Similarities And Differences Between Tourism And Event Management Tourism Essay

1 Introduction

Development of tourism industry must adapt to the tourism products of tourism demand, development of event tourism also needs to adapt to mass tourism products of tourism demand, while the core of tourism products is tourism attraction. Tourist attraction is a natural tourist attraction, cultural object, and the fundamental property and function is attractive to tourists and stimulates people’s travel motivations (Margaret Deery; Leo Jago; Liz Fredline, 2004). The most basic function OF tourist attraction is to attract tourists to the destination. Therefore, the purpose of this report is to look for the similarities and differences between tourism management and event management, and the event tourism will be the focus to link the both.

2 Definitions

Tourism management is relying on creative thinking, integrating tourism resources to achieve the optimal fit of resources, environment, transport and market, and finally to achieve the creative process of objectives of tourism development (Witt, S. F., Moutinho, L., 1996).

Event management is the management activity to suit all levels and types of political and economic activities, sports events, the main tourism, conferences and exhibitions, entertainment, carnival and others based on the explosive growth of government and non-government agencies (Boris Gruschke, 1998). It is not only different from government administration, but also different from ordinary commercial enterprise management across organizations.

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Event tourism refers to the form of taking one-time or regular festivals held as the core attraction for destination marketing, or enhancing the special tourism activities (David Getz, 2008). Holiday celebrations often accumulated a rich local cultural content, and very strong participation, entertainment, therefore, the planners of event activities often try to create an atmosphere of festival or celebration in order to attract wider attention, more tourists, and even create a recycling of “tradition”.

3 Similarities between tourism management and event management

In my opinion, the most important similarity between tourism management and event management is event tourism, which is reflected both in tourism and event activities.

Tourism Management

Event

Management

Event Tourism Management

Figure 1 Similarity between tourism management and event management

Compared with the general types of tourism activities, event tourism has its own distinct characteristics:

One is the distinctive endemic characteristic. Production of a tourism event will often rely on local characteristics and cultural customs to attract local source (Julie E Otto and J. R. Brent Ritchie, 1996). Arising from the festival with a distinctive local features travel, it is easy to win the favor of the depth of the root causes of tourists.

Second is the activity concentration. Event tourism activities are concentrated in a particular period of time, usually a fixed time period, and activity is very compact arrangement, which makes the tourists’ tourism activities and tourism experience with significant concentration of features. If the event activities are charming, tourists generally stay longer.

Third is the widespread influence. Large scale of event tourism activities often lead to larger concerns, to attract people from all over the world concentrated in one activity enabling collaboration, feel the local atmosphere of the event (David Getz, 1997). This will bring large and widespread impact to the regional tourism development and local economic, social and cultural development.

Fourth is the comprehensiveness of effects. A major event tourism activity held brings both a direct economic benefit, but also brings indirect benefits to other aspects of stealth, will promote the development in various aspects of the host.

Event tourism has these features, combined with festivals by tourists with high levels of consumption, repeatability, a longer residence time, etc., features, making event tourism as a concern of the object for the regional tourism development, increasing people attention (Robyn Stokes, 2008).

Australia by virtue of holding this special festive event of “America’s Cup” yacht race became one of the world’s most famous tourists; China Qingdao through “Beer Festival”, “Ocean Day” spread out their unique “marine culture”, successfully created the image as the characteristics of the marine city. It shows the organization of festivals, especially the organization of large-scale events, often become the focus of media attention. Event tourism for the city provides a stage to show their image, any one ad, any marketing activities are difficult to match with the effectiveness.

Large scale of event activities

Participated in event

Improved

Infrastructure

Community

interests

Increased

Media coverage

Increased

Travel promotions

Increased

Capacity

Visitor

Satisfaction

Community

Satisfaction

Increased

Identity

Increased

Visiting host people

Word of mouth

Increased

Tourism image

Impression of decline over time

Figure 2 The link between event and tourism

4 Differences between tourism management and event management

Using system theory, with project management theory, it can understand the event tourism from four levels (John Swarbrooke, 1999): the basic principles and concepts (Tourism event is a project, project management should be implemented); system development cycle (tourism event development life cycle); systems and procedures (using specific management techniques and procedures); organizational behavior (set up reasonable organizational structure and effective encouraging project members).

Table 1 Comparative analysis of tourism event features and project definition

Definition of project

Characteristics of tourism event

1, including a single, definable goal or end product or result.

Tourism event is “non-routine”, is the special event occurring within a certain period. It is an identifiable task, has a certain economic goals, social goals. Major tourism festival (Mega-event) on tourism has huge economic and social impact. Large-scale festival events can be regarded as sub-sub tasks.

2, unique. Project is the activity with only one type, and can never be completely repeated.

Tourism event is usually carefully planned. This nature makes tourism events different from the spontaneous events and happenings unique. It is impossible to repeat, if failed, could not recover.

3, the temporary activities. Life-cycle, once the goal to achieve, the project has ceased to exist.

Tourism event has a certain deadline. While some festivals held regularly, but the result of the project objectives, stakeholders and the Environment (ie project system) will change, so this new festival should be regarded as new projects.

4, requires the use of various professional and organizational skills and ability. Tasks and skills required also vary with the project.

The process of the operation of tourism event is across a number of management functions units: government, business, public and many industries. Tourism event’s success is inseparable from their extensive support and collaboration.

5, may be unfamiliar. Very uncertain risk factors.

The complexity of the process organization operation of tourism event, integrated not only manifested in not only the characteristics of tourism products in general, it also has its own characteristics and attributes.

6, there is some risk. The failure of the project may pose a threat to the organization or its goals.

Tourism event has the risk for every stage, failure of tourism festival activities could adversely affect tourism destination in fairly long time.

7, is to achieve the goal of a process to work. A project to go through several different stages; stages of conversion tasks, manpower, organization and resources will change with it.

Tourism event during the operation and management may still happen.

There may be individual specific projects that are not fully defined in terms of projects; most projects have in front of three or four features. Comparative analysis from the table, tourism event at least meets the before six items. It can be concluded: Tourism event is a project, project management theory is applied to the tourism event products.

Tourism event is present the life cycle. The life cycle of tourism events is it similar to the dynamic process of the natural life cycle of birth, growth, maturity, decline and death, which includes concept, planning, implementation and operation of four stages (I McDonnell, J Allen, W O’toole, 1999). Purpose of understanding the life cycle issues travel section is very important to manager of the project: on the one hand, tourism event highlights the project life cycle in project management plan, review and analysis, implementation process, the management of each process systems analysis is the basis for the next phase of the operation, which requires management system, a comprehensive understanding of project life cycle tourism festival, and at different times to take corresponding measures; on the other hand, life cycle process is for each project objectives, which requires the project manager should be “on the festival’s understanding of the project life cycle” and the project aims to combine effective “management by objectives” (David Getz, 1997). Therefore, the managers to respond flexibly to the changing environment need to have a “life cycle management” culture, in order to ensure the smooth operation of the events.

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5 Conclusion

As a project, the tourism event should be analyzed with a systematic approach. Management of tourism event, in the face of complex elements in the events project system, managers must first carry out systematic analysis of each element. Tourism event project system is an open system, project managers must from the system level, organizational level and technical level to evaluate the system, senior managers will need more from the system level to analyze the system. To understand the main system of property projects of tourism events, particularly in the development of tourism event is the important status in the major tourism events and huge tasks.

Event tourism as the bridge to link tourism and event activities, in the tourism development assumes more and more important functions and role. Although it shows the similarities and differences between tourism management and event management, for the issues of the operation idea of tourism event, development strategy and effects, we should pay more concerns.

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