Evaluation of Life Cycle Model of Tourism

Question 1

What is the Life Cycle (Butler) model?

Answer 1

• model describing the 6 typical stages a tourist destination goes through, as it evolves over time

Question 2

Describe how the life cycle (Butler) model applies to Majorca.

Answer 2

• life cycle model has been extremely applicable to Majorca, which has experienced mass tourism, resulting in a variety of neg impacts
• in 1960s, Majorca, which had limited infrastructure, entered its exploration stage, attracting <0.5M tourists /yr to its unspoilt beaches, picturesque villages + unpolluted sea
• this dev into involvement stage, in which locals began to provide accommodation + services
• by 1970s, Majorca entered its dev stage, experiencing a rapid rise in tourists, reaching 3.5M in 1973, due to gov promotion, which led to poor construction of large hotels, apartment blocks + villas, + road improvements w/o proper planning
• eventually, by 1980s, Majorca reached its consolidation stage, w arrivals reaching 7.5M + 70% of pop now being employed in tourism
• in 1990s, a clear shift into stagnation occurred, which involved a dec in tourists, + 30% inc in unemployment as many bars + cafes were forced to close bc of a lack of customers
• lastly, in an attempt to rejuvenate Majorca, new facilities (e.g. a new airport terminal + upmarket hotels) were built, resulting in tourist arrivals reaching a record of >9M in 2013

Question 3

Evaluation of Majorca applying to life cycle (butler) model.

Answer 3

• overall, this proves model to be a useful framework for understanding growth in countries experiencing mass tourism, such as Majorca, + highlights need for these countries to use this model as a predictive tool to encourage planning + gov intervention, during the dev or early consolidation stages, to help prevent stagnation + decline

Question 4

Describe the advantages of the Life cycle (Butler) model.

Answer 4

• model is useful bc can be used as a predictive tool to avoid dangers of mass tourism in countries willing to create a more sustainable tourism industry
• this is illustrated by Jamaica, which has observed consequences of unrestricted growth in other countries, + so have promoted more sustainable tourism strategies in response
• includes ecotourism, which has limited construction of high rise hotels, + created national parks, marine parks + other protected areas, such as Blue + John Crow Mts National Park, established in 1993
  
  • it supports 780km2 of wilderness, inc >1800 plant species, 270 bird species + many insects, such as the rare Giant Swallowtail butterfly, in which entry fees provide funding for conservation
  • raft trips on Rio Grande river has also dev as a form of ecotourism, involving tourists being taken downstream in small groups, in rafts relying on manpower, w time gaps between trips to minimise damage to forest, making it sustainable

Question 5

Evaluation of advantage of model being used as a predictive tool.

Answer 5

• overall, this proves countries can use model as a predictive tool, however, in doing so it makes model less applicable to them, proving the model is becoming less relevant over time

Question 6

What are the limitations of the life cycle (Butler) model?

Answer 6

• it’s simple
• it doesn’t account for external shocks
• it’s outdated + doesn’t focus on newer forms of niche tourism (e.g. ecotourism)

Question 7

Describe how the life cycle model’s simplicity is a limitation.

Answer 7

• due to models simplicity, it doesn’t fully capture the complex reality of it being a very diverse + region-specific process, shown by diff areas of Majorca being at diff stages

Question 8

Describe how the life cycle model not accounting for external shocks is a limitation.

Answer 8

• it also doesn’t account for external shocks (unexpected events, that a country can’t control, which sig. dec demand for tourism at a particular destination) that can disrupt cycle
  
  • e.g. in Sept 2022, exchange rate fluctuations led to a sig dec in tourism as £ fell to a record low against $, making it more expensive for ppl in UK to visit USA, bc impacted accom + air travel costs, thus proving model to be irrelevant

Question 9

Describe how life cycle model not relating to newer forms of niche tourism is a limitation.

Answer 9

• as modern trends have dev, the model has become more outdated + less reliable as a strict prediction tool, bc doesn’t relate to countries focusing on newer forms of niche tourism, such as ecotourism
  
  • e.g. Ecuador + the Galapagos Islands, have heavily focused on ecotourism, to protect its envi + local communities from damaging effects of mass tourism
  • it has been made sustainable by excursions, often led by guides from local tribes, taking visitors to explore + experience its rainforests, whilst educating visitors ab. local flora + fauna, inc. medicinal + poisonous plants
  • also, to address pressure of inc tourists, Ecuadorean gov imposed a $100 entry fee in 1998, which further inc to $200 in 2024, to help limit mass tourism + fund conservation

Question 10

Evaluation on limitations of life cycle (butler) model.

Answer 10

• overall, this proves model to be irrelevant + illustrates need for more flexible, modern strategies to understand + manage tourism dev

Question 11

Evaluation/conclusion of life cycle (Butler) model.

Answer 11

• although model is currently applicable to some countries, over time it is likely to become more outdated + less relevant, + so needs updating, of even remodelled, to fit more current tourism trends + account for external shocks