Forms of tourism in oceania essay

AbstractTourism is an industry that has become important in a country’s economy.

It is responsible for bringing people of diverse backgrounds together and the introduction of diverse cultures on different natural environment Tourism has also a negative impact. The rich tourists show inequality to the poor communities. Tourism has promoted mixing of cultures and this has lead to appreciating and understanding of differences in cultures and thus there is a peaceful world.

Eco-tourism has changed the character of the natural environment as hotels and infrastructures have been developed and thus care is taken to the environment. According to A. M. Springer et al, 2003: 12225, in order for tourism to be sustainable, there is needed to understand and plan better. This document will specialize in whale watching and how it is an advantage to the society. Whales are largest fish that exist in the ocean. The tourism industry has developed interest around the ocean in order to interaction with these animals.

The other reason is because the customers get satisfied in the places that they visit. There are a number of constraints though. One is that the places where the whales are found are also the places sharks are found. There are no boundaries.

This document will also look at how the industry’s impact to the society and also the economy.     IntroductionThere are many forms of tourism in Oceania and this is believed to be the only hope in the growth of the economy. This is because of the fact that there is no framework for culture response that is needed for such growth and also there is no economic structure that can be built on. The things that have facilitated in the attraction of tourists in the Oceania are the infrastructure that has been put in place, hotels that have been built and the hospitality of the people. The tourism board has asked themselves what form of tourism should be promoted.

The most preferred is the eco-tourism for the up market than beach tourism because of the cost and competition. It is also said that any form of tourism project is not advantageous to a blank plate. Most of Oceania has built hotels and this has not given advantage to the local people. The tourism industry has experienced some increase in growth but there are some problems that are associated with it. Common problems include excessive dependency on foreigners; separate enclaves have been created, environments have been destroyed and it has led to the alienation of cultures. The other problem that is facing tourism is land.

There are potential places that can be used for tourism but the land belongs to individuals who do not want to sell that piece of land. The other factor is that the cultural value of land has remained strong to the communities. Also the distribution of land is a very complicated matter because there has been natural increase in population and there have been a lot of migrants. This has led to exploitation since the recording of the land ownership had not been recorded. Lack of land surveys has also led to the delay in tourism development. This is because there are a lot of migrants and there have been conflicts in trying to rationalize land management.

The other problem is that financial institutions are less interested in investing in tourism so that it can grow. Another factor is lack of incentives since people have been fighting to remain conservatives. The problem can be solved by enacting laws that create the possibility of constructing and encouraging tourism to grow. The financial institutions should also be encouraged to invest in the tourism sector. Luxurious projects should also be encouraged.

Also institutional mechanisms have to be created for the purpose of encouraging the society to participate in tourism and planning.  The other thing that should be done is strategies have to be measured according to the conditions that change and include the interest of the community that surround the tourism sites. The development of tourism should include long term interest of the majority than short term goals of minorityOceania has architectures for tourism and tours for arts. Art has been defined as the integral part of cultures and has been there since the beginning of time according to A. M.

Hammers, 2003. It is said to be the purest form of expressing an individual personally and has been used for history and society reference. Architecture is the oldest form of fine arts and is related to religion. It is very important to past records in the society. One of the tourism activities that humans enjoy is whale watching. Humans enter in the ocean to interact with the whales. It is usually done in the marine parks and marine environment. Whale watching is the observation of whales when they are in their natural habitat.

The activity is usually recreational but it can also be classified as educational, scientific as well as economical. Whale watching is usually a commercial business as individuals organize private trips and generates an income of $1 billion per annum. The industry is recognized by increase in growth and this has led to the debate that has not been concluded whether the industry is putting the whales to best use as natural resources. The oceanic economy comprises of 14 and more countries and the economies that they are associated with. The regions is said to have 35, 834, 670 inhabitants and they are spread over 30, 000 islands in south pacific. This are covers borders between Asia and America.  This region t is characterized by a mix of diverse economies from the developed to the competitive global markets and economies that are not much developed. Whales are a group of animals that live in the sea.

Their origin is not known but what is known is that their evolution was associated by the trend of vertebrate as they moved from land to sea. According to research the ancestors of whales were covered by fur and that they were land animals. Today the whales are aquatic animals fully, and are found on the sea and some large rivers. They feed on other animals for survival and they are mammals that come to the surface to breath.

The animals are said to be on the verge of being extinct. This is because there is a certain type called the third major that is now extinct. According to scientists the population of whales has decreased because of climate change and reduction of food sources cause by harvesting of fish by man. Climate change by scientists is cause by global warming in the world.

Another factor that has led to the decrease in population of the whale is habitat destruction by man. This happens when people clear the forests, draining of the wetlands and rivers that form the dams and this causes the death of the organisms and the animals that survive on the rivers. According to research, the wetlands have decreased by half since the 18th century and that the tropical countries have not been receiving enough rain due to deforestation. This has been a concern for man and that is why they have taken time to study the animal and the relationship it has with other animals as well as the environment it leaves in. this has led to the development of the whale watching activity by man as a strategy of conserving the animals for the future generations. Man has built boats and other facilities that are involved in site watching of these animals. This is common in the Oceania since the animal is found on deep sea. The environment is also conducive for the survival of the animal.

Another factor for the extinction of these animals is the introduction of species that overcome the species that have been in existence. According to scientist there are some species that produce toxic gasses to the sea and this kills other animals that exist in the sea. The other factor is that the business community does not show any concern to support the government in the fight of fighting extinction and this leads to developing the areas that are supposed to be reserved for conservation of the animals. HistoryWhale watching was started before 1950s when Cabrillo National Monument was made a spot for the public to come and observe the Gray whales. At that time people were charged $ 1 per trip. The business started to grow as the attraction received 10000 visitors in the first year.

The industry started in the coast of US in the next decade. In 1971, Montreal Zoology Society started commercial whale watching in North Carolina. In the late 1970s whale watching operations commenced in New England. The growth increased and this was due to the increase in population of the whales and had an acrobatic characteristic. Between 1980 and 1990 the whale watching activity spread to the other parts of the world. According to Erich Hoyt, whale watching activities were available in 87 countries and 9 million people participate to generate income to the operators.

Whale watching has now become important to countries that are developing because the coastal communities had started to profit from the presence of the whales. There are some centers that cater for the support of the whale watching activities. Whale watching was started as a commercial activity in 1955 in North America. To date the activity is carried out in 40 countries. Whale watching does not involve consuming of the animal but using the animal to recreational, educational, as well as scientific activities. The benefits of economy occur due to local tourism aspect.

According to experts, if the operators of the industry could examine the areas of experience then the industry can mature and grow benefits from the society. In the late 1990s the whale watching activity has rapidly grown. The number of territories has also grown tremendously. According to C. O. Matkin, L.

B. Lennard, and G. Ellis, 2002, the number of countries that operate the whale watching activity has increased from 65 to 87. There are some studies that have been carried out to show the reactions of the whales and it was carried out to identify whales’ nature on how it avoids response to help the mariners in the identification of disturbances to the whales and the other reason was to show how the whales behave in the presence of the boats and other areas that are whale-watching. A tracking team was formed and they created an environment to carry out observations on the relationships between the behaviors of the whales and the traffic that is formed during the whale-watching in 1998 and 1999.  They measured their speed of swimming and the directness of the path when the boats were absent and when the boats and they recorded the changes in parameter.

This study was set in such a way that the whales would enter the area of study and a record of their behavior would be taken. The humpback whales reacted by swimming while increasing their swimming speed and followed the direct path. Although there has been a lot of research carried out, there is still more that is needed to be carried out. The environmental campaigners have come up with regulations to govern the operations of whale watching. This is intended not to make the whale angry as they might become rough. No international rules and regulations have been set. The most common regulations are minimizing the speed of the boat when they approaching them.

This is because approaching with high speed might make them think that an enemy is approaching and decide to attack. When one is close to them sudden turns of the boat or ship should be avoided, this might make them run away. One should not come between the whales, or encircle them as they might attack, the whales should be approached from an angle that they might not be surprised, the numbers of boats that visit should be minimized per day, people should not be allowed to swim with the animals and finally people who go whale watching should not involve the whales in bow riding. Impacts of Whale WatchingWhale watching is classified as one of the fastest growing business segments. In Oceania, there are parts that are developed and have been opened up to whale watching. They have been developed to be featured in travel guides. This is intended to attract more tourists to the sites and thus make money.

This is necessary in developing the poor areas of the region by using the foreign currency to develop these areas. The industry has also created jobs in the region and this is a strategy to fight poverty. Since the industry is attracting a lot of tourists the tour promoters take the people to other tourism sites in order to handle the tourist’s large numbers. One of the impacts of tourism is job creation. This has helped the local community to fight poverty and has also helped them to contribute to the economic growth of the region. Another impact that it has is that the tourist do not have to live in the fantasy world as they have a chance to come and explore for themselves. They travel to explore the watching of whales and they are able to tell that they are indeed existent.

Other than the whales they are able to explore the sea as well as the sand on the beach, sun and natural environment of the sea. This is also the travelers prefer to experiment on tourism as they encounter with nature, other people culture and also the heritage of the people. Many of the tourists want to feel the adventure and also discover other activities like teaching in association to whale watching. Whale watching has brought new income to the region that is said to be isolated according to J. E. Heyning and G.

M. Lento, 2002. The activity has come to a price because when Richard Leventhal started his research on the whale watching activity the place had huts but it has now changed to modern hotels and the place is said to attract more than 2. 7 million people with over 300, 000 employees across the region. The new industry is also said to generate more income in the region than any other industry in the region. This has led to economic growth to increase tremendously. Poverty in the region has started to be eliminated slowly.

Local people also benefit from the industry as their education about the whales ha increased. The industry has led to the conservation of the environment in which the whales live. This is because the international conservation team has come up with strategies that help in conserving the environment and also protect the biodiversity. They control over fishing and the emissions of substances that are emitted to the sea. They carefully plan and implement strategies that protect the environment.

They also implement the laws that protect the environment. They also carry out research on the whales to try and make them comfortable in the places that they are found. This can include migrating them from one place to another in case there is danger, control their killing by local people and treat the sick animals. Another impact of the whale watching is tax revenues. This is because the tourists spend their money on a variety of things like food, services offered and the lodgings. This affects the businesses directly and the economy as the industry relies on the tourist to pay wages and the taxes. This has made the business buy goods and services from the tourists and they spend the money to buy more goods and services for them.

Whale watching has also led to mixing of cultures by the local people. When tourists come to visit the region they exchange information about their cultures with the local people in the region.( J.

E. Heyning and G. M. Lento, 2002: 1460)Another impact of the whale watching activity is the way it has contributed to regional development.

The region has been developed in order to attract new tourists and also retain old ones. There are many hotels that have been built as a result and also they have bought more facilities for the industry. This development has helped the region to be classified among the most developed regions in the world.

This has also helped them to develop other activities other than whale watching. ConclusionIn conclusion there are also some negative impacts that are associated with the industry and it includes inflation, over independence on whale watching and opportunity costs. Inflation is related to increase in land, houses and food. The prices of the commodities increase when the tourists demand extra for the services. Opportunity cost is the cost that is used for whale watching and not the cost that is associated with other economic activities. The costs are only associated with whale watching activity and not any other activity. Over independence is where the region only depends on whale watching activity to generate income.

This is dangerous as when the industry does not pick up, the country could go in crisis. The whale watching activity is an activity that requires the region to focus its energy on so as to prevent the whales not to be extinct. The region should also fight hard to protect the environment where the whales live so that the business can grow and enhance the survival of the animals in the future. The industry should join the international conservation team in order to achieve this. References A. M.

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; USGS, 2003, Collapsing populations of marine mammals: The North Pacific’s whaling legacy?,            USGS Releases              Through the late 1990s, whale watching has continued to grow at a rapid rate. Since the last worldwide survey in 1994 (Hoyt, 1995), the number of countries and overseas territories where whale watching occurs has increased from 65 to 87. In 1991, only 31 countries were involved in whale watching. At the same time, the number of whale watchers has increased from a little more than 4 million for the year 1991, and 5. 4 million for the year 1994, to 9 million in 1998. Total whale watching tourism expenditures, estimated at $504 million USD (£311 million GBP) in 1994, grew to $1, 049 million USD (£655 million GBP) in 1998. As a further measure of its prevalence, whale watching is now carried on in some 492 communities around the world – nearly 200 more than in 1994. In many places, whale watching provides valuable, sometimes crucial income to a community, with the creation of new jobs and businesses.

It helps foster an appreciation of the importance of marine conservation, and provides a ready platform for researchers wanting to study cetaceans or the marine environment. Whale watching offers communities a sense of identity and considerable pride. In a number of places, it does all of the above, literally transforming a community. This report covers watching of all cetaceans, not just large whales. “ Whale watching” is thus defined as tours by boat, air or from land, formal or informal, with at least some commercial aspect, to see, swim with, and/or listen to any of the some 83 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises.

As well as tours that are strictly whale- or dolphin-oriented, I have also calculated the contribution from general nature tours and cruises which feature whales and dolphins as a prominent aspect, such as Alaskan and Antarctic cruises and Gal‡pagos boat tours. However, in these cases, the numbers and expenditures included in this report have been reduced (to between 10% and 50% of the total) to reflect only the estimated value of the cetacean component of the trip. Here is a summary of my key finding Tourism development can have positive and/or negative impacts on wildlife. However, if wildlife tourism is developed in accordance with appropriate guidelines, such activity can be sustainable and can aid the conservation of species. Based on two case studies in Queensland, Australia, this article outlines the various economic and conservation benefits that can arise from wildlife-based tourism. Some of the benefits are direct, such as tangible economic benefits; others are less tangible, such as increased visitors’ willingness to pay in principle for the conservation of species. Wildlife-based tourism, as these two studies demonstrate, could foster political support for the conservation of species utilized for such tourism by various mechanisms.

These two case studies show that non consumptive uses of wildlife of sea turtles and whales at Mon Repos and Hervey Bay, respectively, are not only conditionally sustainable, but provide an economic alternative to consumptive use of these species.;;; Swim speed and path directness of humpback whales were measured in the absence of boats, and how those parameters changed when boats arrived was recorded. When whales entered the study area accompanied by boats, a record was made of how their behavior changed after the boats left.

Humpback whales reacted to the approach of whale watching boats by increasing swim speed significantly, and adopted a much more direct path after boats left. Future research is needed to determine whether responses vary with number, proximity or type of vessel. Similarly, future studies are recommended to determine whether different age-sex classes vary in vulnerability to disturbance.

Meanwhile, this study enables provision of much-needed, practical advice to local operators who are concerned that they may be disturbing whales: one way that mariners can tell if they are causing disturbance is if they need to increase their vessel’s speed to keep pace. The average behavioral responses measured were strong enough to recommend that Machalilla National Park adopt precautionary management procedures to limit number and proximity of vessels.  Waikato University offers many different programmes in tourism. The Department of Geography, Tourism and Environmental Planning concentrates on the environmental, social, and cultural impacts of tourism and is intended for students who want a career in tourism planning and policy. Alternatively, students can study tourism in the Department of Tourism Management, which has a focus on the business side of tourism and is useful for students wanting to operate a tourist business. The information in this brochure covers courses offered mostly by the Department of Geography, Tourism and Environmental Planning and is intended for students who are interested in tourism planning issues and want to think critically about the positive and negative consequences of tourism. Tourism Studies is a programme within the Department of Geography, Tourism and Environmental Planning and the Department of Anthropology and draws on a wide range of subjects.

It focuses closely on the social aspects of tourism and on the need for tourism planning to minimize its negative impacts. Tourism Studies examines tourist experiences and tourism destinations and how they relate to each other. The programmes provide skills in ethical and cooperative approaches to tourism research and analysis leading to an understanding of the impacts of tourism on natural environments and host communities. The programmes will also convey knowledge of policy development and planning regulations. This interdisciplinary subject was introduced in stages starting in 1995 to serve the needs of a growing employment sector. Tourism is increasingly important for New Zealand and internationally, and has major implications both for natural environments and for the communities in which tourist activities are based.

There is a steadily increasing demand for people skilled in the social, environmental and economic analyses necessary for tourism planning. The programme is co-ordinated by Dr. Anne-Marie d’Hauteserre, Department of Geography. Lecturers of the Tourism Studies papers may switch from one year to another.;