Tourism in a 'borderless' world : the Singapore experience
Regional Tourism in Asia PacificThe phenomenon of "regional tourism" emerged in the 1990s. Countries and cities are increasingly looking across political borders to collaborate with one another in policy planning, project development, and tourism marketing. Shared natural and cultural resources can be jointly developed and promoted, and infrastructural duplication and harmful competition between countries minimized. The approach may be especially of interest to small countries, for which the experience of Singapore provides useful insights.The many forms of regional tourism. One of the most recognizable forms of regional tourism is the tourism triangle, in which cities in adjacent countries collaborate. Tourism triangles center on a shared economic or natural resource, such as a scenic attraction. The triangle is usually anchored by three principal cities (sometimes states or provinces) in three different countries. Examples in the Asia Pacific region include (see Fig. 1):* Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore Growth Triangle, or IMS-GT (Indonesia's Riau Islands, Malaysia's Johor state, and Singapore), #1 in Fig. 1;* Northern Growth Triangle (Malaysia's Penang, Indonesia's Medan, and Thailand's Phuket), #2 in Fig. 1;* Southern China Growth Triangle (Flong Kong, Taiwan, and the Guangdong and Fujian provinces of China), #3 in Fig. 1.The goal of tourism triangles is for cities/countries to complement each other and to undertake joint projects that leverage each country's strengths. For example, the IMS-GT promotes itself as a resort region capitalizing on Singapore's air/seaport connections and Indonesia's and Malaysia's golf courses, beaches, and comparatively cheaper labor.A second form of regional tourism is developed within the framework of political and economic alliances established by governments to promote a wide range of mutual goals. Alliances under which tourism collaborations have been initiated include:* Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area, or BIMP-EAGA, #4 in Fig. 1;* The Greater Mekong Subregion (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and Yunnan Province of China), #5 in Fig. 1;* The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, or SAARC; the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN; and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, or APEC.Within each alliance, regional tourism is usually established through separate subcommittees or working groups. For example, the ASEAN Subcommittee on Tourism facilitates joint marketing of the region, information exchange, and tourism investments between countries. The Greater Mekong Subregion, formed by the Asian Development Bank in 1992, also has a tourism working group that coordinates infrastructure development and markets the participating countries as "Jewels of the Mekong." APEC formed its Tourism Working Group in 1991 to promote social and economic development of member countries through collaborative projects.A third form of regional tourism involves nongovernmental regional associations, which can be credited with first envisioning the potential for regional tourism. One example is the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), which was formed in 1951 with a mix of private and public sector members. Its original goals included encouraging the development of tourist facilities throughout the Pacific and easing government barriers to travel. Today, the Association also acts as a liaison between the public and private sectors within and between countries. Other non-profit regional associations include the nongovernmental ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA) established in 1971 and the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) established in the early 1980s.Singapore's Imperative to 'Go Regional'From the 1960s through the early 1990s Singapore worked to develop its local and national tourism infrastructure and marketing. But with limited land for further development, the country began to look beyond its own borders. …
A Comparative Study on the Images of Malaysia and Thailand as Perceived by Japanese Undergraduate Students
This paper reports the findings of a study on the images of Malaysia and Thailand. The study investigated and compared the perceptions of Japanese youth tourists of the two countries as potential tourism destinations. It reexamined the structure of destination image, and the relationship between the three components of destination image and the intention to visit each country of the potential tourists through a structural equation model. The findings of this study revealed the important role of emotional/affective perceptions in the formation of destination image and intention-to-visit, and generate implications for the projection and communication of the images of Malaysia and Thailand in the Japanese youth tourist market.
Frank Must Marry Money: Men, Women, and Property in Trollope's Novels
There is a continuing debate about the extent to which women in the 19th century were involved in economic life. The paper uses a reading of a number of novels by the English author Anthony Trollop...