Implications of sporadic tourism growth: extrapolation from the case of Boracay Island, The Philippines

Abstract

As a tourist destination approaches senescence, decisions may be taken to expand, rebuild or reposition the product. However, this is often destructive of the resource, particularly where the attraction stems from natural or cultural assets. This paper examines the problem of sustaining tourism in cultural and natural environments. It argues for recognition that growth is sporadic, necessitating a shift in tourism planning and management from outcome focused to process oriented, through mutual adjustment between stakeholders. This requires greater consideration of the relationship between product and the market, asset and host community dynamic. This change in perspective is examined using an episodic model of destination growth and illustrated with data from Boracay Island, Philippines.

Keywords:

• Boracay Island
• destination life cycle
• episodic growth
• planning
• sustainable tourism

Acknowledgements

I gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the Philippines Department of Tourism for providing visitor data for Boracay Island and Allan Lisle for his help in analysing these data. Special thanks go to Marc Hockings who acted as a crucial sounding board for the ideas presented in this paper. He, with Dr Jim Davie and Professor Bob Beeton from the University of Queensland, Dr. Dallen Timothy of Arizona State University and Robert Basiuk of the Sarawak Tourism Board provided valued encouragement and review comments on draft manuscripts.