Tourism area life cycle

Published Date: 23 Mar 2015

TOURSIM AREA LIFE CYCLE

Introduction

The idea of a destination life cycle has evident prospective to evolve the hypothesis and practice of tourism planning, specifically 'as a conceptual framework within which long-term changes can be forecast and strategies for land use, economic development, and marketing can be harmonized'; (Getz D. 1992 Tourism Planning and Destination Life Cycle, Vol. 19, p752). Also according to Getz , the verification of the authenticity and entirety of the life-cycle model has not yet been established and neither has the functionality been demonstrated for tourism planning.

Gilbert (Gilbert. E., 1939 Scottish Geographical magazine. Vol. 55 p.16-35.,) and Christaller (Christaller. W1963 Regional Science Association Papers XII Lund Congress,) are attributed with the simplification of the notion of three stages of development in resorts; discovery, growth and decline. Due to Butler's (Butler R. W. 2006. Aspects of Tourism: The Tourism Area Life Cycle Vol. 1 Applications and Modifications) modification, he extended the model to six stages so it could relate more directly with the progressive idea of a product life cycle. Butler's graph demonstrates the various stages of 'exploration, involvement, development, and consolidation lead to either stagnation and decline or to stagnation followed by rejuvenation' (Butler R. W.1980 Aspects of Tourism: The Tourism Life Cycle Conceptual and Theoretical Issues, p25)

DISCUSSION

The Tourism Area Cycle was put forward in 1980 by Butler, however, the conceptual structure has often been studied and scrutinised. The current revised first and second volumes on this model (Butler R. W. 2006. Aspects of Tourism: The Tourism Area Life Cycle Vol. 1 Applications and Modifications; Butler R. W. 2006. Aspects of Tourism: The Tourism Area Life Cycle Vol. 2 Conceptual and Theoretical Issues); emphasises its importance as one of the structures generally utilised for the study of tourism. 'Lagiewski (Lagiewski R. M 2006 The Application of the TALC model: A Literature Survey pp.27 - 50) in reviewing previous studies, listed a total of 49 major works related to the TALC' (Zhong Linsheng, et al 2008 Tourism development and the tourism area life-cycle model pp. 841-856).

From one tourist resource (Getz D. 1992 Tourism Planning and Destination Life Cycle, Vol. 19, p752-770), to an area hosting diverse characteristics, (Hovinen, G. R. 1981 A Tourist Cycle in Lancaster county, Pennyslvania, pp283-286; Hovinen G R 2002 Annals of Tourism Research: Revisiting the Destination Lifecycle Model pp.209-230; Tooman L. A. 1997 Applications of the Life-cycle Model in Tourism, pp214-234) these studies have scrutinized the model at varying stages of examination. Furthermore, this model has been affected to the many differing and contrasting categories of tourism attractions (e.g. beaches, islands, mountain destinations, etc) and from diverse viewpoints, (i.e. validity and applicability of the Talc, (Argwal S. 1997 Tourism Management: The Resort Cycle and Seaside Tourism pp.65-73 social, environmental and/or economic changes as they relate to each stage of the model (Hovinen G R 2002 Annals of Tourism Research: Revisiting the Destination Lifecycle Model pp.209-230; and tourism planning, Bao J. et al 2006 The TALC in China's Tourism Planning: Case Study of Danxia Mountain, Guandong Province, PRC cited in Butler R. W. Aspects of Tourism: the Tourism Area Life Cycle Vol. 1: Applications and Modifications pp.107-115).

Upon researching into these studies, the TALC was, on the whole, established to be a constructive structure in elucidating the shaping of tourism expansion for a resort, even though a common accord about the model's validity and applicability has not yet been attained.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Agarwal S. (1997). Tourism Management Volume 18 Issue 2: The Resort Cycle and Seaside Tourism: an Assessment of its Applicability and Validity pp65-73

Bao J; Zhang Z. (2006) The TALC in China's Tourism Planning: Case Study of Danxia Mountain, Guangdong Province, PRC Chap 7 in Butler R. W. Aspects of Tourism: The Tourism Area Life cycle Vol. 1 Applications and Modifications.

Butler R.W. (2006). Aspects of Tourism: The Tourism Area Life Cycle Vol. 1 Applications and Modifications. Chap. 1 The Concept of a Tourist Area Cycle of Evolution: Implications for Management Resources, p3. Vol. No.AOT 28; Clevedon: Channel View Publications.

Butler R.W. (2006). Aspects of Tourism: The Tourism Area Life Cycle Vol. 2 Conceptual and Theoretical Issues. Chap. 1 the Ontological Foundation of the Talc: Synthesis, p25 Vol. No.AOT 29; Clevedon: Channel View Publications..

Getz, D. (1992) Annals of Tourism Research Vol.19 : Tourism Planning and Destination Life Cycle. p752-770

Christaller W. (1963). Regional Science Association Papers

XII Lund Congress: Some considerations of tourism location in Europe: the peripheral regions: underdeveloped countries: recreation areas.

Gilbert E. (1939). Scottish Geographical Magazine. Vol. 55 : The Growth of Island and Seaside Resorts in England. pp.16-35.

Hovinen G. R. (1981). The Canadian Geographer Vol .25 No. 2 : A Tourist Cycle in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, pp283-286

Hovinen G. R. (2002). Annals of Tourism Research Vol. 29 Issue 1: Revisting the Destination Lifecycle Model, pp209-230

Tooman L. A. (1997). Annals of Tourism Research Vol. 24 No. 1: Applications of the Life-cycle Model in Tourism, pp214-234(21)

Zhong L., Jinyang F., Xiang B. (2008) Tourism Management Vol. 29 Issue 5: Tourism Development and the Tourism Area Life-cycle Model: A case study of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, China, pp.841-856