MKT01760: Critique and Comparison of Tourism Planning Papers

This essay presents a critique and comparison of two publicly available tourism discussion papers, adopting the perspective of an independent tourism planning expert. The first paper addresses the lack of structured tourism opportunities in tropical Australia, highlighting the absence of technical and professional tours and the implications for promoting a well-maintained natural brand. The second paper focuses on the challenges faced by heritage tourism, including funding decline, coordination limitations, and the need to broaden the definition of heritage tourism to include indigenous elements. The critique examines the structure of each paper against the framework of the policy planning cycle, assessing the inclusion of stakeholders and the sufficiency of information provided. The comparison emphasizes the development of new ideas and initiatives in the context of future tourism development, highlighting the importance of stakeholder involvement and the art of storytelling in heritage tourism. The reflection underscores the gained knowledge regarding the impact of tourism on the environment, the effects of climate change, and the development of heritage tourism, ultimately enhancing professional skills in tourism planning and environmental awareness. This document is available on Desklib, a platform offering various study tools for students.

Running head: TOURISM PRACTICES
Tourism Practices
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Discussion Paper 1:
Initiatives for the Development of Tourism in Tropical Australia:
The key issue that has been discussed in this paper is associated with lack of structured
tourism opportunities in the areas of tropical Australia. In this regard, the author was of the
opinion that, there is an existence of few museum based tourist activities however; opportunities
for visiting these places are very limited. The nature of the opportunities is such that these are
limited to historical knowledge (L. Pearce 2013). One of the important issues that have been
identified in this paper is regarding the non-existence of technical and professional tours which
includes visiting heritage sites and natural landscapes as well. As a result of it, tourist
experiences in the areas of northern Australia are very limited. Further key issues are associated
with strong implications regarding the promotion of well-maintained natural brand. Some
behavioral management issues are there when these tropical environments are explored by the
tourists. Sometimes climatic patterns create disruptions because of sudden changes in
temperatures. This issue is not only confined to the coastal areas however; it can be used as a
guide to help the tourists in finding any alternative in cases involving vehicle breakdown.
Certain issues are related to tropical animals and insects as well. Among insects, mosquitoes are
the one causing serious health hazards. However, malaria is not a serious issue in the tropics;
much concern is regarding attacks of alligators, dingoes, snakes and deadly spiders.
Discussion Paper 2:
National Heritage Tourism:
The key issues that have been identified are related to the challenges faced by heritage
tourism in recent era. There has always been a pressure off declination of funds in regard to

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conservation sites and development. This is mainly because of limitation in coordination and
integration of heritage elements both nationally and regionally. The major issue is that the
concept of heritage tourism is not wide enough and therefore most of the heritage sites are
making an effort on their part to widen the definition of “heritage tourism” by including
indigenous ingredients. However, uncertainty prevails regarding the inclusion of indigenous
materials. It is worthwhile to refer here that, individuals are not aware of the existing trends of
heritage tourism (Cook 2018). There is an existence of distrust within the sector of heritage
tourism which is largely because of poor experiences. This is due to the actions on the part of the
heritage managers because they do not have adequate knowledge regarding the concepts of
pricing, product development programs and marketing. Lack of government support and low
funding is also a key issue in heritage tourism sector.
Structure of the Paper:
Discussion Paper 1:
The structure of this paper can be criticized against the framework of policy planning
cycle in many ways. Firstly, there is a need to develop innovative ideas and introduce new
initiatives and add new experiences in the tourism sector of tropical Australia. As a result of such
innovative approach, the tourism sector of tropical Australia has been beneficial in embracing
new vision, profitability, community acceptance and environmental development. The new
policy goals have been quite demanding (L. Pearce 2013). This is due to the reason that, with
the advent of innovation, the tourism sector will take a new shape which would require public
funding. In this context, it is important to categorize the defining forces in regard to the existing
themes that include information technologies, intelligence, industrial capabilities and

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investments. The structure of the paper can be criticized in regard to the introduction of digital
capacity by representing a dynamic tool in the Australian tourism sector in different phases.
These phases can be emphasized as pre-trip marketing, post-trip reporting and onsite
management.
Discussion Paper 2:
In regard to the framework of policy planning cycle, the structural contents of the paper
can be criticized to the large extent. It is worthwhile to refer here that, the paper failed to provide
proper understanding of the concept of visitor’s motivation. This is due to the reason that, in
recent era, visitors have become increasingly engaged in search of new destinations enriched
with experiences of cultural heritage. Traditional holidaying and sightseeing are two different
concepts. This is because nowadays, visitors are mostly immersed in cultural sites. The paper
emphasized upon the fact that the concept of tourism is not only about journeys and discoveries;
it is about self-realization with an interaction with the past (Cook 2018). It is evident that in
modern era, the expectations on the part of the visitors are emerging with the advent of online
decision-making tools. As a result of sudden influence of technology and digitalized trends upon
visitor communication, the traditional age-old techniques have been replaced by a decentralized
approach. As a result of it, the information regarding emerging risks and opportunities of the
tourism sector flows rapidly to the visitors by way of online media. Due to this reason, visitors
are getting online information without visiting these heritage tourist sites which is a major
drawback for the tourism industry.
The Content of the Paper:
Discussion Paper 1:

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In this paper, in the perspective of the author, the inclusion of stakeholders has always
been an essential part of tourism development. The author was of the opinion that, without active
intervention of the stakeholders, the development of tourism sector would not have been
possible. In this regard, much emphasis has been laid upon the inclusion of stakeholders in the
tourism industry and how these stakeholders provided active support in planning and managing
the tourism sector (L. Pearce 2013). It is worth mentioning that, as a result of the involvement of
various stakeholders throughout the entire planning and development process; the functioning of
the tourism sector has been fair, efficient and stable.
Discussion Paper 2:
In this paper, it has been emphasized that understanding the relevant stakeholders can be
difficult at times; it involves a lot of labor and approaches. Understanding the perspectives of the
stakeholders can create a lot of discrepancies. With the identification of appropriate stakeholder
there can be a reduction in conflict management (Cook 2018). In this paper, the perspectives and
the interests of the stakeholders have been given much recognition because tourism developers
and planners have been considering the knowledge and insight of these stakeholders. In the
development of tourism, with an increase of the interests of the stakeholders, the collaboration on
their part increases rapidly.
Comparing and Contrasting the Papers:
In the paper “Initiatives for the Development of Tourism in Tropical Australia” much
emphasis has been laid upon the development of new ideas in national and international context
for future development of tourism in tropical Australia. The structure of the paper is such that, it
has been formulated in regard to a five part model for the purpose of developing new initiatives.

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The quality of the paper can be considered to be high because throughout the report, the author
has adopted a critical and applied appraisal in both national and international context. The paper
has proved to be beneficial for the readers because it demonstrated upon the identification of 10
initiatives by highlighting actions and policy development tools (L. Pearce 2013). The paper
proved to be efficient for the target audience in the sense that, it provided reasonable ideas for
the development of tourism sector and community well-being by proposing new measures which
contributed efficiently towards community wellbeing.
The paper “National Heritage Tourism Summit” has focused on the concept of heritage
tourism. It is known to all that Australia is rich in both cultural and natural heritage which has
determined the national identity of the country in the large extent. Tourism is more about
experiences and journeys; it is about storytelling and conservation of traditional heritage. The
Aboriginals and the indigenous people were once an important part of the cultural heritage of
Australia. The paper has proved to be efficient and beneficial in attracting the readers because it
emphasized upon the art of storytelling with the implementation of various innovative skills
(Cook 2018). As a result of this, the development of heritage tourism was attracted on global
context.
Reflection:
After comparing the discussion papers, I have come across various new concepts. Firstly,
I was unaware of the fact that that how tourism affects the environmental structure. Secondly, I
gained appropriate knowledge that how environmental Factors and climatic changes affects
tourism. I came to know about the names of certain insects and animals causing health hazards in
tourism planning. I was not aware of the concept of heritage tourism. However, from one of the

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discussion papers, I gained appropriate knowledge regarding its development and planning. In
this regard, my professional skills were developed efficiently and the knowledge regarding
tourism planning and environment increased considerably.
The materials depicted in the discussion papers have proved to be beneficial in assisting
me in writing a discussion paper of my own. I have developed new ideas which I could include
in the discussion by stating the major findings of the study. In this regard, I could find the
meanings of the findings including their importance to the readers. Therefore, I will be able to
relate the findings of the study to similar studies. There are certain things which I should avoid
when writing the discussion paper. These shall include the avoidance of unwarranted
speculations and inflation of the main finding of the study.

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References:
Cook, A. (2018). National Heritage Tourism Summit. [online] Available at:
https://www.nationaltrust.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/National-Heritage-Tourism-
Discussion-Paper-for-Summit-3 [Accessed 4 Aug. 2018].
L. Pearce, D. (2013). Initiatives for the Development of Tourism in Tropical Australia. [online]
Available at: https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/29920/5/29920_Pearce_2013 [Accessed 4 Aug.
2018].