Destination Trends And Future Predictions

Destination Trends And Future Predictions Tourism takes place in the environment, which is made up of both human and natural features. The human environment comprises economic, social and cultural factors and processes. The natural environment is made up of plants and animals in their habitat. It is possible to make a distinction between the human environment and the natural environment and this is particularly useful when discussing the impacts of tourism. However, it is important to note that, in a real setting, the human environment and the natural environment are interwoven and human activity is both affected by and has effects on the natural environment. The main tourist destinations and generators of the world in terms of visitor numbers and income generation International travel, prior to the 1960s, was still largely the preserve of a wealthy minority who had the time as well as money to afford long distance sea or air travel. Major changes in the second half of the twentieth century led to the rapid and massive growth of the phenomenon known as modern tourism. For example, these changes contributed to the Pacific Region/South East Asia becoming the fastest growing area for international tourism in the last 30 years. In 1975, South East Asia and the Pacific Region accounted for only 4 percent of international tourist arrivals, but by 1995 the share of world arrivals had increased to almost 15 percent (Pearce, 1995) and by 2006 to 20 percent (WTO, 2007). It should be noted that this change has occurred at a time when tourist numbers were growing globally. Determination of tourism destination trends and future trends Not only have peoples motivations and expectations of holidays changed, but geography plays a major part. Where tourism experiences can be obtained is itself subject to variations in demand and, hence, supply. For instance, in the 1970s it was not sufficient just to get a suntan, but where one got it was vital (Prosser, 1994). In the early 1960s, in Britain getting a suntan in Brighton or Blackpool was sufficient, by the early 1970s to achieve the desired status the tan had to be brought back to Britain from Benidorm and by the 1980s it had to have been obtained in Belize. In Australia, Bondi Beach would have been good enough for most sun-seekers in the 1970s, but, by the 1980s, to really enhance ones status it was necessary to get the tan in Bali! However, the reference to Bali emphasizes the unpredictability of tourism. Visitor numbers and receipts of tourism destinations The increase in the share of international tourist arrivals in the Pacific Region, therefore, indicates a very significant increase in actual tourists between 1975 and 2006. There were approximately 78 million visitor arrivals in the Pacific Region/South East Asia in 1995 (Pearce, 1995). This compares with approximately 100 million in the combined area of North and South America and 305 million in Europe in 1995 (Pearce, 1995). With approximately 55 percent of international arrivals, Europe remained, in the early part of the twenty-first century, the single most important region for international travel arrivals (WTO, 2007). In fact, Europe had five countries in the top ten tourism destinations in 2006. France, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany, with France and Spains combined totals accounting for 14 per cent of total international arrivals (WTO, 2007). Demonstration of creative thinking for tourism In the last 15 years or so of the twentieth century, changing attitudes also contributed to a re-evaluation of the nature of the tourist experience. Accompanying the growing realization that tourism takes place in finite geographical space, was the notion that it consumes environmental resources (McKercher, 1993). Increasingly, tourists became concerned about the effects their activities were having on the environment (Fennell, 1999). This led to the growth of what some consider as more environment-friendly forms of tourism, such as ecotourism (Wearing and Neil, 1999). Additionally, some tourists sought experiences that would give them more contact with the population in the destination region and potentially contribute more to the local economy. 2.1. Cultural, social and physical features of tourist destinations It has indicated that although tourism impacts tend to be multi-faceted, it is conventional to subdivide them under the following headings: economic, socio-cultural and environmental. It is also conventional to present tourism impacts as either positive or negative. This assignment has indicated that such categorization depends upon the value position of the observer. As impacts tend to be multi-faceted, often having a combination of economic, social and environmental dimensions, it may be not that straightforward to classify impacts at one particular tourism destination under the heading of either solely positive or negative. It is quite likely that there is a combination of impacts of tourism in relation to a destination and some of these impacts may be viewed as positive, while others are seen as negative. All factors discussed there are important in relation to socio-cultural impacts. Clearly, a key influence is who is involved and the activities engaged in will be significant. O f particular importance, in relation to socio-cultural impacts of tourism, is the nature of both visitors and host populations. 2.2. Comparison of the features of top contrasting tourist destinations In addition to this data, is the projection that jobs in tourism are likely to increase steadily during the early part of this century, unlike jobs in other economic sectors. These macro-level figures, however, hide the unbalanced nature of global tourism. One continent alone, South East Asia, was the single most important tourist destination with over half of all international visitor arrivals in the early part of the twenty-first century and most international arrivals of tourists in Asia were visits from the European countries. 2.3. Comparison and contrast between the features of one developing and one leading tourist destination However, the public sector in many developed countries has what may appear at face value to be contradictory roles. Governments may not only attempt to regulate tourism, but they also have a role in marketing tourism (Mason and Mowforth, 1995; Seaton and Bennett, 1996). Marketing is usually associated with promoting tourism, hence not controlling or regulating it. However, there are examples when marketing is used as a controlling measure. Such an example is that employed by the government agency, English Heritage and the NGO and the National Trust of England. These organizations work together in the marketing and management of two prehistoric sites in England. Stonehenge is the most visited prehistoric stone circle site in the United Kingdom 2.4. Identification of cultural, social and physical features One of the more significant socio-cultural impacts of tourism is referred to as the demonstration effect. This depends on there being visible differences between tourists and hosts. Such a situation arises in many developing countries. In the demonstration effect, it is theorized, that simply observing to action adopted by an agency, such as a government body. Public policy is, therefore, what governments decide to do or not to do (Dye, 1992). However, it is important to note that planning is not just a process conducted by the government. Private sector organizations, (in tourism this would include, for example, tour operators and airlines), prepare careful plans and usually have a number of policies through which they operation these plans. 3.1. Evaluation of the appeal of a current leading tourist destination Some of the more beneficial impacts of tourism on society include the following: the creation of employment; the revitalization of poor or non-industrialized regions; the rebirth of local arts and crafts and traditional cultural activities; the revival of social and cultural life of the local population; the renewal of local architectural traditions; and the promotion of the need to conserve areas of outstanding beauty which have aesthetic and cultural value (Mason, 1995). In developing countries, in particular, tourism can encourage greater social mobility through changes in employment from traditional agriculture to service industries and may result in higher wages and better job prospects. 3.2. The effect of the characteristics of a tourist destination It is clear that the resources for tourism, particularly the natural and semi-natural environmental features, but also man-made components of the environment that have become attractions, are actually finite. This has led to calls to make these resources in particular, but also the field of tourism generally, more sustainable. With reference to specific destinations, a complete halt to tourism development may be considered desirable by some members of the community, and in a number of cases this may be a majority view, but it is unlikely that tourism growth will be stopped. 3.3. Evaluation and justification for the current leading and developing tourist destinations The fact that tourism impacts are multi-faceted contributes to them being difficult to plan for and manage. There are a number of different organizations, groups, and individuals that have an important role to play in tourism planning and management. These key players, in the form of tourists, host community members, industry members, government representatives, and to a lesser extent the media and voluntary organizations, are involved in the day-to-day problems of tourism. In most democratic countries, at least, these individuals, groups, and organizations are in a position to play an active part in tourism planning and management. 4.1. The issues that affect the popularity of tourist destinations The future of tourism in Bali is far from clear after the terrorist bombings at Kuta in October 2002 and the second bombings in almost the same area in October 2005. Bali has become heavily dependent on tourism and what happens after these events may indicate whether the island, in the longer term has become economically over-dependent on tourism. Similar issues to those of Bali in its early stages of tourism development can be found in the Himalayan country, Nepal. As in Bali, tourism was relatively unimportant until the second half of the twentieth century, but more recently has come to be very significant to the economy of Nepal. Nepal, the fourth poorest country in the world, is a landlocked Himalayan kingdom relying on access to imports via India. Throughout the period of European global exploration, dating from about 1400 until as recently as the 1950s, Nepal was almost inaccessible and hence it holds attractions for significant numbers of potential tourists. Tourism began in the early 1960s but took off in the 1970s. 4.2. The potential for responsible tourism to enhance the host community at worldwide tourist destinations International visitors generally demand easy access to facilities, and these need to be of a relatively high standard, particularly toilets and washing facilities. International visitors also demand good signage, clear notice boards, good maps and sufficiently well-serviced campsites. International visitor numbers are likely to increase significantly in the next 10-15 years, while domestic visitors will remain almost constant. Hence the pressure will be to improve and increase facilities for the international visitor, but this is likely to be opposed by domestic visitors. 4.3. Methods to control issues affecting popularity of tourist destination Visitor management has been used by a number of different agencies and organizations, at different scales and in a variety of locations. In some countries, it has become a major tool in an attempting to control visitor flows. In the United Kingdom, for example, a government task force produced a tourism report that had visitor management as a key strategy. This report, maintaining the Balance, from the UK Ministry of Environment/Department of Employment and published in 1991, focused on the relationship between the environment and the visitor and suggested that there are three main ways of managing visitors. These are as follows: controlling the number of visitors either by limiting numbers to match capacity, or spreading the number throughout the year, rather than having them concentrated in time in a focused tourist season; modifying visitor behavior; Adapting the resource in ways to enable it to cope with the volume of visitors, and hence become less damaged. In relation to the first of these three methods, that of controlling the numbers of visitors, the report suggested that the initial task is to determine the carrying capacity. 4.4. Managing and organizing activities to enhance potential for responsible tourism Managing visitors is one of the important ways of managing the impacts of tourism, particularly impacts on the environment, but in addition managing socio-cultural and economic impacts. Visitor management has been viewed in the past 25 years or so as a significant way to attempt to reduce the negative impacts of tourism. Often, this has been through attempts to divert tourists from areas with large volumes of tourists, the so-called honey pots. Another approach has been to minimize the negative impacts at popular site by hardening (e.g. resurfacing paths and footpaths), or by schemes such as park and ride which keep cars out of the immediate environment of a popular attraction. Conclusion: Impacts in terms of visitor numbers were geographically patchy, as Southeast Asia and urban areas appear to have been far less affected during the summer of 2001 than rural areas, and may even have benefited from the restrictions on access to rural areas. The government made reassuring promises that it would not close down the countryside and therefore negatively affect leisure and tourism pursuits.

Astronomy Rules :: Essays Papers

Astronomy Rules Mars would make a lousy host for the Winter Olympics. Yes, there's the lack of air to consider. But more important, Martian snow turns out to be rock hard. Worse, it is melting away at an alarming rate. In fact, Mars may be in the midst of a period of profound climate change, according to a new study that shows dramatic year-to-year losses of snow at the south pole. It is not yet clear, though, if the evidence of a single year's change represents a trend. But the study provides a surprising new view of the nature of the southern ice cap, said Michael Caplinger of Malin Space Science Systems. "It's saying that the permanent cap isn't quite so permanent as we thought," Caplinger said in a telephone interview. A second study of both poles finds that Red Planet snow is more dense and hard than the euphemistic "packed powder" advertised by Eastern ski resorts, and nothing like the soft flakes expected in Utah for the 2002 Olympics. Instead, it's hard as ice. Though unrelated, the two studies were based on observations made by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and both will be published in the Dec. 7 issue of the journal Science. The combined observations represent an exciting new way to look at Mars' atmosphere and how it interacts over time with the polar caps and even soil at mid-latitudes, said David A. Paige, a researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles. "The new data are showing what's going on on Mars seasonally as well as on interannual time scales in much more detail than we had with previous observations," Paige told SPACE.com. Where the snow is Both of Mars' polar regions are covered in permanent caps of ice. Scientists have known since the 1970s that some of the ice in the north is water ice. There may be water ice in the south, too, but there is no firm evidence. Both poles are covered in a veneer of carbon dioxide ice, popularly called "dry ice" here on Earth. Each cap grows during its winter and recedes in summer. The research into snow density, lead by David E. Smith of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, confirm that much of the Martian snow is in fact composed of carbon dioxide. The study involved more than 400 million elevation measurements spanning more than one Martian year, from February 1999 through May of 2001. The orbiting spacecraft bounced a beam of laser light to the surface and back, recording the round-trip time to determine elevations within 4 inches (10 centimeters).

The Pros and Cons to Physical Education

The Pros and Cons of Physical Education Most of us remember gym class. For many of us, it was the most hated or the most anticipated class. Those that were a little bit heavier or not as athletically inclined may remember the class as a nightmare, while others may remember it as the most exciting time of the day. Either way, physical education was required. Today, however, the necessity of physical education classes is up for debate. Parents, faculty, council members, and even the government are weighing the pros and cons of allowing physical education in school.I believe that even though the funding being used to pay for equipment and gymnasiums could be better spent on books and materials for other classes, physical education should stay in school because it provides healthy exercise for children and teens. It also gives the less fortunate but deserving children a chance to play and excel in sports. Obesity is a huge concern in America today. We see more children, teens and adults eating unhealthy foods and not receiving enough exercise than any other point in history.According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry website, in 2008 between 16% and 33% of children and teens were considered obese . That is approximately one in four children who is over the suggested body fat limit for their age. What causes these children and adolescents to become overweight? Lack of exercise and a healthy diet are the main reasons. â€Å"In the 2009 edition of America’s Health Rankingsâ„ ¢, it is estimated that obesity will cost the United States about $344 billion in medical-related expenses by 2018, eating up about 21 percent of the nation’s health-care spending. (National Association for Sport and Physical Education. 2009) Though school system cannot control what these children do and eat at home but they can control the food they eat at school . The school system can also provide the minimum amount of exercise needed in a child’s life. By insisting that they attend and participate in at least 60 minutes of physical education a day, the school system is ensuring that each child is given a chance to exercise and a chance at a healthier lifestyle. Children, especially when started at a young age, are easy to mold.If they participate in daily physical exercise they are more inclined to establish a lifelong habit of daily exercise that will help to prevent obesity in adulthood and reduce the chance of expensive medical bills due to health issues in the future. There is, of course, a down side to physical education. Many children, but especially teens have self-esteem issues. If they happen to be a little bit overweight or advancing through puberty more rapidly than others or sometimes, for no reason at all these children feel the need to hide themselves.Unfortunately, a class like physical education is not the best place to hide. No parent wants his or her child to be miserable, which is why some parents are say ing that they believe the physical education class should not be mandatory. JoAnne Matthews-Saunders, a creative movement specialist, states that â€Å"few individuals, whether or not they have a disability, are willing to try new conce pts, and they are even less likely to try them while surrounded by their peers. The idea of â€Å"failing† is not a concept that anyone embraces. I, as an adult, have a difficult time when it comes to failing or not measuring up to some of my peers, especially when it concerns sports. Teens and children are the same but many, as yet, do not have the skills to accept the fact that they will not always be the best. This leads to feelings of defeat and again, low self esteem . Added to that, there is always peer criticism, which is very hard at any age but imagine a young person entering middle school or high school and being told that they would have to shower and dress with the other students of their gender .That alone could cause anxiety but for those students with self-esteem issues, in their mind it would be close to torture . There are, however, parents, teachers and other professionals who believe that physical education will raise a child's self-esteem. Professionals have stated that â€Å"youth receiving additional physical activity ten to show improved attributes such as increased brain function and nourishment, higher energy/concentration levels, changes in body build affecting self esteem, increased self esteem and better behavior†¦ (Cocke, 2002)(Tremblay, Inman, & Willms, 2000)(Dwyer, Coonan, Leitch, Hetzel, & Baghurst, 1983)(Shephard, 1997)(Scheuer, Mitchell, 2003). As one can see, there are conflicting opinions on the subject of allowing students to choose whether they want to participate in physical education. It would seem that the health benefits outweigh other arguments but parents and psychologists still suggest that the physical education class raises psychological issues. Another issue that has been raised is the cost of physical education classes.Many parents, faculty and concerned taxpayers believe that the money used to provide gym equipment, uniforms, fields, gymnasiums and the like could be better spent in different areas of the school There are so many schools that are lacking in materials, books and computers , the money being spent in physical education classes could be used to provide these items and perhaps give a child a better education then he or she may have otherwise received . According to the 2010 Federal Budget Update on US Department of Education Grants, the President is proposing a $78,000,000 budget towards the Carol M.White Physical Education Program. The website does state, however, that â€Å"the President has proposed a budget, but no Congressional action has been taken on the 2010 Education budget yet. At this point in the process, it we do not yet know which programs will materialize and at what amount. Congress may reject or change part or all of the proposed budget, though the President’s suggestions do seem to be more in line with Congressional efforts in recent years than the previous administration’s education proposals . † (2009) As one may be able to see, even Congress is debating the cost of school programs.There is no information stating how much of that funding would be going toward physical education classes but the question still remains of whether it should be used toward providing for other programs. While the placement of funding is still up for debate the fact that physical education classes provide a chance to play sports is not. At the private school I attended the school paid for the field and transportation for our sports but equipment, such as soccer balls, had to be donated or we would need to provide our own. My uniform, for example, and all other equipment I needed for my position as goal keeper, my parents had to purchase.Policies are different at every school and most state-fu nded schools supply the equipment needed. Even though some schools may, not every school provides transportation to and from home to extracurricular activities. For children whose families are unable to shuttle them back and forth to their practices and games when other transportation is unavailable, physical education is the only time they have any chance to play a spor t. It provides children and teens a chance for competitive exercise, companionship, teamwork and a desire to participate in sports and healthy activities outside of school.In the end everything boils down to the same question: Should physical education be mandatory? According to a report from Education. com â€Å"physical activity produces overall physical, psychological and social benefits. Inactive children are likely to become inactive adults. Physical activity helps children with controlling weight, reducing blood pressure, raising HDL (â€Å"good†) cholesterol, reducing the risk of diabetes, and improve d psychological well-being, including gaining more self-confidence and higher self-esteem. † (n. d. This statement as well as others that have been provided show that there are more benefits to mandatory physical education in schools such as health benefits, sports, and teamwork but the cost of the class and possible emotional stress still leave many questioning its necessity. I personally believe that the class should be mandatory. Children and teens should be allowed to make certain choices in their young live s but in this case I believe that it is in their best interest to participate physical education classes.

Basic Anhydride or Base Anhydride Definition

Definition: A basic anhydride or base anhydride is a metal oxide that forms a basic solution when reacted with water. Examples: An example of a base anhydride is CaO, which turns into CaOH in water.