AFRICA AND WESTERN EUROPE IN SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT THEORY

"TOURISM IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS"

LECTURE: Drs. Usmar Salam MIS

DHIAR NUGRAHA
07/254403/sp/22308

AFRICA AND WESTERN EUROPE IN SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT THEORY

Abstract

The concept of sustainable tourism was introduced in response to the publication of the Bruntland Report (1990), and the ensuing debate on sustainable development, which stated thus:

“ Sustainable tourism development can be thought of as meeting the needs of present tourist and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunity for the future. … Sustainable tourism development is envisaged as leading to management of all resources in such a way that we can fulfil economic, social and aesthetic needs

while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems”.

This definition clearly calls upon all involved to ensure that in the long term there is need to strike a balance between a development strategy which uses tourism as a motor of economic growth and one which emphasises the preservation of the environmental resource base.

Interesting to compare two big region which have many differences in the scope of sustainable tourism development concept. Africa the black continent, have many kinds of tourism from comfort-based tourism to adventure-oriented tourism. And western Europe with the image of civilization tourism, from roman empire to shopping malls. The differences made them have different strategy to face the global era where every region become competitive on tourism.

Introduction

Tourism is one of the largest industries in the world (World Tourism Organization [WTO], 1998), and it continues to grow. From 1950 through 1998 international tourist arrivals have increased 25 fold, whereas the corresponding receipts from tourists have increased 211 fold worldwide. On the other hand, employment in tourism worldwide has shown a corresponding increase. In addition to the dramatic increase in international tourist arrivals, per capita expenditures of these tourists have also increased. With rising income levels, more leisure time, increases in life expectancy, advances in technology, and the shrinking of travel time, international tourism is still expected to continue to grow in the current millennium.

the tourism environment is becoming increasingly competitive, dynamic and impacted by various global issues. Key factors such as changing consumer preferences, the increasing involvement of host communities, safety and health concerns, globalisation of the airline industry, technological innovation and environmental pressures are changing the face of international tourism and by implication are posing new challenges to tourism destinations in Africa. Against this background, this article focuses on the changing shape and direction of international tourism; Africa’s current and future tourism position and potential; the key role of tourism in addressing Africa’s key challenges, including poverty alleviation; and then proposes a sustainable destination competitiveness model that can be used as a frame of reference to enhance Africa’s tourism competitiveness.

Analyses from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), World Tourism Organisation (WTO), national governments and major industry operators all conclude that the growth in domestic and international tourism in recent decades will continue up to, and well beyond the year 2010. All indications are that tourism will play an increasingly important economic and political role on the world stage. The WTO forecasts that the growth in international tourist arrivals to 2005 will be approximately four per cent per annum. WTTC's research estimates that this growth in demand for tourism will generate a total output of US$7,1 trillion and create 130 million new jobs in the international travel and tourism industry by 2006 (WTTC 1996).

There is no doubt that tourism will continue to play a major role in the world economy. We must have faith that properly planned tourism will be a positive factor in national development; creating challenging employment and distributing wealth to all sectors of society. It will have flow-through effects and will serve as a catalyst for growth in other sectors such as agriculture, transportation and construction

Our view on the role of tourism in regional economic development is quite an optimistic one, and is based on the World Tourism Organization (WTO) forecasts and trends on international tourism up to 2020. While international tourist arrivals are reported to have increased from approximately 25 million in 1950 to 625 million in 1998, worldwide, which is an increase of 2,500 percent, a WTO1 survey envisions that:

· International tourism arrivals worldwide by 2020 will be 1.6 billion, with spending in excess of 2 trillion U.S. dollars;

· The percentage of the traveling population involved in international travel will increase from 3.5% in 1998 to 7% by 2020;

· Europe will continue to be the largest international tourism region, although by 2020 its market share will have been eroded significantly;

· By 2020 China will become the largest receiver of international tourists;

· Among the various international tourism market segments, eco-tourism, cultural tourism, theme-based tourism, adventure tourism, and the cruise tourism will grow in importance; and

· Tourism as a sector will grow at a faster rate than all other sectors in the global economy.

The WTO’s 2020 Vision

In 1997, the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) published a forecast of tourism in the year 2020 based on a survey conducted with national tourist authorities from 85 countries and a Delphi survey of 50 experts. The report, Tourism 2020 Vision (WTO 1999), which was updated in 1999 to include the economic crisis in Asia, presents predictions about the development of the sector and the market, arrivals and receipt trends worldwide and discusses factors shaping tourism in the twenty-first century.

Some of the key trends outlined in the report that could direct the future shape and direction of tourism include:

• International tourist arrivals are forecast to top one billion in 2010 and reach close to 1,6 billion in 2020. These volumes represent an overall average annual growth rate of 4,1 per cent between 1995 and 2020.

• Europe will remain the largest receiving region, though its below global average rate of increase between 1995-2020 (3,5 per cent p.a.) will result in a decline in market share from 55 per cent to 47 per cent. East Asia and the Pacific, increasing at 6,5 percent p.a., will pass the Americas (up 3,1 per cent p.a.) as the second largest receiving region, holding a 26 per cent market share in 2020 as against 15 per cent by the Americas. The respective shares of Africa, the Middle East and South Asia will all record some increase to four per cent, two per cent and one per cent respectively by 2020.

• One of the principal features of the expansion of international tourism over the 25 year period is the rise in the long-haul share of arrivals, with tourists traveling greater distances. By 2020, the global intraregional long-haul split will be 76:24 with average annual growth rates between 1995-2020 of 3,8 per cent and 5,4 per cent respectively.

• Europe will remain the world’s largest generating region, being responsible for almost one half of tourist arrivals worldwide despite its modest annual growth rate between 1995-2020 (3,5 per cent p.a.). International arrivals from East Asia and the Pacific will grow slowly until the year 2000, but during the first decade of the new millennium the pent up demand for travel will ensure that the region becomes the second largest for outbound travel (up 6,5 per cent per annum over the period 1995-2020) forcing the Americas (up 3,1 per cent p.a.) into third place. Africa, the Middle East and South Asia will each show above average growth rates (WTO 1999).

AFRIKA

Africa is big continent, but why I made it to be one region because Africa have strong regionalism. They have same background as developing country, same condition poor and poverty. That is why i called they African and they need some strategy to attract more tourist from around the world and make some money to their people.

The future tourism picture in Africa

The Tourism 2020 Vision study forecasts a continued above global average rate of growth in international tourist arrivals in the African continent with an average annual rise between 1995 and 2020 of 5,5 per cent. By 2020, the volume of international tourist arrivals in Africa will reach 77 million, almost four times the 20 million recorded in 1995.

Analysis of sub-regional prospects shows that Southern Africa (at 7,5 per cent p.a. growth 1995-2020) will continue to be the leader, followed by Eastern Africa (5,2 per cent p.a.), though all sub-regions will share in the growth to a significant extent. By 2001 Southern Africa is said to reach 10 million arrivals, five times the level of 1990.

Intraregional travel within Africa will account for the largest number of arrivals in the region in 2020 (50 million) with Southern and Eastern Africa showing the strongest

growth rates.

East Asia and the Pacific show the strongest growth of international tourist arrivals to the Africa region over the period 1995-2020 (6,8 per cent p.a.), albeit from a small base. The strongest growth will be from the Southeast Asian countries.

Arrivals from the Americas (5,1 per cent p.a.) will grow faster than those from Europe (4,4 per cent p.a.), but European arrivals will account for considerably more arrivals in the region (20 million in 2020). Growth in arrivals from Central/Eastern Europe and East Mediterranean Europe will be strongest.

Tourism’s contribution to GDP in Southern Africa is expected to increase from 7,1 per cent in 1999 to 8,1 per cent in 2010. It is also projected that by 2010, 42 per cent of Southern Africa’s business will be derived from international tourism, 33 per cent from intra-regional personal tourism and 10 per cent from intra-regional business.

TOURISM AS A CATALYST FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION IN AFRICA

The reduction of poverty is without a doubt one of the most compelling challenges facing Africa. A key question that needs to be asked regarding Africa is whether the potential power of the tourism industry can be effectively harnessed in the fight against poverty. Available evidence provides a positive answer. According to De Villiers (2002) annual growth of tourist arrivals in LDCs over the last 10 years has been higher than the world average. Demonstrating the existence of a competitive advantage in their favour, the growth of international tourism receipts in LDCs was significant during the 1990s. LDCs receipts more than doubled between 1992 and 1998. Tourism has become the primary source of foreign exchange earnings in 49 LDCs. For many of these countries, tourism has become the major - or one of the major–contributors to their GDP. Cross-country evidence demonstrates that tourism in LDCs is a labour-intensive activity offering small-scale opportunities. It, therefore, has the capacity to create jobs– jobs for the poor, jobs for women and young people, jobs in the indigenous communities.

EUROPE

Tourism in Europe is serviced by about two million companies, especially SMEs that contribute 5% both to the GNP and workforce (COM (2001) 665, p. 4). Europe, therefore, plays a very important role in world tourism, a role which is expected to rise even more than the average economy, even though, with the new EU countries, the economic percentage increase will drop; indeed, whilst in 1995.

European tourism accounted for 60% of foreign tourism, by 2020 this percentage is expected to fall to 46%. This is supported by the fact that there appears to be a levelling off of hitherto popular European destinations in favour of emerging countries. In other words, during the ten year period from 1990 to 2000, although world tourism rose by 4.2%, European tourism increased by only 3.4%.

Even more evident is the situation in the last three years where Europe has seen an increase of 2.2% against an increase of only 1% in the rest of the world; this is as a consequence of recent political crises and the rise in terrorism. Within Europe itself, there are significant regional discrepancies. Hidden within the aforementioned figure of 2.2%, resides a drop of 2.6% in tourism in western Europe, whilst, during the same period, East Central Europe has seen a rise of 9.6% and Southern Europe, 4.4%. This highlights the importance of the new EU entrants who have an indisputable wealth of natural and historical assets to offer.

In the 60s, people began adopting a more dedicated and systematic approach to the question of tourism. This approach, which from a programming point of view is now called strategic, was able to draw from a range of disciplines which now makes it a very precious organisation and planning tool. Over the last 30 years, one has come to understand just how important and valuable planning a project is, because it is possibly only through planning that, what the former Secretary General of the WTO called: “Squeezed orange effect”, or the effect of uncontrolled growth, that leads to crisis, (Enriques Savignac’s speach, 1992) can be avoided.

A system of observation and control is needed to prevent, reduce and assess the pressure of speculation by implementing long or medium term plans, through progressive and controlled programming (rolling planning system), which leaves open the option for continued updating and review (retroactive correction system). Environmental programming is indispensable for tackling environmental quality at the onset and thus guarantee that the tourist can indulge in their surroundings. It also promotes sustainable development of the area ensuring that the minimum requirement, to guarantee a sustainable environment strategy, is attained.

Environmental programming can be carried out at different levels; through urban development, improvement of the historical centre or through Territorial Landscape Plans. The ideal plan should go hand in hand with other socio-economic activities at every level. This ensures the best use of tourist resources at a minimum social, economic and environmental cost.

In the 1st Action Plan for Tourism, European took into consideration environmental problems, and has supported the industry with the measures drawn up in the 5th Community Action Plan for the Environment which tackles environmental policies stipulated in Article 130. Tourism was not mentioned in the VI Programme 2001-2010 Our future – Our choice which deals with the principle of integration of the Treaty, by which every aspect of European Union policy must take the Environment into consideration when making decisions.

The document states that: “We must endeavour to free the impact and damage to the environment from economic growth by, for example, vastly increasing eco-efficiency or by reducing the quantity of natural resources used to produce a given quantity of wealth or services. Consumption must become more

sustainable” (COM 2001/ 31).

Actions in favour of culture, contemplated in Art. 128 of the treaty, especially those in favour of our more significant heritage, are included in the “Culture 2000” programme which gives funding to the arts, entertainment and research into artistic crafts until 2005. The industry indirectly benefits from the annual designation of “European City of culture” which can be very influential in promoting the winning city’s image as a cultural destination. More and more measures are being implemented in a variety of EU policies and cultural programmes such as the European Sustainable Development strategy in the VI Environment Action Programme of the Cardiff Process of Integration and other industry strategies such as in the field of energy and transport

CONCLUSION

Then we get the conclusion, they are have different subject of the strategy of sustainable tourism development. Africa is more concern to developing their tourism and promoting it around the world. On the other side of this world Europe try to keep their success with educational tourism, eco-tourism and more concern to preserve the environtment.


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