Paper 13: Destination Management
Module 02: Typologies of Tourism Destination – Historic-cultural, Tourist city,
Villages, Resort, Protected Areas, Health/Wellness
THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM
Principal Investigator Prof. S. P. Bansal
Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi University, Rewari
Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Prashant K. Gautam
Director, UIHTM, Panjab University, Chandigarh
Prof. Nimit Chaudhary
Paper Coordinator
Head of Department, Hotel, Hospitality & Heritage studies,
Jamia Millia Islamia
Shikha Misra
Content Writer
Asstt. Prof., Tourism Management, Department of History of
Art, Faculty of Arts,BHU, Varanasi, UP
Content Reviewer Prof. Monika Prakash
Nodal Officer, IITTM Noida
ITEMS DESCRIPTION OF MODULE
Subject Name Tourism And Hospitality Management
Paper Name Destination Management
Module Title Typologies of Tourism Destination – Historic-cultural, Tourist
city, Villages, Resort, Protected Areas, Health/Wellness
Module Id Module no-2
Pre- Requisites Basic knowledge about what Destination means.
Objectives To study the types of destinations
Keywords Historic-cultural tourism, Tourist city / Villages, Resort,
Protected Areas, Health/Wellness
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Learning Outcome
2. Introduction
3. Types of Tourism Destinations
3.1 Historic-cultural destination
3.2 Tourist city
3.3 Tourist Villages
3.4 Resort
3.5 Protected Areas
3.5.1 National Park
3.5.2 Sanctuary
3.5.3 Conservation Reserve
3.5.4 Community Reserve
3.5.5 Marine Protected Area
3.6 Health/Wellness
4. Summary
QUADRANT-I
1. Learning Outcome
After completing this module students will be able to:
1. Identify and define a tourism destination
2. Distinguish between different types of tourist destinations discussed
3. Understand and evaluate the complexity of the tourist destination
Typologies of Tourism Destination – Historic-cultural, Tourist city, Villages, Resort,
Protected Areas, Health/Wellness
2. Introduction
As discussed in the earlier modules a destination is a geographical area consisting of the
services and infrastructure necessary for the stay of a specific tourist or tourism segment.
Since destinations are the places where the tourists want to go and stay for some time
hence destinations are the competitive units of incoming tourism and compete among
themselves to gain the attention of tourist or tourist segment. People may travel to
different places for different reasons but at the core there is always a destination.
Destination is therefore an important component of a tourism product. It gives a reason to
a person to undertake travel and something else to always share with others.
Destination management organization (DMO) is a part of tourism value chain and it fits
in all the elements of the chain like private sector (travel agency, tour operators, hoteliers,
airlines, etc), public sector (national and state tourism promotion boards), and other stake
holders at the right place. With the intervention of DMOs these stakeholders could
understand and perform their role in value chain. DMO, by sensitizing and economically
involving different stakeholders in the value chain also ensures the minimization of
negative impacts of tourism on environment, host community and its culture.
3. Types of Tourism Destinations
Depending on the nature of the destination and types of attractions that are offered,
destinations can be of following types:
3.1 Historic-cultural
The cultural and cultural-cognitive tourism actually is a form of tourism which focuses
on the cultural environment, which in turn may include cultural and historical sites of a
destination, cultural-historical heritage, values and lifestyle of the local population, arts,
crafts, traditions and customs of the local population. Furthermore, cultural and cognitive
routes may include a visit or participation in cultural activities and events, visit museums,
galleries, concerts, exhibitions, etc.
Fig: 1, Fig: 2
The Collosseum in Rome India A -cultural tourism
destination
As per United Nation World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) report of 2001 culture
tourism is increasing at a faster pace than any other form of tourism. Cultural tourism
creates job opportunities for the local community hence it helps in reducing urban
migration. It fosters economic growth of the local community and renders a sense of
pride and self esteem for their history and culture in them. Hence it also motivates
government and host community for heritage and cultural preservation. If the culture
preserved properly then culture becomes a reason for tourist to be attracted towards the
destination and tourism becomes a reason for local community to preserve their culture
and symbiosis continues.
In addition, several studies dedicated to the topic of cultural routes and itineraries have
been published, namely Tourism and Intangible Cultural Heritage (UNWTO, 2012),
Roadmap for Development - Heritage Conservation & Tourism: Promoting sustainable
growth along the Silk Roads Heritage Corridors (UNWTO, 2014), The Silk Roads: an
ICOMOS Thematic Study (ICOMOS, 2014), Impact of European Cultural Routes on
SME’s innovation and competitiveness (European Commission, 2011), Cultural Heritage
and Tourism Development (UNWTO, 2001), among many others.
3.2 Tourist city
Some of the greatest tourist destinations are the urban cities of the world. By 2012 almost
half of the world’s population was living in cities and it was expected to grow almost five
billion by 2030 (UNWTO, 2012). These big cities are vibrant place and tourists visit
them to experience vibrancy, diversity and infrastructure. Managing a tourist city is a
challenging task. With the development of metro cities the landscape of city changes
frequently. Keeping city updated with the increasing pressure of population and changing
taste of market segments requires integrated planning and minimizing negative impacts.
Istanbul declaration on city tourism provides framework for policy, planning and
guidelines for sustainable city tourism development (Organization, 2016). One of the
most important factors in deciding a city tourism destination is the proximity with the
origin and connectivity between the two cities.
Fig: 3 Fig: 4
The Times Square in The Manhattan, New York, USA Madrid is the capital city of
the Kingdom of Spain
Product which cities can offer to a tourist can be tangible and intangible both. E.g.
zoological parks, museums, theatres, mega-structures, etc. UNWTO refers to urban
tourism as trips taken by travellers to cities or places of high population density. The
duration of these trips is usually short (one to three days) urban tourism is closely linked
to the short – breaks market. Mesopotamia and Sumeria are some of the early examples
of city tourism.
Challenges in managing sustainable city tourism
Managing the increasing number of tourist with limited infrastructure.
Increasing the multiplier effect of tourism for the benefit of local population.
Incorporating tourism action plans into city planning.
Developing smart cities with the help of ICT which are competitive, sustainable,
accessible and human.
Calculating economic impacts and decreasing negative effect of tourism.
Some of the city’s famous or city tourism are Barcelona, Berlin, Bogota, Capetown,
Hong Kong, London, Brisbane, Madrid, New York, Paris, Melbourne, Quebec city, Rio
de Janerio, Sao Pulao, Shanghai, etc.
3.3 Tourist Villages
Fig: 5 Fig: 6
Pragpur Heritage Village in Himachal Pradesh, India the 5 chimneys of
Munsiyari, Kumaon
The lifestyle of a village is very ddifferent from that of a city. It is a relaxedd, low paced
and has more interaction with agricultural and handicraft production. Some villages in the
world have their own history, culture, scenic beauty, art and craft, textile which makes
them attractive places to visit. Such villages are declared by the respective governments
as tourist villages. Natives of the village are generally actively involved in organizing
tourism in the area. E.g. Pragpur in Himachal Pradesh, Kila Raipur and Ludhiana in
Punjab, Gokarna in Karnataka, Kasol in Himachal Pradesh, Khonoma in Nagaland,
etc.Tourism requires a reasonable infrastructure development to make these villages
accessible.
Villages with a potential to develop tourism get support from Ministry of Tourism under
destination development project. Ministry of Tourism has chartedd out following
procedure or Rural Tourism ddevelopment-
As of now a total of 153 rural tourism projects have been sanctioned.
Officials of Ministry of Tourism visit the village and decide if it has the potential
to be developed as a tourist destination.
If the village is selected then a Village Level Committee (VLC) is constituted
which is the platform for interaction for Ministry with local community and host
community service providers.
Village entertainment group are constituted and skill development programs are
conducted to provide trainings to the host community service providers.
3.4 Resort
Resort is an accommodation which serves in itself as an attraction too. Resort provides
accommodation, entertainment, fooding, shopping, sports and an array of other activities
required by a tourist during the stay in the resort. Resorts may be fractionally owned
properties; condominium or may be wholly owned by one person only. Resorts are
located at scenic places so a stay in them also serves the purpose of attraction hence
resorts compete with detonations too. They don’t need to be located near destinations to
attract guests for accommodation only. The concept of resort is still at a nascent stage in
India. Resorts in India are generally located at scenic places with some preliminary kind
of entertainment and other activities. In Europe and USA resorts offer facilities of higher
quality, e.g. Walt Disney World Resort, Atlantis Paradise Island at Paradise Island in
Bahamas, Sun City in South Africa, etc.
Fig: 7
Atlantis Paradise Island at Paradise Island in Bahamas
Fig: 8 Fig: 9
Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, USA Binsara Hill Resort, Wayanad
Tariff in resorts can be all inclusive or on meal plan basis. All inclusive resorts include all
three meals, drinks (both soft and alcoholic), recreational activities and accommodation
in the tariff. After globalization in 2000 the competition increased and it forced the all
inclusive resorts to cut their prices hence, the number of all inclusive resorts has
decreased dramatically. One can still find all inclusive resorts in Caribbean, Egypt and
coastal areas.
3.5 Protected Areas
India contributes about 85 of known global biodiversity. India occupies only 2.3% of
world’s land area still it is among 17 mega diverse countries in the world. Other mega
diverse countries are China (6.4% of land area), USA (6.5% of land area), Brazil (5.7%
of land area), Australia (5% of land area), etc. India is home to Asian Elephants, One
horned Rhinoceros, Asiatic Lions, River Dolphins, Gharial, Snow Leopard, Lion tailed
Macaque monkey, etc. Some of these exotic animals are endangered and Government of
India has constituted a National board for Wild Life (NWL) for providing policy
framework for wildlife conservation. This board is chaired by the Prime Minister of
India. The board identifies the geographical areas which are natural habitats of these
endangered animals and provides policy guidelines for protecting them across the
ecosystem.
A protected area is a clearly defined geographical space recognized, decided and
managed through legal or other effective means to achieve the long term conservation of
nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values.
All the countries have systems for protecting area though they differ considerably in their
priorities and national needs. A protected area can be found in mountains, rivers, deserts,
forests, etc. Since natural habitats cannot be confined to political boundaries hence some
protected areas can be found across political boundaries too. Protected areas are known
by different names in different parts of the world. E.g. National parks, wildlife
management area, game safari, resort, tourism management or protected area, nature
reserve, etc. The extent of protection provided in these areas depends on the need and
policies for doing the same.
In India there are five types of protected areas (Ministry of Environment & Forests, 2011)
National Park
Sanctuary
Conservation Reserve
Community Reserve
Marine Protected area
3.5.1 National Park
National park legally restricts the rights of the people living inside it. It is an area with
flora, fauna and geo-morphological significance. Unlike Sanctuaries in National parks no
rights are allowed to people living there. No grazing of live stocks is allowed and
removing any forest produce requires permission from National board for wildlife. E.g.
Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh, Dudhwa National Park in Uttar Pradesh,
Mudumulai National Park Tamil Nadu, etc.
Fig: 9 Fig: 10
Jim Corbett National Park, Nainital Kaziranga National Park, Assam
3.5.2 Sanctuaries
The sanctuaries are declared with the purpose of protecting, propagating and conserving
wild life and vegetation of the area. During the settlement of claims the Collector, in
consultation with Chief Wildlife Warden, may allow certain rights of the people or a
person living in the area which will be a part of Sanctuary later. E.g. Gautam Budha
wildlife Sanctuary in Bihar, National Chambal Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, Nandini
Sanctuary in Jammu and Kashmir.
Some of the famous bird sanctuaries of India are Bharatpur bird Sanctuary in Rajasthan,
Kunthankulam bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu, Nal Sarovar bird Sanctuary in Gujarat,
Kumarkom bird Sanctuary in Kottayam in Kerala, etc.
Fig: 11
Source: Window to my World, A blog by Vimila Patil
3.5.3 Conservation Reserve
The land connecting two protected areas and is owned by state government can be
declared as Conservation Reserve. Local government declares conservation reserve in
consultation with local communities. Declaring any area conservation reserve does not
change the rights of the people living there. Tiruvidaimarudur Conservation reserve is the
first conservation reserve in India. As of 14 June, 2016 India has total 67 conservation
reserves.
Fig: 12
A board indicating the birds and animals found in Nanda Devi Himalayan Bird Reserve
3.5.4 Community Reserve
Any state government approved private or community land which is not a part of any
National park, sanctuary or Conservation reserve and where a community or an
individual has volunteer to conserve wildlife and its habitats is called Community
Reserve. Like Conservation reserve the rights of the people living in community reserve
also remain unaffected. E.g. Keshopur Chhamb and Lalwan in Punjab, Kokkare Bellur in
Mandya, Karnataka, etc. Areas are conferred as conservation areas if these are
uninhabited and owned by the Government of India but used for survival by
communities, while community areas if part of the lands or the land are privately owned.
These categories were introduced in the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act (2002).
Administration of reserves is through the gram panchayats.
3.5.5 Marine Protected Area
It is a space under water where human activities are more regulated than the surrounding
water. These spaces are given special protection to conserve marine life. These spaces are
decided by the natives of the area, state, regional and national authorities. India has
approximately 131 marine protected areas. E.g. Thane Flamingo Sanctuary, Marine
National Park, Gulf of Munnar Marine National Park, Arial Island Sanctuary, Andaman
and Nicobar Island, Pitti Sanctuary, Lakshadweep.
Protected Areas of India (as on January, 2017)
Total Area
No. (km2) Coverage % of Country
National Parks (NPs) 103 40500.13 1.23
Wildlife Sanctuaries (WLSs) 537 118005.33 3.59
Conservation Reserves (CRs) 67 2349.38 0.07
Community Reserves 26 46.93 0.001
Protected Areas (PAs) 733 160901.77 4.89
Table: 1
Source: ENVIS Centre or Wildlife & Protected areas
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) enlist a site
as Natural World Heritage Site when it is of special cultural and physical significance. As
on July, 2016 India has seven Natural World Heritage Sites. These are Great Himalayan
National Park Conservation area in Himachal Pradesh, Western Ghats in Maharashtra,
Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kearal, Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National
Park Uttarakhand, Sundarbans National Park in West Bengal, Kaziranga National Park in
Assam, Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan and Manas wild life Sanctuary in Assam
3.6 Health/Wellness
People are frequently travelling to cross international borders and go to places to seek
medical therapies and treatments. These treatments may be as simple as an elective
procedure of herbal massage to as complex as joint replacement or open heart surgery.
This practice is continually on rise. Other terms used for medical tourism are Medical
travel, health tourism or global healthcare. Yoga, Ayurveda, Rejuvenation Therapy,
Panchakarma, etc. are some of the most ancient systems of medical treatments, of the
world. Kerala has developed health treatment as its USP for selling its destinations
around the world. “First World Treatment at Third World Price” is the tagline of Ministry
of Tourism for promoting Medical tourism. India is at an advantageous position in
medical tourism due to following reasons
Most of the Indian doctors are either trained or have worked in medical
institutions in developed countries like USA or in countries in Europe.
English is a commonly spoken and written language in Indian hospitals
Equipments and machines used for treatment and diagnosis in India are sourced
from well reputed and accredited international firms.
India has approximately 10,000 nurses training institutes. Most of these graduate
institutes are attached to hospitals. Indian nurses are considered to be highly
trained in the world (Department of Tourism, 2016).
Fig: 13 Fig: 14
Wellness Tourism in Kerala, India Incredible India logo is the logo for Wellness and
Medical tourism too
In spite of world class facilities India is not an expensive medical tourism destination.
Most of the resorts have facility of Ayurvedic massage which is liked by the foreign
tourists. Indian Ayurvedic massage is getting tough competition from Thai herbal
massages, though the massaging methods are very different in both of them. Increasing
popularity of India as tourist destination is one big factor for growth of Indian medical
tourism. Ministry of Tourism has developed promotional material like brochures and CDs
and has widely distributed them. Ministry has also promoted medical and health tourism
at international platforms like World Travel Mart and ITB Berlin. Medical E-Visa facility
is now available for citizens of certain countries if they come to India for short term
medical treatment (Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India). Government has
started accreditation of Ayurvedic and Panchkarma Centres also. Guidelines regarding
this have been provided to the centers to be implemented.
A non-statutory body Indian Healthcare Federation comprising of non-government
hospitals, diagnostic centers, medical equipment manufacturers and pharmaceutical
industries is working with an objective to promote and encourage healthcare industry in
the country. It is a liaison medium between Government, health care providers, medical
equipment manufacturers and other medical institutions. It is affiliated to the
Confederation of Indian Industry (CH) and works closely with the National Committee
on Healthcare. Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has allowed Incredible India
logo to be used for medical tourism too (Department of Tourism, WELLNESS &
MEDICAL TOURISM, 2016).
5. Summary
By now you must be able to understand that a destination is a defined geographical area
which provides all the services and infrastructure needed for the stay of a specific tourist
or tourism segment while the tourist stays there. On the basis of the nature of the
destination the destinations can be of different categories. E.g. city destination, village
destination, resort, etc. even with technological development space has also become a
destination. Out of all the type of destinations we have studied about Historic-cultural
destinations, Tourist city, and Tourist Villages, Resort, Protected Areas, Health and
Wellness destinations. When destination sells their Historical and cultural resources these
are called historical / Cultural destinations, when they sell man made ultra modern
infrastructure and activities which are more related to scientific developments these are
called tourist city, and when these sell their rural resources they are called tourist villages.
Resorts are different because they are located at scenic places and supply attraction and
accommodation both. Protected areas are areas which are developed for conservation and
proliferation of natural flora and fauna. But tourists are allowed to access certain areas in
them and hence they also become an attractive destination. Health and Wellness tourism
is a very different segment. The main motivation of tourist to visit destination is health
recuperation and increasing his wellness. These destinations provides good health care
treatment at an economical rates so the money which is saved by the medical tourist and
the accompanying person for visiting some more places close to or in the destination city
itself.
References
Ajmeri, S. R. (2012). Entrepreneurship Dvelopment. LULU.
Department of Tourism, M. o. (2016, March 2016). WELLNESS & MEDICAL
TOURISM. Retrieved May 15, 2017, from Ministry of Tourism:
http://tourism.gov.in/wellness-medical-tourism
Department of Tourism, M. o. (2016, March 31). Wellness and Medical Tourism.
Retrieved May 121, 2017, from Ministry of Tourism: http://tourism.gov.in/wellness-
medical-tourism
Ministry of Environment & Forests, G. o. (2011). Protected Areas of India. Retrieved
May 13, 2017, from ENVIS Centre on Wildlife & Protected Areas:
http://www.wiienvis.nic.in/Database/Protected_Area_854.aspx
Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. (n.d.). eVisa. Retrieved May 17, 2017,
from INDIAN VISA ONLINE: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html
Misra, R. (2005). problems and prospects of small industries. Discovery Publishing
House.
Organization, W. T. (2016). UNWTO City Tourism Network Action Plan 2016/2017.
Retrieved May 17, 2017, from UNWTO:
http://cf.cdn.unwto.org/sites/all/files/pdf/unwto_action_plan_2017.pdf
UNWTO. (2012). Global Report on City TourismCities 2012 Project. Madrid: UNWTO.
Window to my World, A blog by Vimila Patil
All images from Google images
Further readings
i. Resort Destinations: Evolution, Management and Development; Prideaux, Bruce,
2009, Elsevier Ltd.
ii. A Practical Guide to Tourism Destination Management, a World Tourism
Organisation Publication.
iii. Marketing and Managing Tourism Destinations, Alastair M Morrison, 2012,
Routledge New York.
iv. Revised Guidelines for the Promotion of Wellness and Medical as Niche Tourism
Products; Government of India Ministry of Tourism (Niche Tourism Division).
