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We get the kind of tourists we deserve


Sounds so like politics' old cliché “we get the kind of leaders that we deserve”. Yes, it's like that in tourism, too. Tourism authorities, local government units and the private sector should think hard about this reality of getting the tourists that we deserve so planned development can be undertaken in our tourism destinations. Not all tourists are the same. We have, therefore, a variety to choose from if we really want to get the kind/s of tourists that we deserve and want.

Tourists have different origins. They have different travel purposes, lengths of stay and activities in their destinations. Definitely, they have different spending capacities and travel budgets. These factors should be considered by tourism marketers when they decide what kind of tourists to attract.

There's a decision to make between going for quality tourists or more warm bodies (read quantity) instead? Of course, quantity tourists are easily identifiable. Quality tourists, on the other hand, are those who are sensitive to the culture and traditions of the host country/community, its people and environment and above all, spend the most money in the destination. In terms of cost-benefit ratio, it is more favorable for the destination to play host to one tourist who spends the same amount of money during his stay as three or four others combined over the same period of time.

Whichever type of tourists we want to attract, our marketing efforts should be geared towards this particular types of tourists. If we want to attract tourists who can afford to spend the most, then our attractions, facilities, accessibility and image as a tourist destination should be given utmost attention by all concerned. Our festivals may be relatively good and affluent tourists around the world are just waiting to be lured. But does the state of our present facilities complement our attractions? Or are both our attractions and facilities in the same sorry state that all we can afford to attract are tourists who travel on a shoestring budget and backpacking ones? How about our accessibility from the tourist markets or origins and to other destinations? Do we mind our destination image?

If we want to get the tourists that we deserve, a holistic approach to tourism development and marketing would be in order. Hodgepodge promotional activities are nothing but a waste of money that could be put to better use.

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Quote of this issue:

“Sun, sand, sea and sex . . . are often seen as the core of a developing nation's appeal. A fifth “s” is even more crucial: security. Tourism as a discretionary activity is incredibly vulnerable to political instability” (Richter, 1992).