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Principles of tourism
164
PUBLICATIONS
IN REVIEW
and characteristics are important for tourism development . Unlike chemicals or species, tourism regions do not exist in themselves; they are created for, and only for some larger purpose” (pp. 161-162). This reviewer, a geographer with a strong interest in tourism research, can recall no clearer statement on the nature of regions in any other text or reference book. Examples utilize problems and data from Canada, United States, Europe and the Caribbean. Smith draws on his own considerable body of research projects, as well as those of many other currently active tourism researchers. End-of-chapter bibliographies are quite adequate; maps and graphs are of professional quality and easy to read. In summary, this book does exactly what it set out to do, and does it very well. It is the first of its kind and will almost certainly dominate the market for this type of book for years to come-not only a pioneer, but a classic. It has become a book review cliche that the volume reviewed will become a necessary addition to the personal libraries of everyone in the field, but this is inescapably true about Tourism Research: A Handbook. 0 0 Assigned 8 March 1989 Submitted 16 August 1989 Accepted 15 September 1989
Principles
of Tourism
By Alan Collier. Pitman Publishing (182-190 Wairau Road, Auckland New Zealand) ISBN 0-908575-67-X, 1989 xiv+450 pp (tables, figures, pendices, references, index) NZ634.95 (paper).
10, ap-
David G. Simmons Lincoln
University
College,
New Zealand
Principles of Tourism is a purpose-written text for the study of tourism in New Zealand and not, as the title might suggest, a general reader in tourism. The study was borne out of the frustration of a lack of adequate teaching resources for a general tourism course oriented to the New Zealand situation. To this end, Collier has been supported in his efforts by the government Tourist and Publicity Department and the New Zealand Tourist Industry Federation. The book is described as “an introductory book . designed essentially as a text for those studying the course ‘Principles of Tourism’ for the National Certificate in Business studies.” The book’s two themes, which are explored throughout, are to advance the notion of “an integrated tourism industry in New Zealand,” and the idea that the “tourism product” is “composite in nature and includes everything that tourists purchase, see, experience and feel from the time that they leave home until the time they return” (p. xii). Therefore, the concepts of service marketing, the nature of the tourism product, the need for tourism planning, and tourism’s impacts on its resource bases are important considerations for the text. Throughout the text, the format used briefly introduces worldwide trends and considerations and then presents a more detailed review of current New Zealand conditions. The first three chapters present an introduction to tourism. They include definitions and scope of tourism, its history and growth, and a review of the structure and classification of organizations involved in tourism. Chapters Four, Five, and Six present a review of the industry sectors most commonly associated with tourism. The first of these is transportation, which
PUBLICATIONS
IN REVIEW
165
is introduced under the headings of water, land, and air modes, each section again concluding with a review of current provision in New Zealand. The accommodation industry is presented in a similar way in Chapter Five. It also includes sections on ownership and management regimes, with an introduction to the vexing questions of location, seasonality, and matching supply and demand. Chapter Six is titled “Ancillary Services.” While a major part of this chapter describes “attraction related services, ” it would seem that the spectrum of attractions and events might be better treated as a separate chapter, especially given the stated focus on the tourist product (experience) and the increasing recognition of attractions as a central element in tourism planning (Gunn 1988). This latter chapter has a strong private sector orientation. It describes major commercial ventures, but not public sector attractions, such as national parks. Their wider conservation considerations are also not included. A strong private sector emphasis is also evident in the planning chapter. Having described the contributing industry sectors, the author then discusses sales and distributional systems in Chapter Seven. Here the role and function of tour operators and travel agents is described in the New Zealand context. Considerations of supply and demand are presented in the next two chapters. Supply is addressed under the commonly used headings of attractions, amenities, and accessibility which are then related to New Zealand and its markets. The demand chapter (Chapter Nine) is one of the strongest of the text. However, it is well separated from a discussion on the history of tourism development and introductory data depicting current visitation. Here, a review of motivational theories and the resulting characteristics of demand are presented, including a good summary of the economic determinants of tourists arrivals in New Zealand (McDermott Associates 1986). Income elasticities of demand demonstrate well the significance and potential growth in arrivals from Japan and Germany (FR) and also demonstrate a general trend of high income elasticities for New Zealand’s “long-haul” markets. The impacts of tourism are considered next under the usual socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental categories in Chapter Ten. The material presented here is almost entirely New Zealand based and does highlight the rapidly growing significance of tourism in the national economy. Similarly, indications are that with the planning processes and controls described in Chapter Eleven, New Zealand is well placed to secure a balanced tourism development. Research studies reviewed suggest a similarity of culture, language, and interests among New Zealanders and their major visitor groups, while the rate of growth in visitor arrivals and receipts places New Zealand as one of the world’s fastest growing destination areas. The following three chapters: planning (Chapter Eleven), marketing (Chapter Twelve), and finance (Chapter Thirteen); present a variety of perspectives on planning and development issues. Again, for the general reader, a brief introduction to the scope and interrelationship of these issue would have been helpful. A final chapter speculates on the future of tourism and draws together a number of the previous themes to consider the future of tourism in New Zealand, and to highlight some of the issues that need to be addressed. Seven appendices contain more specific materials arising in the previous chapters that relate directly to New Zealand. As an academic text, Principles of Tourism has a number of limitations. Important among these is the rather grandiose title. The specific focus on New Zealand material suggests that the indication of New Zealand as a case study, or destination focus, should warrant its identification in the title. When considering the book as a general text about tourism development, few principles of tourism are developed or applied. Similarly, no overarching or conceptual model of tourism and its component parts is presented, although these can be found elsewhere (e.g., Mathieson and Wall 1982; Mill and Morrison 1985).
166
PUBLICATIONS
IN REVIEW
Such an addition could be of considerable benefit to the intended audience (technical institute teachers and students) in providing a necessary framework for the detailed information that follows, and allowing a more critical review of New Zealand’s progress to date. A further frustration lies in the incomplete referencing of source materials. Some items appear as references within the text, some are presented in a separate bibliography, while a number are unfortunately omitted. Despite these limitations, many of which could be improved easily in a second edition, the text has considerable merit as the first complete text depicting the status of tourism planning and development in New Zealand. Currently, few texts provide such a comprehensive review of an entire destination country. This text, therefore, also provides a wider readership with a complete “snapshot” view of New Zealand as a tourist destination that makes it an easy reader for cross-case comparisons. New Zealand’s tourism development is currently of high interest to tourists, developers, and academics alike as an area of great potential, and of consistently high levels of growth in visitor numbers. The objectives that Collier has set for the text are well fulfilled. Because of the descriptive nature of much of the material presented, a major challenge lies in furnishing future readers with current data. For example, while the publishing date is recorded as 1989, it is generally based on March 1988 data. Given a growing interest in, and demand for, relevant tourism education and training in New Zealand, this issue will need to be resolved quickly if this text is to maintain its relevance. Following publication of the text, the jointly Government Industry funded Tourism Human Resource Development Unit has provided a companion resource kit (“Introduction to New Zealand Tourism Module”) as a further aid to teachers. The kit contains specific learning objectives for each chapter of the text, additional resource material such as enlarged diagrams and tables from the text for the preparation of overhead transparencies. The kit is available from the Tourism Human Resource Development Unit (PO Box 354, Wellington, New Zealand) at a cost of $nz 55.00.00 REFERENCES Gunn, C. 1988 Tourism Planning (2nd edition).
NY: Francis & Taylor. Mathieson, A., and G. Wall 1982 Tourism: Economic Physical and Social Impacts. London: Longmans. McDermott Associates 1986 The Economic Determinants of Tourist Arrivals in Australia and New Zealand. Prepared for the New Zealand Tourist Industry Federation, Wellington, New Zealand. Mill, R. C., and A. M. Morrison 1985 The Tourism System. Englewood Cliffs CA: Prentice Hall.
Assigned 25 August 1989 Submitted 12 September 1989 Accepted 14 September 1989
PUBLICATIONS
IN REVIEW
and characteristics are important for tourism development . Unlike chemicals or species, tourism regions do not exist in themselves; they are created for, and only for some larger purpose” (pp. 161-162). This reviewer, a geographer with a strong interest in tourism research, can recall no clearer statement on the nature of regions in any other text or reference book. Examples utilize problems and data from Canada, United States, Europe and the Caribbean. Smith draws on his own considerable body of research projects, as well as those of many other currently active tourism researchers. End-of-chapter bibliographies are quite adequate; maps and graphs are of professional quality and easy to read. In summary, this book does exactly what it set out to do, and does it very well. It is the first of its kind and will almost certainly dominate the market for this type of book for years to come-not only a pioneer, but a classic. It has become a book review cliche that the volume reviewed will become a necessary addition to the personal libraries of everyone in the field, but this is inescapably true about Tourism Research: A Handbook. 0 0 Assigned 8 March 1989 Submitted 16 August 1989 Accepted 15 September 1989
Principles
of Tourism
By Alan Collier. Pitman Publishing (182-190 Wairau Road, Auckland New Zealand) ISBN 0-908575-67-X, 1989 xiv+450 pp (tables, figures, pendices, references, index) NZ634.95 (paper).
10, ap-
David G. Simmons Lincoln
University
College,
New Zealand
Principles of Tourism is a purpose-written text for the study of tourism in New Zealand and not, as the title might suggest, a general reader in tourism. The study was borne out of the frustration of a lack of adequate teaching resources for a general tourism course oriented to the New Zealand situation. To this end, Collier has been supported in his efforts by the government Tourist and Publicity Department and the New Zealand Tourist Industry Federation. The book is described as “an introductory book . designed essentially as a text for those studying the course ‘Principles of Tourism’ for the National Certificate in Business studies.” The book’s two themes, which are explored throughout, are to advance the notion of “an integrated tourism industry in New Zealand,” and the idea that the “tourism product” is “composite in nature and includes everything that tourists purchase, see, experience and feel from the time that they leave home until the time they return” (p. xii). Therefore, the concepts of service marketing, the nature of the tourism product, the need for tourism planning, and tourism’s impacts on its resource bases are important considerations for the text. Throughout the text, the format used briefly introduces worldwide trends and considerations and then presents a more detailed review of current New Zealand conditions. The first three chapters present an introduction to tourism. They include definitions and scope of tourism, its history and growth, and a review of the structure and classification of organizations involved in tourism. Chapters Four, Five, and Six present a review of the industry sectors most commonly associated with tourism. The first of these is transportation, which
PUBLICATIONS
IN REVIEW
165
is introduced under the headings of water, land, and air modes, each section again concluding with a review of current provision in New Zealand. The accommodation industry is presented in a similar way in Chapter Five. It also includes sections on ownership and management regimes, with an introduction to the vexing questions of location, seasonality, and matching supply and demand. Chapter Six is titled “Ancillary Services.” While a major part of this chapter describes “attraction related services, ” it would seem that the spectrum of attractions and events might be better treated as a separate chapter, especially given the stated focus on the tourist product (experience) and the increasing recognition of attractions as a central element in tourism planning (Gunn 1988). This latter chapter has a strong private sector orientation. It describes major commercial ventures, but not public sector attractions, such as national parks. Their wider conservation considerations are also not included. A strong private sector emphasis is also evident in the planning chapter. Having described the contributing industry sectors, the author then discusses sales and distributional systems in Chapter Seven. Here the role and function of tour operators and travel agents is described in the New Zealand context. Considerations of supply and demand are presented in the next two chapters. Supply is addressed under the commonly used headings of attractions, amenities, and accessibility which are then related to New Zealand and its markets. The demand chapter (Chapter Nine) is one of the strongest of the text. However, it is well separated from a discussion on the history of tourism development and introductory data depicting current visitation. Here, a review of motivational theories and the resulting characteristics of demand are presented, including a good summary of the economic determinants of tourists arrivals in New Zealand (McDermott Associates 1986). Income elasticities of demand demonstrate well the significance and potential growth in arrivals from Japan and Germany (FR) and also demonstrate a general trend of high income elasticities for New Zealand’s “long-haul” markets. The impacts of tourism are considered next under the usual socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental categories in Chapter Ten. The material presented here is almost entirely New Zealand based and does highlight the rapidly growing significance of tourism in the national economy. Similarly, indications are that with the planning processes and controls described in Chapter Eleven, New Zealand is well placed to secure a balanced tourism development. Research studies reviewed suggest a similarity of culture, language, and interests among New Zealanders and their major visitor groups, while the rate of growth in visitor arrivals and receipts places New Zealand as one of the world’s fastest growing destination areas. The following three chapters: planning (Chapter Eleven), marketing (Chapter Twelve), and finance (Chapter Thirteen); present a variety of perspectives on planning and development issues. Again, for the general reader, a brief introduction to the scope and interrelationship of these issue would have been helpful. A final chapter speculates on the future of tourism and draws together a number of the previous themes to consider the future of tourism in New Zealand, and to highlight some of the issues that need to be addressed. Seven appendices contain more specific materials arising in the previous chapters that relate directly to New Zealand. As an academic text, Principles of Tourism has a number of limitations. Important among these is the rather grandiose title. The specific focus on New Zealand material suggests that the indication of New Zealand as a case study, or destination focus, should warrant its identification in the title. When considering the book as a general text about tourism development, few principles of tourism are developed or applied. Similarly, no overarching or conceptual model of tourism and its component parts is presented, although these can be found elsewhere (e.g., Mathieson and Wall 1982; Mill and Morrison 1985).
166
PUBLICATIONS
IN REVIEW
Such an addition could be of considerable benefit to the intended audience (technical institute teachers and students) in providing a necessary framework for the detailed information that follows, and allowing a more critical review of New Zealand’s progress to date. A further frustration lies in the incomplete referencing of source materials. Some items appear as references within the text, some are presented in a separate bibliography, while a number are unfortunately omitted. Despite these limitations, many of which could be improved easily in a second edition, the text has considerable merit as the first complete text depicting the status of tourism planning and development in New Zealand. Currently, few texts provide such a comprehensive review of an entire destination country. This text, therefore, also provides a wider readership with a complete “snapshot” view of New Zealand as a tourist destination that makes it an easy reader for cross-case comparisons. New Zealand’s tourism development is currently of high interest to tourists, developers, and academics alike as an area of great potential, and of consistently high levels of growth in visitor numbers. The objectives that Collier has set for the text are well fulfilled. Because of the descriptive nature of much of the material presented, a major challenge lies in furnishing future readers with current data. For example, while the publishing date is recorded as 1989, it is generally based on March 1988 data. Given a growing interest in, and demand for, relevant tourism education and training in New Zealand, this issue will need to be resolved quickly if this text is to maintain its relevance. Following publication of the text, the jointly Government Industry funded Tourism Human Resource Development Unit has provided a companion resource kit (“Introduction to New Zealand Tourism Module”) as a further aid to teachers. The kit contains specific learning objectives for each chapter of the text, additional resource material such as enlarged diagrams and tables from the text for the preparation of overhead transparencies. The kit is available from the Tourism Human Resource Development Unit (PO Box 354, Wellington, New Zealand) at a cost of $nz 55.00.00 REFERENCES Gunn, C. 1988 Tourism Planning (2nd edition).
NY: Francis & Taylor. Mathieson, A., and G. Wall 1982 Tourism: Economic Physical and Social Impacts. London: Longmans. McDermott Associates 1986 The Economic Determinants of Tourist Arrivals in Australia and New Zealand. Prepared for the New Zealand Tourist Industry Federation, Wellington, New Zealand. Mill, R. C., and A. M. Morrison 1985 The Tourism System. Englewood Cliffs CA: Prentice Hall.
Assigned 25 August 1989 Submitted 12 September 1989 Accepted 14 September 1989