Bournemouth University

School of Tourism

How winds of change affect global tourism

Page published: 15 September 2011

It may be a slump in the European economic markets, a natural disaster in the Far East, political disharmony in Israel, Facebook in China or an e-coli outbreak in France. In the past year all of the above have hit the world news headlines and the ripple effect has inevitably changed Tourism in the affected areas.

Professor Alan Fyall, Deputy Dean of Research & Enterprise at the School of Tourism, Bournemouth University has been monitoring the global economic and political situation. In a speech being delivered at this year's Resort Development Conference (RDO2) conference in Marbella, Spain at the end of September, he aims to examine the impact these events have had and how they may change the future direction and management of tourism.

Professor Fyall’s address entitled ‘Turbulence, Twitter and Tsunamis an Ever-Changing World and Its Impact on the Future of Tourism’ is based on his research expertise in destination management and marketing and current work that he is conducting which explores the impact of generational change on patterns of buying behaviour in the context of visitor attractions and tourism destinations.

“Economic woes and pressure on public and government sectors in many source markets in Europe and the US, geo-political change in North Africa and the Middle East, exponential growth in new markets in the East, the adoption of and immersion in new technologies, and the rising costs of food, fuel and energy make for an interesting backdrop for the tourism industry in which to operate in the years ahead” reveals Alan.

Alan is a former Member of the Bournemouth Tourism Management Board and has conducted numerous consulting and applied research projects for clients across the UK and overseas for the likes of the European Union, Commonwealth Secretariat, Grant Thornton, Government of Saudi Arabia and Malaysian Ministry of Tourism.