Purposes of Analyzing the PLCs of Destinations and Tourism Products

However, this separation may have serious consequences for the host population. Often, for example, use of beaches is restricted to tourists.

Contact between hosts and tourists is highly institutionalized. Hosts and tourists only meet at scheduled moments along the itinerary which the tour operator has planned. The increasing distance between tourists and the host population may give rise to the formation of caricaturistic images of each other.

The characteristics of Doxey’s stage of antagonism may apply, in which irritations become more overt and the tourist is seen as the harbinger of all that is bad (Prosser, 1994).

The economic benefits may significantly decrease. On the one hand, initial expenditure – at least per tourist – can be expected to decrease due to bargaining by the tour operators. On the other hand, leakages are expected to increase. Control is now firm in the hands of foreigners, who tend to repatriate important shares of their profits and wages.

(vi) Decline / rejuvenation

After the stagnation stage the succession of tourist types, from drifter to organized mass tourist, has come to an end. Often, this means that tourists and the tourism industry lose interest in the destination.

As growth comes to a standstill, so does investment.

Now several scenarios can be imagined, such as decline and rejuvenation. In the decline scenario, the destination does not succeed in changing its image. Tourist numbers will decrease and investors move on, using the destination as a cash-cow. They try to squeeze as much money out of it without investing in improvement.

So, in economic terms, benefits from tourism are gradually declining. People realize that their culture and the environment have changed irreversibly and that it is too late to do something about it. Doxey’s so-called final level of tourist irritation may apply in such a case.

Another possible scenario is rejuvenation in which the destination tries to reposition itself in the tourism market. A destination may for example decide to offer more possibilities for an active vacation, whereas the focus used to be on quite passive vacations by the elderly.

(i) Marketing

For example, the type of customers is different at different stages in the product life cycle, which means the marketing media used to reach them and the marketing messages they will respond to will likewise be different at each stage.

(ii) Development Decisions

For example, organizations need to recognize when they need to relaunch their products as this is a major exercise in product development that implies significant investment over and above the normal cost of marketing.

Source 1 : Witt, S.F. & Moutinho, L. (1989). Tourist Product Life Cycle. Tourism Marketing and Management Handbook.

Source 2 : Swarbrooke, J. (2003). The Development and Management of Visitor Attractions, 2^nd ed. Oxford, UK:

Butterworth-Heinemann.

4.2.2. Role and Importance of Planning in Destination Development

Effective destination planning can be used to balance the economic opportunities with the cultural and natural sensitivities of the area.

Planning destination at all levels is essential for achieving successful tourism development and management. The experience of many tourism areas in the world has demonstrated that, on a long-term basis, the planned approach to developing destination can bring benefits without significant problems, and maintain satisfied tourist markets. Places that have allowed tourism to develop without the benefit of planning are often suffering from environmental and social problems. These are detrimental to residents and unpleasant for many tourists, resulting in marketing difficulties and decreasing economic benefits. These uncontrolled tourism areas cannot effectively compete with planned tourism destinations elsewhere. They usually can be redeveloped, based on a planned approach, but that requires much time and financial investment.

There are several important specific benefits of undertaking destination planning. These advantages include:

- Establishing the overall tourism development objectives and policies - what is tourism aiming to accomplish and how can these aims be achieved.

- Developing tourism so that its natural and cultural resources are indefinitely maintained and conserved for future, as well as present, use.

- Integrating tourism into the overall development policies and patterns of the country or region, and establishing linkages between tourism and other economic sectors.

- Providing a rational basis for decision-making by both the public and private sectors on tourism

- Making possible the coordinated development of all the many elements of the tourism sector. This includes inter-relating the tourist attractions, activities, facilities and services and the various and increasingly fragmented tourist markets.

- Optimizing and balancing the economic, environmental and social benefits of tourism, with equitable distribution of these benefits to the society, while minimizing possible problems of tourism.

- Providing a physical structure which guides the location, types and extent of tourism development of attractions, facilities, services and infrastructure.

- Establishing the guidelines and standards for preparing detailed plans of specific tourism development areas that are consistent with, and reinforce, one another, and for the appropriate design of tourist facilities.

- Laying the foundation for effective implementation of the tourism development policy and plan and continuous management of the tourism sector, by providing the necessary organizational and other institutional framework.

- Providing the framework for effective coordination of the public and private sector efforts and investment in developing tourism.

- Offering a baseline for the continuous monitoring of the progress of tourism development and keeping it on track.

Source 1: Inskeep, E. (1994). National and regional tourism planning. London: Routledge Source 2: Community tourism planning guide (2012).Retrieved from

http://www.growourregion.ca/images/file/Tourism/Community_Planning_Tourism_Guide.pdf

Tourism planning and development is not without cost. When the carrying capacity of a destination is exceeded, there will be a number of negative effects on different aspects.