IV. MEHNAT VA BANDLIK MUNOSABATLARI, XIZMAT KO'RSATISH
VA SERVIS SOHASI
METHODOLOGY OF ASSESSING TOURIST RECREATIONAL RESOURCES: ENHANCING DESTINATION PLANNING AND
SUSTAINABILITY
Xasanova Yulduz
researcher
Abstract: This article delves into the methodology of assessing tourist recreational resources, elucidating key principles, tools, and approaches essential for destination planning and sustainability in the tourism industry. It emphasizes the pivotal role of recreational resources, such as pristine beaches, breathtaking landscapes, and vibrant cultural attractions, in shaping the appeal of destinations worldwide. The methodology involves a systematic process encompassing inventory, criteria development, data collection, stakeholder engagement, and monitoring, facilitating informed decision-making and adaptive management. By embracing a holistic and participatory approach, destination planners can optimize resource utilization, enhance visitor experiences, and safeguard natural and cultural assets for sustainable tourism development.
Key words: Tourism industry, recreational resources, destinations assessment methodology, sustainable tourism, decision-making, stakeholder engagement, monitoring and evaluation, participatory planning, sustainability goals.
Introduction. The tourism sector thrives due to the attraction of recreational offerings, enticing travelers to various destinations globally. Whether it is breathtaking landscapes, or vibrant cultural attractions, the abundance and quality of recreational resources play a pivotal role in shaping a destination's appeal. However, assessing these resources effectively is crucial for sustainable tourism development and ensuring visitor satisfaction. In this article, we delve into the methodology of assessing tourist recreational resources, exploring key principles, tools, and approaches that destination planners and stakeholders can leverage to optimize their offerings and experiences.
Understanding Tourist Recreational Resources:
Tourist recreational resources encompass a wide array of natural, cultural, and built assets that contribute to the leisure and enjoyment of visitors. These resources may include beaches, national parks, historical sites, museums, entertainment venues, and recreational facilities, among others. Assessing these resources involves evaluating their quantity, quality, accessibility, sustainability, and compatibility with visitor preferences and expectations.
Resource Assessment Criteria:
This can also be noticed in the appearance of the terms of tourism-phobia and overtourism, which have evolved from the evolution of unsustainable mass tourism practices. Tourismphobia of social indulgence that arises in response to tourism
pressures. Overtourism is defined by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) as the impact of tourism on a destination that excessively affects residents' perceptions of the quality of life of residents and the quality of the visitor experience in a negative way. If steps are not taken in tourism, environmental problems will be encountered, impacting both the local population and negatively travelers. In the announcement, UNWTO stated, "tourism will only be sustainable if it is developed and managed with visitors and local communities in mind." As can be seen, protecting nature, historical and cultural resources, and long-term development in tourism is essential for all countries. Therefore, a systematic approach is needed in the design of sustainable tourism development planning [4]. The traditionally-described domains of tourism impacts are economical, sociocultural, and environmental dimensions[1].
The economic effects of tourism include improved tax revenue and personal income, increased standards of living, and more employment opportunities. Tourism development in Indonesia is carried out in an integrated manner through cross-sectoral coordination to achieve maximum success
Methodology Overview:
Establishing clear assessment criteria is essential for evaluating the quality and suitability of recreational resources. Criteria may include environmental sustainability, cultural significance, accessibility, safety, infrastructure, amenities, aesthetic appeal, and recreational value. These criteria serve as benchmarks for comparing and prioritizing resources based on their attributes and characteristics.
Literature overview has enabled the authors to systematize the approaches by the range of areas or aspects each approach focuses on:
- geographical approach: assessing the natural landscapes and district zoning;
- geoecological approach: assessing the environmental status and identifying the limits on tourism and recreational industries;
- marketing approach: research into tourist services, competitiveness, and attractiveness for younger travelers;
- cadastral approach: accounting of tourism resources, systemization of data on local dynamics and to which extent the location is known. This is fundamental to economic assessment;
- geoinformation approach: databanks and databases, digital maps and atlases, territorial and industrial GIS to enable stronger tourism and even recreation groups;
- cluster approach: identifying the boundaries of promising tourism clusters to intensify the cooperation of local governments, businesses, public organizations, and tourists;
- ecosystemic approach: defining the economic benefits of ecosystem services. The approach must be replicated to optimize the use of natural resources as part of the sustainable local development concept.
The authors here of enhance upon a comprehensive assessment algorithm that is based on assessing the tourism resources one by one or integrally. The assessment follows the algorithm below:
- define who assesses what;
- make a system of criteria, assessment scales, and scores;
- choose software for data processing;
- collect data to assess the tourism opportunities;
- process and structure the collected data;
- assess the specific components of tourism opportunities;
- calculate the integral scores, check, adjust, and and interpret the results;
- identify the best locations where to develop tourism.
Conclusion:
Effective assessment of tourist recreational resources is fundamental to destination planning, management, and sustainability. By employing a systematic methodology encompassing inventory, criteria development, data collection, stakeholder engagement, and monitoring, destination planners can make informed decisions, optimize resource utilization, enhance visitor experiences, and safeguard the integrity of natural and cultural assets for future generations. Embracing a holistic and participatory approach to assessment fosters collaboration, innovation, and resilience in the face of evolving tourism dynamics and global challenges.
References:
1. D. Yanti, R. Sibarani, and A. Purwoko, Int. J. Sustainable Dev. Plann. 18, 483
(2023)
2. E. O. Ushakova, M. Ye. Tsoy, and V. Yu. Shchekoldin, in IOP Conf. Ser. Earth Environ. Sci. (Institute of Physics Publishing, 2018)