Tourism

Tourist safety, terrorist attacks, and the environmental impact big businesses have on underdeveloped nations are just a few dilemmas tourism professionals are faced with on a daily basis. In addition to these concerns, observing the development of future trends in tourism and engaging employees in solution-based thinking are major keys to the success of those who work in the tourism management field. In fact, the industry as a whole is impacted by the publics perception of tourism- hence the need for innovative thinking, to help combat negative publicity and appeal to a broader consumer-base. Since tourism impacts the world in a variety of ways- from financial to social- an in-depth analysis of the negative and positive aspects of tourism will be addressed here. Starting with challenges the tourism industry faces, then delving into the areas that can aid in turning challenges into triumphs, a well-rounded research-based report will be delivered as an answer to the question What can be done to overcome the negative and accentuate the positive aspects of the tourism industry

NEGATIVE ASPECTS
DANGERS POSED TO TOURISTS
    Keeping in mind the primary purposes for local and global travel, which are either for business, education, or leisure, it is important that future initiatives in tourism focus on protecting the health and safety of all local and global travelers. Among the common dangers posed to domestic and international tourists are kidnappings, identity theft, price gouging, and other scams. The dangers are not limited to those mentioned above, particularly in those areas known for having an unstable politicalsocioeconomic climate. The United States Department of State website issues frequent travel warnings and alerts that include the names of countries viewed by the American Government as dangerous or unstable(USDS, 2010). At this time, due to the recent earthquake damage in Haiti, it is at the top of the listing. One recent example of how price gouging can impact- and possibly repel- large numbers of tourists is given in an article  written in a foreign briefing in the Los Angeles Times, With about 500,000 sports fans expected to descend on South Africa and spend an estimated 850 million during the 2010 Soccer World Cup, it was stated by tourism officials a month ago that they feared visitors would be put off by exorbitant costs as hotels and guest lodges raise their prices (LA Times, 2010). Solutions will be offered in the Tighter Security in Response to Tourist Safety Concerns section of this paper.
   
    TERRORIST ATTACKS
    While vulnerability to terrorist attacks is an issue on domestic and foreign soil, tourists are exceptionally vulnerable to terrorist threats. According to USLegal.com, a terroristic threat is communicated with the intent to terrorize another, or it can be one that causes the evacuation of a building, or that causes serious public inconvenience, in reckless disregard of the risk of causing such terror or inconvenience.  Furthermore, it may mean an offense against property or involving danger to another person that may include but is not limited to recklessly endangering another person, harassment, stalking, ethnic intimidation, and criminal mischief (USLegal.com 2009). Since it is already difficult to control the travel habits of ill-willed travelers, as tourism increases (even in an economic downturn), it will become more difficult to control terrorist actions. However, as difficult as it may become to control violent political attacks, innovations will soon change the way the tourism industry handles this. These innovations will be addressed on the section of this paper regarding Combating Terrorism.
   

EPIDEMICS
    Diseases that have now reached epidemic proportions such as HIVAIDS, SARS and Swine Flu (H1N1) might have taken far longer to reach their current scales if infected international travelers were not involved in the picture.  As international travel and tourism increase, epidemics are becoming harder to control.  In fact, it is now easier for regionallocalized illnesses to become global as more tourists set their sights on previously undiscovered parts of the world. While vaccinations can prevent the spread of such diseases as Malaria, H1N1 and yellow fever- limiting unnecessary travel to high risk locations is one way to ensure safer travel.  This in addition to obeying the laws of the host country, and locating health centers prior to heading to the planned destination, are other guidelines that can make for a safer, more positive experience.
While the health concerns are generally the responsibility of the individual, the role of the tourism management professional is to ensure that travelers are made aware of the numerous tools available to them this knowledge can make major differences in future global disease control efforts. While knowing of such harsh realities as the symptoms of diseases typical to tropical climates may not be a topic of choice for dreamy-eyed honeymooners, it is certainly not to be diminished for the sake of securing reservations. According to the Center for Disease Control, which offers comprehensive resources online for travelers seeking health-related info on destinations, being careful about food and water is another tip tourists should be made aware of (CDC 2010). While digestive issues resulting from eating contaminated food are the harsh reality of ill-prepared international travel, advances made in medicine, in response to travel-related illnesses such as travelers diarrhea are now available and will be addressed in the section of this paper titled Disease Control.
   
POPULATION CONTROL
    According to Transitions Abroad, an online safe haven for expatriates, The number of Americans living abroad has steadily grown over the past decade, as more people have become interested in living abroad, exploring another language and culture, or finding an overseas job, the site also shares that According to recent estimates by the U.S. State Department, there are 6.6 million Americans living overseas, a little more than the entire population of the state of Massachusetts (TransitionsAbroad.com, 2010).  While these estimates are small in comparison to the number of global and domestic tourists that simply visit each year, it is a good indication of the effect the tourism industry has had on attracting Americans to foreign soil on a long-term or permanent basis. In underdeveloped countries, this migration could provide a boost to the economy. Adversely, in densely populated countries, regardless of the host countrys socioeconomic climate, the added residents could pose a problem in the form of over-population. While longer life-expectancy is one reason for the rapid population growth in nations such as England, According to the Optimum Population Trust, a charity that highlights the environmental dangers of absorbing more and more people- as cited by Jeff Randall, a writer for the Telegraph online Immigration is responsible for at least 70 per cent of the UKs projected population increase, which will take the UK from 61 million today to 85 million by 2081 (Randall, 2008) These numbers prove that increased tourism can lead to increased relocation, which is not an easy process for ill-prepared newcomers. There are, however, upsides to these recent increases in expatriatism and immigration rates throughout the world. The positive aspects of relocation to foreign soil, as a result of tourism, will be addressed in the section of this paper titled A Borderless World.
   
    Multinational Corporations (MNCs) Targeting UndER-Developed     Countries
    The development of the MNC is one negative aspect of tourism. When travel to a foreign destination is done with the sole intention of targeting less-advanced countries for big business needs, without regard for any negative effects on the host country- this is when it becomes problematic. In an article by James Ahiakpor, the author shares the impact MNCs have on the host countries they expand in. Ahiakpor points out to readers that
MNCs engage in very useful and morally defensible activities in Third World countries for which they frequently have received little credit. Significant among these activities are their extension of opportunities for earning higher incomes as well as the consumption of improved quality goods and services to people in poorer regions of the world. Instead, these firms have been misrepresented by ugly or fearful images by Marxists and dependency theory advocates. Since many of these firms originate in industrialized countries such as the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Germany...they have been viewed as instruments for the imposition of Western cultural values on Third World countries, rather than allies in their economic development. (Ahiakpor, 2010)
Furthermore, the writer goes on to say that The fact that some MNCs command assets worth more than the national income of their host countries also reinforces their fearful image. And indeed, there is evidence that some MNCs have paid bribes to government officials in order to get around obstacles erected against profitable operations of their enterprises. (2010) While these are all justifiable reasons for the MNCs bad reputation, the positive aspects of MNCs as these businesses relate to tourism will be addressed in the section of this paper titled Increased Multinational Corporation Accountability.

POSITIVE
    Tighter Security in Response to Tourist Safety Concerns
    As discussed in the section titled Dangers Posed to Tourists, one major concern tourists and tourism professionals share is that of price gouging. One reason for the longtime success of businesses that engage in price gouging practices against tourists is due to the ignorance of ill-prepared travelers who purchase goods from local shops and do not know the language or the true value of goods in the region. In recent news, as a sign of the changing times, price-gouging shops in Venezuela were temporarily closed. These shops had reportedly increased prices as much as 80 after the devaluation of the bolivar (the nations currency). According to an article written on the matter for the Sydney Morning Herald online, 619 retail stores in Venezuela were impacted by the closings (Associated Free Press, 2010).
    Other concerns faced by travelers such as kidnappings are answered with solutions like Kidnapping  Ransom insurance, to cover them in case they are kidnapped while traveling abroad. Although this insurance is typically offered to corporations in order to cover executives and their families during overseas travel, this insurance can prove invaluable for those times when it is needed. Most American travelers expect the United States government to perform a search and rescue mission for each American that is kidnapped overseas, but this is not a reality, therefore investing in insurance that pays ransoms to kidnappers and that can ensure an increased survival rate for those who are kidnapped is money well-spent. As more expatriates are assigned to their companies overseas counterparts, it can be expected that the sale of this type of insurance will rise to meet the demands of cautious immigrants. Identity theft and other scams tourists are typically targeted by will see a decrease as knowledge is dispersed over the internet and through various media outlets on what red flags tourists should look out for.
   
Combating terrorism
    As large nations militaries successfully infiltrate the secret hide-outs and meeting places of organized terrorist regimes, intel is often discovered that results in the capture of terrorists on the lam. Even in instances where captured terrorists are not forthcoming, preventative measures are being taken to combat potential terrorist threats to airline passengers. According to statistics and trends featured on traveldailynews.com, body scanners (Figure 1) have been created to make flying safer and security checks faster. Also, according to this report, trials with the body scanners are already taking place in some airports and train stations across Europe and the US, including Manchester Airport in the UK. How the body scanner works is, the technology blurs facial details ensuring that passengers cannot be recognized and images are viewed by staff in walled-off rooms where they cannot see travelers who are being checked. Furthermore, Passengers who prefer not to be scanned will be able to opt for the traditional pat down check instead (traveldailynews, 2010)

Figure 1. Travel Daily News. (January 2010). Retrieved January 15, 2010 from
httpwww.traveldailynews.compagesshow_page35122-6625-favour-airport-body-scanners-says-Skyscanner.     Disease Control
    As discussed on the section titled epidemics, while digestive issues resulting from eating contaminated food are the harsh reality for ill-prepared international travelers, advances made in medicine, in response to travel-related illnesses such as travelers diarrhea are now available. Approved for persons at and above the age of 12, rifaximin (Xifaxan, Salix Pharmaceuticals) entered the U.S. market in 2004. So far the benefits of this drug appear to outweigh the side effects and can help tourists if taken within the first 24 hours of onset of travelers diarrhea- depending on the source of the problem. According to the CDC online, rifaximin represents a significant addition to the few oral drugs currently available for the treatment of the most common cause of bacterial travelers diarrhea. The website also notes that other recommended drugs for the treatment of travelers diarrhea are the quinolone antibiotics and azithromycin. The combination of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole had been used in the past, but is no longer recommended because of the high level of resistance (CDC, 2010).
    One popular trend employers across the world are developing that may someday translate into decreased traveltourism-related ailments, has come in the form of incentives for workers to develop healthful habits, hoping not only to save on healthcare costs but also to increase productivity because employees are out sick less (Dance, 2009). These initiatives may not be warmly welcomed at first, especially not by those employees who feel they are negatively impacted by smoking bans and insurance premium increases imposed according to policyholders Body Mass Index and waist-to-hip ratio.  If the tourism industry, however, can jump on the bandwagon and empower consumers to have a safer, healthier travel experience, this could make healthier living more successful in other aspects of their lives. Especially if the health initiatives that are created are more in alignment with the health initiatives already predominant in their home countries. A more globalized standard for healthy living is one solution tourism professionals can rally behind.
    Also worthy of discussion is the prevention of HIVAIDS and the positive strides that are being made to contain future cases. While consistent condom use and abstinence are the top ways to prevent the transmission of the virus that causes AIDS, researchers are working on a microbicide gel (called Pro 2000) designed to block the transmission of the AIDS virus to women (Maugh, 2009). How the gel works is that it will tie up or kill the virus in the vagina before it can penetrate the tissues and infect the woman.  Although the results of testing have not been very promising, according to Dr. Sheena McCormack who serves on the Medical Research Council, Nevertheless, we know that this is an important result and it clearly shows the need to undertake trials which are large enough to provide definitive evidence for whether a product works (Maugh, 2009). The trials initially involved 9,385 African women in four countries according to Maughs article. If this gel is perfected and approved for global use, perhaps a cure will soon accompany this prophylactic serum. Future trends in tourism could be positively impacted with these medical developments in a number of ways. Countries known for high HIVAIDS rates would no longer be considered off limits to concerned travelers, and the resulting alliances could lead to additional scientific breakthroughs.    

A Borderless World
    Expatriates and the problem of increasing over-population were discussed in regards to the subject of population control. According to an article published for the International Journal of Management, in response to a boom in international and domestic travel in emerging countries... several of the developing countries that entered World Trade Organization (WTO) have expanded their international travel policy. Due to this expansion, the article states that Many citizens in the involved countries are allowed to travel internationally with required travel documents. This policy change boosts international travel by allowing consumers in emerging countries to travel internationally to visit their relatives in Australia, America, Europe or parts of Asia. An astonishing fact, which may not be common knowledge to those who have never traveled to the countries in question is that until the invention of these new policies, under the previous system, some individuals never had the right to fly in their life. (Mamaghani, 2009)   This could be another attributing factor in the boost in population in already densely populated nations such as England and China- the immigration of those who were once unable to visit relatives or travel on business to larger nations.
    As travel restrictions are lifted across the globe- and as E-commerce makes travel possible to most corners of the world- the possibility of a borderless world gleams clearly on the horizon. Low-cost airlines are another addition to the market that aid in the decrease in national dividers. Initially, however, the safety of low-cost airlines were an early concern of aviation regulators in 2004. According to Jim Eckes, head of airline consultancy Indoswiss Aviation, it was a major concern that low-cost airlines would not operate as safely as all other airlines. He also added that regulatory authorities of some Asian countries are not prepared to supervise their airlines. Eckes then went on to advise regulators that start-up carriers, without in-house training facilities, should be forced to send flight crew overseas to train on flight simulators, and said that China, India, Malaysia and Thailand would be the main areas to target.(AllBusiness, 2004)
While advances in technology allow for more cost-efficient and fuel-efficient travel, travel and tourism marketing strategies must continually evolve to match information technology advancement and consumer usage patterns in order to minimize the negative aspects of migration for new arrivals to the host country, as well as those who already reside in the host country. (Mamaghani, 2009) A few ways tourism management professionals can evolve, and better plan for future trends is by encouraging travel  tourism consumers to focus on cultural awareness when engaging in overseas travel, or by encouraging travelers to objectively observe the mannerisms of local residents when traveling internationally- especially if the reason for the visit is as a pre-relocation trip. While being armed with these tools may not immediately solve the problems associated with rapid population growth, a newcomer who is armed with knowledge of (and appreciation for) the host countrys local culture may have a smoother and quicker adjustment rate - even if they have no prior experience traveling or living abroad.
    With the surge in life-expectancy being another reason for the rapid population growth in nations such as England, it has been observed that longer living goes hand-in-hand with increased travel. This information can be an excellent tool for tourism professionals to use in developing travel packages and accommodations that would appeal to the 40 and over crowd. According to Dr. David Lipschitz, director of the Center on Aging at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, the two most important factors for longevity are health and happiness, and travel helps to foster both. (OBrien, 2010) As more of the worlds population reaches retirement age, the upcoming trends in travel and tourism must take into account the possibility that internet savvy may not be a strong-point of this group, and therefore, continuing to offer traditional travel planning services that are available by way of telephone or in person is important.
Another idea that could be of interest to this group would be for those agents who offer in-office services to also provide internet kiosks to travelers who know how to operate the internet but do not have access to internet connections or computers for a nominal fee. This offering in addition to onsite virtual tours to an array of destinations could help bridge the digital divide as it translates to modern day travel.
Increased Multinational Corporation Accountability
If  multinational corporations are held accountable (by their home country and the
countries they do business in) for how they operate, and their role in either helping or hindering the countries they set up shop in- this may improve relations for all businesses who wish to expand, eventually leading to better prices for importedexported goods- and perhaps improving the outlook for travelers who wish to explore or relocate to these locales. Furthermore, as argued by Ahiakpor, the author mentioned in the section of this paper titled Multinational Corporations Targeting Under-developed Countries, there are several advantages to the impact of MNCs on the economy of the host countrys tourism and local infrastructure
these firms pay higher wages to local employees than they typically would receive elsewhere, and higher rents for land and buildings. But they often argue that the wages in Third World countries are lower than those paid by MNCs in the more developed countries, and the working conditions are not of the same standard. However, the comparison misses several key points. For example, the skill or educational levels of workers in the Third World and those of the more developed countries are not the same. The amount of machinery and equipment handled by workers in the two locations are also different. In short, the amount of output generated by a worker in the Third World is typically smaller than that produced in the more developed world. Indeed, if MNCs could hire enough of higher skilled workers in the more developed countries at the wages workers are paid in the Third World, they would gladly do so. They would thus earn higher profits while selling their goods and services at lower prices. But the fact is that the voluntary exchange system in which MNCs operate would not permit them. Besides those working for charity, few others would for long accept wages they consider to be less than their contribution to an enterprise. (Ahiakpor, 2010)
With this in mind, as cultural awareness (and accountability) is fostered throughout a corporate setting, increased sensitivity to the environmental state of the host country MNCs expand to may also increase- thereby bringing about a decrease in instances where small countries are swallowed whole by MNCs.