Please answer the following questions based on this module’s material. Your response should be in 3 pages.

Discuss the current issues and challenges of tourism in South East Asia. (Read the textbook carefully for each country and check other sources for the recent issues of the region). Remember some of the issues discussed in the book are no longer relevant such as SARS.
North Korea and South Korea are two different countries. Explain briefly the difference between the two countries. Explain how this has impacted tourism development in both countries.
Outbound tourists from China (Chinese people traveling to other countries) are increasing rapidly. However, many Chinese tourists stay within the Asian region. Please give TWO plausible reasons for this from the textbook, readings, and/or other sources.
Briefly explain how the creation of the Euro has impacted tourism in the European Union. Don’t just say what the Euro is, you must discuss why it is or is not important for tourism.
While Europe has experienced some stagnation in growth in terms of international tourist arrivals, the region as a whole remains the most popular in terms of arrival statistics.
1) What are some plausible reasons for this?

2) What can the countries of Europe do to maintain or increase arrival numbers for the future?

Be sure to cite your sources of information. You must use in-text citations and a bibliography that includes all references of ALL websites, books, and news articles used.

International Tourism

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International Tourism

In tourism, South East Asia is one of the world’s burgeoning region (tourism growth) due to its popular tourist destinations such as the perfect and pristine beaches, backpackers, tasty cuisines, compelling heritage, and plenty of activities to undertake. In 2018, international tourism recipients in the region sparked a growth of $142.3M, and arrivals were $128.7M, the second-largest figures after North-East Asia (UNWTO, 2019). Undoubtedly, the advancement and growth of tourism in South East Asia bring benefits. However, various contemporary trends, issues, and challenges in South East Asian cities have been presented in the environmental, cultural, and socio-economic spheres. Primarily, the region is faced with numerous tourism-induced pressures such as increased external prostitution, drugs, and substance use.

Destination cities such as Cambodia, Laos, Burma, and Thailand are over flooded with tourists, which makes the place susceptible to external cultural bridges such as outside prostitution, which they culturally tolerant. These activities have resulted in a dark sex industry that facilitates child prostitution, drug trafficking, and sexual slavery. Environmental issues are significant concerns in the region, as they affect tourism. For instance, Indonesia is a country vulnerable to disasters such as earthquakes, volcano eruptions, and tsunamis. In 2018, tourists in Lombok had to be evacuated from the resort following a second earthquake killing about 130 people (BBC, 2018).  Moreover, due to the influx of tourists, environmental conservation has become challenging, with increasing littering in the cities necessitating stringent environment laws such as those in Singapore.

In North-East Asia, Korean division and North-South conflicts have profoundly influenced the development of tourism. North and South Korea have different ideologies, where North is a Stalinist state with a totalitarian regime while South is a capitalist and a constitutional democracy. The development of tourism in North Korea suffers highly due to the totalitarian rule where the president limits the number of tourists, while in South Korea, international tourism is flourishing. There has been a cooperation tourism project between the two countries despite the differences in promoting peace. However, in 2008 when a North Korean soldier shot a female tourist from South Korea, the tensions increased and the project halted (Yi, Ma, & Yoon, 2017). Today, the project seems to be re-established to calm the hostility between the nations and promote tourism development (Specia, 2017).

According to the UNWTO, Chinese outbound tourism is rapidly increasing. In 2018, 150 million outbound Chinese trips (increment of 15%) were made equivalent to $277B, an increment of 5%. This was due to increased travel facilitation, social stratification, and increased accessibility of online traveling platforms through mobile phones and applications. The top 10 destinations outlined were Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, the Republic of Korea, the USA, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Russian Federation, and Indonesia (UNWTO & CTA, 2019). From this list, eight of these destinations are from the Asian region, six precisely from South-East Asia and two from North-East Asia, showing that Chinese tourists highly stay within the Asian area compared to other areas. Plausible reasons for this trend can be explained by cultural preferences and tourists’ risk factors (McKinsey, 2018). Mainland Chinese tourists are cautious of risk factors associated with tourism. A demographic of mainland Chinese tourists with higher education and the need to visit scenery destinations to relax preferred Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, describing them as the safest destinations. Transportation, weather suitability, medical support, hygiene levels, law and order, and accommodation, in this case, define safety. Secondly, culture shapes one’s interests, and the Asian region is heavily influenced by Chinese culture in terms of food, languages, and practices. In these regions, outbound Chinese tourists feel comfortable as cultural and language barriers are minimized, costs of travel are affordable, and there are human ties. In the Asian region, cultural and human relations are stronger compared to other regions.

European Union, as a political and economic union, unites 27 members within Europe geography. The adoption of the euro in the EU has affected many economic and social issues that extend to affect tourism flow positively and negatively. Positively, the euro forms a universal currency where tourists are presented with high price transparencies in terms of product purchases and exchange rates. Secondly, the presence of a common currency eliminates the volatility of exchange rates, hence reducing economic uncertainties. In turn, this has maximized tourism-related investments with destinations adapting and improving infrastructure resulting in increased tourist flow and capacity. Negatively, adopting the euro leads to tourism diversion in international tourism due to geographical restructuring. Diversion in tourism is created when high-end costs producers in Eurozone replace low cut suppliers due to the eliminated possibility of using similar physical currencies (Santana-Gallego, 2016).

Despite the stagnation in international tourism arrivals in Europe, the region is the most popular in arrival statistics for reasons such as education and research purposes, sports, and entertainment as it is described as a hub for these factors. Sports like football (Premier League, Bundesliga, and Laliga) athletics and rugby, to mention a few are sources of entertainment for many people in the world. Many international students enroll in European education facilities for education and research. To maintain these arrivals, Europe must uphold sports cultures and popular games, such as those above, and continue offering educational and research scholarships to international students.

References

BBC. (2018, August 7). Indonesia earthquake: Second quake hits tourist island of Lombok. Retrieved from BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/44998054

McKinsey. (2018, September). Chinese tourists: Dispelling the myths. An in-depth look at China’s outbound tourist market. Retrieved from McKinsey & Company: https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Travel%20Transport%20and%20Logistics/Our%20Insights/Huanying%20to%20the%20new%20Chinese%20traveler/Chinese-tourists-Dispelling-the-myths.ashx

Santana-Gallego, M. (2016). The euro effect: Tourism creation, tourism diversion and tourism potential within the European Union. SAGE Journals: European Union Politics.

Specia, M. (2017, November 4). Built for Invasion, North Korean Tunnels Now Flow With Tourists. Retrieved from New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/04/world/asia/north-korea-south-korea-demilitarized-zone-tunnel-tourism.html

UNWTO, & CTA. (2019). Guidelines for Success in the Chinese Outbound Tourism Market. Retrieved from World Tourism Organization ( UNWTO): https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284421138

Yi, S., Ma, C.-m., & Yoon, I. (2017). A new paradigm for tourism development in North. Travel and Tourism Research Association: Advancing Tourism Research Globally, 12.