Main Challenges to Tourism Development: An Attempt at Classification

Abstract

The article is devoted to the main challenges faced by modern tourism. The importance of tourism in the context of economic growth in modern conditions has been explained. Economic and sociological approaches, which reflect the main spectrum of modern challenges for the tourism industry, have been highlighted. The usefulness of the economic approach for studying the role of tourism and its contribution to the country’s economy and economic development has been proven. The possibility of using a sociological approach to study the structure, functioning and development of tourism as a social phenomenon in its connection with social, political, economic and cultural dimensions of society has been demonstrated. The author’s classification of factors (as well as challenges) that affect the tourism business has been presented. Two groups of factors have been distinguished: 1) natural and man-made; 2) socioeconomic and political. Natural factors, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, typhoons, floods, pandemics make tourism dangerous. Man-made factors include incidents, disasters, accidents in industry, crowded places, transport accidents, etc. A list of examples of transport accidents in which a large number of tourists were injured and died has been given. Socio-economic and political factors include the actions or inaction of people, individual groups, enterprises, states, international organizations, etc. Thus, the bankruptcy of a tourist or other company prevents the fulfillment of obligations to tourists. A workers’ strike often affects people who are not directly related to it and are indirectly involved in the conflict. Thus, air transport workers strike lead to flight delays and cancellations, that influences tourism business. Political processes can also cause problems to tourism business. It has been emphasized that poverty, social instability, unpopular decisions of the government or local authorities often lead to riots. At the same time, we have noted that tourists may suffer during these disturbances due to a number of certain reasons. Political crises, revolutions and coups d’état change the political landscape of a country, its legal norms, conditions for crossing the border, etc. Examples of Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, and other countries that experienced coups or mass protests have been given. Particular attention has been paid to terrorism as a hazard factor. Examples of terrorist acts directed against tourists have been given. The destructive influence of hostilities on tourism has been proven, but it has been shown that tourists can be attracted to places associated with war. Special attention has been paid to the problem of recognition of states.