Tourism And Tourism Infrastructure

TOURISM AND TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE In the early 20th century, the term infrastructure was primarily a military term used to denote the permanence and installation of military facilities such as base camps and ports, which together formed a complex war system (Perry, 2003). Today, the concept of infrastructure refers to the support systems (either public or private) that enable and make life easier in a society. To facilitate the study and analysis, infrastructure is divided into basic infrastructure and tourism-specific infrastructure. A. Basic Infrastructure Basic infrastructure includes all facilities that serve the needs of residents and tourists, regardless of whether their development is the responsibility of the government or the private sector, or both. Basic infrastructure is considered as economic and social capital, and is one of the factors that influence the social and economic level of a country (Abdullah et al., 2014). Basic infrastructure plays an important role and is very related to the tourism sector because it can affect the level of tourist satisfaction and is an important factor for the development and investment in a tourism destination. Therefore, the maintenance of basic infrastructure is essential for the functioning of tourist destinations, and maintenance programs should be emphasized in tourism policies and public plans. B. Tourism-specific infrastructure This infrastructure consists of facilities whose construction is motivated by tourist interests or which primarily support tourist users. According to Embratur (1984), tourismsupporting infrastructure can also be defined as a collection of infrastructure projects and installations that create conditions for the development of tourist units: transportation systems, communication systems, urban services (water, electricity, sewage, street cleaning), etc.’ In addition, a more comprehensive category of tourism infrastructure includes hotels, parks, museums, roads leading to tourist attractions, and ports in places with large tourist flows. In Tourism Planning, it is stated that infrastructure in the context of planning refers to all forms of construction above or below ground that can provide basic needs to support development such as urban development, industry, and tourism. Tourism infrastructure consists of facilities used by tourists when they leave their homes, reach their destinations and return. Therefore, it is clear that there are facilities that serve tourists and residents. C. Public Infrastructure Tourist visits generate additional use of public facilities such as parks, gardens, swimming pools, stadiums and museums. They also generate demand for physical infrastructure such as roads, water supply and wastewater systems, public toilets, signage, parking lots and other public facilities. Therefore, adequate infrastructure is essential to delivering the visitor experience. While governments at all levels have a long-term role to play in supporting infrastructure development for tourism, it is at the local level where the management of the physical presence of tourists is most acute. D. Meeting Visitor Needs The development of appropriate public infrastructure is essential to meeting visitor needs. Visitors use a variety of public infrastructure during their travel, including the following: • Transport; • Health facilities; • Water, waste and energy; • Recreational sites; and • Public facilities and services. The ease of access and use of these facilities can have a significant impact on visitors’ perceptions of a destination, length of stay, overall trip satisfaction and ultimately the likelihood of repeat visits or word-of-mouth referrals.