Study Notes: Tourism Concepts and Principles

Hello everyone! Welcome to your study notes for "Tourism Concepts and Principles". This is the foundation for everything we'll learn in Tourism and Hospitality Studies. We'll explore what tourism really is, why people travel, and how it affects the world around us. Don't worry if some words seem new – we'll break everything down into easy-to-understand pieces. Let's get started!


1. The Basics of Tourism

(i) What is Tourism? An Integrated Discipline

Think of tourism not as a single subject, but as a big pizza with many different slices. Each slice is another subject! Tourism borrows ideas from geography (Where do people go?), business (How do hotels make money?), sociology (How do tourists and locals interact?), and more. That's why we call it an integrated discipline – it integrates, or combines, many areas of study.

(ii) Travel vs. Tourism vs. Tourist - What's the Difference?

These words are often used together, but they mean different things. It's a common point of confusion, so let's clear it up!

  • Travel: This is the simplest one. It's just the act of moving from one place to another. For example, taking the MTR from Tsim Sha Tsui to Mong Kok is travel.
  • Tourism: This is a special kind of travel. It's when people travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business, and other purposes. The key is that it's temporary and away from home.
  • Tourist: A person who does tourism! The most common definition is someone who stays in a destination for at least 24 hours (i.e., one night). Someone who visits for less than 24 hours is often called an excursionist or a same-day visitor.
(iii) Factors Affecting Tourism Development

Why do some places become tourist hotspots while others don't? It's all about encouraging and prohibiting factors.

Factors that ENCOURAGE tourism (Help it grow):

  • More disposable income: People have extra money to spend on holidays after paying for necessities.
  • More leisure time: Shorter working weeks and more public holidays mean more time to travel.
  • Better transport technology: Faster planes, high-speed trains make it easier and cheaper to get around.
  • Better information technology: It's easy to book flights and hotels online and see reviews.
  • Political stability: People feel safe visiting countries that are peaceful.

Factors that PROHIBIT tourism (Stop it from growing):

  • Economic recession: People have less money, so holidays are the first thing they cut back on.
  • Political instability or war: Tourists will avoid places they see as dangerous.
  • Natural disasters: Events like earthquakes or typhoons can destroy infrastructure and scare visitors away.
  • Disease outbreaks: A pandemic, like COVID-19, can shut down global travel completely.
(iv) Career Prospects in Tourism

Studying tourism opens up many doors! It's not just about being a tour guide. You could work in:

  • Airlines: Cabin crew, ground staff, marketing.
  • Hotels: Front desk, guest relations, event management.
  • Travel Agencies: Planning and selling holiday packages.
  • Government Bodies: Like the Hong Kong Tourism Board, promoting the city.
  • Attractions: Working at theme parks, museums, or nature reserves.

Did you know? The tourism industry is one of the world's largest employers, creating millions of jobs globally!

(v) Being a Good Tourist: Codes of Behaviour

A responsible tourist is someone who respects the place they are visiting. This means:

  • Respecting local culture and customs: For example, dressing appropriately when visiting temples.
  • Protecting the environment: Don't leave litter, don't damage coral reefs, save water in your hotel.
  • Supporting the local economy: Buy souvenirs from local artists, eat at local restaurants.
  • Being aware of safety and security.

Tourists also have concerns and special needs. For example, a family with young children might need a hotel with a kids' club, while an elderly tourist might need wheelchair access.


KEY TAKEAWAY: Tourism is a complex industry that involves people travelling away from home for a temporary period. It's influenced by money, safety, and technology, and being a good tourist means respecting the destination you visit.


2. Why and How People Travel

(i) Different Forms of Travel

People travel for many different reasons. Here are the main forms you need to know:

  • Leisure/Holiday Tourism: The most common type! Travelling for fun, relaxation, and sightseeing. (e.g., A family trip to Ocean Park).
  • Business Tourism: Travelling for work, like attending meetings, conferences, or exhibitions (MICE). Often has a higher budget.
  • Cultural Tourism: Travelling to experience a place's history, art, and heritage. (e.g., Visiting the pyramids in Egypt or the historical temples in Kyoto).
  • Eco-tourism: Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people. (e.g., A guided tour of Mai Po Nature Reserve to see migratory birds).
  • Study Tourism: Travelling for education, like a summer school program or a university exchange.
  • Religious Pilgrimage: Travelling to a sacred or holy place for religious reasons. (e.g., Muslims travelling to Mecca for the Hajj).
  • Health Tourism: Travelling to another place to receive medical treatment or for wellness activities like spa retreats.
  • Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR): This is a huge category! It’s travelling to stay with or visit people you know.
  • Sports Tourism: Travelling to either watch a sporting event (like the Olympics or the Hong Kong Sevens) or to participate in one (like running in the Tokyo Marathon).
(ii) Classification of Tourists: Who Are They?

Not all tourists are the same. Researchers have created models to classify them based on their personality and travel style. Don't worry, these are simpler than they sound!

Cohen's Classification of Tourists (Focuses on interaction with the industry)

Think of this as a scale from "likes everything planned" to "wants total freedom".

  1. The Organised Mass Tourist: Buys a package tour. Itinerary is fixed. Stays in a "tourist bubble" and has little contact with locals. (e.g., A typical package tour group following a guide with a flag).
  2. The Individual Mass Tourist: Similar to the above, but has a bit more freedom to change their itinerary. Still uses the main tourist facilities.
  3. The Explorer: Arranges their own trip and tries to get off the beaten track. Wants to interact with locals but will still look for comfortable accommodation.
  4. The Drifter: Tries to live like the locals and avoid tourist hotspots completely. Has no fixed plan and stays for a long time. They are the opposite of the organised mass tourist.

Plog's Classification of Tourists (Focuses on personality)

Think of this as a scale from "adventurous" to "prefers familiarity".

  • Allocentric (Adventurous): These tourists love to explore new, exotic places. They are risk-takers and want to experience different cultures. They are the first to "discover" a new destination.
  • Psychocentric (Dependable): These tourists prefer familiar destinations. They like things to be planned and predictable. They might return to the same place every year. (e.g., Someone who always goes to a resort in Thailand where everything is comfortable and predictable).
  • Mid-centric (In the middle): Most people are here! They like to try new things but also want some familiar comforts. They aren't as adventurous as allocentrics but not as hesitant as psychocentrics.
(iii) Travel Motivations: Why Do We Travel?

What is the 'spark' that makes someone decide to book a trip? This is what travel motivation theories try to explain.

Push and Pull Theory (The most important one!)

  • Push Factors: These are internal reasons that 'push' you away from home. They are about your needs. Examples: Stress from work (need to relax), boredom (need excitement), desire to spend time with family.
  • Pull Factors: These are external features of a destination that 'pull' you towards it. They are about the destination's attractions. Examples: Beautiful beaches, famous landmarks (like the Eiffel Tower), delicious food, good shopping.

Memory Aid: Push factors come from inside you (internal), Pull factors come from the place you go.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

This is a psychology theory that says we have different levels of needs. Travel can help us fulfill the higher-level ones:

  • Social needs (Love/Belonging): VFR, travelling with family.
  • Esteem needs: Going on a luxury trip or an adventure holiday that you can tell your friends about.
  • Self-actualisation (Fulfilling your potential): Going on a challenging trip, like climbing a mountain or learning a new skill abroad.

Hudman's Motivators of Travel

This is just a list of common reasons people travel. It's very straightforward:

  • Health
  • Curiosity about the world
  • Sports
  • Pleasure
  • Religion
  • Family and friends (VFR)
  • Status (to show off)

KEY TAKEAWAY: People travel for many reasons (forms of travel). We can classify tourists by how adventurous they are (Plog) or how much they rely on the tourism industry (Cohen). The desire to travel comes from reasons that 'push' us from home and attractions that 'pull' us to a destination.


3. Planning for Tourism

(i) Tourism Product and Destination Planning

A tourism product isn't a physical thing you can hold. It's the entire experience of the trip. It includes:

  • Attractions (e.g., The Peak, Disneyland)
  • Facilities (e.g., Hotels, restaurants, shops)
  • Accessibility (e.g., The airport, MTR system)
  • Image (e.g., Hong Kong's image as a vibrant, "East-meets-West" city)
  • Price (The total cost of the trip)

Destination planning is crucial for success. A government or tourism board needs to carefully plan how to develop attractions, build infrastructure, and market the destination to the right kind of tourists.

(ii) The Tourist Area Life Cycle (TALC)

Imagine a tourist destination is like a popular new singer. At first, only a few people know them. Then they get famous, maybe too famous, and things can go downhill if they're not careful. The TALC model describes this process in stages:

  1. Exploration: A few adventurous tourists (allocentrics!) visit a place that is unspoiled and unknown.
  2. Involvement: Locals start to provide facilities for tourists (e.g., small guesthouses). A tourist season begins to emerge.
  3. Development: The destination becomes well-known. Big companies build large hotels. The number of tourists grows rapidly.
  4. Consolidation: Tourism is a major part of the local economy. Growth slows down. The destination might feel a bit "crowded".
  5. Stagnation: The destination is no longer fashionable. Facilities become old. Numbers of visitors level off or start to drop.
  6. Decline OR Rejuvenation: The destination either continues to decline and lose visitors, OR it tries to rejuvenate (reinvent) itself by building new attractions, finding a new market, or upgrading facilities to attract tourists again.

Think about it: Where would you place a destination like Macau or Bali on the TALC?

(iii) Carrying Capacity: How Many is Too Many?

Carrying capacity is the maximum number of people that can visit a destination at the same time, without causing unacceptable damage to the physical, environmental, social, and economic fabric of that place. It’s about finding the right balance.

Let's Break It Down: Imagine you're throwing a party at your apartment.

  • Physical Carrying Capacity: The maximum number of people who can physically fit in your apartment before it's too crowded to move. (e.g., The number of people who can fit on Cheung Chau during the Bun Festival).
  • Environmental Carrying Capacity: The point where your guests start making a huge mess, breaking things, and damaging your apartment. (e.g., Too many hikers eroding the trails on Lantau Peak).
  • Social-Cultural Carrying Capacity: The point where your neighbours start getting angry about the noise. For tourism, this is the point where locals feel their way of life is disrupted by too many tourists.
  • Psychological Carrying Capacity: The point where YOU, the host, feel too stressed and crowded and stop enjoying your own party. For tourism, this is when tourists feel the destination is too crowded and their experience is ruined.
  • Economical Carrying Capacity: The point where the negative economic impacts (like inflated prices for locals) start to outweigh the benefits (income from tourism).

KEY TAKEAWAY: A tourism product is the whole travel experience. Destinations go through a life cycle (TALC) from discovery to decline or rebirth. It's vital to manage the number of visitors to avoid exceeding the carrying capacity and damaging the destination.


4. The Tourism Industry Machine

(i) Different Sectors of the Tourism Industry

The tourism industry is a giant machine with many interconnected parts (sectors):

  • Hospitality: This provides accommodation and food. (e.g., Hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, bars).
  • Transportation: This helps tourists get to and around the destination. (e.g., Airlines, cruise ships, trains, buses, taxis).
  • Private Sector: These are businesses owned by individuals or companies with the goal of making a profit. Most tourism businesses are in the private sector. (e.g., Cathay Pacific, The Peninsula Hotel, Ocean Park).
  • Public Sector: These are government and international organisations that plan, manage, and promote tourism, but not usually for profit.
    • United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO): The main international body for tourism. Promotes sustainable and responsible tourism worldwide.
    • Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA): Promotes tourism within the Asia-Pacific region.
(ii) Distribution Channels: How We Buy Tourism

How does a hotel room or a plane ticket get from the company (the 'producer') to the tourist (the 'consumer')? Through distribution channels.

Types of Intermediaries (The 'middlemen'):

  • Travel Agencies: A 'retail shop' for travel. They sell products from various suppliers (airlines, hotels, tour operators) directly to the public. (e.g., Wing On Travel, Hong Thai Travel).
  • Tour Operators: The 'wholesalers'. They buy travel products in bulk (e.g., 100 hotel rooms, 100 plane seats) and combine them into package tours, which they then sell through travel agencies or directly.

A travel agent needs good product knowledge (what hotels are good for families, visa requirements, etc.) and their main functions are to provide information, make reservations, and plan itineraries for customers.

Types of Distribution Channels:

  • Direct: The tourist buys directly from the supplier. (e.g., Booking a room on the hotel's own website).
  • Indirect: The tourist buys through one or more intermediaries. (e.g., Buying a package tour from a travel agency that was created by a tour operator).

KEY TAKEAWAY: The tourism industry has many parts, including private businesses (like hotels) and public organisations (like the UNWTO). Tourists can buy travel products directly from the supplier or indirectly through middlemen like travel agents and tour operators.


5. The Impacts of Tourism - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Tourism is powerful. It can bring huge benefits, but it can also cause serious problems if it isn't managed well. The impacts are divided into three areas.

(i) Economic Impacts

Positive (+):

  • Creates jobs: From hotel managers to souvenir sellers.
  • Provides tax revenue: Governments earn money from airport taxes and taxes on tourism businesses, which can be spent on public services like schools and hospitals.
  • Improves the balance of payments: Tourism is an 'export' because it brings in foreign currency when international tourists spend money.
  • The Multiplier Effect: This is a very important concept! It’s how tourist spending ripples through the economy.
    1. First Order (Direct): A tourist pays $1000 for a hotel room. The hotel gets the money.
    2. Second Order (Indirect): The hotel uses that $1000 to pay its staff, and to buy food from a local supplier. The money is now with the staff and the supplier.
    3. Third Order (Induced): The hotel staff and the food supplier spend their wages on groceries, rent, and entertainment. The money spreads even further into the community.

Negative (-):

  • Increases prices (Inflation): Higher demand from tourists can increase the price of goods, services, and land, making life more expensive for local residents.
  • Over-dependency on tourism: If a destination's economy relies too much on tourism, it can collapse if tourists stop coming (e.g., during a pandemic).
  • Leakage: This is the opposite of the multiplier effect. It's when tourist money 'leaks' out of the local economy. (e.g., When tourists stay in a foreign-owned hotel chain, a large part of the profit is sent back to the company's home country instead of staying in the destination).
(ii) Social-Cultural Impacts

Positive (+):

  • Encourages cultural exchange: Tourists and locals can learn from each other.
  • Boosts cultural conservation: Old buildings, traditions, and festivals might be preserved because they attract tourists.
  • Improves way of life: New facilities built for tourists (e.g., airports, better roads, museums) can also be used and enjoyed by locals.

Negative (-):

  • Congestion and overcrowding: Too many tourists can crowd public transport and public spaces.
  • Commodification of culture: Cultural traditions and rituals are turned into a 'product' to be sold, losing their original meaning.
  • Demonstration Effect: Locals (especially young people) see the behaviour and wealth of tourists and may start to copy foreign habits, abandoning their own culture.
  • Moral Issues: Tourism can sometimes lead to an increase in problems like crime and prostitution.

Measuring Social Impact: Doxey's Index of Tourist Irritation

This model shows how local attitudes towards tourists can change over time as tourism develops.

  1. Euphoria: Locals are excited and happy to see tourists and the money they bring.
  2. Apathy: Tourists are taken for granted. Contact becomes more commercial.
  3. Annoyance: Locals start to get annoyed as the number of tourists increases and they feel the negative impacts (like congestion).
  4. Antagonism: Locals are openly hostile towards tourists, blaming them for the problems in their town.
(iii) Environmental Impacts

Positive (+):

  • Preservation and conservation of environment: Tourist income can be used to fund the protection of natural areas, like country parks or marine parks.
  • Enhancement of the environment: Areas might be cleaned up and improved to make them more attractive to visitors.
  • Development of environmental awareness: Tourism can educate people about the importance of protecting the environment.

Negative (-):

Tourism can cause a lot of stress on the environment.

  • Impacts on the abiotic (non-living) environment:
    • Air pollution: From planes and tourist buses.
    • Water pollution: From hotels releasing untreated sewage.
    • Noise pollution: From tour groups, bars, and airports.
    • Visual pollution: Ugly, poorly designed hotels can spoil a beautiful landscape.
  • Impacts on the biotic (living) environment:
    • Damage to vegetation: Hikers going off-trail, construction of new hotels.
    • Disturbance to wildlife: Safari vehicles getting too close to animals, tourists damaging coral reefs.

The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) created a framework to study these environmental stresses, helping governments understand and manage the impact of tourism.


KEY TAKEAWAY: Tourism has major economic, social, and environmental impacts. It can create jobs and protect culture (positive), but can also cause inflation, cultural clashes, and pollution (negative). The goal is to maximize the positive impacts while minimizing the negative ones – this is the idea of sustainable tourism!