Destination 3: South Africa
In South Africa, there are a many issues that we may need to consider for the travellers who want to travel there. For example; there has been an increase in strike action in South Africa and some demonstrations have turned violent. (Follow developments in the local media and avoid all demonstrations, rallies and large public gatherings). There is an also very high level of crime, but the most violent crimes occur in townships and isolated areas away from the normal tourist destinations.
There have been incidents involving foreigners being followed from or Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg to their destinations by car and then robbed, often at gunpoint. Therefore, this will have a great influence on travellers mind as they may feel that they will not be safe enough, and thus they will not want to travel. Moreover, When people go to African countries they see things they wouldn’t of expected, E.g. South Africa starvations has effected South Africa for a number of years, when visiting some African countries, tourist should expect to see starving children and people drinking from dirty unfiltered water, men don’t allow women much freedom and all they are responsible for is cooking and cleaning the house. This can sometimes be distressing for tourists coming from the west as they are used to a different life style.
D1
This last section focuses on specific travel factors that have had a significant impact on destinations – within the past five years.
Factors: Seasonality and Extreme Climatic Conditions + Health Issues
Destinations: Japan and Mexico
Many long haul destinations have particular times of the year when it is best to visit, based on the seasons. Some destinations have rainy seasons when humidity is high and conditions can be unpleasant for visitors. Extreme climatic conditions, such as monsoons, hurricanes, tsunamis and tropical storms, can have devastating effects on long haul destinations and appear to be more frequent nowadays. Therefore, visitors are likely to avoid making bookings to long haul destinations that are experiencing adverse weather conditions or cancel their trips when climatic conditions deteriorate. Health in some long haul destinations is also a concern for incoming tourists, particularly in developing countries where HIV and diseases may be common. It is important to have necessary vaccinations before visiting at risk countries and to take heed of the advice for the FCO on health issues while travelling abroad.
First of all, as I indicated above the extreme weather conditions can have significant effects on long haul destinations. For instance, in 2011 Japan suffered one of the most devastating earthquake, tsunami, and the ensuing Fukushima nuclear incident, had a significant impact on the Japanese economy and popularity of the country. Many of the people in the area were elderly, and cold weather and disrupted transportation routes made rescue efforts difficult. The disaster disrupted supply chains and trade with industrial production dropping sharply in the following months. Many of Japan’s nuclear power reactors were shut down for safety checks following the nuclear emergency at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, causing electricity shortages in some areas of East Japan. Visitor arrivals into Japan also decreased after the disaster. This natural disaster had a significantly impact on the destination and Japan is bound to suffer extremely with cancelled travel bookings. To give an example; The U.S. State Department has issued an advisory for Americans not to travel to Japan unless absolutely necessary. Airlines are accessing the situation as new developments unfold. Luckily, no major cruise lines had ships in port during the disaster, and are reorganizing port destinations. In addition, the tour companies are cancelling or rerouting tours, advising clients to book a different destination, rather than completely cancelling. If we consider the effects of the disaster on the economy of Japan, probably indicates that a very large damage.
Other countries already predicting loss of tourism and financial revenue include:
- Travel from India to Japan for business purposes expected to be down for automobile and engineering companies. Japan had recently introduced multiple-entry visas for Indians having U.S. visas, among other marketing and tourism promotions designed to gain Indian tourism business.
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New Zealand will be affected, as Japan is their 4th largest trading partner. New Zealand exports many products including aluminium and fish to Japan. They are waiting to calculate damage to ports, and how the Japan economy will affect trade, therefore business travel between the countries.
Furthermore, as a second travel factor, I will be examining the effects of health issues on Mexico. When you are travelling to the abroad your health should be one of your priorities when planning a trip. Travelling to different climates and environments abroad can expose you to disease and health risks. E.g. In April 2009, Mexico was affected by swine flu and visiting the place appeared truly unsafe during the time.
Swine Flu has had an impact on the tourism industry worldwide. Apart from the originating country, Mexico, the tourism industry has also been hit in other countries of the world. Effects of swine flu on Mexico tourism were made worse by the travel restrictions advised by WHO and other health authorities. In addition Mexico and USA were the two countries most hit in their travel industry than the rest of the world. In Mexico, hotels, airlines and tourist attractions like art galleries, museums, theatres and cinemas also suffered from losses. Business travel was also affected after the outbreak of swine flu. The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) of USA published a survey which stated that 61% of business travellers cancelled their trips to Mexico as result of the pandemic.
The hotel owners, tour operators and those involved in travel industry of Mexico suffered due to the outbreak of swine flu in Mexico. The effect of swine flu pandemic was estimated to have an impact on 90% of the airline industry in the Mexico as international visitors as well as domestic travellers were apprehensive.
In addition, according to reports at that time, though the potential impact from the influenza on industry is less than clear, retail and tourism businesses are likely to bear the brunt of the losses.
Factors: Social Conditions + Safety
Destinations: Thailand and Brazil
Some people find that visiting certain long haul destinations is a real culture shock, with poverty, disease and malnutrition a problem in many developing nations that attract tourists.
As we know that the Thailand is a country which it is attractive to foreigners and the activities held in the country are really interesting. Therefore people are travelling to see the Asian culture so it is a different compared to your living country and, I personally feel that this is why people love to travel Thailand/Bangkok.
The social situations in Thailand (e.g. “Sex tourism” and “Social Security”) have a significant impact on the country tourism. To begin with, firstly sex tourism takes place in many different parts of the world particularly Brazil, certain African and Thailand. The most widely used definition describes sex tourism as consisting of people from economically developed nations traveling to undeveloped countries specifically to purchase the sexual services of local women and children. Therefore, people who don’t have any partner are more likely to go countries like Thailand. But why people travel thousands of miles to pay for sex, because the low cost of sexual services in Thailand is a factor that draws men to this country. In fact the Thai men accepted it this and act as if nothing had happened. This situation is actually good for them as well as foreigner tourists because my research shows me that female tourists from Europe are going to the Thailand to find a man.
Also, the lack of social security programs for women’s plays a big role in this country. The Thai government desperately needs to develop programs for educating women and men in skills that make them productive members of society. Therefore, this is also link to the Thailand’s bad social conditions/ living conditions which is truly incredible. The government of the Thailand needs to change lot things to make their country more habitable. For example, the tourism in the Thailand brings very large amount of money to the country therefore; the Thai government have a chance to spend more money to the things which needs to be improved. E.g. Education and household debts of women’s, Improving the education of women’s and some of the men’s can really impact development of the country. As well as improving the education, they also need to improve the security programs at the same time. Then this will help to Thailand have a less prostitution due to the proliferation of educated people. Also, the advantage of having a great social condition in the country might bring more visitors compared to before. Overall, so why did so many men come to Thailand? They came simply because they knew the cost of living was low, the exchange rate was favourable, the people were friendly, and the conditions were favourable. Thailand is still the most visited country in Southeast Asia, but it attracts the attention of some people even a small amount due to its level of prostitution. Each year, more than eight million foreigners visit Thailand, and who come because they are interested in its history, culture and seeing its remarkable beauty.
Safety and security are key factors that affect long haul travel by British people. The tragic event of September 11 2011, plus more recent terrorist attacks closer to home, makes travellers acutely aware of the need to ensure their personal safety. Crime and unrest can be a problem in some long haul destinations, which employ tourist police to ensure the safety and security of visitors.
Brazil is one of the most beautiful countries on planet Earth. It's also a pretty dangerous place to tour. The main trouble in Brazil is the epic crime rate; with a murder rate four times that of the United States. Murder is just the tip of the iceberg in Brazil. High numbers of rapes, robberies and "quick napping" occur. These are a new kind of crime where a person is abducted for a short amount of time with a quick payoff, typically from a drive to an ATM machine. Economically depressed areas like Sao Paulo and Salvador are some of the most dangerous spots on Earth for gang violence. The crime doesn't just stick around the barrio though. Rio de Janeiro, one of Brazil's foremost tourist vacation destinations is also a hotbed of criminal activity.
The growing chasm between the upper and lower classes in Brazil threaten to keep the violence going for the foreseeable future.
Many of these issues have an impact on the destination, and can be considered as the most dangerous effect on the Brazil tourism. According to facts and figures, 155,548 British nationals visited Brazil in 2012. However, numerous visitors are not happy and they are not interested to go back to Brazil for safety reasons. This is an important issue to be addressed, unless action is taken, violent crime, robbery and theft could deter tourists from visiting the Brazil. I personally feel that officials in the region are not taking the threat of escalating crime seriously enough, and the detrimental impact on the Brazil`s economy could be substantial.