Research Topics: Destination Management

Destination Management:Macau

Introduction               From being a Portuguese colony from 1554 to 1974, Macau has emerged to be one of the famous destinations in Far East Asia. It was once called the “Venice of the Far East” and “Monte Carlo of the Far East” today. Located 60km west of Hong Kong and to north of South China Sea, with a total area of 25.8 square kilometers (, 2002), it became Macau Special Administrative Region, SAR, of China in 1999. Like Hong Kong, aside from having its own flag system, China’s socialist economic system is not practice in Macau despite being under China’s sovereignty.                             The territory of Macau includes the Peninsula of Macau and the islands of Taipa and Coloane which are connected by bridges and causeway. Densely urban, it has no arable land for farming and depends on the production of fish and shellfish. The city has population of about 465, 300, mostly living in the peninsula, about 95.7% are Chinese and 1.8% are Portuguese descent (). The culture of Macau is a combination of European and the rich Chinese culture from religion, cuisine, attractions and language as well as on its architecture, lifestyle and traditions which are evident on various museums and monuments across the city. Rooting on its history, Portuguese colonizers were attracted to Macau and made it as a staging port for transporting goods from Lisbon to Japan and as a trading post for China-Japan trade. From that time up to the early 1950s, the city relied heavily on trade but after the World War II, organized gambling, tourism, light manufacturing industry and the availability of cheap labor emerged followed by the construction of office buildings, hotels and casinos (, 1993).             The Portuguese would not be interested in the place if it has not been a significant source of wealth, may it be because of its strategic geographical location, the people or the opportunities in the country. The focus of this paper is basically what makes Macau a competitive destination. The paper also discusses the importance of socio-cultural sustainability in the competitiveness of Macau and determines how the city attracts tourism which is Macau’s primary source of wealth. Findings   Gambling: The Beginning of Tourism Macau is considered to be one of the hottest tourist destinations in Asia and tourism has been Macau’s leading economic sector. Tourism employs 30 percent of Macau’s total working population (, 2002). As noted above, Macau lacks of natural resources but has rich cultural and historical heritage and architectures aside from the unplanned tourism rooted from legalized gambling which became one of the tourism activities in Macau.             Gambling was the one which started tourism in Macau. Macau, as early as the 17th century, according to a Franciscan friar, (1991), was dominated by robbery, gambling, drunkenness, cheating and other vices. In 1934, the Portuguese government granted monopoly rights to all casino-style gambling and assigned a franchise contract to Tai Xing Co., the biggest gambling house in Macau that time (2003). In 1949, all forms of gambling were banned in China by the Chinese government, leaving Macau to be the only place in the Chinese region where gambling was permitted (, 2003).             The taking over of the franchise contract from Tai Xing Co.to a privately owned company named the Sociedad de Turismo de Diversoes de Macau, STDM, in 1962 (2003) started the contribution of the gambling industry to the economy of Macau. STDM introduced Western games to the Chinese-style casino and developed a modern and well-organized gaming industry (2003). STDM, invested in infrastructure development such as hotels and ferries to provide transportation and accommodation services to tourists from Hong Kong (, 2003).             Gambling, from then on, became the key industry in Macau. With the development of infrastructures in Macau, gambling and casinos in Macau attract many tourists and foreigners from different parts of the world, generating revenue for Macau with about 60% of Macau’s GDP in 2002 (2003).        Currently, the gaming industry in Macau can be compared to the industry in Las Vegas, coining Macau as the “Monte Carlo of the Far East”. Destination Competitiveness             Destination competitiveness can be defined as having a competitive advantage over alternative destinations open to potential visitors. It can also be the total attractiveness of a destination and the integrity of the experiences it delivers to visitors (, 2006). Competitiveness is associated with three major groups of thoughts: comparative advantage and price competitiveness perspective (1990); a strategy and management perspective; and a historical and cultural perspective (1989).             The bases for destination competitiveness are the core resources and attractors which include physiography and climate, culture and history, market ties, mix of activities, special events, entertainment and superstructures (1999). Supporting factors are also bases of sustainability which include infrastructure, accessibility of destination, hospitality and facilitating resources and enterprise (, 1999).             The core resources and the supporting factors can be enhanced and capitalized through destination management. This includes activities of destination management organizations, destination marketing management, destination policy, planning and development, human resource development and environmental management.               Moreover, according to (1993), to be competitive, a destination’s development of tourism must be sustainable, not just economically and ecologically but socially, culturally and politically as well. Destination Competitiveness of Macau             Tourist arrivals to Macau in 2002 topped over 11.5 million ( 2002) and continue to increase every year especially with the development in casinos and promotion of tourism through its culture.  Having tourism as the primary source of wealth, Macau should be able to maintain the high value of tourism in the city through destination competitiveness. Analyzing competitiveness of Macau as a destination, its main edge over other destination is its “East meets West” culture, making it a unique destination. Its attractors from the temples, cultural heritages, and buildings are combinations are combinations of Portuguese and Chinese cultures. Looking at historical and cultural perspective, Macau has really an edge over other destination especially in Asia. Attractions in Macau, Its Core Resources Macau Has been the Mecca of the casino industry in Asia Pacific Rim, with 10 casinos as well as horse and greyhound racing (1999; 1997). The casino business contributed more than one half of the Macau’s GDP in 1997 (1998). The percentage declined to approximately 40% in 1999; however, gambling and tourism still provided about 60% of the government revenue in 1999 (Bowman, 1999). Majority of tourists visit Macau with a single purpose of gambling, mostly from Hong Kong (2000). Most visitors to Macau were Hong Kong day-trippers who partake in casino gambling activities (1997). Visitors from East Asian and Southeast Asian countries, including Hong Kong, have accounted for 95% – 96% of the total inbound travelers between 1995 and 1999. Arrivals from China have continued to increase, especially with a significant growth rate of 83% from 1998 to 1999 (, 2000). Taiwanese and Japanese accounted for between 10% and 15% of the total traveler composition during the past five-year period (2000). Macau is located near South China Sea and in the monsoon region, having a climate of mild and rainy in summer. The most comfortable period is from October to December. The winter season in the city covers the month of January and February while summer is from May to September. One of the latest attractions in Macau is the Fisherman’s Wharf, the first themed attraction in the city located at Macau’s outer harbor which can be compared and compete with the Disneyland in Hong Kong and Tokyo.             As Portuguese also brought Catholicism in Macau, a number of temples and churches serve as tourist spots in the city. The most famous of them is the Ruins of St. Paul which was built in 1602 and was burned in 1835 has remained its architecturally designed façade. Aside from Catholic churches, Buddhists temples can also be seen across Macau. The A-ma Temple is the most famous of them. Other attractions in Macau are the Macau Tower and Conventi0on Center which is the 10th highest freestanding tower in the world and 8th in Asia, taller than the Eiffel Tower of Paris. The tower offers panoramic views of the Macau, China, the Pearl River and some islands of Hong Kong; and the Monte Fort Corridor which features the Macao Heritage Tour exhibition (, 2006).             All the attractions in Macau, as noted above, are the core resources which are the bases of competitiveness. They serve Macau’s competitive advantage over the others because they reflect the culture and history of Macau. Tourists re interested in exploring and experiencing the culture of a destination. Cultural tourism is defined as the activity which enables people to explore or experience the different way of life of other people, reflecting social customs, religious traditions and the intellectual ideas of cultural heritage which may be unfamiliar (, 2003). Supporting Factors             Macau has begun developing tourist facilities. In 1995, Macau opened the Macau International Airport which serves as a vital link to the neighboring Hong Kong, Southern China, the Pacific Rim and other parts of the world (1999). The city is also considered as one of the modern, well-equipped cities in Asia and part of its modernization are reclamation land projects such as the Nam Van Lakes that has added 20 percent more land to the Macau Peninsula (1999). This reclaimed land has being developed into recreational, business and residential spaces. Transportation links has also been upgraded such as the improvement of the Ka Ho Port and the city’s water supply and treatment plants are now recognized as meeting world’s standards.             At present, Macau has over 100 hotels including the Holiday Inn, Hotel Lisboa, Mandarin Oriental Hotel and the Royal Macau hotel with entertainment and recreational facilities such as bars and restaurants serving authentic Chinese and Western Cuisine. Destination Management Organization According to Macau Government Tourist Office which serves as the Destination Management Organization, DMO, of Macau, the first tourism office in Macau was only under the Economic Department in 1957 (2003) whose functions were limited to providing communication and information services to tourists and did not function as marketing and advertising sector for tourism. In 1980s, the Portuguese government, realizing that they were beginning to lack political power over Macau due to de-colonization, felt the need to preserve the cultural heritage and influence over Macau thus the foundation of Macau Government Tourist Office, MGTO, in 1995 which plays important role in the tourism industry of Macau (2002).             MGTO has a vision of making Macau “an independent, multi-faceted, short-break destination and gateway”. Its role is to promote and advertise tourism in Macau and creates projects and events that will promote local performing arts, lifestyles, religious events and ceremonies as well as the variety of museums and historical buildings across Macau (2003). One strategy of the organization is to have links with countries all over the world by setting up 18 marketing or public relations offices in different countries including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, India, Australia, New Zealand, United States, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, United Kingdom, and France (, 2006). Through these marketing offices, it can easily promote Macau as a tourist destination along with the events and tourism projects in Macau. MGTO provided direction to the tourism development, and structured the image of the destination and influenced tourists’ cultural experience (2003). Basically, MGTO formulates strategies and action plans and market tourism in Macau.             Under the MGTO are the Cultural Institute of Macau and the Cultural Heritage Department who worked closely on heritage building conservation for the purpose of “affirmation of identity” (2002). The cultural institute aims to maintain, preserve and renovate the local cultural, historical and architectural heritage and to develop regulations to ensure that it remains available for the public to enjoy. The promotion of research to help the community understand Macau’s culture and heritage better is another of its goals (, 2002).            As the DMO of Macau, MGTO leads and coordinate the tourism sectors in Macau. Socio-Cultural Sustainability              The preservation of social and cultural assets is very important for Macau. Its social and rich cultural assets are its core resource and its main advantage over other destinations. Also, because of tourism, Macau has realized the importance of preserving these assets not only for economic reasons but more importantly for the enhancement of the status of Macau and for the history the city. The Sino-Portuguese culture of Macau gives us the concept of ‘East meets West’ tourism industry. Macau has effectively developed the gaming and tourism industry and has preserved its uniqueness from other Chinese cities as well to other cities in Asia.             The Cultural Institute of Macau with a budget of over USmillion in 2002 has enacted a broad strategy for the publication, establishment and maintenance of libraries and archives, cultural and artistic events, arts and film festival to the running and maintenance of the Macau Conservatory, the Museum of Macau and various libraries (2006).             The Macau Government Tourist Office has its own website. The website is generally intended for promotions and for tourists. It features the different events and projects of the tourism industry, travel information and most especially the different must-sees in Macau.             The Cultural Heritage Department is the one more focus on the sustainability and preservation of cultural heritage of Macau. The department is responsible in classifying, restoring, renovating and upgrading Macau’s cultural heritage, including buildings and artifacts. It issues reports limiting building work in the protected area and drawing up plans to restore buildings that are in the state of decay (, 2006). It also publishes laws that protect the cultural heritage of Macau (see appendix A). Sustainable tourism can be effectively be implemented through an effective legislative framework that establishes standards that should be follow by different sectors.             As part of sustaining tourism in Macau, the liberalization of gambling took over in 2002 that attracted Las Vegas gaming consortia such as The Venetian and Wynn Resorts (2006). Macau has maintained its comparative advantage over other Asian countries in Asia where gambling is heavily restricted. No other city in Asia is vying to become the region’s gambling capital (2005). Macau’s stiffest competition comes from Las Vegas where rich Asians go for gambling. But this comparative advantage of Macau should have sustainability plan because Hong Kong and other neighboring countries like Korea and Singapore are planning to expand their gambling industries. Hong Kong has a plan to build casinos near Disneyland aiming to have new sources of tax revenue (2005).             Because of the tourism in Macau, other assets such infrastructures, airports and transportation facilities as well as hotels and entertainment infrastructures were developed in Macau and being sustained through the Macau Government Tourist Office and other organizations formed by the government. Macau has also maintained its comparative advantage over other Asian countries in Asia where gambling is heavily restricted. No other city in Asia is vying to become the region’s gambling capital (2005). Macau’s stiffest competition comes from Las Vegas where rich Asians go for gambling. But this comparative advantage of Macau should have sustainability plan because Hong Kong and other neighboring countries like Korea and Singapore are planning to expand their gambling industries. Hong Kong has a plan to build casinos near Disneyland aiming to have new sources of tax revenue (2005). Conclusion             Generally, tourism can be promoted through flaunting and promoting effectively the core resources of a destination. Behind its promotion should be a well planned activities backed up by policy that will make the industry sustainable not only economically but also socially and culturally.             Macau’s tourism and gambling industry is deeply rooted on its history making it a competitive destination not only in Asia but also in the world. Its government aim of preserving Macau’s rich cultural heritage led to tourism and apparently tourism helps in the sustainability of the culture and history of Macau making the industry plays key role in the economic development of Macau.             It can be concluded that because of the incorporation of the culture of Portuguese with the Chinese culture, people find the place attractive. Through proper destination management of Macau’s Destination Management Organization, the MGTO, Macau has been developed into a hot tourist destination.      Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Destination Management:Macau

Introduction From being a Portuguese colony from 1554 to 1974, Macau has emerged to be one of the famous destinations in Far...

DESTINATION PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

Destination Planning and Development   Executive Summary               This paper discusses information about podcasting and its impact on the development of tourist destinations.  Also cited as part of podcast nature and potential, is its growing popularity on ebusinesses nowadays.  This chapter also discusses the mechanism of podcasting on how it works and its advantages.  Finally, several podcasting potentials are being mentioned that suggest ways for the development of destinations for tourists attraction.    Introduction               Podcasting is a combination of two words, “iPod” and “Broadcasting”.  It is the distribution of audio or video files, such as radio programs or music videos, over the Internet using either Really Simple Syndication (RSS) or Atom Syndication for listening on mobile devices and personal computers (as cited in ).  Podcast is then described as web feed of audio or video files placed on the Internet for anyone to download or subscribe.              Podcasting is a term coined in 2004 along with the popularity of the RSS technologies in distributing audio content for listening on mobile devices and personal computers.  While it has been known in the year 2004, the RSS enclosure syndication technique had been used with video files since 2001.               (2005) simplified the definition of podcasting.  He said that Podcasting is the use of RSS news feeds to distribute information about MP3 audio files.  News feeds make it easy for listeners to discover new programming and automatically download it to a computer or portable media player.   (2005) then followed-up with a definition of podcast as a collection of audio files in MP3 format, represented by an RSS 2.0 news feed, that together make up a channel or show.  Nowadays, podcasts include personal audio blogs, public radio shows, advertainment podcasts, music programming, audio tour guides, audio books and a range of educational content.  In summing it up, Podcasting is a method of making audio files available online in a manner that allows software to automatically download the files for listening at the user’s convenience.                Along with Podcasting’s emergence as one of the major new Internet technologies for 2005, it is still yet adopted by most ebusinesses.  However,  (2005) have cited several reasons that podcasting can be of great use to ebusinesses as a tool.  1)      Podcasts lower the threshold for publishing audio content 2)      Podcasts encourage two-way communication with listeners 3)      Podcasts extend the reach of Internet sites 4)      Podcasting can be used to increase the frequency of contact with customers 5)      Podcasts make audio files easy to find on the Internet Podcasts create a new channel for Web sites to communicate with customers.  For the reason that Podcasts are audio-based, they open up opportunities for companies to deliver audio-specific content, including music, speeches and radio-style shows.    Podcasting Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages ·          Users have full control over what they listen to and where and when they listen. ·          Audio files can be downloaded onto an MP3 player which students can take away and listen to in their own time.  ·          Podcasting provides the educator with another way of meeting students’ needs.     ·          Family members can access podcasts at home and keep up to date with what is going on the classroom.                Disadvantages  ·          Computers need sufficient bandwidth for downloading the MP3 audio files.  ·          Podcasting is not designed for two-way interaction or audience participation.  ·          Amateur podcasts do not have the same quality as professional broadcasts.  ·          Some initial training is needed ().        Podcasting Mechanism               Podcasting is adopting the version of push technology in the model of publish/subscribe in which the information provider chooses which files to offer in a feed and the subscriber chooses among available feed channels.              Podcasting is an automatic mechanism by which multimedia computer files are transferred from a server to a client which pulls down XML files containing the Internet addresses of the media files.  Generally, these files contain audio or video, but could be also images, text, PDF, or any file type.  A podcast is generally analogous to a recorded television or radio series.    Podcasting as an aid for destination development               There are wide ranges of potential technology investments to help modernize the legacy systems, streamline distribution that will add value for travel consumers in travel industry.  The challenge would then lies in identifying which emerging technologies would have potential to provide a competitive advantage for the industry with due consideration on its long-term potential to transform the industry.              In a research conducted by  and company about the effects of emerging technologies on the travel, tourism and hospitality marketplace found that 71% of respondents indicated that data mining is currently important to their organization while technologies chosen least frequently as being currently important to respondents’ organizations were podcasting (4%), hybrid cell phones (8%) and virtual reality (10%).  Apparently, podcasting casts the least percentage for the simple reason that this technology is not widely known to travel organizations.  This would support  (2005) on his paper about the podcasting awareness in the earlier statement.  However, experts, even the respondents, expected that those three least important technologies today would be more important in the next five years.  Several other technologies appear to take off including the RSS casting 45%.   Podcast Potentials               Initially, podcasting’s appeal is to allow individuals to distribute their own radio shows; but nowadays the system is increasingly used for many other reasons.  There are actually a lot of other reasons for the use of podcasting which range from Education purposes to Law enforcement and it has found its great use in the field of tourism.  1.      Tourist Destinations can take advantage of podcasting in a way to distribute their multimedia news to journalists and tourists through companies.  Podcasting can be of great use for news organizations to distribute audio or video as an advertisement of the destination in promoting the place.  2.      In Canberra, Australia, podcasting can be of great use in providing details about Canberra’s famous Aboriginal Tent Embassy.  It would include the features of the attraction as well as pictures and its location in Canberra which will be easily accessed by tourists.  3.      The information provided by a website on National Gallery of Australia and the High court is not so detailed and much more unattractive to visitors’ eyes.  With this, podcasting will be of perfect use for the enhancement of this tourist destination for online visitors.  Podcasting can provide 360 videos on the views inside the National Gallery and the High Court available for online visitors for free access.  4.      A simple yet a good tourist destination in Australia lies somewhere in Kingston – The Kingston Bed and Breakfast.  It is a beautiful guest house however; there is somewhat limited information about the place provided by a tourism website.  Relevant information on the features of this guest house will be made easily accessible by podcasting.  It would comprise taking pictures and videos inside the house and podcast it to the site which will be available for all.  Online visitors can then take advantage of the free virtual tour of the place. 5.      In France, Avignon is famous for its two celebrated attractions – Le Palais des Papes (Pope’s Palace and Pont St Benezet.  Although the city Avignon is in properly discussed in detailed, there wasn’t videos or even pictures displayed so as to give overview of the attraction for tourist.  Colorful as it is, Avignon can be of as bright as it will be through the use of podcasting in promoting its destination attractions.  The information provided by a site about the city of Avignon find its ideal help on the use of podcasting.  Podcasting can further describe what the city can offer through pictures, audios, or videos in every attraction described.  6.      When a website describes places in Alicante, Spain about their tourist-attracting destination which is perfect for relaxation, it wouldn’t be enough for tourists to read through it.  Podcasting can provide pictures for places described as the description goes to provide visual information to the visitors online.  7.      The Mt. Jiuhua in Huangshan City of China boasts 99 peaks and 18 scenic spots in its area and is considered one of the best resorts in China due to its marvelous landscape and pleasant climate.  However, pictures and other visual and audio information about the 99 peaks and 18 scenic spots were not available in the site.  Fortunately, with podcasting this information can still be enhanced.  By the time Mt. Jiuhua describe its beauty, the HTML file can be added with pictures, audios, or videos through podcast that would visually describe the scenery.  8.      Being the largest mosque in India, Jama Masjid would have its increasing number of tourists by posting not only one picture of the place (as it is) and its description but with audios and videos taken from the mosque.  This can be done through podcasting.  Podcasting would lift Jama Masjid in the tourism market by simply adding audio and video coverage of the area posted along with pictures to visually support the details previously stated about the mosque.  9.      Podcasting would certainly be of great help in enhancing Thailand’s tourist destinations.  Through it, Thailand’s gilded temples will be portrayed visually on how it looks.  Moreover, a video tour of the Canal and River Cruising (which Thailand is famous of) would be made available through podcasting.  This would definitely fascinate tourist as it will help in showing the wonderful experience.  10. As a Garden City, Singapore can make use of podcasting by enhancing its tourism website.  To show that Singapore has its tourism centered on natures and parks, podcasting can help through providing pictures and videos on this destination resource.  The sound of nature on Singapore tourism website would give an impression to visitors that can be easily provided by the use of podcasting.    Conclusion             Being the latest in internet technology, podcasting gains an increasing acceptance into the electronic world.  Though its desirable impact on ebusinesses is still to be expected and predicted due to its early stage of development, this new technology enormously help a lot of areas specially on the development of tourist destinations.  Apparently, it seems like tourism is not even accustomed to the advantages that podcasting will bring to the industry.  Despite the fact that it is still in the least important matter for the ebusiness organizations, after-five-years prediction is believed to be realized as podcasting shows a lot of advantages even in its premature stage of discovery.                REFERENCES         APPENDICES         Atom syndication – is a kind of syndication that allows internet users to subscribe to websites that change or add content regularly.   RSS – is a family of web feed formats, specified in XML and used for Web syndication.  It is used by news websites, weblogs and podcasting.  The abbreviation varies with the following standards: <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal"> Rich Site Summary (RSS 0.91) </li> <li class="MsoNormal"> RDF Site Summary (RSS .9 and 1.0) </li> <li class="MsoNormal"> Real Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0) </li> </ul>   Push Technology – also called server push, describes an internet-based content delivery system where information is delivered from a central server to a client computer based upon a predefined set of request parameters outlined by the client computer.  Also refers to technologies where there is insufficient market demand (or market pull).   Web feed – is a document which contains content items, often summaries of stories or weblog posts with web links to longer versions.   Weblog – is a website in which items are posted on a regular basis and displayed in reverse chronological order.   Web syndication – is a form of syndication in which a section of a website is made available for other sites to use.     XML (Extensible Markup Language) – is a general purpose markup language for creating special-purpose markup languages, capable of describing many different kinds of data.                     Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

DESTINATION PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

Destination Planning and Development Executive Summary This paper discusses information about podcasting and its impac...

Tourist Destination: Planning and Development

Contributions of destination of development models to destination planning             Tourism is one of the recreational practices an individual undertakes. People who exercise tourism are called tourists. According to  (2005) due to the fact that tourism is now one of the most popular recreational activity of people all over the world, in the year 2004 around 763 million tourists arrive in various parts of the world. Tourism plays a vital and crucial role in the economy of any country because the income and profit that is being obtained by the utilisation of products and services of the tourists will generate taxes which can be levied to the government. In addition, tourism provides employment and aids in the development of the economy of the nation. According to  (2000) tourism is not just a recreational and decorative activity but instead tourism correlates centrally to the modernity in numerous dimensions such as politics, moral, economical and technological.             This paper examines the various models of development destination. Models such as the Tourist Area Life Cycle, Resort Development Spectrum, and Touristisation model will be discussed. In addition the strengths and weaknesses of the three models will also be discussed in this paper. In the Tourist Area Life Cycle (TALC) Model the stages will be examined. The TALC model will be illustrated using the Danxia Mountain in People’s Republic of China wherein the development stages are highlighted. The measures that the tourism authority has taken up in the product re-organisation, transformation, rejuvenation, and specialisation of the Danxia Mountain in People’s Republic of China will also be discussed. Finally, a conclusion will be made at the end of this paper.             Hong Kong is one of the most popular destinations in the world and the tourism industry is one of the most important aspects in the economy of Hong Kong.  According to the  (2007) the industry held another record last 2006 in which more than 25 million tourists arrived in Hong Kong. In order to maintain the number of tourist arrivals in Hong Kong, the tourism department plans, develops, and audits the possible competitive destination. Tourism planning, according to  (1985) is the procedure which is concerned with expecting and regulating the transformation in the system in order to enhance the methodical development benefits from the society, economy, and the environment. In planning, especially, in the industry such as tourism the stakeholder plays an important role. A stakeholder is an individual or group of individuals that is changed negatively by the causes and the consequences of the issues and decisions (1992).              According to (2002) there are two approaches in tourism destination planning and these are project planning approach and organic planning approach. In project planning approach the steps include determining the sponsorship of the projects, and also the leaders behind it. The tourism authority must set goals that must be attained within the timeframe. Examine systematically the strengths and weaknesses of the planned project. Determine the purpose of the project and identify the best strategy to utilise. Designate the priorities and responsibilities of the individuals involved in the project. Excite the people involved and guide the development of the plan, and then monitor the development and review the feedback Organic planning process on the other hand includes the following steps the determination of the problem and opportunities within the planned project, establishment of goals that must be attainable, analysis of the area of the project, as well as, the entire location of the project, detailed studies on the project and are, planning the concepts of the business, as well as, the options involved, development of the guidelines, creating detailed designs of the project, implementation of the designs and the project, and management and evaluation of the project.             In developing the destinations in any country a destination development model is important. There are three types of destination development models and these are the Tourist Area Life Cycle, the Resort Development Model, and the Touristization Model. Resort Development Spectrum- according to  (2000) it is a destination development model wherein the tourist destination is usually a commercial area wherein the products and the services are produced and sold to the tourists. These commercial facilities entice the existing and new markets in which it develops new products and facilities.             In addition, according to Predeaux the capacity of a tourist destination to expand will be determined by the infrastructure of the area if the infrastructure is poor then most probably there would be fewer financiers that will invest in the area, transport is another aspect in expansion, if the area is not accessible to transportation, inviting investors to expand will be hard, ecological constraints such as storms and earthquakes could also hamper the expansion of the tourist destination, the physical constraints such as the political stability in the area, and the attractiveness of the resources, if the destination could be an attractive destination especially for investors, then there is a probability that they would invest in order to expand the area.             Resort Development Spectrum has its own share of strengths and weaknesses. According to  (2003) the advantage of the resort development spectrum model is that it is multidimensional and based on an understanding of the demand-side response to the market that operates in resorts and integrates the elements of Fordist and post- Fordist interpretation of the production and demand. Moreover, the model can be a possible candidate for planning tool in predicting the patterns of resort development in the future. However, there are disadvantages of the model, according  (2004) the disadvantages of disadvantages and limitations of the model are over-commercialization and a poor image most resorts or tourist destinations are overly commercialised and tends to be over-crowded which can lead to a negative perception of the place by the existing and possible tourists, another is the deterioration of the physical environment due to mass tourism. It includes the loss of the natural habitats of the plants and animals and increase in air, water, and noise pollution and even damage to the historic places, and then the lack of investment because of over-dependence of the package holiday which is characterised by high volume and low yield.   Touristisation Model- according to  (1983) this destination development model focuses on developing the rural area for tourism. Young enumerated the stages in the touristisation model and these are: <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Early traditional</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Late traditional</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Initial tourism in which the rural areas are explored to determine potential tourist destinations.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Early tourism in this stage the government as well as the government and private sectors are involved in planning and developing the destination.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Expanding tourism in this stage the plans are created and put into action.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Consolidation stage in which all of the development projects and ideas are united.</li> </ul> Touristization model juts like other destination development models have strengths and weaknesses. One of the strength of the model is that it helps the people, particularly of low-income status living in a possible tourist destination to gain extra income. Areas that are good locations for tourist destination can be developed in order to attract possible tourists in the area. However, the model has its share of disadvantages; according to  (2003) utilisation of touristisation model will slowly lose the identity of the place, in traditional societies the quick leap from the traditional way of earning to a faster one through tourism seemed to be immoral and almost indecent. In addition, the changes that occur in traditional villages would relate directly to the differences in the aesthetic, ethical and economic values between those proposing the tourism development and the people that want to retain their traditional way of living. In addition, the economic advantages relies upon the people living in the area whether they will accept the drastic changes in their way of living, culture and even personal identities. Tourist Area Life Cycle- according to (1980) this destination development model is utilised for the evolution of a destination. In addition, Butler (2006) TALC model has proven to be an important aspect in articulating the evolution of the area for tourism, at the same time, verifying the imitation of the predictable pattern of the stages of the lifecycle such as introduction, expansion, consolidation, and contraction which is related to all types of organisation may it be biological, genetic, cognitive, cultural ecological, or economic.             From the three destination development model, the most preferred especially by developed nations is the Tourist Area Life Cycle, due to the fact that the model goes with the flow in the changes and preferences of the customers. Tourism is also a business, and businesses constantly evolved in order to keep up with the trends and the competition with others. Although Tourism Area Life Cycle is often favoured by a number of sectors in the society particularly the tourism government authorities, there are still disadvantages of the said model. According to  TALC Model has its strengths, and one of those is it is useful in interpreting and explaining the past and can be utilised as one of the prime attractions in the tourist destinations. In addition, in the context of fully-developed destinations the TALC model could be utilised in a strategic manner to instigate action to prevent the decline. Moreover, strength of the model according to  (2006) is that it is a useful tool for understanding the development patterns of mass tourism destinations.  The disadvantages of the model were discussed by some critics of the model and one of those is Agarwal (1994) he discussed that the model should have alternative and additional stages after the stagnation stage of the original model. In addition, according to Baum the original TALC Model does not acknowledge the probability of having further stages which could take place as associated alternatives to either decline or rejuvenation. Another limitation of the model, according to Morais et al is that the TALC Model is not applicable model of tourism particularly in the developing world wherein the appropriate model is the ethnic tourism.             The stages in the Tourist Area Life Cycle, according to Prideaux are the following: <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Exploration- an area usually not yet developed is explored in order to determine if it has the potential of being a tourist destination. The task force hired by the tourism authority and the consultants are the individuals involved in the exploration of new places. </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Involvement- once the place is explored and has been considered as a possible tourist destination, the relevant individuals and group of individuals are going to discuss about the development plans in the area, concerns such as in the environment will be tackled.  </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Development- once the key organisations and individuals have finished discussing and have come in to terms then the development of the project will begin. </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Consolidation- the elements that are important in developing a new tourist destination are merged in order to perform a related function. Example while the area is being developed, the government as well as the owners of the businesses in the area will promote the destination to attract more consumers.  </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Stagnation- it is the period when the tourist destination has little or nor growth at all. Stagnation usually happens if a problem occurred such as damaged of property due to calamities like earthquakes and storms, or even outbreak of a disease such as SARS. The income generated from the tourist destination declines during this particular stage. </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Decline to Rejuvenation- if the tourism authority, as well as, the owners are keen in gaining more profit they would look for ways to restore the vitality and vibrancy of the tourist destination. An example is during the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong wherein the tourism industry was greatly affected and a number of tourists have withdrawn their visits, however after that stagnation Hong Kong was able to recuperate from the financial losses and once again became one of the premier destinations in Asia.  </li> </ul> According to  () tourism area life cycle model is simple, plausible, and obtains interesting outcomes, it is the first analytical framework that incorporates the features of demand and supply of the customers. The Application of Tourist Life Cycle Model in Danxia Mountain             According to Danxia Mountain is one of the most famous geological parks in the People’s Republic of China and it is located in the northern part of the Guangdong Province. The area is approximately 180 square kilometres. The usual features of the mountain are its red hills and stones. Exploration- the place has not been explored by the tourism authority for numerous years. The tourism authority was able to examine the area and determine possible tourist attractions which are the temples in Guangdong that were built 1200 years ago.  Involvement- upon determining that the area could be a possible tourist attraction the group of individuals that were involved created plans to develop the area. The development of a new attraction was discussed and around 3.5 square kilometres of Danxia Mountain was opened for tourists. Development- even though it is not a major attraction, a number of people have visits Danxia Mountain already, however the development of the mountain began in 1970s; this is he development stage of the Mountain. Consolidation- Danxia Mountain was successful in attracting tourists, and it became an important pilgrimage destination for the Buddhists, at the same time, the area became popular for its scenic view of the sunrise, as well as, the sights that the mountain beholds. Stagnation- however the tourist arrivals in Danxia Mountain have declined due to mismanagement and a tougher competition from other resorts in China, as well as, in Asia. The number of tourists became stagnant until the tourists that visits the place declined. The tourism authority still made efforts to promote the destination, but still it was not enough to lure the visitors. Decline to Rejuvenation- the tourist influx in Danxi Mountain has immensely decreased despite of the efforts made by various sectors in the industry. In order to revive the splendour of the Danxia Mountain Prof.  was invited to work in reviving the mountain. The main reason for the decline of tourist arrivals was the poor management of the area, and in order to solve that problem the image of Danxia Mountain will be enhanced and the resort will open new attractions. After careful deliberation on the situation, the team of Prof. Bao selected YangYuan Stone as the main feature of the resort, aside from the new attractions it offered. And in the year 1995 the Danxia Mountain received tourists again and the outcome has been positive because the arrivals have been increasing since it opened again.               In addition, according to Butler the first application of the Tourist Life Cycle Model in China was in Danxia Mountain in 1993, wherein Professor Jigang Bao found out that the mountain was in its Stagnation Stage and the best way to attract new tourists is to develop new tourist attractions, and after deliberating the factors associated with developing new attractions the Yangyuan Stone Scenic Spot was selected as the new attraction afterwards it was developed. Danxia Mountain was quickly rejuvenated after selecting and adding new tourist spots in the area.             The successful utilisation of the Tourist Area Life Cycle model in the planning and developing of Danxia Mountain exhibited that the appropriate analysis of the area could determine the proper ways in rejuvenating and reviving the tourist destination. Conclusion             Tourism is one of the pillars in the economy of Hong Kong and it is an important source of income for the nation. Hong Kong has already faced a number of challenges in their tourism industry; it has experienced ups and downs due to a number of reasons. But despite of those, Hong Kong remained one of the premier tourist destinations not just in the Asia Pacific Region but in the whole world as well. In order to keep and even increase the amount of tourist arrivals in the nation, the tourism authority of Hong Kong must utilised various forms of destination development, they can use any of the three models to promote and maintain the tourist destinations. In order to ensure that the developments of new destinations, as well as the existing destinations are tourist and investor friendly, the tourism authority should monitor the new developments in the area. Aside from monitoring the developments in the tourist destinations, the authorities, as well as, the people involved such as the investors and the public should identify the measures that would improve the situation, and alleviate the problems even if it is small. Through this, the authorities could be able to prevent the catastrophes from emerging. TALC model is the first tourism framework developed and aside from the fact that it is a model for destination development it could also be utilised in monitoring the evolution of the area, TALC could be able to determine whether the area is already stagnant and authorities will be able to prevent the decline of the area. TALC is also an appropriate tool for longer tourism plans because the stages are created for a longer span of time. The authorities could already visualise future problems and they could create risk measures to counter those probable problems. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Tourist Destination: Planning and Development

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