ABSTRACT
This chapter concerns the main features of the tourism industry in the Indian sub-continent and South Asia, a region where tourism demand is based on an alluring landscape, climate (which includes the Monsoon) and culture which is based largely on religion. The familiar resources of beach tourism exist here but of particular note are the classic tour circuits in India, the gentle way of life of the Indian Ocean islands and the spectacular scenery of the Himalayas. South Asia contains some of the world’s most densely populated countries, all at various stages of economic development, ranging from advanced economies to some of the poorest in the world. Despite a wealth of resources, South Asia accounts for only a small percentage of world tourism. Most countries in the region are developing an inbound tourism industry to earn much-needed foreign exchange and provide jobs for rapidly growing populations. The generally low level of incomes means that domestic tourism is less significant and volumes of outbound tourism are small; however, both are set to increase due to the growth of a middle class, especially in India.
In this chapter, the nature of tourism resources and the methods used to classify and evaluate them are discussed. A consideration of the key factors favouring the development of tourism resources, and subsequently the evolution of destinations, will lead to an appreciation of the need for tourism planning, marketing and sustainable development. At the world scale, both physical and cultural features are key factors influencing tourism development and it will be seen that specific types of recreation and tourism can be matched to the appropriate resources. Attractive coastlines, mountains and lakes – the most popular locations for recreation and tourism – are valuable tourism resources but culturally developed resources are considered by society to be of economic value as well. The world pattern of supply of tourism resources is by its nature uneven; resources are usually shared with other users and are both fragile and perishable. As countries realize the negative impacts of tourism, so planning to safeguard these resources has become vital. It will be seen that planning aims to minimize the costs of tourism and to maintain the integrity of the resource base. At the national scale, classifications of tourist attractions which include the whole resource base are useful. Evaluations of the potential of the resource base to satisfy tourist’s demands allow possible future areas for recreation and tourism to be identified. These evaluations can then be applied at the local scale to resort developments with their distinctive morphology and mix of service functions. Within this context, the cycle of resort development is considered.
