Page 157 - Tourism The International Business

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Exhibit 55: Transportation can take
many forms. (Courtesy Texas State
Department of Highways and Public
Transportation.)

Urban services. An inventory must be taken to ensure the adequacy of such support services as water,

electricity, sewage collection and disposal, and the provision of police and fire protection.
Land availability
Development of tourist attractions and facilities obviously requires the availability of land. However, the
question goes beyond the physical availability and into such areas as:

• Who owns the land?
• Are the owners willing to sell or allow development?
• Can foreigners own and develop land?
• How much does the land costs?
The situation can be illustrated by the ski industry in the United States. Approximately half of all privately
operated ski areas are on federal land. To expand these areas further or to develop new areas requires the
permission of the federal government.

Environmental and ecological aspects
Any major development will require some form of environmental impact statement. Oftentimes the success of a
particular tourist area depends upon the quality of the physical environment. This may include such factors as
sunshine, temperature, isolation, surf, snow, beaches, water, natural drainage or vegetation. The impact of

development on the natural features of the environment must be considered as they relate to the planned use for
each site.
Safari development in Africa has increased the close shadowing of lions by tourists. As a result, many kills are
missed by the lions and lion cubs starve to death.
At this early stage of analysis it is appropriate to evaluate, in a preliminary fashion, the alternate sites. The
dominant characteristics of each would be arranged, evaluated and graded on a matrix in order to allow an
evaluation of their relative merits and limitations using the criteria noted above.

Tourism the International Business 157 A Global Text