- Email: [email protected]
Island tourism: Management principles and practice
PUBLICATIONS
IN REVIEW
253
to the cursory and factually incorrect in the first section, “Investigating Leisure and Tourism”. For example, “the early seventeenth century saw a revolution...by way of the steamship and steam train” (p. 2), “the population boom of the 1960s saw by the mid 1970s young people wanting a new type of holiday” (p. S), and the multiplier effect described as “a fine balance between the benefits and the drawbacks for the local population in a popular tourist area” (p. 35). A section on customer service seems an unlikely area for a discussion on health and safety at work and the procedure for handling bomb threats, as is the first section on investigating leisure and tourism an unlikely place to find instructions on how to complete a curriculum vitae. As a pedagogical tool, the book’s strengths are the tasks and assignments presented in each component discussed. They include the elements and performance criteria that students use as evidence for assessment of competency. This would help students relate the concepts discussed to leisure or tourism activities, which assists in ensuring that students have a practical understanding of the milieu in which they hope to gain employment, a prime objective of this type of competency-based course. The constant use of the second person, the switching of tenses from present to future for no apparent reason, and the “busy” layout of two or three headings per page could make the book somewhat difficult to easily comprehend for some students. To its credit, Leisure and Tourism GNvQis sturdily bound, uses an elegant typeface, and includes a comprehensive index. Teachers of leisure and tourism at technical and business colleges may find the book useful for its many thoughtful and interesting tasks and assignments. However, student textbooks at any level should not contain the errors this does. 0 0 Ian McDonnell: School ofLeisure GYTourism Studies, University of Technology, Sydnq, Lindjeld NS W 2070, Australia. Email [email protected]. Assigned 22 November 1995 Submitted 22 December 1995 Accepted 8 January 1996
Island Tourism: Management Principles and Practice Edited by Michael V. Conlin and Tom Baum. Wiley (Baffins Lane, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 lUD, UK), 1995, 272 pp. (photos, tables, figures, references, island regions and subject indexes), US$49.00. ISBN O-471-95556-6.
University
Heather L. Clark of Waterloo, Canada
This book is a valuable contribution to a rapidly growing body of island tourism literature. A product of the Second Island Tourism International Forum, held in 1993, the volume contains 20 papers that present both theory and empirical research on a variety of island tourism topics. The papers are organized into two main sections: “Management Principles” and “Management Practices”. The introductory chapter is written by the book’s editors, Conlin and Baum. It presents essential concepts such as the definition of
254
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IN REVIEW
island tourism and a review of island tourism trends. The editors also introduce and link major issues that are developed later in the book. The book’s first section identifies and discusses issues, definitions, and concepts related to island tourism. These disparate concepts are tied together by the two closely related themes of island markets and island marketing strategies, The book’s second chapter, on major markets and island tourism (by David Edgell), is typical of this section. The author identifies several island marketing issues, emphasizes their importance, and notes their implications for island planning and management. Many of the concepts discussed in Edgell’s chapter are further developed by authors in later chapters. Chapter 9 on redeveloping mature resorts for new markets (by Helber), discusses the need for mature resorts to remain competitive and be aware of changes in market preferences. The chapter includes case study examples of existing island resorts which have successfully altered their product to meet the demands of new travel markets. Other topics discussed in the first section include alternative forms of tourism, cultural heritage tourism, and public/ private sector partnerships. One chapter (by Conlin and Titcombe) that is clearly distinct from all others in this first section deals with the importance of human resource development for island destinations. It explores the current initiatives of and future needs for Caribbean human resource training. The second section, on management practices, consists of ten chapters that discuss the planning practices and initiatives required for island destinations around the world. As with the previous section, a variety of themes are covered here, but these chapters take the earlier concepts one step further by using case studies. For example, a chapter (by Donald Getz) offers a unique perspective on the role of festivals and events in shaping the competitiveness of island destinations in the global tourism market. The chapter argues that festivals and events can play an important role in making islands more attractive to travel markets. This is illustrated with examples based on event planning and marketing research for the Canadian island province of Newfoundland. Island Tourism: Management Princifiles and Practice has many strengths. Its most notable strength is that it provides an excellent overview of the issues affecting island tourism. In this respect, the intended objectives are met: “to provide readers with specific professional or academic interest in island tourism destinations, with applied business and management perspectives of a number of major themes” (p. 4). Other strengths of the volume relate to its style, generally well-written contributions, and tight editing. The book, as a whole, provides a good mix of theoretical material and case and contains a useful subject and island/island region index, but lacks a concluding chapter. There is no summary discussion of the issues presented by the numerous authors, nor is there a comprehensive assessment of needs in island tourism research and planning. All in all, despite this relatively minor weakness, Island Tourism: Management Principles and Practice is a valuable reference for anyone interested in island tourism. 0 0 Heather L. Clark: Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3Gl. Email [email protected].
Assigned 11 August 1995 Submitted 12 February 1996 Accepted 19 February 1996
IN REVIEW
253
to the cursory and factually incorrect in the first section, “Investigating Leisure and Tourism”. For example, “the early seventeenth century saw a revolution...by way of the steamship and steam train” (p. 2), “the population boom of the 1960s saw by the mid 1970s young people wanting a new type of holiday” (p. S), and the multiplier effect described as “a fine balance between the benefits and the drawbacks for the local population in a popular tourist area” (p. 35). A section on customer service seems an unlikely area for a discussion on health and safety at work and the procedure for handling bomb threats, as is the first section on investigating leisure and tourism an unlikely place to find instructions on how to complete a curriculum vitae. As a pedagogical tool, the book’s strengths are the tasks and assignments presented in each component discussed. They include the elements and performance criteria that students use as evidence for assessment of competency. This would help students relate the concepts discussed to leisure or tourism activities, which assists in ensuring that students have a practical understanding of the milieu in which they hope to gain employment, a prime objective of this type of competency-based course. The constant use of the second person, the switching of tenses from present to future for no apparent reason, and the “busy” layout of two or three headings per page could make the book somewhat difficult to easily comprehend for some students. To its credit, Leisure and Tourism GNvQis sturdily bound, uses an elegant typeface, and includes a comprehensive index. Teachers of leisure and tourism at technical and business colleges may find the book useful for its many thoughtful and interesting tasks and assignments. However, student textbooks at any level should not contain the errors this does. 0 0 Ian McDonnell: School ofLeisure GYTourism Studies, University of Technology, Sydnq, Lindjeld NS W 2070, Australia. Email [email protected]. Assigned 22 November 1995 Submitted 22 December 1995 Accepted 8 January 1996
Island Tourism: Management Principles and Practice Edited by Michael V. Conlin and Tom Baum. Wiley (Baffins Lane, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 lUD, UK), 1995, 272 pp. (photos, tables, figures, references, island regions and subject indexes), US$49.00. ISBN O-471-95556-6.
University
Heather L. Clark of Waterloo, Canada
This book is a valuable contribution to a rapidly growing body of island tourism literature. A product of the Second Island Tourism International Forum, held in 1993, the volume contains 20 papers that present both theory and empirical research on a variety of island tourism topics. The papers are organized into two main sections: “Management Principles” and “Management Practices”. The introductory chapter is written by the book’s editors, Conlin and Baum. It presents essential concepts such as the definition of
254
PUBLICATIONS
IN REVIEW
island tourism and a review of island tourism trends. The editors also introduce and link major issues that are developed later in the book. The book’s first section identifies and discusses issues, definitions, and concepts related to island tourism. These disparate concepts are tied together by the two closely related themes of island markets and island marketing strategies, The book’s second chapter, on major markets and island tourism (by David Edgell), is typical of this section. The author identifies several island marketing issues, emphasizes their importance, and notes their implications for island planning and management. Many of the concepts discussed in Edgell’s chapter are further developed by authors in later chapters. Chapter 9 on redeveloping mature resorts for new markets (by Helber), discusses the need for mature resorts to remain competitive and be aware of changes in market preferences. The chapter includes case study examples of existing island resorts which have successfully altered their product to meet the demands of new travel markets. Other topics discussed in the first section include alternative forms of tourism, cultural heritage tourism, and public/ private sector partnerships. One chapter (by Conlin and Titcombe) that is clearly distinct from all others in this first section deals with the importance of human resource development for island destinations. It explores the current initiatives of and future needs for Caribbean human resource training. The second section, on management practices, consists of ten chapters that discuss the planning practices and initiatives required for island destinations around the world. As with the previous section, a variety of themes are covered here, but these chapters take the earlier concepts one step further by using case studies. For example, a chapter (by Donald Getz) offers a unique perspective on the role of festivals and events in shaping the competitiveness of island destinations in the global tourism market. The chapter argues that festivals and events can play an important role in making islands more attractive to travel markets. This is illustrated with examples based on event planning and marketing research for the Canadian island province of Newfoundland. Island Tourism: Management Princifiles and Practice has many strengths. Its most notable strength is that it provides an excellent overview of the issues affecting island tourism. In this respect, the intended objectives are met: “to provide readers with specific professional or academic interest in island tourism destinations, with applied business and management perspectives of a number of major themes” (p. 4). Other strengths of the volume relate to its style, generally well-written contributions, and tight editing. The book, as a whole, provides a good mix of theoretical material and case and contains a useful subject and island/island region index, but lacks a concluding chapter. There is no summary discussion of the issues presented by the numerous authors, nor is there a comprehensive assessment of needs in island tourism research and planning. All in all, despite this relatively minor weakness, Island Tourism: Management Principles and Practice is a valuable reference for anyone interested in island tourism. 0 0 Heather L. Clark: Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3Gl. Email [email protected].
Assigned 11 August 1995 Submitted 12 February 1996 Accepted 19 February 1996