Category: Free Essays

Antarctica and Tourism.

On a holiday, people expect to see beaches, enjoy the sun, searching for challenge, education and excitement, including relaxation. Antarctica being exactly the opposite of a fantasy holiday destination, has still managed to capture the attention of tourist. The world’s extreme conditions aren’t usually spots for tourist attraction. Antarctica, with extreme physical conditions is incredibly amazing tourist destination. The polar region being covered with snow, unique wildlife, huge mountains, valleys, ice bergs etc are the factors for the increase in the number of people visiting the Antarctica. The number of tourists to Antarctica has increased quite considerably, during the past decade, according to International Association of Antarctica tour operators (IAATO) in 2002/2003, 13571 tourists visited Antarctica compared to 6000, a decade ago. Antarctica is completely different to any other holiday destination in the world. With no malls, no shopping complexes, no restaurants, no bar’s. All it has to offer is its amazing scenic beauty and its unique wildlife.

The only activity that uses Antarctica commercially is Tourism, mainly concentrated to Antarctic Peninsula and to a lesser extent the Ross Sea. During the year 1950 tourists began entering Antarctica via means of air and ship; and helicopter trips, commercial flights started flying to Antarctica only in the year 1960. Between1977 to around about 1980, there were regular flights that flew to Antarctica, which carried about 11,000 tourists (Bauer, 2001). Flying over Antarctica atmosphere was a major concern, due to lack of radio signals, meteorological services and emergency services. On November 28th, 1979, 257 people were killed, when an Air Zealand flight struck Mt Erebus, due to poor visibility (Bauer, 2001). Which restricted flights to Antarctica for a few years, were people were skeptical of flying over to Antarctica, but in the year 1994 overflights were resumed, by an Australian airline company.

The first expedition to Antarctica was an Argentinean vessel, the Les Ecaireurs that carried 100 passengers to the peninsula. In the year 1968, 24 people visited the Ross dependency. Since then on ships have become regular, originating mainly from Chile and Argentina, operating mainly around the Ross sea area, landings for these ships are made in small inflatable rubber boat known as zodiacs at several locations, for example Cape Adare, Scott Base, McMurdo Terra Nova Bay Stations and Possession Island, etc(Bauer, 2001). Helicopters are used to make trips to the Taylor valley in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Due to no land-based services for tourism, Most of tourism in and around Antarctica, takes place through ships. In 1993/94 the ship Marco Polo carrying four hundred tourists circumnavigated the continent in a record time of twenty-two days. the tour visited places like Cape Adare, Cape Evans and McMurdo Station, huts were spotted which showed evidence of huts left by the early explorers. These tours offered instructive knowledge about the environment. As Hart states, this area is more for those who seek an informative vacation rather than relaxation and constant comfort

Tourism has far less benefits compared to the risks it can cause the Antarctic environment. Tourist’s visiting Antarctica have some guidelines that need to be followed in order to preserve the environment and its fragility. The carbon released from the flights and wastes from the ship could, give rise to the green house effect, causing global impacts, for example due to the rise of carbon dioxide in the air lakes on the Signy island, in maritime Antarctica have increased their temperature by 0.9 degrees Celsius, which could contribute to the loss of ice on the continent, bringing about its decline, global impacts can also have direct impacts on the flora and fauna of Antarctica. But much more than the damage caused by these gases, is the damage caused by men on the land. Most of Antarctica’s terrestrial life is composed of low lying mosses, lichen etc. Mass tourists can exploit the region, the damage of a single footprint can destroy these species, which probably will never recover again (Hart, 1988). Until late 1960’s sealing and whaling had become a problem, where penguins, seals and whales, were killed for their oil, skin and blubber, this is now not much of a problem, since their has been a treaty of agreement against these actions. Most of the damage caused, is due to waste disposal caused mainly by the smaller tour ships, accidents have occurred where these small ships have been grounded on uncharted rocks, causing oil spills.

Therefore increasing the number of tourists will increase the number of ships, thereby increasing oil spillage, oil doesn’t mix with water, causing a rise of two different fluids, this fluid mechanics is much more complex than just oil and water, causing great danger to the animal life of the continent. Disposal of organic matter by visiting tourists is another threat, for example a plastic bag, disposed, can take years to decay, and could entangle animals, resulting in their death. Tourism in Antarctica is guided and regulated by the International Association of Antarctic tour Operators (IAATO). They set strict guidelines to its members, for example limiting the size of ships that can actually sail Antarctica. Unlike other tourist attractions, Antarctica lacks local inhabitants, mainly people at the science stations that take the advantage and the benefits of tourism. Tourists are considered environmental hazards

Antarctica is one of the world’s greatest natural assets, which has been a growing location for tourists. But some set guidelines need to be followed to preserve this continent from declining. Studies indicate that, tourists touring the continent could cause detrimental and physical damage to the continent. Research and studies have shown that Airborne and Seaborne tourists might have low levels of disturbance compared to those on the land. To save Antarctica from these tourism effects, an international convention relating only to tourism and its harmful effects, must be conducted.

References:

Hart P. D., 1988, The Growth of Antarctic Tourism, Oceanus, summer edition.

Bauer, T.G. 2001. Tourism in the Antarctic: Opportunities, constraints and future prospects. The Haworth Press, New York, USA.

Hall, C.M and Johnston, M.E. (eds). 1995. Polar Tourism: Tourism in the Arctic and Antarctic Regions.John Wiley & Sons Ltd. West Sussex, England.

International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators website, www.iaato.org

Parker, B. C. (ed.), 1972, Conservation Problems in Antarctica. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia.

Campbell, I. B. and Claridge, G. G. C., 1989, Antarctica: soils, weathering processes and environment. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 368 p

It may be high volume mass tourism or low volume and low impact tourism. It may generate high economic returns or low economic returns, be sustainable or unsustainable, domestic or international, and based on day visits or longer stays (Roe et al., 1997). Wildlife tourism includes activities such as bird watching, whale watching, reef diving, gorilla tourism and photographic safari. Wildlife tourism can include interaction with animals in captivity but for the purposes of this paper the narrower definition of wildlife tourism as denoting only human contact with animals in the wild is used.

Wildlife tourism is a holiday with a difference. A wildlife tourism holiday offers a different experience for each traveller on each occasion, as the major component of the holiday, the wildlife, is unpredictable. Tourists often feel that they, and they alone, have experienced a particular aspect of an animals behaviour.

Wildlife tourism often involves not only seeing rare or exciting animals in their natural habitat, but visiting areas that are difficult to travel to and hence not visited by many tourists. This perceived exclusivity adds to the appeal of wildlife tourism.

In the a study reported in the Times, three of the top five Things to Do Before You Die involved an aspect of wildlife tourism (swim with dolphins, whale watching and swim with sharks respectively). For many participants a wildlife holiday will be remembered for many years to come as a holiday with a difference.

Trends in Consumer Behaviour that are Catered for by Wildlife Tourism

Public interest in conservation and environmental matters is growing. 85% of industrialised world citizens believe that the environment is the most important public issue (Carson and Moulden, 1991). This socio-cultural trend has led to an increase in the demand for ecotourism. Ecotourism is nature-based tourism that involves ecologically sustainable management of natural areas and an interaction with or observance of either flora or fauna. This is precisely what wildlife tourism provides.

There has also been a trend towards experiential tourism; that is active, rather than passive travel. People increasingly want to feel that they are participating in and influencing the area they travel to. Wildlife tourism caters for this trend in that tourists often feed or otherwise interact with the wildlife they visit.

The major world tourism markets, Europe and North America, are affected by an increase in the proportion of older people in the population. In addition, changes in working practises have meant that people have more flexibility to get longer periods of time off work. The days when gap years were restricted to students are gone. More mature people than before are taking sabbaticals from work or travelling after retirement. Wildlife tourism caters well for these grown up gappers as a longer time frame will allow remote geographical areas to be accessed and increase the chances of a successful wildlife encounter.

Management Issues Facing Wildlife Tourism

The management issues facing wildlife tourism are twofold, identifying methods of minimising the impact on the wildlife resource itself and ensuring that the tourists receive a valuable experience from the holiday. Sometimes these two aims are mutually exclusive.

There are many direct impacts of wildlife tourism on wildlife. They can be divided into categories such as habitat destruction, disturbance of feeding and disease transmission. Each of these categories will now be illustrated with an example.

Tourism can contribute to the destruction of wildlife habitat. In the Norfolk Broads, UK, large volumes of boat traffic, especially motor boats, result in considerable boat wash and river bank erosion and undermine on-going efforts to improve the Broads severely impaired water quality and threatened aquatic wildlife (Brouwer et al, 2001). The consequences of erosion can lead to important habitats being lost and the silt from the disappearing banks clogging up the waterways, which further deteriorates water quality.

In the Yacatan Peninsula, Mexico, ‘boatloads of tourists were driven into groups of feeding flamingos to make them take flight’ (Long, 1991, cited in Chin, Moore, Wallington & Dowling, 2000). This type of disturbance during feeding can have several effects depending on the magnitude of the disruption. Some birds may take flight temporarily, but return after the disturbance ends. Other birds may modify their feeding habits and desert the site of tourism disturbance permanently. When a bird is unexpectedly forced to take flight during feeding, energy intake terminates and energy expenditure significantly increases. Where disturbance causes a bird to desert a particular site, the availability of suitable alternative sites is critical for the bird’s survival. Furthermore, the site in which it settles may already be populated or may be of lower quality resulting in lower rates of energy intake.

The possible transmission of diseases from humans to animals is a serious threat resulting from the close contact between species that many wildlife tourism experiences involve. It is though that the mountain gorillas of Rwanda are particularly affected. Humans and gorillas share about 97% of their genetic makeup and they are therefore susceptible to many of the same diseases. These include tuberculosis, influenza, measles, polio and intestinal parasites (Cameron). The single population of 300 mountain gorillas in the Virunga Volcanoes is particularly badly affected. More than seventy tourists and a similar number of guides, porters, rangers and researchers visit seventy percent of the gorillas in this population daily. There have been several outbreaks of disease that can probably be attributed to humans. This includes an epidemic in 1988 in which six habituated gorillas died of respiratory illness and twenty-seven more became ill.

Methods of managing these and other negative effects on wildlife caused by wildlife tourism include restricting the number of tours allowed, education and finally licensing, and thereby controlling, the activities of tour groups.

The most popular example of restricting the number of tours allowed is that of the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, which were protected in 1934. In the Galapagos Islands parts of the islands are designated as ‘Intensive Visitor Zones’, where a maximum of ninety people are allowed simultaneously on shore. The ‘Extensive Visitor Zones’ are open to groups of less than twelve individuals (de Groot, 1983).

Education of operators and tourists about appropriate behaviour to adopt in the presence of wildlife is another method of managing the negative impacts of wildlife tourism on the animals involved. A code of conduct can be distributed to tour operators and publicly displayed in the local area. Tourist education can develop a demand-lead requirement for responsible tour groups.

Licensing of tour companies is a method of minimising the impact of wildlife tourism. Licensing is often dependent on compliance with particular regulations, such as minimum approach distances. Many whale watching regulations specify a minimum approach distance of 100m (Brouwer et al, 2001).

The choice of type of management depends on the nature of the target species and the severity of the impacts on them. An analysis of the impacts of the specific wildlife tourism would be required before a management method was selected.

As well as managing the needs of the wildlife by minimising wildlife tourism’s impact on them, tourism managers, of course, need to consider the needs of the tourists. Tourists want a wildlife watching experience that is both enjoyable and informative. The skills and knowledge of tour operators add to the experience of wildlife tourists and so should be maximised.

Wildlife tourism is inherently seasonal. Most species act differently according to the season. The best example of this is migration. The ‘Great Migration’ is the movement of over a million wildebeest between the Masai Mara and the Serengeti plains. There are numerous wildlife tourism opportunities presented by this, but there are of course dependent on the timing of the migration. The migration usually occurs May to June, but this can be affected by rainfall, which in turn affect availability of vegetation. Wildlife tourism management involves understanding the environmental influences on species behaviour and how this will affect tourism opportunities.

Wildlife tourists also want to get ‘close up’ to the wildlife (Orams, 2000). Managers of wildlife tourism need to attempt to ensure predictable occurrence of species within a relatively restricted area. Managers of wildlife tourism need to carefully integrate visitors and wildlife through management of their interactions whilst still ensuring damage to the species is limited.

Managers of wildlife tourism also need to ensure that there are other activities to keep tourists amused for times when wildlife does not co-operate with tour schedules. There needs to be an awareness of either other geographical locations that can be utilised to view the same wildlife or other species that can be more easily located.

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Conclusion

Wildlife tourism offers a holiday with a difference. It caters for emerging tourism trends, particularly ecotourism, experiential tourism and longer duration holidays. There are two main management issues facing wildlife tourism. These are minimising the impact of tourism on the species involved and ensuring that wildlife tourists receive a quality experience. The particular management strategies that can be utilised depend upon the species involved and the severity of the impacts upon that species. Bibliography

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Boo, E. (1990). Ecotourism: the potentials and pitfalls. Washington D.C: World Wildlife Fund.

Brouwer, R, Turner R.K & Voisey, H. (2001) ‘Public perception of overcrowding and management alternatives in a multi-purpose open access resource’ Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 9, (6), p471-488.

Caalders, J & van de Duim, R. (2002). ‘Biodiversity and tourism: impacts and interventions’, Annals of Tourism Research, 29, (3), p743-761.

Cameron, K. ‘Providing healthcare to a wild gorilla population’ The Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project. http://www.azadocents.org/The_Mountain_Gorilla_Veterinary_Project.pdf (27 Mar. 2005)

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Curry, B et al. (2001). ‘Modelling impacts of wildlife tourism on animal communities: a case study from Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal’, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 9, (6), p514-529.

de Groot, R.S. (1983). Tourism and conservation in the Galapagos Islands. Biological Conservation 26, p291-300.

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MaLellan, L. (1999). ‘An examination of wildlife tourism as a sustainable form of tourism development in North West Scotland’, International Journal of Tourism Research, 5, p375-287.

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Orams, M. (2002). ‘Feeding wildlife as a tourism attraction: a review of issues and impacts’, Tourism Management, 23, p281-293.

Orams, M. (1999). Marine tourism: developments, impacts and management. New York and London: Routledge.

Priskin, J. (2001). ‘Assessment of natural resources for nature-based tourism: the case of the Central Coast Region of Western Australia’, Tourism Management, 22, p637-648.

Reynolds, P & Braithwaite, D. (2001). ‘Towards a conceptual framework for wildlife tourism’, Tourism Management, 22, p31-42.

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Shackley, M. (1996). Wildlife Tourism. London: International Thompson Business Press.

‘UK background factsheet’ The Orangutan Foundation. http://www.orangutan.org.uk/history/ (10 Mar. 2005)

Varanasi

Varanasi, also commonly known as Banaras or Kashi is one of the holiest cities in India and is situated in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city is situated on the west bank of the river Ganga and is one of the oldest, continually inhabited city in the world.

Significance

Varanasi is believed to have been established by Lord Shiva about 5000 years ago and, in addition to being one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the city has long been a centre of religion and spiritualism. The city of Varanasi finds a mention in ancient Hindu religious texts and scriptures like the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, Rigveda amongst others. It is holy shrine of Lord Kashi Vishwanath, a manifestation of Lord Shiva and was here that Gautam Buddha was born and Varanasi is perhaps one of the few holy cities that enjoys a revered position among devouts of Hindus, Buddhists and Jains.

Attractions

Over the years, the city of Varanasi has earned several sobriquets, ‘the city of temples’, ‘the city of lights’ and the ‘city of learning’. No wonder then, Varanasi is home to several temples, however, most of these places of worship were destroyed by pillaging Muslim armies of Mahmud of Ghazni and Mohammad Ghori. Varanasi is also home to over one hundred ghats scattered along the banks of river Ganga.

The Kashi Vishwanath Temple: This temple was built in 1780 by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar and encloses the holy Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva and is said that a view of this Jyotirlinga is makes for a very profound spiritual awakening. The temple is a magnificent piece of architecture and is adorned by ornate carvings. Intricate carvings can also be seen on the dome that is the roof of this temple.

Durga Temple: Is another temple of worship and is presided over by Goddess Durga. The temple is home to a large number of monkeys who can be found wandering around in the courtyard and the Durga kund, a small tank near the temple and is therefore, sometimes referred to as ‘Monkey Temple’. The temple built in the 18th century is a classic example of the Nagara style of architecture.

The Sankat Mochan Temple: The Sankat Mochan temple is dedicated to Lord Hanuman and is one of the popular temples in Varanasi. This temple, unfortunately, was also the site of a vicious terrorist attack but that failed to diminish the faith of the devotees who still throng to this temple in large numbers to pay obeisance to Hanuman.

Other Attractions

Varanasi is also home to over hundred ghats located along the banks of the Ganga. By day, these ghats witness frantic activity of devotees wanting to take a dip in the holy waters and by evening, these ghats turn into a magnificent spectacle of lights – it is here that the Ganga aarti is performed in the evening.

How to Reach

Varanasi has its own airport, the Babatpur airport, that is about 25 km from the city centre. The city is well connected by rail and road with other cities in India.

Tourism is a rapidly changing industry. Outline the key trends in tourism demand at the start of the 21th century and examine their impact on accommodation providers.

Tourism is a travel outside for the usual environment. People travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The 21th Century tourism has become a popular global leisure activity that will grow in new heights as it becomes more accessible to a larger cross section of the global population. The tourism industry is one of the most resilient and dynamic sectors of the economy and will result in commensurate economic opportunities for developed and emerging destinations around the world. A big number of challenges will be also created in attracting and serving increased tourism demand and in mitigating any potential negative externalities that will emerge as a result of tourism’s rapid growth. The tourist industries of the successful destinations will strike a sense of balance in developing by monitoring international trends, ensuring that the benefits of tourism are more than any potential negative impact and achieve a more fair distribution of tourism profits. Tourism is a profitable business and that is a good reason for countries to focus on honing their abilities in tourism. The 21th century improves that tourism is a rapidly changing industry.

In 2001 was a decrease of 0, 6% in international tourist arrivals, compared with 2000, and the decrease is continued for the first six months of the 2002 of 0, 2%. In 2008, there were over 922 million international tourist arrivals, with a growth of 1.9% as compared to 2007. International tourism receipts grew to 642 billion euro in 2008, which mean an increase in of 1.8%. The international demand for a travel suffered a slowdown that began in June 2008, as a result of the late 2000 recession. During the first eight months of 2008 the growth from 2007 to 2008 was only 3.7%. The markets of Asian and Pacific were affected. Europe stagnated during the summer, while the Americas performed better, reducing their expansion rate but keeping a 6% growth from January to August 2008. During the same period the Middle East continued its rapid growth reaching a 17% growth as compared to the same period in 2007. This slowdown on international tourism demand was also reflected in the air transport industry, with a negative growth in September 2008 and a 3.3% growth in passenger traffic through September. The hotel industry also reports a slowdown, as room occupancy continues to decline. During September and October the global economic situation deteriorated dramatically, as a result of the global financial crisis. For the remaining of 2008 the growth of international tourism is expected to slow even further continuing into 2009. The slowdown in demand growth has already hit the top spender countries. The long-haul travel is the most affected by the economical crisis. This negative trend intensified as international tourist arrivals fell by 8% during the first four months of 2009, and the decline was exacerbated in some regions due to the outbreak of the influenza AH1N1 virus.

During 21th century tourism industry is characterized by numerous issues and trends that present threats and opportunities. Many countries suffered from terrorist threats that have been increased. After the attacks in New York and Washington that followed by two wars, in Afghanistan and Iraq and continued with terrorist attacks in the Bali (bombing 2002 and 2005), in London, Madrid, Bangkok and other destinations. The result of this terrorist attacks is to increase the need of people for safety and security. These procedures are creating inconvenience. Inconvenience we see at the airports with longer lines and in visa policies and standards that are stricter. Another issue of this century is that China growth into a large source markets in the Asia Pacific region. China has become a primary focus of the world’s tourism industry and the Chinese nationals have been increasingly visiting international destinations and this trend will continue to increase from now on. During this century new destinations are coming to the tourism market. India, Egypt, South Korea, Vietnam, New Zealand, South Africa, Eastern Europe and the Philippines have been recently launched. As a result competition to mainstay destinations, such as Australia, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia, increases. The UNWTO’s Tourism 2020 Vision forecasts that international arrivals are expected to reach nearly 1.6 billion by the year 2020. The total tourist arrivals by region shows that by 2020 the top three receiving regions will be Europe (717 million tourists), East Asia and the Pacific (397 million) and Americas (282 million), followed by Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. Regions like Europe and America are expected to show lower rates. Europe will achieve the highest level of arrivals, although there will be a decline from 60% in 1995 to 46% in 2020. It will be fast grow in the long-haul travel worldwide at 5.4% per year over the period 1995-2020, than intraregional travel, at 3.8%. In an attempt to increase the value and synergy for the tourist and the participating economies the emergence of sub-regional cooperative agreements is on the rise. In the long term prospects is also to increase the awareness and consciousness among travellers for the sustainable and green tourism.

For many countries tourism is vital. Greece, Thailand, Egypt, Fiji, Maldives are examples of these counties due to the large intake of money for businesses with their goods and services and the opportunity for employment in the service industries associated with tourism.¶ These service industries include hospitality services, such as accommodations, including hotels and resorts. Even with problems related to the global economic slowdown, travel and tourism are already part of consumer behavior. That mean that people like to travel are still willing to travel. The European countries have observed increases in domestic tourism, more travel within the same region, increases in travel by road and rail, increases in the individual trips, more direct booking, and an increased use of low-cost airlines. Some changes are temporary but many of them are structural. The supply has two main elements, the destinations and the industry. The future of the destinations depends on their ability to adapt to demand. The effects are more visible in the industry. The tour operators and the accommodation providers have been hit harder by the weakness of the outbound markets, later booking, the tendency towards shorter length of stay, and cost-cutting on business trips. The industry has to adapt to these new facts. The hotels all over the world enjoyed a boom through mid 2007. The levels of the occupancy were high as the room rates and the levels of the travelers were strong. However, the global financial crisis put a damper on hotel occupancy that continued into 2008 and 2009. A big number of hotel construction projects have been cancelled. Travel and tourism operators best-positioned to suffer the least damage are those able to offer low-priced options. In order to avoid losing sales ¶during the periods of economic slowdown hotels and airlines have increasingly invested in low-cost brands. This economic downturn led to an increase of demand for low and mid-priced hotel and decreased the demand for luxury hotels. The travellers looking for economy travel accommodation. On the other hand the average daily room rates become higher because of the non-existed competition and the low number of chained hotel outlets.

http://www.ncsu.edu/tourismextension/documents/top10traveltrends.pdf

http://www.ensino.uevora.pt/tmp/cursos/PPT/TIC/aula_02_anexo2.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism

http://www.traveldailynews.com/pages/show_page/7543-Tourism-Trends-by-Tourism-Control-Intelligence

http://www.tiac-aitc.ca/english/documents/advocacy/2009/2008StatisticsCompendiumFinal.pdf

Dark tourism has been defined as encompassing the visitation to any site associated with death, disaster and tragedy in the twentieth century for remembrance, education or entertainment. Furthermore Howie (2003) argues that visits to the sites of recent tragedies, as for example the site of the World Trade Center in New York destroyed by terrorist attacks in 2001, raise issues of both genuine compassion and morbid fascination. Urry (1991, taken from Theobald, 1994) also suggests that nostalgia, it would seem, knows no limits, to the virtual extent that the worse the experience the more appealing the attraction. The idea of dark side of tourism has also been identified by Dann and Seaton (2001) as incorporating what they call thanatourism, milking the macabre as a kind that pervades tourism in general.

As suggested by McCormick (2004) dark tourism is not a new phenomenon as it can be referred back to the twelfth century when the violent death of the British Canterbury in the town’s cathedral attracted many people to the site. Today’s sites such as Chernobyl, The World Trade Center, Auschwitz or even sites where famous people were killed such as John F Kennedy are all experiencing an increase in visitor’s number (Lennon and Foley, 2004). As an article by the Guardian (2004) suggest, the explosion that in 1986, ripped the roof off Chernobyl’s fourth reactor, causing the building’s walls to bend and hurling tons of radioactive waste into the air, is today a popular tourist site. For foreigners, Chernobyl is easily added to a long list of tourist attractions whose fame turns on tragedy or disaster, but for those that live in the affected area, it is a different story. As the Ukrainian tourist board’s executive director suggested: Chernobyl is not a historical place, it is a sleeping lion, and when a lion is sleeping you do not open the cage.

Other historical sites also include that of Auschwitz, a symbol of terror, genocide and the Holocaust. The number of registered visitors to this site are increasing and as the statistics show, the number of visitors of some countries, such as the USA, has doubled from 34404 to 62997 between 2003 and 2004 (Auschwitz, 2004), re-affirming the statement put forward by Lennon and Foley (2004) that dark tourism is on the increase.

More recently a destination that has been affected by the terrorist attacks and that has seen an increase in inbound tourism, has been the World Trade Center, or better known as Ground Zero. In 2002, the ruins of the World Trade Center in New York attracted 3.6 million visitors, while the observation deck from the intact towers used to attract an average of 1.8 million tourists per year (McCormick, 2004).

It must be noted that there are many more sites that have not been previously mentioned that are worth considering for future research to further understand the spread of dark tourism.

Having considered some of the sites that best represent the view of dark tourism, the essay will now briefly look at the reasons behind this form of tourism and an in-depth analysis of the implications on tourism management issues will follow.

Foley, Lennon and Maxwell (1997) suggest that many of the deaths and disasters that gave rise to heritage interpretation had received considerable coverage via global media, international news and film media. Young (1993, taken from Lennon and Foley, 2004) argues that there are elements of the ancient in dark tourism, in the visitation of these sites that are intended to maintain memory. People will be motivated by different things, perhaps they decide to visit these sites out of curiosity, pay their respect to those who have lost their lives or simply because they feel as if they are part of this (Di Sante, 2003).

For the purpose of this task, the essay will now consider the tourism management issues as a result of the widespread of dark tourism. As with any tourist site, the conservation and safeguard of these monuments, museums or any other site, is perhaps the most relevant of all. Although the increase of dark tourism may mean that more people are now aware of what has happened for example during the Nazism and perhaps in a way it limits these atrocities to be repeated, a number of important issues have also been identified. As suggested by Lennon (2004) if there are lots of people involved in these attractions, you need regulations. It promotes extreme sensitivities and a lot depends on the motivation of visitors, is it morbid curiosity or is there personal reasons? One of the tourism management issues identified is that of the long-term damage caused by visitors. Inevitably the high number of visitors received by sites such as Auschwitz, ground Zero, Chernobyl, will have an impact in the long term. Therefore it is important to impose a visitor number management to control how many visitors are coming through the site. The protection of these are vital if damage is to be avoid and protection is also needed to restrain vandals from leaving their mark on everything they visit (Yale, 2004).

As Yale (2004) also suggests weathering is also a major concern for those sites that are exposed to the elements, wind, rain, frost and sun, can be damaged unless shelter is provided or special arrangements made. Auschwitz camp is a perfect example for this. It is in the process of continual erosion; the growth of vegetation and foliage- coverage has to be managed and controlled. As Lennon and Foley (2004) further suggest, there should be management rather than restoration. This dark attraction has swelled visitor number and catalysed economic activity.

A very important issue also identified is that of culture management. Tourist must be given a code of conduct and be educated to behave in a certain way when visiting particular sites as to conform and integrate with the local community to avoid conflict. Tourist themselves have, or should have, an obligation to observe codes of behaviour and be aware of cultural norms in the destination they are visiting (Howie, 2003).

Some behaviour such as alcohol abuse, shouting, fighting should not be permitted as these might insult the local community and lack of respect needed in these tragedy sites. While at Auschwitz-Birkenau, groups of schoolchildren were taking photographs of each other, parents were photographing their children at the gates of Birkenau and indeed, school parties were sitting on the ruins of the crematorium eating sandwiches(Lennon and Foley, 2004).

Furthermore funds required to conserve sites will also be of consideration. The two options that will be available to raise funds would probably lie with government support and a visitor’s entrance fee.

It can be construed that the phenomenon of dark tourism is not a recent trend but its origins can be traced back to the twelfth century. Dark tourism has been defined as those visits to any site associated with death, disaster and tragedy in the twentieth century for remembrance, education or entertainment. It was noted that there are various reasons of why people decide to visit these particular sites; morbid curiosity, remembrance, the need to pay respects are just a few of these. The essay also looked at the more common cases of sites where dark tourism is more noticeable. Auschwitz, Chernobyl and the World Trade Center were taken into consideration while it was also noted that other sites such as the death site of John F Kennedy’s murder provoke people’s interests. It was also noted that the number of visitors, of a particular country, at certain sites such as Auschwitz had doubled between 2003 and 2004 re-affirming the statement that suggested that dark tourism is increasing.

Furthermore, the essay also determined that there are a number of tourism management issues involved with dark tourism; conservation and safeguard of these sites; weathering of those sites exposed to the elements, wind, rain, frost and sun, and that can be damaged unless shelter is provided or special arrangements made. It was also noted that Auschwitz is currently in the process of erosion, the overgrowth of vegetation for example is going out of hand and it really needs a management program more than a restoration program to keep it in perfect order. Vandalism was also noted as a tourism management issue to take into consideration. Finally it was noted that culture management is also very important and tourists must be educated to behave in a certain way when visiting particular sites to avoid conflict. Site managers should seek government funds or even impose a small entrance fee to be able to continue the conservation process.

Back to: Example Essays

Bibliography

Auschwitz (2003) Memorial and Museum: Auschwitz- Birkenau, Avaialble from: http://www.auschwitz-muzeum.oswiecim.pl/html/eng/start/

Dann, G. M.S. and Seaton, A.V. (2001) Slavery, Contested Heritage and Thanatourism, Birmingham: The Haworth Hospitality Press

Di Sante, T. (2003) Why we’re drawn to the roots of terror, 06 Sep., The Times

Foley, M., Lennon, J. and Maxwell, G. (1997) Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Management: Issues in Strategy and Culture, London: Cassell

Howie, F. (2003) Managing the Tourist Destination, London: Continuum

Lennon, J. (2004) Seminar on dark tourism, 13 Aug., Issue 2627, Travel Trade Gazette in the Times, 20 Aug, p 4

Lennon, J. and Foley, M. (2004) Dark Tourism, London: Thomson

McCormick, M. (2004) Ground Zero and the phenomena of dark tourism, Available from: http://www.pilotguides.com/destination_guide/north_america/new_york/ground_zero.php

The Guardian (2004) Postcard from Hell, 18 Oct, p1-4

Theobald, W. (1994) Global tourism: the next decade, Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann

Urry, J. (1991) The Tourist Gaze, London: Sage

Yale, P. (2004) From Tourist Attractions to Heritage Tourism, 3^rd ed., Elm

Young, J.E. (1993) The Texture of Memory: Holocaust Memorials and Meaning, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press

Boniface, P. (2001)Dynamic tourism, Channel View Publications

Boniface, P. and Fowler, P.J. (1993) Heritage and Tourism in the global village, London: Routledge

Herbert, D.T. (1995) Heritage, Tourism and Society, Pinter

Uzzell, D. (1989) Heritage Interpretation, London: Belhaven Press

Yale, P. (1991) From Tourist Attractions to Heritage Tourism, Elm Publications

CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction

Tourism begins to bloom dramatically in the world and is the world’s largest industry and generator of jobs. With the advancements of technology, travelling from one place to another place became easier and that it has become essential to our life. Whenever one speaks of travel and tourism, images of relaxing by the sandy beach and strolling along the beautiful landscape came to mind. Travelling allows people to see the world, a world different from their comfort zone where they live. It gives them chances to explore the unknown and experience a completely new different culture, tradition and people. Travelling broadens one’s mind and provides life-changing experience.

Tourism is, without a doubt, one of the most important forces shaping our world (Cohen & Kennedy, 2000). The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for more than twenty-four hours and not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited. A tourist destination can be defined as an amalgam of tourism products and services consumed under the same brand name offering customers and integrated experience, which is subjectively interpreted according to the customers’ travel itinerary, cultural background, purpose of visit, past experience and other related factors (Buhalis, 2000).

In a study of Caribbean charter yacht tourism, Lett (1983) found that vacations provide individuals with opportunities to satisfy needs which constraints back home leave unsatisfied. Tourists are a fundamental part which their involvement may be active or passive, but their presence influences what is delivered (Baker and Crompton, 2000). Visitor perceived quality of a destination, satisfaction with their experience and revisit intention are important for successful destination management. The information is essential for the managers to attract visitors by improving the quality and the performance of the destination.

Mazanec, Woeber, and Zins (2007) found that while destination competitiveness is usually interpreted as the destination’s ability to provide the visitors with a satisfying memorable experience and thereby increase the number of visitors and the destination’s revenue. The concept remains on a conceptual level (Zabkar, Brencic and Dmitrovis, 2010). Baloglu and McCleary (1999) showed that destination image will influence tourists in the process of choosing a destination, the subsequent evaluation of the trip and in their future intentions. The purpose of this research is to explore the relationship among perceived quality of destination level, the satisfaction level and revisit intention of visitors using quantitative data collected from one of the tourist destinations in Malaysia, Tioman Island.

This chapter first provides an overview for this research, the background, problem statement, research objectives and the significance of this study. The main variables and hypotheses linking the influence of perceived quality on satisfaction and revisit intention will then be identified through a research framework.

1.2 Research Background

As tourism continues to grow at a steady rate across nations, it looks promising that the tourism industry will enrich the country’s economy. The importance of the tourist destination’s image is universally acknowledged, since it affects the individual’s subjective perception and consequent behaviour and destination choice (Chon, 1992). Anderson and Narus (1998) summarized that perceived value is the perceived worth in monetary units of the set of economic, technical, service, and social benefits received by a customer’s firm in exchange for the price paid for product’s offering, and taking into consideration, the available alternative of supplier’s offerings and price.

Oliver (1980) defines an individual’s perception of performance quality or level of satisfaction with an experience in terms of the magnitude of his or her disconfirmation. By relating perceptions of the former or experience to initial expectation, we can assess perceived quality and satisfaction. An extension of that, perceived quality may affect satisfaction in the similar way. For example, perceived quality measure as quality/performance ratio was repeated by many to predict customer loyalty which is a state motivated by satisfaction (Cronin, Brady, and Hult, 2000). Thus, it seems logical that there should be a link between visitor’s perceived quality, level of satisfaction and the revisit intention. It recognizes that satisfaction may be influenced by the social-psychological state a tourist brings to a site and by extraneous events that are beyond the provider’s control, as well as by the program or site attributes that suppliers can control (Baker and Crompton, 2000).

Zeithaml, Parasuraman and Berry (1985) distinguished between the two constructs by defining quality as a gestalt attitude toward a service which was acquired over a period of time after multiple experiences with it, whereas satisfaction was seen to relate to a specific service transaction. Revisit intention is an extension of satisfaction rather than an initiator of revisit decision making process (Um, Chon and Ro, 2006). Revisit intentions might be influenced by performance of a destination as a whole because of their initial stay while some intentions may be influenced mainly by promotional materials to recollect their memories and by information which are disseminated widely on new attractions. Tourists’ positive experiences provided by destinations could produce revisit intentions.

Ajzen (1991) summarizes that perceived behavioral control is added to the theory of reasoned actions as a determinant of intentions which direct experience and attitudinal confidence and attitude accessibility. Fazio and Williams (1986) justify the attitude-behaviour relationship. There are three key links in attitude theory which is the attitude-intention, subjective norm-intention, or intention-behavior. According to Bagozzi (1992), there are three theories of attitude which are the theory of reasoned action, the theory of planned behaviour, and the theory of trying.

Higher perceived quality and higher levels of satisfaction will result in higher visitor retention rate as suggested by Theory of Attitudes. This shows that if the perceived quality improves, it will increase the satisfaction which will lead to revisit intention. To increase visitors’ positive behavioral intentions, managers should set their priorities to provide high quality, satisfying experiences that visitors perceived to be a good value (Lee, Petrick, and Crompton, 2007). The satisfaction of the visitors is the result of a post-consumption or post-usage evaluation, containing both cognitive and affective elements (Oliver, 1997). It is interesting to test the attitude framework in tourism context.

1.3 Overview of Tourism in Malaysia

Malaysia is a developing country in South-East Asia. The country is separated by the South China Sea into two regions, Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo or also known as the West Malaysia and the East Malaysia. Malaysia is a country that has Asia’s three major races such as Malay, Chinese and Indian. Besides that, there are various other ethnic groups in large numbers. Multiculturalism has not only made Malaysia a unique country but it has also made Malaysia famous for its exciting diversity of cultures, festivals, traditions, food and customs.

Malaysia’s climate is categorized as hot and humid all the year therefore Malaysia is famous for its natural rainforest and numerous beaches. Cool hideaways are found in the highlands that roll down to warm and sandy beaches. Thus, many tourist destinations have sprung up throughout the country like mushrooms growing after the rain. In an effort of making Malaysia’s economy less dependent on the exports of the country, the government has pushed to increase tourism in Malaysia. It is important to balance any decision to develop an area for tourism against the need to preserve fragile or threatened environments and cultures.

According to Munan (2002), tourism has become Malaysia’s third largest source of income from foreign exchange. In 1999, Malaysia launched a worldwide marketing campaign called “Malaysia, Truly Asia” which was largely successful in bringing in tourists. The extra revenue recently generated by tourism helped the country’s economy during the economic crisis. In research, there has been relatively less attention paid to tourist attractions compared to the transport, accommodation and tour operator components of the tourism sector (Wu and Wall, 2005). The tourism industry in Malaysia has encouraged the development of numerous integrated island resorts, promotion of the diverse cultures and also travelling opportunities to the tourists. As the tourists in Malaysia increase, this at the same time making the tourism industry the major contributor to the socio-economic development of the nation, and thus market Malaysia as a premier destination of excellence in the region.

Map of Malaysia

http://travelmalaysiaguide.com/images/Maps/malaysia-overview-map.jpg

Retrieved from http://travelmalaysiaguide.com/malaysia-maps/

According to the figure retrieved from the Tourism Malaysia website, the number of tourists’ arrival to Malaysia increases every year. As the number increased, it also increases the income generated from the tourism industry every year. While not many associate tourism with the country’s economy, it shows that tourism industry plays a huge role in the country’s economy.

http://www.tourism.gov.my/corporate/images/research/TM_factsfiguresChart_09.gif

Retrieved from http://www.tourism.gov.my/corporate/research.asp?page=facts_figures

1.3.1 Overview about Tioman Island

Malaysia’s hot and humid weather is an advantage to its country as it has many beautiful hideaways and one of the famous hideaways is Tioman Island. Tioman Island rises up above the waters of the South China Sea like a giant sleeping dragon. Tourists can easily assess Tioman Island by taking flight or ferry. As it was situated at the east coast, the monsoon season which falls between early November and late February forbid the local residents and visitors from getting near to the sea. The heavy downpour, rough sea and bad weather made it difficult to access or to perform any activities in Tioman Island.

As an enduring and tranquil island, Tioman Island display white sandy beaches and swaying palm trees, charming villages and friendly people. Lush tropical jungle covers about 12,000 hectares of the island and the waters around the island are filled with corals of all shapes which became the home to diversity of marine life. There are a few excellent beaches on Tioman and more resorts or hotels were built to accommodate the increasing tourists year by year. As government encourages the development of tourism, the natural Tioman Island was transformed into a tourist’s retreat for sunbathing, watersports, jungle trekking or just simply a hideaway from the hustle and bustle of life. In 2002, Tioman Island was granted at a duty free zone island and this caught the attention of many thus creating more opportunities for the tourists to visit Tioman Island.

Tioman Island has a few villages and the population in Tioman Island is estimated around 3000 people. Most of the locals are found in Kampung Tekek as it was the main village of Tioman Island. Tourism has improved the quality of life of local residents by creating employment opportunities to them with the establishments of resorts, chalets, restaurants and duty free shops (Ministry of Natural Resources, 2004). As Tioman Island faces competition from other island such as Redang Island, the numbers of visitors vary from year to year.

Map of Tioman Island

http://www.myoutdoor.com/tiomanisland/images/map.jpg

Retrieved from http://www.tioman.com.my/

1.4 Problem Statement

There have been inconsistencies in the definition and measurement of quality and customer satisfactions contribute to the mixed findings regarding relationships among quality, satisfaction, and performance (Choi and Eboch, 1998). Baker and Crompton (2000) found that there has been relatively little discussion of the distinction between the constructs of quality of performance and level of tourist satisfaction, nor has there been any assessment of their relative impact on subsequent behaviour. While Cole and Illum (2006) found that satisfaction fully mediates the impact of attribute-level service quality on behavioural intentions, Baker and Crompton (2000) and Chi and Qu (2008) established a partial mediation effect.

In contrast, Lee, Petrick, and Crompton (2007) found no mediation effect at all. As a theoretical construct, customer satisfaction is perceived to be problematic to define, especially in relation to perceived service quality (Cole and Illum, 2006). Evidence from other studies suggests that quality and customer satisfaction does not always lead to better performance and that results may even be negative (Ittner, Larcker, and Meyer, 2003). In the context of travel and tourism, a review of literature reveals an abundance of studies on tourist satisfaction. However, destination loyalty or revisit intention has not been thoroughly investigated (Oppermann, 2000). Not many studies focus on the interrelationships of perceived quality, satisfaction level, and revisit intention should be carried out to understand how perceived quality can influence the satisfaction level and also the revisit intentions. A recent study was done by Zabkar, Brencic and Dmitrovic (2010) based on four tourist destinations on those variables in Slovenia. To the best knowledge of researcher, no similar research was conducted based on Malaysia’s tourists’ destination. Thus, the present study closes the gap in the literature by looking at the relationships between perceived quality, satisfaction level and revisit intention.

1.5 Research Objectives

This study intends to find out the influence of perceived quality on satisfaction and revisit intention. There are a few objectives in this study, namely:

To understand tourists’ perceived quality on tourist experiences in Tioman Island

To understand tourists’ satisfaction level in Tioman Island

To find out if there is a relationship between perceived quality and satisfaction

To find out if they is a relationship between perceived quality and revisit intentions.

1.6 Significance of Study

The significance of this study will have strong managerial implications to attract tourists. This allows the management to have a better understanding of the role played by perceived quality of tourists and how it influence the satisfaction and also the revisit intention so that management is able to identify areas for improvement. Management will have a clearer view on how to improve on the perceived quality of performance and service to improve the level of satisfaction of tourists which eventually lead to tourists intending to visit the same destination again.

Understanding the tourists’ satisfaction level will also give the management the opportunity to concentrate on the major influencing factors that lead to visitor retention. They can obtain information that could be translated into marketing strategies. The management will be able to measure these important factors that may affect future strategic actions which will be an advantage to the management so they can compare satisfaction level on regular basis to assess the destination’s performance. If satisfaction level of tourists on a particular attributes is low, management can find ways to improve on their performance and services in order to increase the satisfaction level. If satisfaction level of tourists on a particular attributes matched to their expected result, the management can find ways to retain the visitors.

The management will have a clearer view about how perceived quality can influence the visitor retention rate. When retention rate increase, revenue will also increase thus lead to a good financial performance. This would also help the management to evaluate their performance and also improve the satisfaction level. Besides that, management can test Theory of Reasoned Action by Ajzen and Fishbein (1980). Theory of Reasoned Action proposed that behavioural intention depends on the person’s attitude about the behavior and subjective norms. This study extends the theory into tourism context.

1.7 Theoretical Framework

This study assessed the influence of perceived quality on satisfaction and how satisfaction influenced revisit intention. Four demographic factors such as place of stay, age group, education level and gender were proposed to influence perceived quality. Perceived quality was hypothesized to influence satisfaction and also revisit intention. Level of satisfaction was then influence revisit intention. The relationships between perceived quality, satisfaction and revisit intention were reflected in this framework. The framework is depicted in Figure 1 below:

Satisfaction

H1

Place of Stay

H5 (+ve)

H2

Age

Perceived quality

H7 (+ve)

Academic Qualification

H3

H6 (+ve)

Revisit intention

Gender

H4

Figure 1: The research framework

1.8 A Summary of Hypotheses

Based on the framework, this study developed seven hypotheses for testing as below:

H1: There are mean perceived quality differences across place of stay.

H2: Age is related to perceived quality.

H3: Academic qualification is related to perceived quality.

H4: There are mean perceived quality differences between gender.

H5: Perceived quality is positively related to satisfaction

H6: Perceived quality is positively related to revisit intention

H7: Satisfaction is positively related to revisit intention

1.9 Conclusion

This chapter provides an introduction of this study. First, it defines the research background and the problems statements. It also explains the research objectives and the significance of this study. The structure of this study was also discussed. As mentioned earlier, this study will continue in Chapter 2 where we discussed more about the research framework and also the hypothesis.

CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW AND HYPOTHESES DEVELOPMENT
2.1 Introduction

The literature review offers the foundation on which the researcher justifies the research questions and constructs the research design. Through the several journal articles related to the research topic that have been reviewed and written in this chapter, it guides the researcher to collect information and analyze collected information. The present study explored the relationship between perceived quality, satisfaction and revisit intention. The literature relevant to this study will be discussed in this study. First, we review the concepts of perceived quality, satisfaction and revisit intention. Then the relationships between respondents’ background, perceived quality, satisfaction and revisit intentions are reviewed. The hypotheses on the relationships are then developed for testing.

2.2 Perceived quality

Perceived quality is usually at the heart of what the customers are buying. Typically, individuals respond to a set of attributes designed to measure their expected quality and then subsequently respond to the same battery of items with a score that reflects their perceptions of an organization’s performance on each attribute (Baker and Crompton, 2000). Most scholars agree that services are intangible because they are more like performances, not objects (Zeithaml, Berry and Parasuraman, 1985). Perceived quality is an important antecedent to satisfaction and behavioural intentions (Cronin et al., 2000). One service facet that impacts customer quality perceptions is the tangible cues in the physical environment (Bitner, 1992).

Generating high quality requires an understanding of what quality means to the customers. The nature of the relationship between a firm’s financial outcomes and its customers’ perceptions of quality were described as the issue of highest priority (Zeithaml, Berry and Parasuraman, 1996). By improving perceived quality of performance and service, this will increase the level of customer satisfaction and eventually lead to a better financial performance. Some studies have produced results consistent with the assumption that improving quality and customer satisfaction lead to better performance outcomes for the firm (Fornell, 1992). Customers are the most appropriate source of quality judgments and quality relative to competitors is the most relevant measure of perceived quality (Gale, 1994; Olsen, 2002). Thus, it is important to understand the little things that customers used as a basis for making a judgement of quality.

For assessing the service quality, the instrument most widely used is SERVQUAL, which was developed in the mid-1980s (Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry, 1988). SERVQUAL contains 22 pairs of Likert-type items. One half of these items are intended to measure consumers’ expected levels of service for a particular service industry. The other 22 matching items are intended to measure the perceived level of service provided by a particular organization.

SERVQUAL includes five dimensions of service quality such as tangibility, responsiveness, reliability, empathy and assurance. SERVQUAL measures the difference between perception and expectation. Tangibility measures the physical facilities, equipment and appearance of personnel; reliability measures the ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately; responsiveness measures the willingness to help customers and provide prompt service; assurance measures the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence; and empathy measures the caring, individualized attention the firm provides for its customers (Hwang, Lee, and Chen, 2005).

2.2.1 Perceived quality in tourism

Visitors always developed an attitude based on their experience and performance of the destination. It has been widely acknowledged that destination image affects tourists’ subjective perception, consequent behaviour, and destination choice (Baloglu and McCleary, 1999). Most studies measured the quality of tourism products by using service product attributes. Cooper et al., (1993) grouped destination attributes into the “four A’s” framework which are Attractions, Access, Amenities, and Ancillary services which was latter further developed by Buhalis (2000) to the “six A’s” which are Attractions, Accessibility, Amenities, Available packages, Activities and Ancillary services.

Lee, Petrick, Crompton (2007) proposed that service quality operationalised as a set of attributes better predicts visitors’ behavioral intentions than an alternative model which defines quality as overall excellence or superiority. Gronroos (1984) suggests that services have two quality dimensions: technical quality which refers to the outcomes and functional quality which refers to the processes. Service qualities are defined as the difference between expected, perceived and delivered service qualities (Heskett et al., 1997).

Tourists’ expectations of specific levels of service quality in tourism partly stem from their own culture and prior socialisation, which can predispose them to interpret factors influencing tourism destination choice and destination experience from a distinctive perspective (Pikkemaat and Weiermair, 1999). However, when the purpose of research is to evaluate visitor experiences at a tourist destination rather than assessing the service quality offered by a specific service provider, the use of SERVQUAL has some drawbacks (Tribe and Snaith, 1998). SERVQUAL is based on evaluations of five service dimensions (reliability, assurance, empathy, responsiveness, and tangible assets) and by only relying solely on this instrument for quality assessment, some important factors encounter at the destination may be left out from the evaluation process.

2.3 Satisfaction

No matter what type of businesses, customers just want the same thing which is satisfaction. The importance of fulfilling customer satisfaction is that without customer’s purchases, companies can’t run their business. In other words, customer satisfaction is the foundation of a good business. Researchers generally agree that an essential element underlying customer satisfaction is an evaluation process (Back and Parks, 2003; Yi, 1990). Given the vital role of customer satisfaction, one should not be surprised that a great deal of research has been devoted to investigating the antecedents of satisfaction (Oliver, 1980).

Although the definitions of customer satisfaction vary in the literature, Hoyer and MacInnis (2001) said that satisfaction can be associated with feelings of acceptance, happiness, relief, excitement, and delight. It has also been defined as discrepancy between customer’s expectation and perception (Oliver, 1997). Defined as an evaluation of an emotion, reflecting the degree to which the customer believes the service provider evokes positive feelings by Cronin et al. (2000). Customer satisfaction has traditionally been regarded as a fundamental determinant of long-term consumer behavior (Oliver, 1980). Kotler (2000) defined satisfaction as a person’s feelings of pleasure or disappointment resulting from comparing a product’s perceived performance (or outcome) in relation to his or her expectations.

Customer satisfaction is a post hoc evaluation of consumption experience (Oliver, 1980). Past studies suggested that perceptions of service quality and value affect satisfaction, and satisfaction affects loyalty and post-behaviors (Anderson and Sullivan, 1993). A customer satisfaction evaluation can be quite specific in nature. A specific subset of experience such as a single transaction and/or particular attribute but may also be cumulative, based on all previous experience with a good or service (Anderson & Fomell, 1993). Attribute satisfaction has significant, positive, and direct effects on overall satisfaction; and it capture a significant amount of variation in overall satisfaction (Oliver, 1993).

Om the other hand, satisfaction factors have been classified differently by others. Kano (1984) groups the satisfaction attributes of a product or service into three categories, depending on the different ways in which their performance can influence consumer satisfaction: basic factors are those that only lead to consumer dissatisfaction if they do not meet expectations, yet they do not increase consumer satisfaction if they are met; excitement factors are factors that increase a consumer’s satisfaction when offered, however they do not generate dissatisfaction when absent; finally, performance factors work in both directions, generating satisfaction when they work well and dissatisfaction when they do not.

2.3.1 Satisfaction on Tourism

Satisfaction research in tourism and recreation has indicated that tourists’ satisfaction with individual component of the destination leads to their satisfaction with the overall destination (Danaher & Arweiler, 1996; Hsu, 2003; Mayer, Johnson, Hu, & Chen, 1998; Ross & Iso-Ahola, 1991). Baker and Crompton (2000) define satisfaction as the tourist’s emotional state after experiencing the trip. Satisfaction can be used as a measure to evaluate the products and services offered at the destination (Schofield, 2000). Satisfaction can be evaluated using the theory of expectation or confirmation in which expectations and the actual destination outcome are compared (Oliver, 1980). Oh (2001) pointed out that surveys aimed at measuring tourist satisfaction show a bias towards positive ratings for many of the destination’s attributes.

2.4 Behavioral Intention

Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) hypothesize that individuals respond to an object or a number of things and explore the construct of attitude as a learned predisposition of humans. Repurchase intention can be described as the willingness of a customer to maintain the relationship with a particular service provider and to make his or her next purchase in the category from the service provider (Lam et al, 2004). In the Theory of Reasoned Action and the Theory of Planned Behavior, behavioral intentions signify motivational components of a behavior and represent the degree of conscious effort that a person will exert in order to perform a behavior (Ajzen, 1991). In other words, the positive feeling such as high quality perception or satisfaction level drives customer to intend to purchase, which then leads that individual to actually engage in buying. This means that behavioural intention is a good indicator of actual buying.

Bagozzi (1992) proposed that self-regulating processes, emotional reactions, and coping responses have a significant influence on behaviour. Behavioral intentions are explored in the cognitive-affective-conative framework (Oliver, 1999) which is justified by Bagozzi’s (1992) self regulatory mechanism model. In the 1970s and 1980s, achieving a high level of satisfaction was the ultimate goal of marketing strategies, but today behavioural intentions are considered a better predictor of performance (Chi & Qu, 2008). Brady et al’s. (2005) study, conducted in a multi-industry and multi-country setting, reinforces this result found that service quality, satisfaction and service value all directly affect behavioural intentions when assessed collectively. In terms of understanding individual consumer behavior, recent studies suggest that quality has important effects on consumer’s purchase intentions through the mediating role of value perceptions attached to products and services (Zeithaml, 1988). In conclusion, a satisfaction framework is not complete without including behavioural intention in it.

2.4.1 Revisit Intention on Tourism

Revisit intention refers to subjective judgments about the future or specific actions or behaviors that consumers may take towards attitude objects (Blackwel et al., 2005). In tourism, repeat visits have also been accepted as an important phenomenon at the level of the economy as a whole and for the individual attraction (Darnell and Johnson, 2001). A number of studies have confirmed a significant positive relationship between customer satisfaction and retention (Cronin et al., 2000).

In a study on Mediterranean tourism destinations, Baloglue and Erickson (1998) reported that most international travelers to one destination are more likely to switch to another destination for their next trip, but many of them hope to revisit the same destinations in the future. In a different study, Gyte and Phelps (1989) noted a type of British traveler showing resurgent intention of revisiting two destination areas in Spain. Through this study, they found that most visitors have the intention of returning in the future. Many destinations rely strongly on repeat visitation because it is less expensive to retain repeat tourists than to attract new ones (Um et al., 2006). Revisit intention might be one of the important tools for the management to gain competitive advantage.

2.5 Hypotheses Development

Based on the framework and literature review on the variables, a few hypotheses were developed to show the relationship between the variables. There are a total of seven hypotheses developed in this study. There are 4 factors that proposed t

Tirupati

Tirupati is one of the most important pilgrimage destination in India. The city is located in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh at the foothills of the Eastern Ghats. The city is famous for the Sri Venkateshwara temple as draws thousands of tourists and devotees every year.

Significance

The city of Tirupati seems to derive its name from the hallowed Tirumala hills which are allegedly the second oldest rock mountains in the world and find a mention in pre Christian Tamil religious scriptures.

The city, if history is to be believed, was an established centre of Vaishnavism, an ancient Hindu sect and the temple rites were formalized by the Vaishnavite saint Ramanujacharya in the 11th century AD and the city has stood the test of time despite the Muslim invasions of South India.

Attractions

Sri Venkateshwara Temple: The Sri Venkateshwara temple is central to Tirupati’s rise to fame as a revered religious destinations. Though the exact origins of the temple are shrouded in antiquity, it is generally accepted that the temple was an ongoing piece of work undertaken by successive dynasties for several hundred years. The Sri Venkateshwara temple holds the record for being the most visited and the richest place of worship in the world. The temple is located on the famed Tirumala hills and is also known as the Temple of Seven Hills. The presiding deity is Sri Venkateshwara, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and is also sometimes referred to as ‘Srinivasa’, the one in whom Sri or Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Vishnu’s consort, resides.

Kodanda Ramaswamy Temple: Is a magnificent piece of architecture, the white ornately carved ceiling is mounted on a brown base resplendent with delicately carved pillars. This temple is dedicated to Lord Ram, Sita and Ram’s brother, Lakshmana. A statue of Lord Hanuman, Lord Rama’s ardent and loyal follower sits besides Lord Rama’s feet.

Kapila Theertham: Is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and his wife Parvati. This temple, at the entrance to a mountain cave, is said to have been the place where saint Kapila Maharishi lived and meditated to Lord Shiva. Devotees and passerbys are greeted by a rock carving of the celestial bull, Nandi.

Lord Krishna Temple: The Lord Krishna temple is a unique work of architecture with the towers coloured in gold and white. The temple is adorned with glass paintings depicting the life of Lord Krishna and the ceilings are resplendent with colourful paintings resembling Tanjore art.

How to Reach

You can get to Tirupati by boarding a flight from Hyderabad and Chennai. Tirupati also has a train station though your best bet would be disembarking at Renigunta, about 10 km away. Renigunta is well connected by rail with other cities in India. If you would like to travel by road, Tirupati is well connected by road to other cities by buses and other modes of road transport.

Introduction

In my report to CEO I am going to explain the importance of operational management and how environmental factors affect the operations management then various operational strategies. Explaining the layout of the Alton towers and what the strategic importance of operational management are further more capacity planning, inventory planning and quality control planning.

1.1. Operations management

Operations constitutes an essence role in all case by business enterprise, covering a broad chain of actions, not entirely making up, merely whole steps in the general supply/value chains. This let in procurement, stocktaking’s, adeptness’s, logistics, and statistical distribution. Operations management constitutes the management of the resourcefulness’s, techniques, and systems of rules accustomed translate input signal into end product to produce vendee rate. These courses of study concentrates on trading operations rules and methods utilized through systems contending globally although besides allowing a strong ecumenical masterminding direction ground.

1.2. Main focus of this leisure business

As it is obvious from the case study the main focus of the business is to provide there customer the magnificent surrounding, historic legacy, fun and flight of the imagination which suits all ages and tastes. It is clear from this statement is that there main focus of operation is the customer satisfaction and by doing this achieve the Alton tower strategic goals and objective of profit maximization and become market leader in theme park business.

To attract the visitor Alton tower new attractions like Oblivion, the Nemesis, Ugland and Energizer. Beside the ride and physical leisure for its customers it contain eating places like restaurants, shops where visitors can buy there desired product of the choice. Instead of shopping and eating Alton tower do organize and conduct exhibition and festival to attract more visitors. Alton tower do succeed in achieving there desired target as shown above in the case study there were over three million visitor in 1998 beside of attraction how Alton tower can gain this in providing their customer quality of services in lower price as Alton tower was charging Nineteen pound of the entrance which is not just entrance fee like other theme park do but this price include use of all rides for unlimited times. They do provide special discounts discount to elder or aged customers and organized parties.

For the purpose of offering the high quality of services to its customers Alton tower maintain team of 1800 staff who are performing their duties like operating rides caterers, cleaning and shop supervisors and security purposes.

Security department are one and only by the life-sustaining servicing in business sector alike these, Alton Towers could advance itself for a safe park to travel to along concentrating on it is safe record all over the yrs, and whatsoever safe certifications they have received. They could build safe a primary feature for whatever future rides, and promote these information.

Alton tower has spent 20 million on these new rides in order maintain attraction of the park between peoples which is part of its ten year development program me. Due to size of the park as it is on 800 acres it is not possible for the visitor to visit the whole park in one attempt therefore they take step to construct the hotel in the park in which they provide comfort services to the visitor where they can stay at night by pay the attractive price which is another step of achieving its strategic objective. Alton vary its fee accordingly in peak, off peak, week days and week ends times in which there was rush of visitors.

Alton tower can asses that how well they focus on their operations effectively by providing questionnaires to visitor and examine the level of their satisfaction and there opinions regarding how it can improve its services.

1.3. Environmental Factor Effecting Operations Management

The type of environment within which, the operation functions. The key environmental variables for operations managers are:

*Volume-refers to the number of times that an operation has to deliver a service or product.

The combination of specialization, standardization and high volume and high volume also usually opens up the possibility of using technology to perform the task

*Variation-describe the pattern of the volume demands. If there are many peaks and troughs in demand the situation is said to be one of high variation

*Variety-is the term applied to the number of different types of service or product demanded. High variety environment s require different services or products on a frequent basis, whereas low variety demands look for the same output for most of the time

There are several environmental factors that affect the business operation in an economy. They are classified into internal and external factors. The internal factors are those which relates to organization internal environment that can be under the control of the organization like its culture leadership and manufacturing processes. On the other side the external factors includes social environment, political, rivals, government bodies, rules and regulation issued by the regulating authorities like accountancy standard board etc.

Environmental issues in the case

The 1st issue that create environmental issue arise in 1924 when its operation was bought by Alton tower after that it was under the hold of army during the period of war. War destruction totally destroy the park as we are aware of the during and after war side effect on the local environment it was in poor condition when it handed over to Alton tower again for refurbishment it cause major effect to environment. As there is no way to mitigate the affect of such event as it arise such event are out of control of organisation, as its obvious during war period its impossible to protect any area and property. Therefore the one action is to control such events is in hands of government and their relation with other countries.

2nd impact was made by the technological era as the installation of new rides in park beside of customer and visitor attraction does have environmental issue as well like sound pollution, cutting trees and machinery waste pollution to environment. It can be mitigated by trying to preserve my natural resources like by instead of destroying they can be move them to alternative places which will overcome the overall impact to least level. Using such technology which was closer to sound reduction and produce minimum waste.

Finally, as Alton tower has invested potential amount of money for new ride. Mostly rides was indoor and few which are outside is due to its limitation to cover them as this will cost the Alton tower major cost on the other hand it will destroy the natural things as well. It would have social issue as well as the visitor came there to entertain themselves with naturalistic environment. Another weather issue as the park is closed between November and February. This factor is also out off control of Alton tower as it is weather that prevent the visitor to come there one way it to create as much indoor facilities that protect the visitor from the tightness of weather as this step will cause massive investment as well agree the visitor to come which will happen only by huge marketing policy and attractive packages like reduction in price which I think is not cost benefit strategy for Alton tower as this will increase its cost but reduction in profitability. But most indoor concerts can be organised there to attract the visitor to come and entertain themselves from it.

Task 2
2.1. Various operation strategies

At the mind of operations is the idea of transformation (output). Inputs are acquired, and the operations process converts them into outputs. Operations strategies in bare:

Operation implies driving matters finished. Operation management comprises significant because it’s causative dealing administration resourcefulness. Operations are an day-after-day action. Strategy constitutes course to accomplish organisation long-run targets. Operation strategies are referred on correcting of aims for operations by whole procedure. There’s accented relationship betwixt operations and functions.

There are all of the time hazards of dispute ‘tween operations and functions. Because commercializing objectives to fulfill clients demands and expect operations to offer diversity, intensity, speed and higher quality service. This will direct to lower effective servicing till an contingent operation strategy is designed to conciliate and associated on additional roles by administration. All procedure experiences it is strategically target also equally operational objectives. E.g. Commercializing functions strategically target aspirant selecting cost, advancement etc and operational side implies daily tactics inward providing service. Operations strategies let in administration set up strategy, localization strategy, man resource strategy, marketing strategy, hence all functions of organization has operations responsibility in addition to equally long-run.

2.2. Evaluate and analyse the operation strategies adopted by the business.

I am going to evaluate the operational strategies of Alton tower under following headings.

Product and services

Process and technology

Capacity and facility

Human resource

Quality

Product and services

Under this operation strategy I believe that Alto tower are offering the design there services according to need and understanding of the taste of the Visitor so they are fully fulfil the need of the users of those services. Alton tower has installed new rides in park like Oblivion, The Nemesis, Runway mine train and haunted house etc. These are the products that meet the international standards and provide its user adventure and thrill they are willing to obtain from it. Alton tower has invested 20 million which is part of ten year program in which they are planning to launch new products and services for their users. There are few age and height restriction for the visitor which on one hand is in best interest of the user but if we see it from the user point of view some of them was not satisfied with this discrimination. Not only ride if we look at other services like shops amusement parks, live entertainment and exhibitions these are all fall in the services that Alton Tower are offering to its Visitors to entertain them and meet the expectations. Therefore I think Alton tower are fully active in its product and services operational strategy.

Process and technology

Alton tower was offering there customer Professional services in each section like ride operators, caterers, cleaner, shop assistant, supervisors and security personnel’s. Professional and trained operator was handling the rides which include the speed and safety measures for the visitors. Therefore visitors consider themselves to be safe when they using the ride as the feel they are under safe hands. Services like catering and shop supervision providing to elderly visitor who was unable to take ride can entertain them selves from the services that meet the highest level of quality their priority was customised to visitor need. In each process Alton tower are using the latest technology in offering these services.

Capacity and facility

In 1998 Alton tower entertained over three million of the visitors and they are planning to increase this annual volume of visitor per year for this purpose they installed new rides as described before to attract more visitors toward Alton tower. As explained in case study during east bank holiday the visitor reaches to 40000 and through out summer this limit sustain to 30000. Alton tower has so much area which is left as for exploring that can be utilise for further activities. There fore Alton tower do pass this operation management strategy of capacity and facility in order to hold the capacity it has develop market and shop exhibition hall where they can facilitate the visitors.

Human resource

In order to fulfil this strategy objective Alton tower recurit1800 staff members and more as needed during the peak time. As their is limited explanations of human resource policy in case study however Alton tower need to provide training for operating new ride installed in the park before its opening and they need to have policy to treat each member of staff equally and paid standard for like paying them on hourly basis or monthly basis. Teams should be maintain to support each different areas of theme park and task should be assign to them and proper supervision held on them so that they are performing their tasks accordingly. Bonus and post employment benefit schemes should be launched so that employees consider there future safe and offer highest level of quality in their work.

Quality

In this business the quality is extremely important as ride need regular maintenance because it raise health and safety issues. It is Obvious from the case that Alton tower in maintaining quality in each business services.

2.3. Strategic importance of operations management

Each and every decision and strategy implementation was imposed from strategic level in every business. Therefore it is vital at strategic level to know whether there strategy was successful at operational level and it is the operation management responsibility to strictly implement instruction to achieve the desired targets. Operation management deal the day to day activities of the business therefore report on regular bases to strategic level the stage of completion on there strategy and if there are any problem arise at operational level that need careful consideration.

Task 3:
3.1. Factors affecting the design of product and services and benefit gained from good design

Operations managers have to consider factors like the nature of demand, the degree of vertical integration, flexibility, degree of automation, and quality level and degree of customer contact while making process design

Nature of Demand:

Organization need to produce products or design the services according the expectation of the customers. Schedule need to be made in order to produce product and services on time by take in to consideration the seasonality, growth in trend and demand of customers.

Influence of demand patterns –

The demand pattern of the product and services are varying due to following factors influence like seasonal factors. For example demand for ice cream rise during summer season and air conditioning etc.

Influence of price level –

Mostly customers demand more products at cheaper price, as they are price sensitive this will affect on the design of product and services.

Degree of vertical integration:

Vertical integration is degree in which determine the degree of product and services can produced internally. There are two types of integration:

Forward integration is expansion of organization product to different chains and different markets.

Backward integration organization tries to expand backward to source of supply.

Flexibility:

Organizations have to be flexible in order to increase or maintain their market share. In order to meet the flex demand of the customer’s organization need to be flexible in its operations. Flexibility can be broadly classified into: Product/service Flexibility and Volume Flexibility etc.

Degree of automation:

Despite the cost factor of implementing the automation operation management should focus on the automation for their production processes. This will reduce the labor cost and speed up the process of production. How ever the level of quality demand by the customers also impact upon the cost factors.

Benefit of good design

Below are 5 points to remember in order to assess the usefulness and potential success of a design. It can be adapted to specific design professions, even projects and used as a checklist.

Benefit of good design includes:

It should meet the desired objectives.

It meets the desired quality standards.

Customer is satisfied with the quality of service.

Automation increase the processing time and reduce the labor cost.

Customer is satisfied with the price of the product and services.

3.2. Discuss layout of Alton tower:
Facilities Available at Alton Towers Resort:

Through out the park 8 cash machines are installed which can be used by the customers for withdrawals of cash.

Gift Shops.

Push chair hire at Guest Services.

Wheelchairs take into service for disabled guests, available from Guest Services.

Lockers at Guest Services.

First Aid is between the Towers Restaurant and Sky ride Station.

Toilets are expediently situated in a multiplicity of spaces all the way through the park.

Restaurants, bars and cafes are as well situated right through the park.

3.3. Work measurement

Work measurement is concerned with the relationship between units of output and resource time. It provides the factor that converts units to time and vice versa.

According to Jack Greene view in the time study and work measurement.

Work measurement is the place to start, for any organization where people or machines contribute to output, customer service, or cost.

Work measurement also provides tools to manage your business better

• calculate actual capacity the operation can produce

• develop standard cost models for products and services

• justify equipment and automation acquisition

• meet the Sarbanes Oxley Act for financial understanding of costs

• adjudicate disagreements about workload, assignments

• analyze variance to find problems

• estimate potential benefit from changes beforehand

According to Institute of management services:

Work measurement is the process of establishing the time that a given task would take when performed by a qualified worker working at a defined level of performance.

There are a variety of ways in which work may be measured and a variety of techniques have been recognized. The essential practice, irrespective of the particular measurement technique being used, consists of three stages;

an analysis phase in which the job is separated into suitable, separate components, normally known as elements;

a measurement phase in which the exact measurement technique is used to establish the time required to complete each element of work;

a synthesis phase in which the different elemental times are added, together with appropriate allowances to construct the standard time for the complete job.

Task 4:
4.1. Capacity planning

In the case after the three million visitors in 1998 Alton tower took plan too increased this capacity for this purpose it had invested 20 million for extension of park, for this reason it installed new ride to attract the new visitors and in order to cope with the increased volume of visitor it constructed magical hotel where visitor can stay day and night during there visit and increased the number of shops and recruit additional staff to serve the visitor in efficient way.

For capacity planning demand need to be forecasted ahead in order to analyse that demand meet the capacity of the company product and services. Demand can be converted into capacity by inserting time requirement. Or following method of capacity planning can be used to support the demand. Level capacity plan: in which capacity remains same it will not alter with the change in demand. Chase demand plan: in this expand the capacity with the increase in volume of demand through increase the shift and no of staff to cope with this. Manage demand: demand will be managed to deal with the capacity.

In Alton tower case they have adopted chase demand plan for capacity planning as the increase the number of rides and shops and to handle the volume of demand they recruit the addition staff to fulfill the demand or volume of visitor.

4.2. Inventory planning Method
Economic order Quantity (EOQ)

The economic order quantity is the number of units that a company should order in an order to reduce the cost of inventory. Costs include cost of storage, cost of holding and cost of shortage. Benefit of EOQ is ongoing review of the inventory system it help to calculate the reorder level which help the business to determine what to order and how many time and who often to reorder to minimize the cost of inventory.

Just in Time (JIT)

Just in time is producing goods in required demand, in necessary quantity and in necessary Quality require by the customer. By doing this many business improve there return on assets. Cost includes Provide regular training to staff and establishing the policy so that they become flexible. Benefit of using JIT it reduce the operating cost, greater performance through put, higher quality, improved delivery and increase in flexibility.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP)

ERP provides business the control and visibility in operation to maximize the profitability and to fulfill the customer demand. ERP provides the business to manage there operation with dynamic forecast using formula based production. Benefits totally based on forecasting and inventory planning, easy to use, system is flexible, easy to understand, quick and reduce cost of operation.

4.3. Approaches for project management and quality control
The traditional Approach

In traditional approach it identifies the step that is going to be completed. It has five steps:

Initial stage

Planning and design stage

Production stage

Monitoring stage

Completion stage

Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM)

It is the method of planning that mainly focuses on resources like physical and human need to continue the project. Once the resources is final than project are plane and managed to ensure that resources that had planned are ready when critical chain starts and subordination other resources in the critical chain.

PRINCE 2

It is information that describes the justification for setting up and continuing a prince2 project. It provides the reason for the project. An outline business case should be in the project. PRINCE2 provide a method for organization project within a plainly clear frame. PRINCE2 describe actions to direct people and activities in a project, how to design and supervise the project, and what to do if the project has to be adjusted if it does not develop as planned.

Quality Control Approaches
Total quality management

This method is beyond the quality assurance under this approach business is concerned by creating the quality culture in the organization in which each employee is aware of quality demand to satisfied their customer. In this method every employee set out to satisfy the customer placing him at the heart of production process.

Quality circles

These are groups of employees who work on similar task or area of responsibility and sort out solutions for the problems to improve the quality of work. This team was head by the manager and supervisors which also improve the employee morale.

Benchmarking

In this method organization find out the leading competitor in the market who are performing at optimum level in there production and service areas, in order to benchmark its operation so that to stay level with the competitor.

5.1. Just in time:

The first most suitable strategy of Toyota is just in time inventory. It means manufacture automobiles simply when you get the order from client at real time. Toyota Company establishes just in time inventory idea and gives benefit to its respected clients by providing excellence automobiles. The main advantage of just in time is help to run the Toyota company’s manufacturing operations most easily and without wasting the raw material by estimating that what is required, when is required and how much amount is required in order to finish the given project. Basically, the main attitude behind just in time scheme of Toyota is removing wastes; decrease waste material and unreasonable requirements resulting in improved output.

Kanban System:

The Toyota Kanban system is one of the controlled developed inside the Toyota production system (the way we make things). The Toyota production system is exclusive and unmatched. The thinking after it and way of execution has been perfected after long years of test and mistakes. In a nutshell it is also a structure of construction based on the attitude of whole removal of waste that asks for highest in rationality in the way we create equipments. And it can be named as Toyota style production scheme or Toyota production structure. Only when the Toyota production system in its totality is acceptably conducted, can there be an efficient deployment of Kanban structure.

Jidoka system:

The word Jidoka appears under total production system of Toyota and it can be talked about as an individual aptitude and automation with a human stroke. The word Jidoka captivating its roots forms Sakichi Toyoda the creator of Toyota Group. The major advantage of Jidoka that excellence must be fabricated in the manufacturing procedure. And major purpose of Jidoka technology in Toyota manufacturing procedure is that device is automatically end when the construction is finished. It also has a purpose that device excellence or equipment problem happens, the device automatically discovers the difficulty at its own and stops, and it stops imperfect products from produced. And due to this simply those products are transported to next procedure which is fulfilling the criteria to transfer into next procedure and excellence of building products of Toyota enlarges with the passage of time without damaging the material.

What are manufacturing operations?

A manufacturer is an individual, an enterprise, or a body that produces something. Consequently, a produces process is a company or a plant where goods and commodities are prepared. Raw materials are used to produce these goods and are then twisted into complete goods prepared to be sold. A manufacture is an extremely significant factor in the selling procedure because without them, the products we require, utilize and enjoy would not be present.

What are service operations?

Service Industries comprise those industries that do not generate goods, but offer convinced services. The peculiarity of these industries is that frequently the utilization of the service takes place while it is in the generation. Typically, this segment comprises hospitality, publicity, banking, insurance, consultancy, logistics, etc.

Compare and Contrast the Manufacturing industry with Service industry:

Manufacturing and service business is frequently altering. Basically, in manufacturing business one can determine the presentation of the product. The presentation could be calculate by building efficient utilization of the product physically, and on the other hand in service industry its bit tough to determine the performance of one’s service, because one matter is that it is intangible and it cannot be calculated, but once possible view to measure the performance of service business by captivating the feedback by company’s reliable consumers. Productivity is more simply measured in manufacturing as compared to service. Services operations concerned more and through contact with customers rather than in manufacturing operations. Quality standards are simple to create in manufacturing whereas in service industry once quality is not easy to evaluate. Manufacturing operations can increase or decrease the finished goods record levels in respond to alter consumer demand pattern while service operations cannot increase or decrease the customer demand models. Services can also comprise support operations which are also shaped and stocker rather than developing operations. Online actions are finished in services operations which fits to consumer rather than in manufacturing operations.

Conclusion:

The goal of this report satisfy importance of operations management and I have experienced the role of operational management in vital in any organization operational management is responsible for implementing the strategic orders and their implementations. I build up the understanding the key factors affecting the product design and strategic importance of operation management. I build my understanding of different planning techniques for capacity, inventory and quality control. It has enabled me to set goals and take the actions that will lead to best and desired destination.

Introduction

What is Hospitality? People serving you popcorn when you entered a cinema, concierge in a five – star hotel and the museum tour guide have the common? They are all work in servicing which is under the house of hospitality industry. Do you know that hospitality industry is the largest industry throughout the world? It is the main source of income for majority countries. Hospitality is not just about a simple servicing, but it involves in showing respect for one’s guests, provide for their needs and wants, and treating each other as equals. Hospitality industry involved hotels, casinos, and resorts which provide comfort and a sort of guidance to guests. The term hospital, hospice and hostel are deriving from ‘hospitality’ and these establishments protect more of the connotation of personal care. It refers to a types of establishment where provide shelter and foods for people which is in needed or away from their home. Hospitality was founded by Bob Luitweiler in year 1949 and this establishment are responsible in setting up a building, provide secure, pleasant place for a temporary stay, cleaning and maintaining premises. Now days, customers expectation is high. Quality is perhaps the most variable feature in hospitality industry.

Answer for Question 1

Hospitality, a contemporaneous human exchange, which is voluntary entered into, and designed to intensify the mutual well being of the parties’ concerned through the provision of accommodation, and / or food, and / or drink.

Hospitality industry had a wide scope. According to the historians, the development of hospitality industry had been traced in a thousand of years and many cultures. A professional hospitality industry must always keep updating according to the needs and wants of the societies. Success in the hotel industry are always relies on catering to the needs of the targeted clientele. Besides, providing a wide variety of services and pleasantness desirable atmosphere will always drive the hospitality industry into a large, multi – faceted and diverse industry. The main component in hospitality industry is all about dealing with customers and lead to the satisfaction of the customers in every service provided since the yore days.

Hospitality industry has begun since 3000 B.C ago. The field of hospitality encompassing travel, tourism, restaurants, and recreation. There are some advantages and disadvantages for every business and staff. This happen same to hospitality industry. For your knowledge, hospitality industry is a very wide scope; it mainly concentrated in two largest establishments throughout the world. Example for these two establishments is stated in the figure belowaˆ¦

Lodging

What is lodging? It means the lodging segment of the hospitality industry example like hotels, inns, motels, resorts, chalet, and others more. In summary, lodging means any establishment which provides ‘a bed for a fee’ or embrace of rent and a reasonable allowance for utilities and use appliances and furniture. Basically a lodging establishment always included elements of entertainment, personal services, recreation and food service for wayfarer. Majority of lodging facilities in the world extend from tiny bed and breakfasts meal to the latest development, megaresorts. Niches between these ultimate include commercial hotels, city center hotels, resort hotels, suburban hotels, highways hotels/motels, airport hotels, economy properties, conference centers, all suite hotels, and casino hotels.

Essence of a successful set of business operations means the successful in exchange products or services for value. In a set of business, it’s a chain of supply with demand. Luxury hotels are selling their suite and other kind of facilities in the hotel to the guests which provide their demand. Supply and demand is the point where profits earn in a business. Product and services in a service industry like lodging, is a holistic concept. It consist of tangibles like hotel type and physical amenities and intangibilities like services provided by the lodging staff. Customer wants and needs are always changing and varied. As customer are becoming increasingly demanding, hotels must be designed and created to be more responsive and effective in order to achieve different travelers needs and wants.

Advantages

In 21st century, people have a necessity in staying at some city or town for an extended period of time. When a people are away from home, lodging is the only accommodation for them to have a stay. Many people are worried about how much they are going to spend for the accommodation. As a matter of fact, staying in a hotel got a couple of benefits. Privilege of day services such like room cleaning and laundry really put away the stress of the guests in doing the laundry them self after a tiring working day. Leisure places like gymnastic room or swimming pool are other attractions for customer to choosing in staying in a hotel. Since price is the first priority to the customer, hotel must be always updated to the latest promotions and events from the competitors.

Furthermore, localization played an important role in advantages in lodging. There are two types of location of a hotel which is more preferred by peoples. First of all is conference hotel which is located in a city or a conference area of a country. These hotels normally targeted more on businessman. The location of the hotel enables them to travel to the work place or meeting center easily. Secondly are vocational locations. Hotels which is located near a beautiful view example like beach resort or a hotel located in a tourism area are mostly targeted on family. These hotels are free from the peak working hour in a busy city, free from noise and air pollution is always the selection of a family vacation. Environment is another factor of advantages in lodging. Example like a hotel located on a beautiful waterfront enable the guest to enjoy the mesmerizing views from their room. It is an indeed to stay at one of these hotels for stressful or a busy businessman. Do you know that other than the view of a lodging, customers demand for quality entertainment too? Good entertainment example like a luxury pub, sea diving or even a luxury swimming pool will attracts more guests with stress release and entertainment seeker demand.

Disadvantages

Large hotels with thousands of rooms, modern leisure facilities and wide choice of dining options are always the advantages in lodging. But, this also causes disadvantages to the lodging. A waiting line in reception area always can be seen in large lodging. A large hotel requires good management. A failure management will just slow down the running process in a hotel daily. We can’t predict whether the guest will have a late check out and this causes the incoming guest to have a wait before they can check into their room.

Secondly, a large hotel sometimes will face the problem of insufficient staffs. In a luxury dining, due to the staff are insufficient, they are always run off their feet by the number of guests. Unfortunately, guests will be kept waiting when they need something while the staffs are busying in handling another guest. Example like you ask for a menu, you might be able to be waiting for the menus to be brought to you until your stomach start rumbling.

Food service

Food service is a large industry which deals with all the preparations of food outside the home. Example like establishing a restaurant, catering a wedding party, and running a cafeteria are all forms of food service. Normally these restaurants lay institutional food service in business, colleges, hospitals and remedial faculties.

A bunches amount of goods and services fall under the coverage of food service, example like establishment which transport food and equipment related to kitchen, silverware and so forth. Job opportunities had been wider up due to human energy is needed in this set of industry. Restaurateurs, waiters, dietitians and chefs are some example of worker needed in food service industry. Some people in this industry are sent for training so that they are qualified to work in this industry. High class luxury dining needs talent and qualified people to work in it. Colleges now days are offering hospitality courses.

In year 2008, there were 546,300 privately owned food service and drinking places around the United Sates. 47 percent of these establishment primarily serve patrons who order and pay before eating while 39 percent of establishment offer full – service restaurant; being served well and after consume their delicious cuisine only make a payment. Another 9 percent had been comprised by drinking places and special food service like caterers had comprised about 5 percent of all establishments in this industry. Food service can be defined as world’s most widespread and familiar industry.

Advantages

In food service industry, human energy is needed in a big amount. From the chef, assistant chef until waiter got quite a many positions. Here is where the job opportunities once again wider up. The requirements for these positions example like a cleaner in a dining or waiters do not need high education levels. People with a diploma or degree on hand can hold the position of a manager in a department. As there is getting more and more lodging and dining is developing, it is quite an opportunities for younger’s out there to get a bright future for themselves through hardworking.

Besides, food industry targeted people which are looking for foods when they are starving. This is why choosing a correct location will be the final judges on how well the set of business will go. A restaurant which located in a down town of course will grab some customers from the busy working life in the city. First it’s easy to find, save up the customer time, and even some time rusher people can just have a take away meal near a restaurant near his / her company.

In this highly competitive hospitality industry, a well and professional trained staff is essential to the key of success of any food service establishment. Besides, technology influences the food services industry in many ways by enhancing efficiency and productivity. Order are being taken down by electronic devices, patron seating are all contributing in an efficient fast serving

Disadvantages

Yes it is an advantage when the job opportunities are getting wider and a student which is just graduated will be easier to get a job in hospitality industry. But, a new staff with just a piece of diploma or degree and without any working experience will eventually affect the efficiency of service in any establishment. Some time in on – the – job training will be needed again before these new employees are able to handle the tasks and responsibilities in a restaurant.

Besides, location of a restaurant in down town is a good starting point in successful service industry. But, do you know it is very expensive for the rental for the shop which is located in down town? Shop lots in down town got limited quantities too, and competitors are many out there.

Another factor which leads to disadvantages in food service industry is about the working hour. Works in the food industry are always grueling and demanding. Working hours are often long and irregular and dealing with varied and complex situation. Besides, people also must highly attune to the need of customer satisfaction. However, wages are heavily based on the tips from customers, and employees may have a limited access to the benefits and protections from the government such as minimum wage laws.

Conclusion

In hospitality industry, good service is the top priority and is the primary focus in order to achieve customer satisfaction. Working in hospitality industry must always keep this in mind, ‘Customers do not buy service delivery but they buy experiences; they do not buy service quality but they buy memories; they do not buy foods and drinks but the buy meal experiences; they do not buy event or functions but they buy occasions. In hospitality industry, ‘we are the dreamers of dreams’. We are required to make the guest to feel that the host being hospitable through feelings of generosity which is a desire to please and a genuine regard for the guest as an individual. Remember, hospitality industries are always an honorable profession and we are the industry which mostly deals with customers’ needs and wants.

Question 2

Find out the factors that affecting travel and tourism. Explain in detail

Introduction

Travel and tourism is mainly for recreation, leisure or business purposes. Tourism is very important to the hospitality industry as it is the main support of the revenue in lodging. Tourism refers to the activities of persons travelling to and staying in a place outside for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purpose. Therefore, these people are considered to be tourists; on a visit that is temporary and short term. These organizations include restaurants, hotels, motels and resorts. There are two types of tourism which is domestic tourism and outbound tourism. Domestic tourism refers to people which take holidays or a few days trip in their own country. Example like a family is visit to another part of the country. Outbound tourism refers to people which travel away from home and visit to another country for leisure or business purpose. However, no matter what type of travel it is, these people will always ended up in staying in lodging. This is where the revenue of the hospitality industry started.

Answer for Question 2

Travel and tourism has become a popular global leisure activity. Tourists are generally classified in statistics according to the duration and purpose of their journey. Day trippers refers to tourists which is away from home just for a day and don’t need any accommodation. Visitors which need an accommodation can be classified by their length of stay, such as one night or more. These visitors may be classified as to whether they are touring for business or leisure purposes. People travel for leisure is because they are living in a hectic life style, they are seeking for a relaxation which is away from a busying life, and they need a rest and prestige. There are a few factors which affecting travel and tourism.

Growing Leisure

Leisure can be defined as the opposite meaning of idleness. People now days are busying in working, keeping themselves in a busy and hectic life style. But, as the world is neither changing, nor the policies in any organization is changing too. Most of the companies out there had been generous in providing their employees paid holidays and even some large organization are providing a three – day weekends. A more flexible arrangements has been added into people’s leisure time, and eventually, these liberal company policies had enable the employees to go for a vacation or travel to give themselves a break.

Income

In the 21st century, most of the women are working in order to maintain their family income. What does it mean by maintain the family income? It is more on referring if one spouse loses a job, that won’t causes elimination of all the family income. Besides, due to the education which is though is school or college, women had more motives in working outside. They seek for challenges, they seek for work which is professional and excitement and another reason why women choose to work after marriage is they want to give a more comfortable and satisfying life to her family. Everyone works in maintaining a comfortable life style. Of course, when you are busy in working, especially for a marriage person, after a tiring working day, they might still need to take care of their children at home in the night and some house works still need to be done. Eventually, leisure time for our own will be immolated. So, if there is a time for them to get away from this hectic life style, it is not surprising when they spend their money on the goods and services they demanded. Time will be a bounty for them. They won’t bother about the price for their travel, because it is not easy for them to get a rest in such pressure and hectic life style, good and quality travelling will always be their wise choice.

Push and Pull Factors

The travelling motives for people tend to categorize as escaping from and / or escaping to a particular destination. Push factor brings up the meaning of a person who travel to a place due to his / her response in what is missing. Pull factors brings up the meaning of attractiveness of a places and attract the people to visit to it. Push and pull factor can be classifies into nine motives to travel which seven of those are socio – psychological or known as push motives; the other two are defined as cultural or pull motives. Push motives are escapism, relaxation, retrogression, social inter – action, self – exploration and prestige while pull motives are innovation and education. There is also two main type of push and pull factors which is personal and interpersonal. Interpersonal is a result of social interaction. Personal rewards are self – determination, sense of competence or challenge.

Technology change

Technological changes within tourism included several different factors from medical advances to the innovative tourism. Better communication, transport like cruise ships and safety have emboldened new customers which demand easier, quicker and cheaper service, this demand can only be fulfill by the help of technology. Besides, new transportation also got an advance in time management. Shorter and efficient time period is just needed for a person to travel from a country to another side of the planet. Furthermore, through technological advances, online booking has been one of the biggest factors in affecting travel and tourism. Users are enabling to check for travelling packages from tour agencies websites and direct purchase it by just a few clicks at home without need to go to the agencies. With the association and sponsored from different tour agencies and organizations, ‘MATTA FAIR’ had been organized. ‘MATTA FAIR’ is an open public fair which offer supreme packages which can be afford by economical income family. Development in technology had leads more and more people are getting to travelling around the world rather than remain at their own country and stick in the hectic daily schedule.

Demographic

The topic ‘middle – aging of America’ which is a significant demographic change had proved that middle age generally indicated to higher income and a greater propensity to travel. The group of people with age around 35 to 44 is most likely to stay in accommodations or a longer outstation trip, whether is for leisure or business purpose.

Another significant demographic development for tourism is about the growing of the mature market which mean group of people with age over 55. This group of people got their mortgages paid and a large proportion of them have a ‘nest egg’ of savings and retirement benefits to withdrawn. This had enabled these groups of people to travel around the world and enjoy for the rest for their life. This people with age 55 – 65 years old as the first baby boomers which move into their mature years will be very excited and active in seeking a whole new experience which is deal with the travel and leisure moment in their life after being retired. And this is the reason they are able to have a long period vacation. Another group of aging people which is over the age of 85 normally suggest an expansion in assisted – living facilities.

Safety & Security

Safety and security have been identified as one of the global forces that would drive the tourism industry in a new millennium. Things that tourisms worried when they are staying in a hotel at any destination are all about the same which is:

Assault
Raping
Larceny
Robbery
Fire within premises

Protecting the lives of guests and workers, property and assets of the business from criminal actions includes security checks on existing design and technology. Lighting of the public and external areas, building access, key control, security of guestroom doors, and guarding of the property must be always keep updated and check by the maintenance department. All the employees should be trained to know about all the appropriate security procedures when there is an emergency happened example like a fire situation.

If the safety and security in a lodging establishment is good and well management, eventually guests which stay at the first time will get good impression from it and eventually will recognize it to their friends when they back to their country.

Conclusion

Travel and tourism is important to the hospitality industry. The most common reason why people go for travel is leisure, and sometimes followed by business. An attractive environment appeals to tourists, whether is natural or built, and the development of the industry in a locality will relate to the surrounding area. People are travelling by car more than any other means. Travel by air had been increase over the last 10 years. But, the fares begin to rise and this causes people taught that travelling is expensive. This is why some people just ignore travelling and keep themselves in busy working. Communications between air lines and tourism industry should make an agreement in order to bring up the tourism industry. Rising of fares will never give any help in bringing the tourism industry to a new millennium.

Europe is a continent which is bordered by the Arctic ocean to the north, to the west lies the Atlantic Ocean, the Caucasus mountains and the Caspian sea and Black sea forms the southeast boarders,the Ural mountains and the Ural River is positioned in east of Europe and to the south lies the Mediterranean Sea. Europe stands as the world’s second smallest continent in relation to its size .Population wise Europe is the second biggest continent after Asia. European history is very vast which begins from the Bronze Age with enormous cultural and economic achievements. Ancient Greeks marks the origin of western culture and the Roman Empire spanned the entire continent for several centuries. With the decline of the Roman Empire Europe entered a long period of stasis known as the Dark Ages, which came to end with the rise of Renaissance and New Monarchs, which began the period of exploration, discovery and increase in the scientific knowledge. A large colonial empire was built by the European nation at the 15th century, particularly France, Britain, Spain and Portugal with enormous holding in Asia, Africa and the Americas. With the rise of the Industrial Revolution in Europe at the 18th century, created greater general prosperity and equivalent increase in the population. With the end of World war two and till the end of cold war two major political and economical blocks divided the Europe which was the Capitalistic countries in the Western Europe and the Communist nations in the Eastern Europe. Presently geographic Europe comprises 45 countries.

The European climate remains temperate and mild, with cool summers and cold winters. Generally, if we compare different places on the same latitude with places on the same latitude in Europe, we would notice that places in Europe have a more favorable climate than places elsewhere in America, Asia or Africa. If we compare the average January temperatures of Berlin, Calgary and Irkutusk- lying in the Asian region of Russia, we would notice that the temperature in Berlin is about 8 and 22 degrees Celsius higher than temperatures in Calgary and Irkutusk respectively. The main reason for this climate winds from the Atlantic Ocean. Warm winds sweep the whole continent and keep the continent mildly warm. Ocean currents carrying warm waters from the Gulf of Mexico have a major role in this natural phenomenon. Since there is not mountain barrier in Europe, which is large enough to stop these winds from sweeping across the continent, and since most of the continent is within the range of 300 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, these currents affect the climatic conditions of the whole continent. Therefore, Europe climate is quite the same throughout the continent. Northern Europe climate, naturally, has longer and cooler winters compared to the southern part of the continent. Winters are colder and longer in the East as compared to the west. Summers are shorter, but hotter in the East as we move towards the west.

As far as rainfall is concerned, most parts of Europe receive an annual rainfall of 20-60 inches, with the maximum of it happening towards the West of the mountains (around 80 inches in general). The areas receiving lighter rainfall include the Southern part of Spain, Kazakhstan and northern part of Scandinavia.

It is for a reason that Europe fetches the maximum number of tourists in a year- its warm people and great natural beauty, coupled with aesthetic modernity. It is a well known fact that almost each and every country that comes under the European region has major tourist hubs, which attract customers from all over the world. Not only people from other continents, but people from within Europe also travel to the various tourist destinations in Europe.

The tourism industry also plays a major role in the economic stability of the European nations, and this is the sole reason as to why the governments have spent a massive amount of time and money in keeping various tourist places in Europe clean and updated. The climatic conditions and the exceptionally well connected airline services make traveling in Europe, a piece of cake. The ancient medieval history, coupled with some great historic monuments, palaces, churches and alleys have made tourist places in Europe a hot favorite among tourists of all age groups, backgrounds and nationalities.

France attracts most of the tourist influx in Europe. From the Louvre’ and the Eiffel tower to the Notre dam Cathedral and the Champs ET Lysee, almost every tourist spot in France, especially in Paris, has become a symbolic of the most visited places of the world. The Arc of Triumph, the Garnier Opera and the Gallo-Roman amphitheatre are some of the other places that can be termed as some of the best tourist places in Europe.

Germany and Rome follow France closely when it comes to some of the most visited tourist places in Europe. Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich and Dusseldorf attract tourists from all over the world. Business travelers and educational tourists also frequent these places. The Colloseum and the Palazzo Barberini are two of the most famous tourist places in Europe, belonging to Rome.

Apart from historic tourist places in Europe, great natural places are also hot favorites among tourists. Regions around the Alps, the Mediterranean Sea and the Pacific top the list of such places. Be it the open landscapes of Hungary, the great mountains in Switzerland or the beautiful beaches of Spain- Europe has everything to sooth a lover of nature.

Apart from some great tourist places, the people, food, culture and the festival of Europe beckon one and all to this land, offering a perfect mix of traditions and rebellion.

Europe has a great diversity of food reflecting its linguistic-cultural mosaic. In this age of globalisation we are brought to eat food from more and more countries.