Chapter-V Resource Analysis to Contribute to SWOT Analysis for the Destination (стр. 4 )

5.4. Management of tourism resources through SWOT analysis

The term ‘tourism resource’ itself accentuates several meanings and so its management. Alpine region Sikkim is environmentally fragile; having separate biogeographically distinctive characteristics so its resource management should vary from socio-cultural issues of human societies to the non renewable scenic environment largely contributing to the quality experience and basic survival of human beings. The management of tourism resources is largely destination specific, more specifically oriented to the resource characteristics, having relationship with destination marketing by contributing to the core products and Unique Selling Proportion, depends upon the ability and willingness of the concerned non/governmental organizations to patronize the conservation and management of resources, coordination among several governmental and/or nongovernmental bodies adopting sustainability as a core issue, extent of perception and attitude of the local people to develop and maintain the quality of resources, participation and consultation of the local people to manage resources by taking several initiatives and measures, and last but not the least the optimum level of cooperation and adoption of sustainable resource management

The scope, range and depth of destination resource analysis should be oriented to the activities, participation and development characteristics of all stakeholders. Resource strategy in Sikkim is based upon two pillars. One is management of the natural resources on which tourism is based, in order to preserve the essential ecological and socio-cultural conditions and quality for tourism, and the other is the fact that tourism provides an opportunity for increasing income in the form of (foreign) currency and job opportunities. For the development of a destination all impacts need to be analyzed to optimize positive effects, tourism resources need to be audited by maintaining the resource inventory and evaluating the resource in terms of their quality, uniqueness and tourist appeal. A simple diagram has been given which is showing the relationship between destination resource base with a typical involvement of all stakeholders jointly contributing to the optimization of positive impacts of tourism. The destination resources and destination management strategies follows a four fold step starting with integrated destination resources comprising physical, social and cultural resources and followed by destination resource development ideology of the government and other stakeholders, selection and implementation of a management strategy and steps towards optimization of impacts (Telfer, D. J., & Hashimoto A., 2006). Management approaches/frameworks on the path to sustainable management and development of tourism resources.

Figure 5.3: Destination Resource Management Approaches

Approach	Characteristics
Sustainability criteria and indicators	Factors/ parameters used to measure ecological, economic, social, cultural and political sustainability.
Ecosystems management	Integrating scientific knowledge of ecological relationship within socio-political and ethical framework
Adaptive management	Resource and environmental systems contain surprise so management of change and conflicting issues is necessary.
Precautionary principle	Rather than waiting for complete understanding, responsible stakeholders of tourism system should anticipate potential harmful effects while making decisions
Benefit cost analysis	Identify all benefits and costs (actual, notional etc.) over the life time of a project emphasizing economic efficiency.
Impact assessment ( environmental and social)	Identify ways of improving projects environmentally and/or socially through prevention, minimization, mitigation and compensation.
Cumulative effects assessment	Sum of ecological changes on resources as a result of incremental impacts
Life cycle assessment	Holistic approach to evaluate environmental effects across the lifespan of a project or activity.
Carrying capacity	Maximum sustainable in a given area/ circuit with an extended view of economic, socio-cultural and ecological balances.
Limits of acceptable change	Specifies acceptable resource and social and environmental guidelines and management techniques to direct development.
Cooperative management	Sharing rights and responsibilities between the government and civil society associated with partnership, collaboration and comanagement.
Visitor impact management	Assesses impacts of visitors on a resource and recreation experience
Visitor experience and resource protection	Used in parks to look at desired ecological and social conditions rather than measures of maximum sustainable use.
Tourism stewardship	Emphasizes the need of holistic and collaborative efforts in management among the tourism stakeholders.
Recreation opportunity spectrum (ROS)	Rational comprehensive planning approach to define user opportunities for different classes of recreational experiences within land use management categories (primitive urban).
Tourism opportunity spectrum (TOS)	Adoption of ROS to tourism (ecotourism to urban tourism.
Ecotourism opportunity spectrum (EOS)	Adoption of ROS to ecotourism.

After Grumbine(1994); Mitchell(1997); Wight (1998); Dawson( 2001); Ritchi & Crouch (2003); Telfer D.& Hashimoto (2006).

SWOT analysis (sometimes referred to as TOWS analysis, particularly in the USA), is an acronym where the letters stand for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. SWOT Analysis provides the analytical phase by bringing together and summarizing the results of the internal and external analyses. Strengths and weaknesses comprise internal analyses and opportunities and threats comprise external analyses. Having understood the present position of a destination or travel and tourism organization, the SWOT provides a firm with a platform for considering the strategic options to be pursued for the future development. SWOT analysis represents a solid foundation for moving on to strategic formulation but care has to be taken in implementing the SWOT so as to ensure it is not bland, and is fully supported by the empirical or logical evidences. As mentioned by Heberberg and Rieple ( 2001) that SWOT analysis should not be viewed as a start of the analysis but supported by many other analyses. Based on the development initiatives of the State Government, corporate bodies, NGOs, and concerned authorities following points were considered for TOWS (Threat, Opportunities, Weaknesses, and Strength) analysis.

Figure 5.4: Destination TOWS Analysis for Sikkim

Internal factors
Internal strengths (S)	Internal weakness (W)
v  Improved public image v  Improved land use planning v  Renovation of product portfolio v  Higher staff commitment & better labour relations v  Creativity & openness to face new challenges v  Better relations with public authorities, Central Government, local community & green activities groups v  Assured access to foreign markets v  Easier compliance with environmental standards v  Ever increasing growth of tourism v  Peaceful, calm & tourist friendly state, compared to all North Eastern states in India v  Diversified & multi ethnic communities v  Rich culture & heritage of the community v  Available labor market v  Possibility of getting domestic & international tourists v  Available land area practicing marginal agriculture v  Plenty of natural resources v  Realizing the needs for environmental legislations and its encouragement al local and block level	v  Lack of consciousness of hygiene & health related issues v  Population is increasing v  Centralized development of infrastructure &superstructure v  No international airports in or around states v  Lack of local entrepreneurship v  Unorganized & uneducated local people v  Lack of basic facilities & infrastructure for tourism development v  Lack of effective administration with sufficient authority v  Tending to seasonal economy v  Lack of comparability with complementary development of tourism in other states v  Lack of long vision to articulate & integrate & to enhance benefits for all v  Lack of money to assist the organization of events v  Lack of acceptance of the necessity for environmental controls by the destination developers, community etc. v  Lack of mechanism for linking interested munity participation is not as high as it should or would be v  Lack of mechanism for linking interested munity participation is not as high as it should or would be v  Lack of accommodation and adequate facilities v  Lack of collection of important statistical data v  Almost the same attraction features throughout the states v  Evidence of environmental degradation in many tourist centers v  Cost of advertising, maintenance (Research and Development) v  Threats of earthquake, landslips, landslides, biodiversity loss.
External factors
External opportunities (O)	SO Strategy: (Maxi – Maxi)	WO Strategy: (Mini – Maxi)
v  Cost savings due to 1.  Reduced consumption of energy and other resources 2.  Recycling, selling of by-products and wastes, resulting in decreased waste disposal costs. 3.  Reduced environmental charges, pollution penalties, and consumption following legal damage suits v  Revenue increases due to 1.  Increased marginal contribution of Green Products which sell at higher prices 2.  Wine industry, spices, traditional medicines etc. 3.  Increased market share due to product innovation and decreased number of competitors. 4.  Completely new products that open up markets 5.  Increased demand for a traditional product, which contributes to pollution abatement 6.  Availability of funds from central government and other international organizations 7.  Scope for tourism round the year with distinct attraction features 8.  Increased number of tourists 9.  Alternative employment opportunity 10.  Care for the environment, socio-cultural needs and governance build strength 11.  Educational opportunities: children and youth activities 12.  Recreational opportunities: retirees 13.  Residential care services: the aged 14.  Local town services: rural residents 15.  Health services: community 16.  Heritage and natural environment: tourism operators 17.  Importance of local fairs and festivals will increase 18.  Development of inaccessible and backward areas	v  Employment generation increases v  Small scale industries develop specifically wine industry, traditional medicines, spices etc. v  Standard of living of the local people will increase v  Balanced regional development and minimization of regional imbalances v  Conservation and protection of the environment v  Per capita income will increase v  Development of local cuisine, hospitality, handicrafts, handlooms etc. v  Development of non conventional energy resources	v  Condition of health and hygiene and the quality of life of the local people can be improved by increased income and employment from tourism v  Possibility of employment generation with local entrepreneurship v  State population can be more educated and organized with increasing educational measures v  Fund generation is possible with the help of different schemes and projects of various national and international organizations v  Seasonality in tourism can be reduced with the development & promotion of alternative attractions during the lean season
External threats (T)	ST Strategy: (Maxi – Mini)	WT Strategy: (Mini – Mini)
v  Tourism development may cause environmental degradation v  Encroachment over agricultural/industrial land areas v  No sufficient accommodation units in many areas of tourism importance, v  Commercialization of culture and deterioration of social values v  Restriction of freedom of the residents to enjoy their resources and other basic amenities v  Changes in occupational distribution and lack of occupational mobility v  Increase in crime rates v  * Existence of substitute tourism products in neighboring states may reduce tourist arrivals	v  Application of environmental legislation & eco tourism policy to reduce the environmental damage v  Land use planning prevents the encroachment over agricultural & other land areas v  enforcement of strong law & order in coordination with other authorities to check crime rates that may arise due to the development of tourism v  Awareness of rich culture & heritage of the community along with the values of the society can prevent the commercialization of culture & its deterioration v  Scarcity of accommodation units particularly during the peak season can be reduced by development of supplementary accommodation units, e. g. the local village / people/eco clubs offering rental accommodation.	v  Minimization of weakness & threats are possible with the suitable joint venture, local people participation in developing supplementary accommodation v  Adding values to the existing products by alternative cultural & heritage related attractions, optional tours, new trek routes, infrastructure for adventure tourism v  Conducting environmental awareness camps, encouraging participation & consultation in major decisions related to the environmental protection & maintenance of quality

5.5: Conclusion

Analysis and interpretation of tourism resources is important enough to explain the nature and scope of tourism with the level of intensity and propensity to travel[3]. Destination resources vary and so the demand and supply side aspects of tourism industry. The identification of the appropriate unique selling proportion is very significant in destination marketing. Again, many destinations develop themselves in conformity with the demand and its ever changing orientation. Identification, inclusion and retention of the quality resource base or resource inventory justify tourism resource management and analysis. The relationship among different types of resources ultimately contributes to the product or destination imagery. Again, all the core products or natural resources and their relationship with the supporting products and augmented products need proper integration through a system. So, resource analysis is contributing significantly to understand and articulate tourism system with sustainable orientation. This chapter of resource analysis is essentially classifying resources and their management orientation. Destination resource management is either to conserve natural resources in the form of core products or to minimize adverse consequences resulting from tourism phenomena. The analysis of resources, core or supplementary (contributing to the core), have been considered while analyzing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This SWOT analysis is considered to be a tool contributing to the formulation of destination development strategies with a comparative assessment. As the natural resources are the primary attraction features for which people visit Sikkim, a new forest degradation model has been introduced to assess and retain the quality of core resources (Chapter VIII, hypothesis H03). This model is expected to be helpful in reducing landslides/ landslips, risk of avalanche, changes in flora and faunal species composition. In this study the core idea of destination resource management has expanded to the supplementary resources to almost all cultural and sociological issues to follow the sustainable development philosophy.

[1] Natural environment is called the core attraction features in tourism literature (See Appendix26-34).

[2] Sikkim Development Report, 2008; p.142-144.

[3] The term tourism intensity is largely destination ( supply) oriented while propensity to travel is destination marketing oriented in tourism literature