Introduction of two tourism industries:

It is wrong to perceive that the tourism industry is a small single segment of the hospitality industry. It is important to note that the tourism industry has several sub-categories each targeting a different aspect of tourism. As per (Suess et al 2018, p. 240) this assignment is going to discuss and identify some of the most popular forms of the tourism industry that is gaining rapid popularity among the general population. One of the recent forms of tourism that are attracting a large number of visitors is medical tourism. The medical patients often decide to seek for foreign medical assistance that is cheaper yet better equipped to handle critical patients. Today, one of the most preferred medical tourism spots in the world is India that provides similar if not better medical services that are available to some of the developed countries such as UK or US in a smaller budget. Along with this, medical tourism also offers the patients to offer the choice of local sightseeing after they are completely healed with their medical issues. Medical tourism is quite complicated when it is compared to other forms of the tourism industry. The patient needs to go through several formalities before they are finally provided with their desired service.

One of the most common yet extremely popular segments of the tourism industry happens to be adventure tourism. Traditionally, Australia was the most favourite destinations to global visitors. However, in recent days, countries such as Vietnam, Zambia and India are also gaining rapid popularity. Adventure tourism is economically very important as most of the staffs working under this segment of the tourism industry have little to no qualification to pursue other jobs. Many of the locations that are preferred by the adventure enthusiastic are the only source of income for the region. Hence, a huge number of people are very much dependent on this sector only. Adventure tourism happens has a very straight forward in nature, however, demands a good physical condition. Adventure tourism has also witnessed human casualty, however, in general, the primary causes of such unfortunate events can be blamed on the tourists as they often do not pay attention to the local guides.

Critical analysis of policy planning cycle of the tourism industry:

It is needless to state that the tourism industry is one of the most competitive industries out there. Globally it hires more than a million employees to provide a great service to their customers. As per many business experts, the most driving factor that is acting as a catalyst to the competition is the relative ease to open one’s company in the industry. One of the most critical reasons as per a few experts is that many of the organizations fail to implement a functional strategy that can be easily merged with the objectives of the company. To mitigate such issues, one of the best tools is a policy planning cycle. However, it is crucial to note that rather than using the tools in a straight forward manner, the tool is stated to deliver better results if is used circularly. As per (Kaur 2018, p. 270) a successful policy planning cycle has several stages that start with analyzing capitalizing the smallest window of opportunities. However, it is easier said than done. To implement this stage, the higher management of any tourism agency needs to monitor the trends among the travellers and predict their expectations. The second stage is pinpointing the final objectives of the company. The stages that follow are exploring several aims and selecting only those options that are closest to the reality and aligns best with the goals. The next stages of effective policy planning are assessing and implementing the final plans coupled with necessary actions to support it. However, this is the most crucial stages of the entire policy plan cycle. This is due to the fact if either the strategy or the activities associated with does not comprehend with each other, it makes the previous stages and the upcoming stages of the entire policy planning cycle virtually useless. (Sankar 2018, p. 227) states that the final stage of the policy planning cycle is to close the implemented plan and collecting necessary feedbacks from the stakeholders associated with it. This allows the organization to understand the relative drawbacks of the overall implemented policy planning cycle.

Stakeholders of the tourism industry:

The stakeholders like other functional industries play a critical role in the tourism industry as well. Although it is not always possible to pinpoint all the stakeholders of any particular travel agency as it differs greatly from each organization, certain stakeholders are common to every organization belonging to this industry. As per (Koo et al. 2019, p. 120) the very first stakeholders of the travel industry are none other than their staffs as they are often considered as the representatives of the organization. Based on their productivity, a travel agency can proceed towards their objectives. The government also plays a critical role as a stakeholder for this industry as well. However, it is important to note that, the travel agents need to be aware regarding the foreign laws before setting up a touring program for their clients; else it might not only be problematic for the foreign tourists but also lower the reputation of the particular travel agency as well. The tourists or clients are other major stakeholders for the overall tourism industry. This is quite obvious as the customers are the only sources of income for any corporate firms. As per (Woo et al. 2018, p. 270) without a large base of loyal customers, the travel agencies can’t earn an expected amount of profit. Another important stakeholder for the tourism industry is its competitors. Many experts have stated that a healthy level of competition that allows local business to flourish. A healthy level of competition is also a major factor that allows customers to be more empowered and leaves them with more options.

Discussion paper review of Australia Tourism

Paper 1: National Heritage Tourism Summit Discussion Paper

In all over the world, heritage tourism has become the fastest and largest tourism domain with the UN world tourism firm predicting that approximately more than 50% of tourists worldwide are currently motivated with a desire to experience heritage and culture of the country. The chosen discussion paper has been formulated by the Australian trust to inform and to drive the national discussion on an untapped heritage tourism potential in Australia. The discussion paper discussed the various cultural, heritage and nature-based activities organized by the tourism industry for the visitors. Moreover, it also discussed the various challenges and opportunities that are associated with the Australia Tourism. A strategic framework has been proposed for action in this discussion paper in an effective manner. The finding of this discussion gained information about the social and economic benefits and visitor potential. It has been found that a dedicated research program is required for supporting product and policy development and for better understanding of the changing customer expectations and needs.

Paper 2: Comment on the Tourism Western Australia Tourism 2020 Discussion Paper

It has been found that the opportunity is welcomed by the Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF) to comment on Western Australia’s Tourism 2020 plan. It has been also found that in Western Australia (WA), tourism is a $7.4 billion and has approximately 43,300 people. An economic hedge is provided by the tourism industry to Western Australia against reliance on the resource beyond 2020. Moreover, viable employment and investment source are also provided. As per the discussion paper, Western Australia primarily focus on the comparative benefits and introduce present constraints to growth. Moreover, WA industry needs to focus on the development of experiential and consistent tourism offerings and ensure proper infrastructure exists to help these products and make sure there is a concise and clear funding commitment for promoting confidence with the investors to engage them in tourism. It has been observed that the WA has the primary natural assets and unspoilt environment for making it a drawcard for the visitors, insignificant for nature-based areas and indigenous tourism. A coordinated method for the tourism industry development will be important for future success. Moreover, delivery of the product will be important for the success of the future industry; exciting and new product at the core of the development should be supported with sustained promoting and marketing, improved transportation infrastructure and aviation access.

Comparing the structure and effectiveness of two tourism industry:

In the discussion paper 1, it talks about the detail information about the tourism industry and in the second discussion paper, it only talks about the infrastructure and functionality of the tourism industry. Apart from this, the paper 1 discussed all the challenges and opportunities associated with the Australia Tourism industry, where the second paper discussed various infrastructure and improvement of Australia tourism. Along with this, the primary causes that have contributed to the booming of medical tourism in developed countries such as the US or Canada is cheaper world-class medical facilities. As peradventure tourism, it is mostly a seasonal business. This is due to the fact; some of the best adventure routes are mainly opened for a few months and are remained closed due to natural causes. Although both forms of tourism are somewhat similar, there are several differences between them as well. The medical tourism industry has more complicated procedures. This complexity in medical tourism is made intentionally due to the fact it ensures the safety of medical clients in a foreign land. If the steps that are not followed by the medical clients and the travel agency, it can cause severe problems later during the travel. There have been instances of human casualty after the negligence of these steps. Medical tourism also needs to strictly follow foreign laws as well. Medical tourism does not limit itself from providing only medical facilities to their customers. It also provides a way to tour the local places of interests as well. It also generates higher revenue as well. Adventure tourism, on the other hand, follows a much simpler structure. It is also one of the most popular forms of tourism as well. Although the volume of revenue collection is lower when compared to medical tourism it is more popular than the former. It also hires a greater number of staffs as well. It is important to note that, in many regions of adventure tourism is the only way through the localities earns their livings. Thus, to become a successful travel agency in this industry is to maintain a very high level of communication with the local guides. (Majumdar et al, 2018, p. 07).

Reflection:

As per recent reports, I can conclude that medical tourism has to go through an ample amount of improvements. In many countries, where the business of medical tourism is flourishing there is a huge lagging of a well-structured effort to promote the industry. As per my observation, the local governments in countries such as India and similar other countries have a smaller degree of instantiating to promote the business. In addition to this, many countries also do not have organized coordination between key stakeholders in the industry such as airline operators and the staffs of the healthcare institutes. It is important to note that, medical tourism has a huge potential to attract a large amount of foreign exchange if the local government put more effort in the industry to make it a more structural one. Along with this, medical tourism in such countries although offer a better medical service, however, local healthcare centres lacks a proper mechanism to follow a uniform policy related to financial transactions. In-country such as India as per many journals I have stumbled upon offers a better waiting list than most developed countries. Hence, it can be used to attract more investments. Along with this, factors such as cheaper flight fares can also be a huge positive factor for medical tourism.

Reference List:

Béland, D. and Zarzeczny, A., 2018. Medical tourism and national health care systems: an institutionalist research agenda. Globalization and health, 14(1), p.68.

Kaur, P., 2018. Role of the healthcare sector in the growth of medical tourism in India. Asian Journal of Multidimensional Research (AJMR), 7(9), pp.267-272.

Koo, C., Mendes Filho, L. and Buhalis, D., 2019. Smart tourism and competitive advantage for stakeholders. Tourism Review, 74(1), pp.1-128.

Majumdar, K.K. and Kishore, J., 2018. Medical tourism in India and its prospects. International Journal of Preventive, Curative and Community Medicine, 4(2), pp.4-8.

Sankar, P., 2019. MEDICAL TOURISM IN INDIA: ISSUES, OPPORTUNITIES AND DESIGNING STRATEGIES FOR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT. Sociology of Medical Tourism, p.227.

Suess, C., Baloglu, S. and Busser, J.A., 2018. Perceived impacts of medical tourism development on community wellbeing. Tourism Management, 69, pp.232-245.

Woo, E., Uysal, M. and Sirgy, M.J., 2018. Tourism impact and stakeholders’ quality of life. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 42(2), pp.260-286.

TOURISM INDUSTRY: COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS

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