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on Tourism Economics |
| By: | Elif GUNDUZ; Rahmi ERDEM |
| Abstract: | Mardin represents a distinctive variety of natural and cultural resources. It is considered a major destination for seasonal tourism in Turkey. However, the city suffers from a serious shortage in urban infrastructure necessary for sustainable tourism development. A field survey is carried out to identify the type and range of such problems in relation to the existing infrastructure system. The survey also examines both the role of local community in tourism development and potential revenues. This study analyses the major aspects of such shortages and their effects on tourism sustainability. The paper attempts to present and discuss 1) the effect of inadequate urban infrastructure (roads, waste disposal, and water supply) on the site tourism potential and local standards of living that represent a challenge for sustainable cultural tourism; 2) the role of locals' involvement in tourism development (e.g. safeguarding heritage sites) and in poverty alleviation mechanisms in addition to identifying main heritage assets and related tourism opportunities. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa11p214&r=tur |
| By: | Silvia Altmark; Karina Larruina |
| Abstract: | “QUANTIFICATION AND GENERAL CHARACTERIZATION OF TOURISM EMPLOYMENT IN URUGUAY†Altmark, Silvia, salt@iesta.edu.uy Larruina, Karina, karinalarruina@gmail.com Statistical Institute, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, UdelaR (University of the Republic) Tourism, a labour intensive activity, plays an important role in the Uruguayan economy, with an estimated weight in the GDP of 6% in 2009. One of the main externalities of tourism is the employment generation, hence the great importance trying to measure it. Despite the importance of this activity in Uruguay, there is no background of indicators that allows quantification of the contribution of tourism in the employment generation in the national economy. The aim of this work is to measure the contribution of tourism activity in the generation of employment in Uruguay between 2006 and 2009. Specifically, to determine the number of working places generated in this activity, to elaborate an indicator of the participation of tourism employment in the economy and to characterize the tourist workforce, applying the conceptual frame provided by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Organization for the Cooperation and the Economic Development (OECD). In addition, we analyzed the experiences in measuring tourism employment of different countries, as Spain and Argentina. To determine the typical industries of tourism activity we used the classification of tourist activities adapted for Uruguay in the frame of the project MINTUR-IESTA. The information was obtained of the Continuous Household Survey of the National Institute of Statistics (INE) held since 1968 and from which there are extracted the principal employment statistics of the country. The main result achieved in this paper, as regards the participation of tourism employment, indicates that it remained around 8% between 2006 and 2009. As for the characterization of employment in tourism, in the analyzed period shows a high share of male heads of household, up to 37 years old, who are private employees and make contributions to the national welfare agency, “Banco de Previsión Social†(BPS). |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa11p1230&r=tur |
| By: | Paula Remoaldo; Laurentina Vareiro; José Cadima |
| Abstract: | In recent years peripheral regions, such as Guimarães, in the Northwest of Portugal, has been experiencing the expansion of its tourism industry. This occurred, may be, as part of the wish felt by a large number of tourists of reaching “unspoilt†landscapes and more “authentical†experiences (Nepal, 2008). After the nomination by U.N.E.S.C.O., in 2001, of its historical centre as world heritage, the city of Guimarães is now in the process of hosting the 2012 European Capital of Culture. These recent facts helped to reinforce its external visibility and cultural significance and put it in the trail to become a more consolidated cultural tourism destination. This paper aims presenting a few results of a survey that envisaged capturing the Guimarães residents’ perceptions of tourism effects and attitudes regarding the tourists. The survey was implemented between January and March 2010 to a convenience sample of 540 inhabitants of the municipality of Guimarães. The results show that the Guimarães` residents keep a strong positive perception of the tourism benefits. The more or less favourable perception of tourism impacts the survey respondents kept are strongly correlated with some demographic features, such as age, gender and level of education. As expected, we got a more positive perception among the younger cohorts of age and the ones endowed with a higher level of education. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa11p1658&r=tur |
| By: | Manuela Pulina |
| Abstract: | Only in the 80’s cultural activity has began to be viewed as a part of tourism (OECD, 2009). The UNWTO estimated that cultural tourism accounted for 40% of all international tourism, up from 37% in 1995 (Mintel, 2011). Museums play a relevant role as repositories of education, social cohesion and personal development. They are a stimulus for the economy, since culture consumers generally have a higher spending propensity than other consumers’ segments (Europa Inform, 2004). Museums are expected to produce positive externalities that can be called cultural spill-over. A museum will not benefit only the public (private) investor but society as a whole because new knowledge will enter society’s pool of cultural knowledge. This study predicts the repeat visitation to the MART of Rovereto, one of the most important museums of modern and contemporary art in Italy. The survey data were obtained during autumn 2009 on site. Via a zero-truncated Poisson estimation, a positive effect on the odds of having a repeat visitation to the museum, is given by either the presence of a temporary exposition or a permanent and temporary exposition; the probability to revisit the museum within the same year; visitation of the annex “Casa Deperoâ€, an important futurist arts exposition, restored in January 2009; visitation of any other city that hosted MART. Negative effects on the odds are given by the distance; number of people travelling with the interviewed visitor; the probability to recommend the museum to friends and family. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa11p1411&r=tur |
| By: | Victor Manuel Figueira; Ana Paula Figueira; Luis Miguel Luz |
| Abstract: | It is the aim of this work to make a brief reference to the current situation of 'observatories' in Portugal as well as the change of their status, before developed through closed research circuits which included the Administration and Universities; nowadays characterized by the proliferation of more flexible and interactive structures very often as a result of private initiatives or public-private partnerships. We are also going to make a mention of two regional tourism observatories in Portugal - Lisbon and Azores - already established. Finally, it offers an overview of the new Tourism Observatory of Alentejo (presented in July 14th, 2010) as a result of a submission to an Incentive Scheme for Class Actions Program (SIAC) – InAlentejo, which the main promoter is Alentejo Tourism, ERT, in partnership with the Polytechnics Institutes of Beja and Portalegre, the University of Évora and the regional business associations. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa11p988&r=tur |
| By: | Kutlu Demirer |
| Abstract: | Turkey has achieved great success in the tourism sector which started a greater than ever trend towards hotel investments. While, new investors are entering to the market, international brands are pursuing strategies to increase their existing supply. Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, besides being a world-famous tourist attraction, also draws substantial foreign investment which escalates both the demand and supply in the hotel market. In the light of previous researches conducted by Dökmeci and Balta (1999) this research focuses on the supply side and the spatial development of high-end hotels in Istanbul. By revisiting the works of von Thünen and Alonso, compares rings of urban location for hotels in Istanbul in terms of rent as overnight room rates. Location data are accumulated from Ministry of Tourism, local municipalities, chambers and unions. Overnight hotel rates were collected through internet booking sites, telephone inquiries and visits during October, November and December of 2010. As the polycentric development of the city has increased over the last decade and many functions have been decentralized or shifted, the analysis reveals valuable insight into urban tourism pattern. The results coincide with the concentric rings described by the previous researches although many new hotels were constructed, new sub-centers had formed and the importance of sub-centers has increased dramatically. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa11p1030&r=tur |
| By: | Marte Bjørnsen; Steinar Johansen |
| Abstract: | Svalbard is the northernmost settlement in Europe, situated halfway between northern Norway and the North Pole. Settlement is restricted to Spitsbergen Island and there are two main settlements, the Norwegian town Longyearbyen and the Russian town Barentsburg. In addition, there are a few research stations about the island. Svalbard has been visited by hunters/whalers for centuries but settlement started with the mining industry around 1900. The size of the populations is in part politically determined and has historically varied with the mining activity. Total population is 2500 of which 80 per cent lives in the Norwegian settlement, which also is the administrative centre of Svalbard. In this paper, we analyse the relationships between basic economic activities, other economic activities and population in Longyearbyen. The analysis is based on a yearly panel of establishment data dating from early 1990s. We construct a multiplier model to analyse historical trends as well as future prospects. The economic growth which has taken place the last twenty years is strongly linked to the activity in the mining company but also to growth in other and emerging industries. In the 1990s, the Norwegian government stimulated other economic activities to develop alongside mining to establish a more soundly founded settlement. In particular, higher education, research activities, tourism, and public government have evolved as subsidiary industries. In 2010, sixty per cent of all labour years were performed in these subsidiary industries. Population has grown along with economic activity and more workers bring their families. This again, leads to growth in services of general interest. Today we may see a shift in this unbroken growth trend. The activity level in mining is falling and it remains to see how robust the subsidiary industries are to this changed situation. We have calculated that it takes a more than proportional increase in e.g. research or tourism activities to compensate for loss of employment in the mining industry. The last two years’ experience does, however, show an even more markedly negative development in the private sector subsidiary industries. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa11p638&r=tur |
| By: | Mira G. Baron; Natalia Zaitsev |
| Abstract: | We examine in the research forecasts prepared by us fifteen years ago. We examine the assumptions made as well as the results, comparing the forecasts to reality. We concentrate on the forecasts of number of visitors, which enables to examine economic impact, and is crucial in analyzing ecological carrying capacity. Our case study was a wetland that was drained in the '50s, resulting in severe environmental damages. In the '90s part of the area was re-flooded and a small lake was created. We forecasted the number of visitors, the expected revenues and benefits. The area is currently called Agmon Hula, located in the previous Hula marsh (North of Israel). The commodity planned was a site which offers safari, birds' sanctuary, horse riding, swimming in a pool, picnicking. We asked recreationists in adjacent national parks and nature reserves on their willingness to visit the planned park and their willingness to pay (WTP), using CVM methods. In reality, the site started operation in 2005 as a birds' sanctuary, due to its success in attracting birds. 500 million birds pass the area twice per year migrating to the south in the fall and returning north in the spring. Our forecast for 380 thousand visitors in the first year of operation did not materialize. We could have predicted a smaller number closer to the real number (220 thousand) if we would have considered the percentage that ranked birds' sanctuary as one of their two favorite activities. The prediction assumed an annual increase in the number of visitors of 2-6%, but actually, the increase in the first five years of operation is 8% annually. In the prediction, we disregarded tourists, but they were 7-17% of the visitors. Updating the prediction of number of visitors is easy, and is a crucial aspect in predicting carrying capacity. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa11p834&r=tur |
| By: | Imola Rittgasszer |
| Abstract: | Today airports are increasingly becoming full transport junctions. The location of their networks provides strategic benefits, which makes them possible to attract a wide range of economic activities, therefore to operate as new development poles. Nowadays it is widely accepted that the airports of Europe have considerable economic and social impacts on the surrounding regions. These impacts reach much deeper than the direct impacts an airport has on the environment of its operation, since the availability of air services are advantageous both for the regional business interests and for the consumers. Air transport means a fundamental infrastructural background, which facilitates the economic growth of the regions; furthermore, the global accessibility is one of the key factors of being successful in terms of the settlement of business activities and for every region in Europe. The primary aim of the study is the theoretical review of the impacts of airports on economy. In addition, the study makes an attempt to review and analyse the international benchmark examples developed for the analysis of the economic impacts of airports. Based on the international literature, the methods and procedures are identified which are theoretically suitable for the economic impact study of airports. Afterwards, the procedures are selected of which the methodological clarity is suitable to found the empirical study of the impacts of an optional airport on the local economy. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa11p1588&r=tur |
| By: | Helena Guimarães |
| Abstract: | When dealing with complex issues commonly found in Coastal Zones, there is a need to find an efficient assessment strategy of processes and their causes, as well as a method which could effectively promote a dialogue with the stakeholder affected by these processes. This dialogues is an essential part of problem structuring routine since it allows mutual learning by generating and evaluating divergent knowledge claims and viewpoints. Problem structuring can start from a broad subject that is refined until the definition of a policy issue which requires a deeper analysis of its cause, as well, as possible alternatives of action. We explore the use of Q methodology as a tool for problem structuring and policy issue definition. In addition, Q methodology can be suitable for a first evaluation of the system in analysis while uncovering the several perspectives of stakeholders. We applied this methodology in Praia da Vitória Coastal System located in Terceira Island, in Azores Archipelago. The method has been applied in its original format as a method of identifying stakeholders discourse. Additionally we modified it and use it in group discussions aiming at promoting stakeholder dialogues. Results obtained show that Q methodology is an adequate to understand the value and interest of stakeholders, while adding useful information for stakeholder selection in stakeholder dialogues. The use of the method in its original format and in group session also allowed a reflection concerning the challenge of designing and promoting dialogue processes. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa11p1297&r=tur |