The Challenges of Modern Tourism Planning

By Dr Martin Zsarnoczky

Dear Reader,

The content of this book reflects an innovative approach that is supported by the author's extensive professional and academic experiences, not to mention the richness of his methodological choices and his endearing personality.

At a time of global tourism without borders and fierce competition, creative destinations are becoming coveted products. Thus, the reflections carried out through the book and the concrete solutions envisaged can therein be useful for all categories of readers, whatever their country of origin. In addition, the concepts, case studies and best practices presented may pave the way for the creation of redefined or totally new tourist destinations.

Such a set of qualities leads me to recommend that everyone read this informed and balanced work.

 

Dr Peter Szende PhD

Programme Lead

Hospitality and Tourism Management

Oxford Brookes Business School, Oxford, UK

• Language: English
• Publisher: Matralab NGO
• Release date: May 16, 2019
• ISBN: 9786158116015

Book preview

BIOGRAPHY

FOREWORD

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Tourism destination: The location I visit attracted by the image of a product or service I want to purchase or try out

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The world of tourism holds wonders for all involved. Throughout my more than 25 years in the tourism profession I was lucky to take part in numerous memorable events and deal with several challenges. Although I set out from a small town in Hungary I was able to work in several countries and learn the basics of the profession at major international hotel chains (Intercontinental, Marriott) and luxury lines (P&O Princess Cruises). Subsequently, I converted my experience into the founding of various tourism-related businesses still operational today. Dedicated to continuous professional improvement I studied the theoretical and practical aspects of tourism and earned undergraduate, postgraduate, and advanced degrees. Despite being a professionaI with an over 10 year teaching background in international and Hungarian higher education institutions I am still driven by the natural curiosity of a child and luckily my students feel the same way. As a researcher in the field of tourism I always strive to provide complex answers to seemingly simple questions. Since I am convinced of the importance of the inclusion of the audience into my teaching I start my classes with questions. One of my favourite questions is related to a visit to New York. I ask my students to recall what sights they had seen and what kind of accommodation they had taken. I found that an overwhelming majority, 95% of the respondents, mention the usual attractions and accommodation in Manhattan. In response I ask them why they didn’t refer to Manhattan instead of New York. The answer to this question is not so simple as it seems. My mother has lived in Queens for 15 years and for a long time it was not clear for me what city she had thought of when she mentioned the term the city. Several of my friends were not even aware that the capital of the state of New York is not New York City, but Albany.

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Although nowadays my students and the readers of my work are likely to know the actual answer, I still ask this question. The main reason is that it shows how the combination of good marketing, a high quality touristic product and steadily high standard services guarantee the legitimacy of a long-lasting touristic attraction. Throughout my career I have participated in several tourism projects and my potential partners rarely determined the time span of the given project during the design stage. I am firmly convinced that the establishment of the time frame should be the first step of any project design process. I hope that the present book, The Challenges of Modern Tourism Planning is only the first step in the series of publications. In this first volume I would like to introduce a few design preparation methods along with potentially marketable ideas. The first chapter focuses on the preparatory background of investments, the second explores the details and the respective results of a tourism destination-related investment taking place in Northern Hungary, while the third and final section introduces the Matra Resort of Parádsasvár as an example of accessible tourism destination reflecting the priorities of the European Union and its re-considered tourism strategy.

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I hope you will enjoy my book and will broaden your mind as well!

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INTRODUCTION

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As an university instructor aiming to help my students I always provide a brief historical overview before we start a new topic. I believe if this approach is successful with my students then my interested readers will also welcome some background information to the present theme. While several of my colleagues highlight such factors of the historical evolution of tourism as the emergence of accommodations and destinations, which in fact implies today’s mass tourism, I would originate the process much earlier, from the time of the convergence of cultures. Since the history of innovation in tourism and catering will be treated in a separate chapter, I provide a brief historical appetizer below.

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Tourism, and especially serving guests is basically as old as humanity itself. The most simple forms of cultural convergence among various peoples were the shared celebrations during which the best products and goods were introduced to and consumed by visitors arriving from distant lociations. One of the greatest achievements of modern tourism is that as a result of mutual interest and curiosity the various cultures, traditions, and beliefs became an universal experience. In the same vein with the onset of digitalization the national cuisines, flavours, and gastronomical customs were transferred from the local religious, ritual, and societal contexts onto an universal attraction level (Zsarnóczky 2018a).

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According to the first historical records and the detailed descriptions of the historians of Antiquity the first tourism-related enterprises included the food stands at fairs and other local events along with eateries providing services for local merchants negotiating deals or for customers of nearby enterprises. The initially restricted local demand started to increase gradually driven by the consumption needs of travelling merchants and wayfarers along with that of local residents not possessing their own cooking facilities yet desiring warm meals. The solidification of various catering schemes including inns hosting travelers and providing meals led to the rise of an unified, easily understandable set of formal expressions (Zsarnóczky 2018b). The emergence of such a professional jargon was motivated by market competition, the need for a profitable operation, and a desire to communicate reliable information to customers.

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The first enterprises specialized in providing travel-related catering services appeared in medieval Asia and Europe during the time of the great discoveries. Although these early businesses offered their services tailored to the respective needs in an organized manner, the differentiation between accommodation and catering facilites began at this time as well. Since travellers provided a steady flow of income for inns located at major thoroughfares local food specialties and drinks representing the preferences of host communities including the owners and operatiors of the given businesses appeared on the early menus. The reputation of the given venue depended on word of mouth and the related technological innovation gave rise to an uniform travel culture in the Modern Age. The wide selection of catering services and the abundance of food and drink responded to the needs of demanding travellers. Furthermore, meeting the requirements of wealthier travellers an order of meal consumption developed, which eventually spread all over the world. The first travel agencies appeared after the First Industrial Revolution. The increased income and expanding leisure time gave rise to a desire to copy the lifestyle of the aristocracy leading to the formation of enterprises dedicated to satisfy tourism related demands. While the wars and other conflicts hindered business progress, such events resulted in infrastructural growth facilitating a dynamic increase in demand.

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The development of the tourism industry on the global scale began