THE TOURISM SECTOR AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN ANDALUSIA.

Pablo Márquez

Isabel Ramírez

Sara González

Noelia Sánchez

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INDEX 1. Main elements of tourism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .P. 3-4 2. The evolution and development of tourism . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .P. 4-7 3. The evolution of tourism in Andalusia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .P. 7-8 4. National/international meetings in which Andalusia has participated and their importance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .P. 9-10 5. Public and private institutions related to the services sector . . . . . .P. 10-12 6. The importance of the tourist activity regarding to the economical and social development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .P. 12-14 7. New technologies in the tourism sector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 14-16 8. Main professions that are important in the andalusian tourism sector: The importance of professionalism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P.16-20

3 MAIN ELEMENTS OF TOURISM 1. Tourist attraction: They are places that awake tourist´s curiosity to visit a destination due to their characteristics that can be tangible or intangible. In order to consider an attractive place, it must be completive satisfying motivations of the tourists that travel there.

2. Infrastructures: Set of elements that are necessary to ensure a correct performance of a country, city or an organization, the size of them depends on the tourist attraction. Some examples are: nearby hospital, airport, roads, and anything that the tourist can need.

3. Tourist companies: Are the agents that provide products or services to the tourists such as room hotels or the travel agencies that are linked to the tourist product.

4. Other companies: The tourists also need other different companies like souvenirs shops or if you are in seaport, you will need someone to provide you a boat.

These last four elements obviously need the demand, the tourists, who are the essence. Therefore, if you get this four elements plus the demand, you will have a perfect tourist destination.

The tourist local resources are the natural, cultural, historical, and gastronomic resources that a place has and that have a potential impact for the tourism. The situation of Andalusia, south of the Iberian Peninsula, makes it one of the warmest places in Europe. The Mediterranean climate predominates throughout the territory, which contributes to a large number of hours of sun, which, together with the presence of extensive beaches, sets the ideal conditions for the development of sun and beach tourism. An alternative to the sun is the snow that tourists find in the great ski resort of Sierra Nevada.

4 As for the cultural tourism, the community relies on a great patrimonial and historical richness. Andalusia possesses monuments very recognized as the Alhambra in Granada or the Mosque in Cordova. Regarding to the infrastructures, Andalusia has a total of 6 airports (five are international airports). Also, Andalusia has good networks of roads and trains so all these things contribute to the development of tourism and make easier and safe the travels of tourists. In Andalusia there are a wide variety of hotels of different categories, hostels, pensions, rural houses ... etc. and Andalusia, as a tourist destination, also has many other needs that the tourist may satisfy.

THE EVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM The mobility of mediaeval corporate society was shaped by its own forms and understandings of travel tailored to diverse groups, including merchants, students, soldiers, pilgrims, journeymen, beggars and robbers. From the twelfth century, the movement of errant scholars became increasingly important. Journeys to famous educational institutions in France (Paris, Montpellier), England (Oxford) and Italy (Bologna) became both a custom and a component of education.

The travels of journeymen were part of the highly traditional world of artisan and guild structures, for which documentation exists from the middle of the 14th century. Besides, an early form of modern tourism was the grand tour undertaken by young nobles between the 16th and 18th centuries.

From England, the tours went on, for example, to France and Italy. Trips to the classical sites of Italy represented the highpoint of the journey, but large cities in other countries were visited: London, Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid, Munich, Vienna and Prague had considerable drawing power.

From the Enlightenment into the 19th century, the travels of the educated middle classes imitated those of prominent poets and philosophers, for example Jean‐Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), Charles Baron de Montesquieu (1689–1755), Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832).

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The "early", "pre‐" or "developmental" phase of modern tourism is generally considered to have lasted from the 18th century to the first third of the 19th century. During this stage, touristic travel remained confined to a minority of wealthy nobles and educated professionals. For them, travelling was a demonstrative expression of their social class, which communicated power, status, money and leisure. In the context of the history of tourism, the term "introductory phase" refers to all the developments, structures and innovations of modern tourism between the first third of the 19th century and around 1950.21 This had its own "starting phase", which lasted until 1915. This period witnessed the beginning of a comprehensive process characterised by a prototypical upsurge in a middle‐class culture of travel and its formation, popularisation and diversification.

Also, in this period the concept of mass tourism appeared. For instance, organised group holidays offering an all‐inclusive price that reduced the travellers' costs were an innovation of the 1840s. Thomas Cook (1808‐1892) (➔Media Link #au), a brilliant entrepreneur from England, is seen as their inventor and thus the pioneer of commercialised mass tourism. His first all‐inclusive holiday in 1841 took 571 people from Leicester to Loughborough and supplied both meals and brass music.

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On the other hand, the development of tourism in the 20th century can be divided using a number of different periodization. It is common, and plausible; to identify a "developmental phase" between 1915 and 1945.41 this covers the stagnation in tourism as a result of the First World War, but also transitional developments that steadily acquired importance. It was preceded by a period of growth in which, for example, the number of stays in a hotel or other form of holiday accommodation in Germany rose about 471 percent between 1871 and 1913, a good seven times faster than the level of growth in the population.

The

dominant

motif

of

travelling and holidaying after 1900 was

recuperation.

Thus,

one

innovative new form of holidaying that also came to include families with children was the "summer retreat". From the 1870s, the term, first used in 1836, referred to a middle�class holidaying practice whose

7 practitioners sought relaxation in the countryside as an alternative to the seaside during the summer. There is a consensus that the enormous boom during the post‐ war period was bound up with economic growth, technological progress, a high level of competition and the creation of new destinations and travelling styles.

Finally, The apex of European tourism began in the 1960s: in response to the economic situation and strategic innovations in the market economy, commercial tour operators

and

travel

companies

transformed the nature of competition through increasingly cheaper offers, propelling it in the direction of mass tourism, introducing new destinations and modes of holidaying. Here, tourism produced its own structures and secondary systems. Many travel agencies and tourist organisations were set up, while department stores also offered package holidays.

THE EVOLUTION OF TOURISM IN ANDALUSIA 940’s – 1970’s Strategy: Maximize growth and focus on Sun & Beach offer.

During this period, Franco’s government started regulating the tourism industry, emphasizing the importance of maintaining low prices and increasing the quality of accommodation. Since then and increasingly in the 1960’s, Spain really started opening to foreign tourism. In 1958 and 1961, Spain entered into international agreements to streamline the customs procedures. In addition, in 1964-1967, the first “Tourism development Plan” was drafted with the main objective of maximizing the attraction of foreign tourists to the country.

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1970’s – 2000’s: Development of a more sustainable offer diversified from “sun & beach segment.”

After Franco’s death, the new government realized that the previous strategy, focused on volume maximization, had increased the sector, however, it had compromised the region attractiveness and the industry sustainability because of the negative pressures on infrastructure and natural beauty. Thus, a new “Tourism development plan” was created with two objectives: to increase the local demand by attracting foreign tourists with higher income and to establish new regulations and marketing efforts to achieve these goals.

On the other hand, in 1984 the new “Spanish Tourism Council” was established to foster interaction between the public and private sectors and thus a more sustainable tourism offer. The global recognition as “World Heritage” of the “Alhambra and Generalife”, “Mezquita” (1984), “Cathedral, Alcázar Palace and West Indies Archives” (1987), Úbeda and Baeza (2003) and the promotion of Andalucía cultural heritage with special events (e.g. Easter week) strived to expand the concept of Andalucía beyond “sun and beach”.

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NATIONAL /INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS IN WHICH ANDALUSIA HAS PARTICIPATED AND THEIR IMPORTANCE 

ANDALUCÍA NATIONAL MEETINGS:

With the collaboration of Diputación Provincial de Jaén y Turespaña, it will carry out “TIERRA ADENTRO”.

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ANDALUCÍA INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS: We can highlight the importance of “FITUR.”

The aim of Andalusian companies’ participation here is to generate business opportunities, but tourists can also be integrated in the closest possible way. And with it you will attract a greater number of tourists. These companies have to work hard giving their best services to be recognized not only in Andalucía but also all around the world.

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS RELATED TO THE SERVICES SECTOR a) Local and Provincial • PUBLIC: → “Patronatos Provinciales de Turismo”: Created, between others, for the Deputation, whose competences depend on the regulations of each Autonomous Community. → “La concejalía de Turismo” created by the Town Hall granting common

11 functions to all local entities: 

Determines the general principles of performance in the geographical area, carry outs the necessary activities and collaborates with the rest of public administrations for the development of tourism.



Manage funds and aids (in its scope of action)



Edits publications, creates web pages, manage tourist information offices and represents the local entity in activities such as tourism fairs.



Manages services that affect the perception that tourists have of their destination, such as cleaning or security.

• PRIVATE: → Center of private inicitaives (CIT): They can be local o provincial, promoted by private individuals for the promotion of tourism. They are responsible for: 1. Exposing to the competent authorities needs and suggestions that are considered of interest for the improvement of the tourist planning.

2. Promoting the creation of complementary facilities, stimulating attractions and recreational activities for tourist and contributing to the conservation of local landscape and architecture. b) Autonomic / Regional: • PUBLIC: → In Andalusia is the “ Consejería de Turismo, Comercio y Deporte” and it fulfills: 1. Establishment of guidelines for the development of Tourism in the community.

2. Granting of aid to the different agents of the tourist sector.

3. Planning of tourist infrastructures, preparation of various studies on potential

12 markets, enhancement of quality in destinations and tourist services.

4. Declaration of holidays of autonomous tourist interest and relating to “TURESPAÑA” in matters of external promotion.

• PRIVATE: 1. Association of rural hotels of Andalusia (AHRA) 2. Association of residential and sports tourism promoters of Andalusia.

3. Andalusian Association of tourist informants (INFOTUR ANDALUCIA) 4. Andalusian Federation of campsites in Andalusia.

5. Andalusian network of rural accommodation (RAAR) 6. Association of farms and farmhouse of Andalusia.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TOURIST ACTIVITITY REGARDING TO THE ECONOMICAL AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Costa del Sol Statistics has experienced an impressive development since the last quarter of last century, not surprisingly in a society we have agreed to call the Information Society, in which there is an increasing demand for information, and especially, as statistics is one of the fastest, finest and most versatile instruments available to analyse and interpret what is happening. There are many sciences that attempt to describe social phenomena, from the analysis of its causes to the prediction of its evolution. What characterizes statistics is the use of a set of quantitative tools to synthesize large amounts of data into sets of indicators that provide a simplified picture of reality, which facilitates knowledge of it and decision-making. Official statistics are a public service, designed to identify the touristic reality by providing complete and objective information to the society.

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Apart from increase of the property sales, it is important to correlate this action with others of diversification in order to help build the image of the Costa del Sol on something more than the segment of "sun and beach". In the case of Torremolinos we will highlight the constant marketing campaigns for specific segments of high spending power (gay tourism, fairs and congresses), by product type (sports and social) or complementary activities to meet the demand (mainly cultural events). This diversification of products and attractions must take into account the complementary relationships between Torremolinos and Malaga, as the latter town has bet on facilities and cultural events (Picasso Museum, Centre

14 for Contemporary Art, Thyssen Museum...) that does not seem to be taking advantage of as a complementary offer to its visitors.

On the other hand, the different "responses" to the seasonality problem do not seem to give very good results for the moment, because for several years on nearly half of the hotels in Torremolinos get closed during the season. In regard to gender differences, tourism has helped the incorporation of women into the labour market in recent years, although during the crisis women are most affected, having a higher job loss percentage. Hopefully some of these measures will be successful and help mitigate the serious damage that is causing the economic crisis on employment, both in Torremolinos, and the total of the province of Mรกlaga (28.3% for 3 rd quarter 2010) and the rest of Spain (19.8% 3rd quarter 2010).

NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN THE TOURISM SECTOR

Internet has a profound effect on the tourism industry, as it has become in the main distribution channel. 66% of international travel worldwide is already booked online directly by the traveller, according to IPK.

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SOCIAL MEDIA Using this type of apps is possible to get feedback from the costumers if you offer several services, and they also can share all information about a destination with other visitors such as images, reviews, the hotel quality services as well as good restaurants trough Instagram, facebook , TripAdvisor. etc. Nowadays having good opinions can help to develop your business and to increase your popularity among the travellers. In addition, it is useful to make promotion of not unknown places.

Booking helps you to find a hotel in any city with specific characteristics that you require and, at the same time, you will read the opinions or advices from the people who have been there before.

On the other hand, this technological changes or advances have helped to the customer of having more choices than ever. We can see the new trend of collaborative economies such as Airbnb.

Some hotels have also developed apps to facilitate booking and online

16 check-in of their users before their arrival, which helps them to save time on the arrival at the hotel.

Finally, Andalucia.org has created a new app called "AndalucĂ­a Turismo" from the Public Company for the Management of Tourism and Sports of Andalusia, where users will be able to access from their iPhone or Android mobile pones to the same contents available in their web portal, with additional benefits.

MAIN PROFESSIONS THAT ARE IMPORTANT IN THE ANDALUSIAN TOURISM SECTOR: THE IMPORTANCE OF PROFESSIONALISM. - Hotel Manager.

- Tour guide.

- Travel agent.

- Community manager.

- Receptionist.

- Tourist consultant.

- Tourist planner.

- Tourist animator.

- Sumiller.

- Governess.

- Airline Pilot.

17 - Baggage Porter.

- Bus Driver.

- Concierge.

- Corporate travel coordinator.

- Flight attendant.

- Front desk clerk.

- Taxi.

- Night auditor.

- Housekeeper - Porter Altruism Altruism is often cited as a characteristic of the professions; as entailing action or “behaviour intended to benefit another, even when this risks possible sacrifice to the welfare of the actor�. It is also often closely associated with the need for high levels of trust, honesty and integrity inherent in the relationship between the professional and their client, due to the nature of professional practice. Consequently, strong socializing influences are required to influence the behavior of the professionals, and academia has a vital role to play in this process of promoting and sustaining professionalism.

Examples of professions in Andalusia: Airline Pilot, Bus Driver, Flight attendant, and Taxi.

Code of ethics It is appropriate at this point to distinguish between codes of conduct and codes of ethics. This study focuses on the value system governing the tourism operator’s decision-making and behaviour. The need for a code of ethics in tourism has been emphasized by, amongst others, Payne and Dimanche (1996), who argued the need for ethical treatment of employees as well as customers,

in

addition to the need to recognize the environmental impact of tourism operations, and accommodate the interrelatedness of tourism businesses within a community.

18 Examples of tourism professions in Andalusia: Tourist guide, Receptionist, Flight attendant, Porter, and Concierge.

Body of knowledge One of the traits of professionalism most frequently mentioned in the literature is that “professional practice is founded on a base of theoretical esoteric knowledge” that is, knowledge only available to a select few, who are enlightened, initiated or specially educated. Knowledge is also referred to as “a fluid mix of framed experience, values, contextual information, and expert insight that provides a framework for evaluating and incorporating new experiences and information”. The professions possessing a codified body of knowledge are identified as made up of two elements: 

Pure knowledge and theory



Their application in practice.

Moreover, the literature indicates that the exclusivity of this body of

knowledge and expertise was usually associated with a lengthy training or education process to become a member of the profession.

In terms of the body of knowledge in tourism, tourism as a field of enquiry has developed over the past two decades; however, “at the moment it lacks the level of theoretical underpinning that would allow it to become a discipline”.

If the expert knowledge appears to be too concrete, either the whole or parts of the knowledge base can be taken over and used by other occupations”. In light of this contention, the choice of measurement scales to accommodate these difficulties will be all the more important in the longitudinal study which the authors are currently undertaking.

To finish, Deakins and Freel (1998) argued that SME owner-managers valued highly the transference of skills, particularly as Sullivan (2000) determined that initiatives, which did not provide the practical skills to apply new knowledge, were of little value to firms.

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Examples of professions in Andalusia: Governess, Airline Pilot, Sumiller.

Specialist skills and expertise It is "the learned ability to bring about predetermined results with maximum certainty, often with the minimum outlay of time, energy or both.” In the context of this paper, the emphasis is placed on the fact that skill acquisition leads to predictable levels of task performance and accuracy and later, in the case of professionals, the development of expertise. There are three stages in skill development: 1. Initial skill acquisition: 2. Skill compilation 3. Skill automaticity.

The first stage involves the transition from knowledge that is declarative to knowledge that is procedural and can involve formal instruction. As mentioned previously, tourism education has traditionally been dominated by an emphasis on skill development. In reviewing the literature, some authors differentiated between ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ skills, referring to those skills that involve an element of physical exertion or technical aspects of performing a job as ‘hard’. The literature highlights that hard skills are easier to learn and easier to measure than soft skills, however, there is a growing recognition that both skill types are complementary and necessary for individual successful performance in the workplace. Consequently, both skill types are seen as necessary outcomes. Examples of professions in Andalusia: Housekeeper, Front desk clerk, Hotel Manager, baggage porter.

Thus, this paper highlights the multiple dimensions that contribute to the development of the values and traits of a professional: 

Altruism

20 

Code of ethics



Body of knowledge



Specialist skills



Expertise.

Furthermore, this paper also indicates the importance of formal educational

programmes to further enhance professionalism, and also identifies the need for clarity on the role of professional bodies and associations, which represents an important area for future research.