Unit 12 – P2
James Caldwell
In this assignment, I will be comparing the roles and objectives of agents of tourism
development from different sectors. I will be using examples from the private sector, the
public sector, and the voluntary sector.
Different types of agents work in the travel and tourism industry. An agent may be a single
person, a small business, or a big organisation. All tourism development agents have
responsibilities and objectives. This may include resource provision (products and services,
financial services, etc), political and economic objectives (create jobs, generate revenue,
improve a nation's success), environmental and socio-cultural objectives (protect and
preserve the environment and local culture, establish communal facilities, and so on).
Private Sector
Although all private sector organisations strive to make a profit, the majority of travel and
tourism companies also contribute to the growth of tourism in specific areas. Thorpe Park,
an English amusement park, is an example of this.
Thorpe Park contributes to the growth of tourism in the region by attracting further visitors
to the theme park. As a result, Thorpe Park plays a role in the development of tourism.
Thorpe Park is also environmentally conscious; Merlin Entertainments (the park's owner)
has a sustainability strategy in place to raise public consciousness about the environment.
This indicates that Thorpe Park may be contributing to the expansion of ecotourism.
Also, as previously mentioned, Thorpe Park has aided in the
growth of the local area as a destination, as more people
would be compelled to visit the area. This demonstrates
how Thorpe Park will benefit both the local economy and
the environment.
Despite this, Thorpe Park and other private-sector theme parks all have the same goal: to
make money. This means that Merlin Entertainments' top priorities might not be to
encourage tourism or protect the environment, but rather to gain a competitive edge over
other businesses and make more money. It could be argued that if tourism growth benefits
Thorpe Park, they would be more willing to participate. Although this is real, it is not the
company's main objective or aim.
Hilton Hotels is another example of a private sector agent; although the company's main
goal is to make money, it also helps to increase tourism in some areas. Tourists would not
be willing to visit a new developing destination that was ideal to become a mass tourism
destination but limited hotels. Tourist numbers would quickly increase, and the destination
would become more popular if Hilton opened a large hotel
there. Any hotel business will be in the same boat. Despite
this, the main goal of Hilton Hotels is the same as Thorpe
Park's: to make money. This means that, while the company
contributes to the development of tourism, it is not the
company's top priority.
, Unit 12 – P2
James Caldwell
Small World Journeys is a company which offers travel packages to some of Australia’s
perfect destinations in small groups of no more than 10. The sizes of the groups are small so
that the group will have a unique experience. They also do this as it will
also limit the amount of environmental impact which it will make. The
company makes sure to reduce its own ecological footprint by offsetting
the emissions from its office activities and travel. They also plant one
tree in the Australian Rainforest for one person on the tours or
excursions they go on. For example, if you booked for eight people, they
would plant eight trees. They also donate two percent of all bookings
and donate it to other conservation organisations.
Public Sector
The following is an example of a public-sector organisation that is applicable to this
assignment: VisitBritain is a tourist board that promotes tourism in the United Kingdom.
Tourists are encouraged to visit newer or less familiar destinations in the United Kingdom.
VisitBritain is assisting in the significant development of tourism to the United Kingdom by
also considering the economy, local cultures, and the number of products and services
available.
By encouraging tourists to visit different destinations that may be undiscovered due to an
increase in tourist numbers, VisitBritain helps boost the economy of
those destinations and helps travel agents or tour operators spread
their products and services accordingly; if too many people are visiting
a certain area, tourist boards like VisitBritain will encourage people to
travel to a new area, and tour operators will spread their products and
services accordingly; if too many people are visiting a certain area,
tourist boards like VisitBritain will encourage people to travel to
conserve and promote local cultures, tourist boards will promote cultural attractions and
heritage sites throughout the world. In the public sector, tourist boards are government-run
organisations whose primary aim is to promote tourism to benefit the country’s economy
and status as a destination.
Other public (government-run) organisations that aid in the development of tourism include
museums and galleries, for example the Natural History
museum and the National gallery in London. These
attractions contribute to the amount of tourists that visit
London, as many may wish to travel and visit the
attractions. The examples mentioned above are both
free for customers to enter, and so the main goal of the organisations is clearly not to make
profit. Because of this, they are able to focus more on appealing to tourists and developing
tourism in the area, which shows how public sector organisations are important to the
growth of tourism.
