1. Tourism & Hospitality
Geography
The Geography of
Resources for Tourism

2. Objectives
 Appreciate the nature of resources for tourism.
 Distinguish the methods used to classify and
evaluate resources for tourism.
 Outline the main factors favoring the
development of tourist resources.
 Understand the way that destinations evolve.
 Appreciate the need for tourism planning and
sustainable development.

3. Resources for Tourism
 3 characteristics of tourism resources;
 Tourist resources is normally taken to refer to
tangible objects.
 Tourist resources are not used solely by
tourists.
 Tourist resources are perishable.

4. Planning for Tourism Resources
 Tourism brought economic benefits of
employment, income and development.
 Economic imperative overlooked the
environmental social and cultural consequences.
 Tourism planning evolved from an inflexible,
physical planning approach to a flexible process
which seeks to maximize the benefits and
minimize the costs of tourism.

5. Continued..
 Tourism planning;
 Is based on sound research
 Involves local community in setting goals and priorities
 Is implemented by the public sector in partnership with
the private sector
 Key concept to tourism planning is;
 Carrying Capacity.
• Planner determine the level of use that can be
sustained by a tourist resource and manage to
that level.

6. Carrying Capacity
 It refers to the ability of a destination to take
tourism use without deteriorating in some way.
 Mathieson and Wall (1982);
“The maximum number of people who can use a site
without unacceptable alteration in the physical
environment and without an unacceptable decline in the
quality of experience gained by visitors.”

7. Continued..
 Different types of carrying capacity:
 From the point of view of the resource
• Physical carrying capacity
• Refers to number of facilities
• Environmental or biological carrying capacity
• Limits of use in the ecosystem
 From the point of view of the visitor
• Psychological or behavioral carrying capacity
• The point at which the visitor feels that additional
tourist would spoil their experience
 From the point of view of the host community
• Social carrying capacity
• The ability of the host community to tolerate tourism

8. Tourism Resources at the World Scale
 Physical features
 Mountains
 More gently slopping hill lands
 Elevated plateaus
(land above surface)
 Lowland plains
 Cultural features
 Cultural differences across the world in terms of
language, art, festivals, folklore, handicrafts, food,
music and the way of life of different peoples

9. Tourist Resources at the National Scale
 Classification of resources for tourism
 Natural
 Human-made
 Human-made and purpose-built
 Special events
 A broader view of the tourism resource base
 User-oriented areas of highly intensive development close to
population centers
 Resource-based areas where the type of resource
determines the use of the area
 An intermediate category, where access is the determining
factor

10. Continued..
 Evaluation of resources for tourism
 Measurement of the suitability of the resource base to
support different forms of tourism.
 Problem- to include the varied requirements of different
users.
 The tourism product
 Attractions, accessibility, amenities and ancillary
services, combined to provide tourism product.

11. Tourist Resources at the Local Scale
 Private sector (banks)
 Public sector
 Central government
 State-funded organization
 Voluntary sector
-non profit making organizations (initiative)
 Local community

12. The Tourist Area Life Cycle
Exploration Small # of adventurous tourists, un-spoilt nature and
cultural features
Involvement Local initiatives provide facilities and advertising ensues.
Large # of visitors. Tourist season & public sector
involvement.
Development Large # of visitors. Control passed to national &
international companies. Change in image and overuse
may begin.
Consolidation Destination is fully-fledged part of the tourist industry.
The rate of increase of visitors is reducing. Recreational
business emerged.
Stagnation Peak visitor number. The destination is unfashionable
with environmental, social and economic problems.
Promotional efforts needed.
Decline Visitors visit new places. Destination depends on a
smaller geographical catchments and repeat visit.
Rejuvenation The authorities attempt to “re-launch” the destination by
providing new facilities, attracting new markets and re-
investing.

13. Conclusion
 Developed tourist resources are cultural
appraisals, considered by society to be of
economic value.
 Tourism planning for resources become vital as it
could minimize the cost of tourism and to
maintain integrity of the resource base.