What is planning?

Role of planning

Much tourism development has occurred without a comprehensive tourism plan. We have seen in the previous chapter that, left to chance, tourism can have negative economic, social, cultural and environmental effects on the destination. Additionally, investing in tourism without a plan to guide one's actions can be disastrous for private companies and public agencies. The answer is an integrated plan.

Integrated planning. An integrated plan for tourism destination development is important for several reasons. First, tourism is interdependent. Facilities cannot be viable unless there are attractions to pull tourists into the region. Yet we have also seen that, just as the demand for lodging can create supply (hotel rooms), so the opposite is true. Having hotel rooms for tourists to stay in is necessary before visitors will come. A comprehensive approach taking all of the elements of tourism into account is necessary to ensure that all the pieces fit together.

An integrated planning approach will help ensure that the type of development that results will be one suited to the community. The needs and wishes of the community should be taken into account as part of the planning process. The result will be a type of tourism that is unique to the region (and to the tourist) and one that will tend to be supported by the locals.

As noted earlier, one of the economic benefits of tourism is that it encourages the development of small family businesses. Yet these types of businesses are most likely to have high rates of failure because they lack the management and financial skills of larger concerns. By themselves they have neither the time, money, nor expertise necessary to plan effectively. They can, however become part of a larger umbrella approach to planning.

When banks or government agencies are approached for funding they will want to see some evidence that the proposed project will be successful.

The process of planning and the resulting analysis might be the documentation necessary to obtain such funds. Certainly it will be impossible to get financing without evidence of a plan.

Components of planning

While the process and the output of tourism plans vary, they do tend to have certain components.

Definition of needs. When a destination decides to develop tourism it is generally for a reason. It may be to bring in jobs, obtain foreign-exchange earnings, help stabilize population declines, or to improve local amenities and the quality of life. It is important that the needs of the destination be the focal point for any plan, for this will determine the type of tourism that should be developed. Identifying the needs of the area will not only determine the type and intensity of tourism to develop but also which market segments to go after. When a course of action is in doubt, the ultimate question should be: "Will doing this help solve the needs of the destination?"

Assessment of potential. It is all very well to identify the problems that we wish tourism to solve. However, we must next identify whether or not the community has the potential to attract, keep and satisfy tourists. Such an assessment should begin with a determination of the extent of existing tourism. This provides a point of reference for growth potential. Assessment of a region's potential should include an identification of the area's tourism resources and their quality. It should include such factors as:

Community support. Successful long-term development of a community requires the support of the people in that community. It is very important to take the feelings of the locals into account before embarking on a major project. Often the negative aspects of tourism such as noise, congestion and rising prices are more visible than are the benefits. Gauging community support will serve to identify potential problems later on.

Legal environment. Laws can either ease development, as in the case of grants, or constrain it, as in the case of zoning. The laws and regulations particular to a destination must be known.

Scheduling. Destination development requires many separate activities, some happening at the same time, some which must proceed or follow others. They are organized by means of a schedule. There may be a short-term and a long-term phase. Generally speaking, short-term activities take place over a year; long-term phase activities are those that occur over a longer period of time.

Short-term plans seek to maximize the productivity of existing facilities. Funds are needed for operations while the marketing strategy emphasizes advertising and public relations. The marketing objective is to increase use by the present market, whereas within the local community there is an emphasis on gaining community support and increasing local awareness of the benefits of tourism.

Long-term plans are more concerned with developing new potential facilities. The need is for investment funds while the marketing strategy is on product development. The marketing objective is to attract new markets, whereas in the community the emphasis is on encouraging local entrepreneurs and investors and providing training to upgrade employee skills.

Experience. Ultimate leadership will likely fall to people in the community. Thus, it is vital that they be identified early on in the planning process and heavily involved in the process. Not only will they be able to offer sound advice but they will also be more committed to achieving the objectives of the plan because they have been involved with it.

Measurement. It is not enough to do a good job. People have to know that a good job has been done. The way this can be achieved is through some measurement of the various effects of tourism. By measuring, before and after, such factors as the economic impact of tourism, the number of tourists, and the amount of investments attracted as well as community attitudes, the results of the effort can be determined.

Flexibility. The objective in planning is not to end up with a plan, a finished, bound book that planners can proudly point to. The objective is to set a course for a community. Plans are not static. As situations change, so must the plan. Planning is a continuous process. It may be, in fact, that the major benefit of planning comes from going through the process rather than preparing a written document.

Barriers to planning

A number of problems are associated with planning for tourism. Many people, especially those in free-enterprise economies, are against planning in principle. They feel that tourism planning is an encroachment on individual businesses. A second concern is cost. Properly executed plans depend upon extensive research that must be funded. The public sector is usually called upon to fund extensive projects. A third difficulty relates to the extent of business activities associated with tourism. Because of the many businesses and activities involved in both the private and the public sector, it is difficult to get a unified approach to tourism planning.