of visiting many
places around the world but are constrained monetarily or physically. Virtual Reality could
be the answer to their worries. The VR technology is expected to advance and provide such
realistic and beautiful experiences, that a tourist will feel he is actually present in the virtual
world and is experiencing it.
A virtual tour is the simulation of an existing location with the help of sequential videos or
still images. Other multimedia elements like music, sound effects, floor plans, etc., could
also be used. They help in recreating a realistic representation of reality. Virtual tours help in
presenting views to inaccessible areas and provide an interesting and excellent alternative
to fieldwork when expenses, time or logistics are an issue for people.
Virtual tourism is a panoramic view or video simulation of an existing place that can be
viewed online, often for travel or vacation-related research. A virtual tour is usually a
collection of panoramic images that are played in sequence to view like a moving video with
added sound and text effects, or a virtual tour may use models in place of real-life video and
images.

How do we promote and sell Virtual Tourism?

It seems quite indisputable that we now appear to be on the cusp of truly immersive
mainstream virtual reality technology. Virtual Reality’s most evident purpose seems to be to
enhance the entertainment industry by utilizing gaming technology. However with Virtual
Reality devices becoming more and more accessible with the major improvements in the
technology itself, diverse applications for this technology are starting to emerge, and the
travel and tourism industry has been quick to recognize and embrace this. Virtual Reality
delivers immersive experiences which both absorb and entertain users. Tourism, therefore,
has the most to gain from virtual reality technology. Tourism Industry lends itself to Virtual
Reality easily and it is quite easy to see how virtual reality can improve the tourism
experience.
To remain competitive in the long term, attract a wider audience and meet the demands
and expectations of new generations of tourists, travel companies have to integrate new
technologies, improve their interactive content and implement it in their marketing
strategies.
Basically, we could say that with virtual reality we can present information about our
tourism products and services in a different, much more striking way. Because this new
system has a positive influence on two of the most important processes within the traveler's
journey cycle.
1. In the process of searching for information or planning.
By using virtual reality (VR) in marketing strategies, you can have a great influence on the
process of finding information from potential or repeat tourists. For example, VR can offer
the tourist access to destination information in a much more accurate and reliable way than
when compared to the traditional promotional material.
Thus, virtual reality can offer users greater media wealth, interactivity and a sense of virtual
presence which, in addition, improves learning and consumer respect over the destination.

2. In the process of decision making or booking.

On the other hand, we are faced with the fact that the purchase or reservation process is
mainly rational. That is, in this complex process the consumer considers not only the choice
of destination, but also the price and the activities he could experience there. Hence, quality
information is so important.
For example, with 360º visits, the tourist could at least explore and live a specific
experience (destination, hotel, etc.) to assess whether it will be satisfactory or not, in order
to make the reservation. In this case, emotions are also very important to influence the
decision-making process of tourists.
VR is able to activate the emotions by stimulating the users' senses. Because with virtual
reality users are able to interact within the experience. This creates a great opportunity for
the entire travel industry, especially for tourist destinations.

The Pros and Cons of Virtual Tourism

1. Pros
For the travel industry, virtual reality can be used to enhance travel experience and shape
the behavior of travel consumers.
 VR tours are effective not only in enticing people to visit an area, but in helping
them plan out what they’re going to do and how they’re going to spend their time
once they’re there.
 Incorporating virtual tours into your planning process can help in a big way. It’s a
super-technological "try before you buy" tool that lets you get a taste for an area or
activity before you actually decide to go.
 Virtual Tour offers professionals, businesses and commercial advertisers, a unique
opportunity to promote their presentations, websites and online marketing
messages directly to prospective audience.
 Able to provide information about your business to thousands of local customers
simply with basic virtual tour. Best of all, the program offers better results and costs
less money than traditional advertising campaigns.
 Decrease cost because product demonstration could be done without personal
meetings, expensive presentations, in different time zones, without extra travel cost
and even dinner. Virtual tours will save your time and money.
 Have a virtual walkthrough. Allow potential consumers to catch a glimpse of the
atmosphere of the destination they’re about to book.
 Integrating virtual reality impacts the way you do business. Along with the
storytelling, it makes a compelling case how customers opt for a certain destination
before making a reservation.
 Has a larger scale effect on consumer choices, rather than using a standard
destination description and tour itinerary.

2. Cons
 Must self host or pay for hosting (albeit inexpensive).
 New interfaces can be confusing to users, no matter how well designed.
 May need updating in the future as web browser technology develops. Not
interactive in any way
 The only way to advise users of content is with separate text, for instance in the
“video description” on YouTube.
 As with all online video, will people watch to end? These videos generally are not
quite as dramatic.
References

1. http://www.coolgeography.co.uk/GCSE/AQA/Tourism/Mass%20Tourism/Mass%20T
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2. https://www.travelfordifference.com/impacts-of-mass-tourism/
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4. https://visit.org/blog/en/what-is-sustainable-tourism/
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c9a19de03b4e
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