Tourism operations worldwide, regardless of their size, are facing an increasingly complex decision-making environment. Tourism goods and services must be produced within narrowing environmental and social limits to achieve long-term sustainability. Significant areas of land with environmental importance (particularly in the third world) must address a diverse mixture of financial, social and environmental goals while working with diminishing resources. Within this milieu, it is possible to identify several factors driving tourism operators towards a Tourism Online Decision Support System to support sustainable tourism development.

 

Some of these factors are:

• Sustainable tourism
• Regulatory environment
• Public awareness and participation
• Alternative land management
• Comprehensive tourism planning
• Information technology
• Product analysis and modeling

Sustainable Tourism

Global competition is driving the need for alternative land uses in which agriculture, tourism, forestry and other industries must share the same rural resources. Urban land development has superimposed tourism attractions upon cities like Orlando and Las Vegas in the U.S.A., Bangkok in Thailand, and Cancun in Mexico causing conflicting values and social division. Alternative land use systems integrate traditionally separate uses such as ecotourism and timber production into Agraforestry. Changes in marketing and management create new options and standards including quality assurance, niche marketing, “Green Tourism” and vertical integration of tourism enterprises. Modern management systems and concepts are often outside the experience of individual tourism operators, their peer group organizations, government tourism agencies, or traditional extension services.

 

Regulatory Environment

Regulatory requirements for documents such as Environmental Impact Statements or studies of land use change on biodiversity or water quality further complicate land use decisions for tourism-based operations. Such studies of environmental impact often require the integration of expertise from outside the small tourism operation or beyond its financial capabilities. They also require information from beyond the physical location of the enterprise, as the business must be considered in a regional context to assess the impact on third parties and regional resources.

 

Public Awareness and Participation

Public awareness of tourism issues increasing; of note are fragile habitat, cultural pollution, water issues and employment issues. The general public can expect to influence the decision-making processes involving tourism as significant sums of public money are invested in tourism infrastructure via transportation products, zoning, grants, and tax subsidy programs. The social consequences of land use planning add a further dimension to the complexity of tourism planning.

 

Alternative Land Management

Ownership and management of tourism operations are evolving as land trusts and conservation groups become significant land owners worldwide. This means that more diverse management goals are being pursued with social and environmental regeneration balanced against the cost benefit return.

 

Comprehensive Tourism Planning

The demand for multiple tourism planning objectives requires sufficient information for tourism and land use managers to explore the impacts and options of alternative land uses.  Tourism operators and government agencies can explore strategies and structures of various stakeholders’ objectives. There is a need for more information about a range of options and an expectation that such information can be accessed, understood and utilized successfully. This may require information to be delivered at more than one level of literacy.

 

Information Technology

Investment in technology such as Geographic Information Systems is becoming more common. Raw spatial data is becoming increasingly available and easily captured at an acceptable cost through technology like global positioning systems. Data can also be acquired through remote sensing, satellites and aerial photography. These spatial data are conformed as thematic layers (topography, soils, and hydrology) and infrastructural layers (buildings, roads, political boundaries) delivered as digital maps. The use of GIS has matured from mere land inventory purposes to 3D modeling and “what if” scenario creation.

 

Product Analysis and Modeling

Predictive financial analysis models such as Economic Impact Modeling and Qualitative Analysis provide useful components for land use planning. These models require significant research in investment and development, as well as interpretation for the individual tourism operation to understand their implications. The Tourism Online Decision Support System can act as the interpreter, providing knowledge management, knowledge transfer and expert advice to tourism operators.

 

A multi-objective online environment can integrate spatial data, land use and system models and a range of impact assessments into a single framework to support tourism planning decisions. 

 

Multiple interactive tools in such an environment can include:

• Knowledge bank of best practices dealing with the regulatory environment
• Idea exchange for sustainable tourism development
• Public participation and awareness tools
• Alternative land management modeling
• GIS-based spatial analysis capabilities
• Comprehensive tourism planning processes
• Interactive product analysis and modeling

Interested parties may contact us at: TODSS@decisionsbydesign.com