TOURISM IN ASIA : AN OVERVIEW

Abstract

This study examines tourism in selected Asian countries; specifically those of Southeastern Asia, Eastern Asia and Southern Asia. Western Asia is left out in most of the discussion because of the deficiencies in its current data. A discussion of tourism encompasses a wide scope and can be approached from many perspectives. As a focus for this study, only inbound tourism will be considered. The outline of the scope and objectives of the study are presented in the introductory chapter. Some problems related to data are mentioned. Basic concepts are defined. There is also a brief review of the trend of tourism in Asia. Next, the current status of tourism in the Asian region is also examined. Several aspects such as visitor arrivals, visitor receipts, main markets, problems and prospects of these countries are looked into. Average length of stay and average hotel occupancy rate of these countries are provided in the appendices. The economic, social and cultural impact on the countries are also enumerated. This section attempts to synthesize the findings of diverse studies of the impacts of tourism on some Asian countries so as to present a balanced view of the subject in an objective and systematic manner. Focuses on the foreign investment in three tourist sectors, the airlines, hotel industry and tour operators are also made. There is a discussion on the role of Transnational Corporations in these sectors and the possible impact of such investments. Finally, this study concludes with some major observations made followed by an outline of the prospect of tourism in Asian tourist industry.