Many factors have combined to elevate the emerging economies into the position of an increasingly prominent destination macroregion. However, particularly important are changing consumer preferences in the major international tourist markets, and econ
omic growth within the emerging economies themselves.
Demand for 3s tourism: the emergence of the pleasure periphery
Seaside resorts were already established as tourist destinations in the era of the Roman Empire, but became especially important within Europe, North America and Australia in conjunction with the Industrial Revolution (see chapter 3). Nineteenthcentury limi
tations in technology as well as discretionary income and time restricted the develop
ment of these resorts to domestic coastal locations close to expanding urban markets.
However, dramatic twentiethcentury advances in air transportation technology have combined with the overall development process and changing social perceptions to greatly extend the distribution, scale, and market range of seaside resorts. This modern phase of expansion in 3S tourism (i.e. sea, sand and sun) initially affected the warmer coastal regions of the more developed countries. Among the destination regions spawned by this trend were the French, Italian and Spanish Rivieras, the east coast of Florida (and the American sunbelt in general), the southern coast of Brazil, Australia’s Gold Coast and Japan’s Okinawa Island. Tourism development subsequently spread into adjacent parts of the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Atlantic, South Pacific and Indian Ocean basins.
The expansion of 3S tourism occurred at such a rate and extent that it was poss
ible by the mid1970s to discern the emergence of a panglobal pleasure periphery (Turner & Ash 1975). ‘Pleasure’ captures the hedonistic nature of the 3S product, while
‘periphery’ alludes to the marginal geographic and economic status of its constituent subregions, which straddle the advanced and emerging economies (figure 4.1).
The Mediterranean basin is the oldest and largest (in terms of visitation) subcom
ponent, followed by the Caribbean basin. Less geographically coherent is a band of more recently developed 3S destinations extending from the South Pacific through
SouthEast Asia, coastal Australia and the Indian Ocean basin. Notable among these are the southern Chinese islandprovince of Hainan and the southwestern Indian state of Kerala, where 3S tourism development is progressing rapidly but primarily in response to the explosive growth in the domestic rather than inbound tourism market.
Domestic dynamics are also driving the rapid development of Brazil’s coastal pleasure periphery (see the case study at the end of this chapter).
Mediterranean
Caribbean Basin
Southeast
Asia South
Pacific Indian
Ocean European Alps
Basin
Cancún
Seychelles
Fiji Durban
Black Sea
Goa Kerala Kenya
Okinawa
Bali Maldives
Saipan Guam Cyprus
Eilat Taba
Cheju Hainan Malta
Mauritius
Cairns Broome
New Caledonia Gold Coast
Florida Bahamas US Virgin Is.
Barbados Acapulco
Canary
Islands Phuket
Hawaii Tahiti
Jamaica The Riviera
Western Mountains
Mar del Plata Viña del Mar
Florianopolis Cabo Frio
Natal
FIGURE 4.1 The pleasure periphery
Market preferences for 3S tourism in the advanced economies have led to the dis
proportionate importance of small island states or dependencies (SISODs), such as Fiji, Barbados and the Seychelles, as pleasure periphery destinations (Carlsen &
Butler 2011). Specifically, the world’s 67 SISODs account for only 0.3 per cent of the global population and a miniscule percentage of the world’s land area, but around 5 per cent of total international stayover arrivals.
Although best known for its 3S opportunities, the pleasure periphery has expanded to incorporate other types of tourism product. Skiing and other alpinebased winter sporting activities are now widespread in the North American Rockies, European Alps and the southern Andes, while wildlifebased activities are becoming increasingly important in destinations such as Kenya, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Costa Rica (see chapter 11).
growth of emerging economies
Inbound tourist traffic into the emerging economies, and into the pleasure periphery in particular, traditionally occurred as a north–south flow involving North American, European and Japanese travellers. For Australians and New Zealanders the direction of flow is reversed, although the labels are still valid to the extent that the advanced econ
omies together are sometimes symbolically referred to as the ‘North’. This pattern, how
ever, is now eroding due to accelerated economic growth within the emerging economies, which is generating a significant outbound tourist market among its emergent middle and upper classes, and creating greater complexity in the global tourism system. As noted in
chapter 3, the middle classes in Phase Three societies tend to visit nearby countries but begin to extend their visits to more prestigious longhaul destinations, often within the more developed world. The net result is that much of the inbound tourism growth in the emerging economies is accounted for by arrivals from other (usually nearby) emerging economies. In effect, the stereotype of the Australian tourist in Bali, or the Japanese tourist in Thailand is being challenged by the Brazilian tourist in Argentina, the Indian tourist in Dubai, the Chinese tourist in Malaysia and the Zambian tourist in Mozambique.
This movement of international tourists within the less developed world may be characterised as the third geographical stage of international tourism in the contem
porary era. The stages are as follows:
• The first stage, involving the movement of international tourists within the more developed world, emerged in the post–World War II period and still accounts for perhaps half of all traffic (i.e. the 52 per cent share indicated in table 4.1 minus the approximately 2 per cent who are residents of emerging economies travelling to advanced economies — see figure 4.2).
• The second stage, largely associated with the emergence of the pleasure periphery after the late 1960s, involves movements of people from advanced economies to emerging economies. Approximately 25 per cent of international stayover traffic presently falls into this category.
• The third stage, involving traffic from one emerging economy to another, accounts for perhaps 20 per cent of all tourism but has the greatest growth potential. The realisation of this potential, however, will mean that many of these countries will have been reclassified as advanced economies.
• An emergent fourth stage, accounting for about 2 per cent of international tourism flows, involves residents of emerging economies visiting the advanced economies.
Examples include the rapidly increasing growth in Chinese visitors to Australia and New Zealand.
Stage 1 Advanced economies to advanced economies Stage 2 Advanced economies to emerging economies Stage 3 Emerging economies to emerging economies Stage 4 Emerging economies to advanced economies
FIGURE 4.2 Four stages of contemporary international tourist flows