Strategic Tourism Planning for Broadstairs: A Collaborative Approach

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Strategic Planning For Tourism and Leisure
TLH302

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................2
PART -1.....................................................................................................................................3
A: TOURISM STRATEGIC PLANNING.............................................................................3
B: COLLABORATIVE PLANNING IN TOURISM............................................................9
PART – 2..................................................................................................................................12
C& D: TOURISM STRATEGY FOR BROADSTAIRS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF
VISION AND OBJECTIVES..............................................................................................12
E: EVALUATION OF THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS..............................17
CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................20
REFERENCES.........................................................................................................................21
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INTRODUCTION
Strategic Planning is a critical aspect of establishing and advancing a business or tourist
destination. Within the Tourism Sector, it has been widely accepted that strategic tourism
planning defines the success and effectiveness of the development of sustainable tourism and
its effective management, especially in the context of tourism destinations. It allows the
concerned tourist destination to compete efficiently with other tourist destinations with
supposed similar offerings. Tourism planning ensures the development of tourism in the
region in a manner that socially, economically and environmentally benefits the region. The
importance of tourism planning for the development and management of tourism destinations
is increasing gradually due to the increasing economic importance of tourism in the national
and global economy. The need for developing a tourist destination without affecting the
locale and controlling the negative impacts of increasing tourism and tourism-based activities
is effectively fulfilled by producing tourism strategic plans.
The current assignment focuses on the locality of Broadstairs with seven sandy bays is
coastal town situated between Ramsgate and Margate on East Kent Coast. The primary
problem indicated in the given scenario is its inability to compete with foreign locations due
to the emergence and popularity of low-cost airlines and package holidays that has made
travel much less expensive than earlier. The first part of the assignment considers the benefits
of producing a strategic tourism plan keyed to a coastal area. This part also explores and
considers the importance of Collaborative planning in the context of its application to a
coastal area like Broadstairs. The second part of the assignment involves the compilation of a
tourism strategy to overcome the issues being faced by Broadstairs in the context of tourism.
It also includes the details of the process of implementing the objectives and the stakeholder
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in charge of implementing specific aspects of implements. Lastly, it includes an evaluation of
the benefits that will be gained by the residents and visitors alike.
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PART -1
A: TOURISM STRATEGIC PLANNING
Tourism Planning is considered to be an integral aspect of producing tourism strategic plans
that facilitates and supports the creation of sustainable tourism at a destination (Mason,
2015). The objective of tourism planning is creating different viable plans of action that can
be implemented in to develop tourism as per the desired parameter in the regional context.
Also, the objectives and goals of the tourism sector can efficiently and effectively be
achieved through careful planning while keeping in consideration its rile and integration in
the context of the local and national development programme (Mason, 2015). Effective and
efficient management needs to be clubbed with tourism planning so that the benefits of
tourism can be optimised and any potentially harmful impact of tourism development can be
inhibited or at least minimised (Mason, 2015).
Tourism planning not only helps in minimising the potentially negative effect on the locale
but it also facilitates the enhancement of economic returns in the concerned locale thereby
promoting local communities favourable response to the tourism development and the
tourism sector (Bramwell and Lane, 2010). Strategic tourism planning is especially beneficial
for countries and regions with minimal or null tourism activities and development since it
facilitates the development of tourism in the region in conjunction with the development of
the locality. In regions and locales with established and developed tourism, tourism strategic
planning facilitates the revitalisation of the tourism sector and ensures its future viability
(Bramwell and Lane, 2010).
THE BENEFITS OF THE STRATEGIC TOURISM PLANNING FOR A COASTAL
AREA
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ECONOMIC BENEFITS
The primary economic benefits of developing sustainable coastal tourism through strategic
tourism planning include earnings through foreign exchange, enhanced contribution to
regional/national revenue, business and employment opportunity generation (Swanson and
EdgellSr, 2013).
Earnings through Foreign Exchange
The influx of foreign tourists contributes to the earnings through foreign exchange. The host
economy benefits significantly through import and export of tourism or local services and
goods along with expenditure in the tourism framework by tourists (Spenceley, 2012). The
World Tourism data indicates sustainable tourism as a major source of foreign exchange
earnings in over 38% of the countries across the globe (Spenceley, 2012).
Contribution to Government Revenues
The revenue received by the government through tourism can be categorically divided into
indirect and direct contributions (Sandbrook, 2010). Direct contributions are the one that is
sourced through taxation of tourism businesses and employees and sometimes as taxes
sourced directly from tourist such as Eco tax (Sandbrook, 2010). On the other hand, the
indirect contributions to the government revenue are sourced from duties and taxes of
services and goods provided to the tourists. Examples of this can be taxes on entry tickets
such as passes to protected locations and taxes on tour operator services, Hotels, Restaurant,
Alcohol and souvenirs (Sandbrook, 2010).
Generation of Employment Opportunities
International tourism has expanded rapidly in recent years and it has resulted in the creation
of significant employment opportunities. Tourism generates employment opportunities both
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directly and indirectly (Swanson and EdgellSr, 2013). The employment opportunities being
generated are primarily through souvenir selling, transportation, restaurants and hotels can be
considered the direct generation of employment opportunities. On the other hand, the
employment opportunities generated primarily through supplying the services and goods to
the tourism businesses can be considered to be the indirect generation of employment
opportunities, for example, tour operation conduction. The tourism sector accounts for over
7% of global employment (Swanson and EdgellSr, 2013).
Stimulating Investment in the Local Infrastructure
Sustainable tourism promotes the development of local infrastructure to support expanding
tourism opportunities and accommodate the influx of an increased number of tourists. This
results in the improvement of the local infrastructure by the local government including the
development of better sewage and water systems, electricity, telephones, and roads along
with the public transport network. All this contributes to the improvement of the local
populaces' living standards as well as promotion and support to the local tourism (Simão and
Partidário, 2012).
Strengthening the local economy
Tourism can be considered to be an important and essential aspect of the economy of the
locale. It is a significant or even an essential part of the local economy (Smith, 2014). The
revenue generated by tourism is usually used for the determination of the economic worth of
the protected areas within the area since the environment is considered to be an asset of the
tourism industry. Informal employment like informal guides and street vendors and hawkers
form a part of the tourism revenue. The local economy benefits from informal employment
since it lead to a monetary contribution to the local economy that gets multiplied over time.
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The indirect contribution of tourism to the local economy is equivalent to its direct
expenditure (Smith, 2014).
Monetary Contribution to the Protection of Nature
Tourism provides the tourist with an opportunity to participate directly in the preservation
and conservation of environmentally sensitive habitats and areas. The revenue generated
through sources like the fees from the park entrance is invested in the management and the
protection of environmentally sensitive habitats and areas (Risteskia et al., 2012). Another
avenue of generating monetary resources is through indirect and far-reaching methods that
are not directly associated with specific environmentally sensitive habitats and areas. These
include taxation of the income and rental and sale of recreation equipment, user fees, licence
fees on various activities such as fishing or hunting provides the government with necessary
finds for the preservation, protection and management of the natural resources (Risteskia et
al., 2012).
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
Sustainable tourism is gradually becoming a popular approach for tourism businesses like the
tour operators (Della Corte and Aria, 2016). Nowadays, customers expect tourism businesses
to be inclined towards sustainability and also, the tourism businesses realise that preserving
the tourist destination's constitution is a necessary component for the survival of the tourism
sector. This has led to many tourism businesses preferring to work with suppliers focused on
ensuring sustainability through activities like conservation of energy and water and
supporting and respecting the local culture and communities and well being (Della Corte and
Aria, 2016).
BENEFITS FROM ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
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Effectively and efficiently managing the environmental aspects of tourism facilities such as
hotels leads to minimising the environmental impact of tourism in the region (Angelevska-
Najdeska and Rakicevik, 2012). In the context of hotels, these practices may include using
eco-friendly materials, minimising the waste, conservation of energy and water, etc. Strategic
tourism planning facilitates the management of conflicting interests of the tourism and the
industry by providing choices that can make them compatible in the context of environmental
preservation. The Strategic tourism planning and creation of a sustainable tourism
development strategy from the onset facilitate the prevention of potential damages and
mistakes that inhibits the potential deterioration of tourism-related mental services and goods
quality that's integral to the tourism (Angelevska-Najdeska and Rakicevik, 2012).
SOCIO-CULTURAL BENEFITS
Promotion of Peace
Tourism promotes interpersonal communication and contact. The educational element of
sustainable tourism fosters the understanding of the culture and communities in people by
providing opportunities for the cultural exchange between the host and the guest. This
provides an avenue for the development of mutual empathy, tolerance and comprehension
thereby reducing the inherent and potential prejudices while promoting a sense of
brotherhood (Vianna et al., 2012).
Strengthens the Communities
Sustainable Coastal Tourism contributes to the vitality of the local communities in several
ways. These include the recreation, development, and reincarnation of certain festival
singular to the local communities due to the tourist interests. These events and festivals
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otherwise suffer from declining participation and interest of the local communities where
they were the sole participants and spectator (Chen and Chen, 2010).
Tourism can also act towards the reduction of the emigration from the local communities
especially the rural areas. The job opportunities generated by sustainable tourism motivates
the local populace that reduces the overall emigration to other areas. It also provides an
opportunity for the local populace for increasing their participation and influence on the
development of tourism while improving the employment and income prospect by supporting
and participating in development and training programs of tourism-related organisational and
business skills (Chen and Chen, 2010).
The development of strategic tourism plans helps in promoting the transmission and
preservation of the historical and cultural tradition of a locale. It contributes to the sustainable
conservation and management of the local heritage and natural resources while revitalising
the native culture through activities like the regeneration of traditional crafts (Andersson and
Lundberg, 2013). The involvement of local communities promoted through strategic tourism
plans contributes to and ensures the sustainable usage of the biodiversity while focusing on
its conservation. The tourists are also a beneficiary of sustainable tourism supported by
strategic tourism planning since they gain an opportunity to enjoy the tourist destination in its
unspoiled natural splendour while having access to eco-friendly and high-quality services and
goods at a locality with a healthy community that has an authentic and thriving heritage,
traditions and culture (Andersson and Lundberg, 2013).
An example of the successful implementation of sustainable tourism can be Palau, an
archipelago consisting of over 500 small islands (Stumpf and Swanger, 2015). It falls within
the Micronesia region of western Pacific Ocean. The sustainable tourism strategy has allowed
it to successfully compete at a global level in the tourism landscape while preserving its
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marine environment and the local culture and promoting social and economic upliftment
(Stumpf and Swanger, 2015).
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B: COLLABORATIVE PLANNING IN TOURISM
COLLABORATIVE PLANNING IN TOURISM
Collaborative Planning is defined as a process that involves multiple stakeholders and focuses
on conflict resolution and advancement of collective/shared vision (Bramwell, 2010). In the
context of tourism, it is defined as a decision-making approach that involves the joint effort
of different key stakeholders towards the resolution and management of issues related to
planning and development (Bramwell, 2010). It involves the participation of and dialogue
among direct stakeholders such as the local community representatives and public sector
planners. It often includes negotiations, consensus building and joint decision making
regarding the planning of actions and objectives. The decision making takes place among a
small group of individuals that represent the diverse key stakeholders or groups of
stakeholders. The number of members of the decision-making working group is often
restricted to keep it effective and promote understanding, trust and familiarity between the
participants thereby leading to consensus building and joint decision making (Bramwell,
2010).
In most of the cases associated with tourism, the participation of stakeholders is limited to
providing views, opinions and feedback to government planners (Wray, 2011). This allows
for the collection of information at its fullest and takes the form of one-way consultation
while limiting the interaction between the stakeholders and the government planners. This
type of process involves collecting stakeholder opinions by way of questionnaires, focus
groups, telephone surveys, etc. This approach limits the complexity of the process as
compared to promoting their complete participation and involvement in the decision-making
process through consensus building and negotiation (Wray, 2011). It can be surmised that
although the process limits the level of participation of the stakeholders, it leads to a
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