Read the following information about the town Clipper Bay, and refer to the questions on the next page to guide your assignment.
Clipper Bay is a small settlement of 5000 people located on the tip of a peninsular. Being situated by the sea and at an area with particularly abundant marine life, the economy of the town has always revolved around fishing and other businesses that support this industry.
Physical Geography:
The town is located at the foot of a series of hills and within easy access and view of a beautiful beach. Further along the beach are also a cluster of unique limestone caves with numerous rock pool formations within. As the town has a small population, the built up area only occupies a small portion of the land just off the beach, with a stretch of forest bordering the town. The land around the town is unfertile for any form of agriculture. Also, geographically, the land is rather flat and would be easy to develop. The town is also served by 2 roads; a narrow, 2 way coastal road and a second less developed road that comes over the nearby hills. A new highway is being built further inland, presenting an opportunity for increased accessibility.
Human Geography:
The population of Clipper Bay consists of families with multiple generations. First-generation settlers started up the town and were the original fishermen. They have had a generation of children who carried on this business. Those children have now birthed a third generation who are reaching adulthood, and who are starting to get involved in the livelihood of fishing. The town is also well known for fresh and tasty seafood, cooked by the women folk, who are also highly skilled in weaving. Each summer, the town hosts a festival to mark the beginning of the fishing season. The festival is characterised by customary and heritage linked religious and cultural rites and a week-long feast.
Present developments:
As the rest of the country modernizes and diversifies the scope of economic activity, the local government at Clipper Bay are considering their options. The town has been granted a budget of $50m to invest in the revitalisation of the local economy.
You have been appointed as the ‘Chief Planner’ of Clipper Bay. Your objectives are to develop the economy of the town in a ‘sustainable’ manner, taking into account socio-cultural and environmental elements as well.
Develop a plan to describe and explain how you would revitalise the economy of Clipper Bay. Your plan must include:
- – A description of how you would approach determining the best way to revitalize the economy by consultation with the relevant parties
- – The use of comparative advantage, CBA or ROI analyses to clearly identify an industry to support economic revitalisation of the town
- – Assume that tourism has been selected as the preferred industry to be developed. Explain a sustainable approach to tourism that you would adopt
- – Describe examples of infrastructure, superstructure and each component of the suppliers in the tourism stakeholder model that fit the sustainable approach to tourism that you have adopted.
- – Discuss potential economic advantages and disadvantages of developing tourism at Clipper Bay.
- – Discuss potential socio-cultural advantages and disadvantages of developing tourism at Clipper Bay.
- – Discuss potential environmental advantages and disadvantages of developing tourism at Clipper Bay. Ensure that your answers make reference to the theory that you have learnt in this programme. Pay attention to the information given about Clipper Bay; facts about the place and the people residing there. Your answer should reflect a good level of understanding and analysis of the information given. The essay should follow good academic writing by having a structure; you should have an introduction, a main body containing your arguments, followed by a conclusion. You are required to consult and fully reference a MINIMUM of 8 references e.g., book; www; journal article from the full-text databases; current affairs magazine; newspaper etc.)
Solution
Revitalizing the Economy of Clipper Bay
Introduction
Revitalizing cities and regions plays a critical role in the improvement of socio-economic and human development. The process involves the application of different measures and strategies whose application ensure the development or redevelopment of the city/region and its environs. The major reason for the promotion of the revitalization process is the promotion of socio-economic development and the improvement of the quality of life. Though there are multiple strategies that can be applied for the revitalization process, different areas apply different measures and strategies. However, there is a need for the analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of the revitalization approaches or ways in order to choose the most efficient and sustainable way. The process involves different parties. This essay offers a plan for revitalizing the economy of Clipper Bay. It analyses different aspects through comparative advantage and other techniques to determine the most efficient alternative and advances in the discussion of the necessary measures, description of infrastructure, and the discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of the revitalization.
Revitalizing the Economy of Clipper Bay
The revitalization of Clipper Bay can be achieved through the development and redevelopment of different sectors in the region. Its location allows for the development of the tourism sector, the redevelopment of the fishing industry, and the promotion of industrial entrepreneurial development related to the fishing industry. The location of Clipper Bay on the peninsular tip, which places it along the sea makes it an ideal fishing ground and an appropriate region for increased tourism development. The abundant marine life, the shores and the beautiful beach, the limestone caves and other impressive natural tourist attraction sites are critical for the development of the tourism sector. There is a need for the consideration of the benefits and demerits of investing on either tourism or the fishing industry before making the investment. The most goals should be the identification of the most efficient and sustainable investment option and the direction of greater percentage of the investment towards the investment (Wachter & Zeuli, 2014).
The determination of the best way of revitalizing Clipper Bay will start with extensive consultation with relevant agencies/parties and the analysis of various aspects. The process include relevant government agencies, social and economic analysis, private developers, and the local government. The different parties will allow the creation and implementation of solutions for regulatory challenges and the management of pre-development and master planning of the projected developments and redevelopments will be of great concern (Schill, Nathan, & Persaud, 2012). The process will allow the development of the sector and ensure efficiency in all the processes. Moreover, the government must work towards the development of asset repositioning, acquisition/disposition strategies, and analyse the financial feasibility of the different programs. Also, there is a need for the representation of the public and private stakeholders in the different processes and programs of development. For instance, the public sector should be involved in the approval of projects and the private sector in development scenarios, and developer solicitation, negotiation, and selection. All these measures will boost the private-public partnerships and enhance efficiency in the revitalization processes.
The tourism and the fishing industry offer different opportunities for the revitalization of Clipper Bay and varied challenges. For instance, investing on the fishing industry will play a key role in triggering economic development. Such an investment will require funding small and large-scale fishing, the integration of labour-intensive fishing technology, encouraging the adoption of more efficient fishing and investment, and the development of fish processing industries. Moreover, the process will demand a shift from the traditional fishing. Investing on the fishing industry will prove an effective process by offering significant high return on investment in the next few years but unsustainable in the long-term. Investing on the fishing industry will cause the exploitation of the ecosystem making the investment unsustainable. Additionally, the investment will cause increased competition between commercial and local fishers. As such, will the integration of advanced technology that requires few employees, the commercial fisher may render the locals jobless (Jarić, et al., 2016). As such, there is a need to consider investing on the alternative, which is tourism. Investing on the tourism industry will come with multiple benefits, key among them being its sustainability and efficiency in the promotion of revitalization of Clipper Bay.
The revitalization of Clipper Bay will demand the integration of efforts from different sectors. Partnerships between the public and private sectors is critical for the development of Clipper Bay. The national and local government must work towards the development of the region through different joint and singly programs. According to Wachter and Zeuli (2014), the public-private partnerships play a critical role in the promotion of development through enhancing competition and the generation of interest in the hard-to-develop regions in and around Clipper Bay. Numerous development and redevelopment projects in the region can be realized through the partnerships, mainly focused on improving the region by streamlining development projects and subsidizing the processes. The government should offer incentives to attract private developers and investors to foster improvement (McGrath, 2007). The vast land in the surrounding Clipper Bay is a poor agricultural region and undeveloped. The revitalization of the region will start by forging private-public partnerships focused on development of the land.
The development of the tourism sector will require infrastructural development and the creation of different tourism related superstructures (Marcu, et al., 2013). In revitalizing the economy of Clipper Bay through tourism, there will be a need to invest on the hospitality industry. The development of hotels will be critical for the development and success of the tourism sector in the region. Moreover, there will be a need for the creation of parks, recreational facilities and the development of projects that enhance efficiency in the industry. Marine parks will be critical in the development of the tourism sector in Clipper Bay. Also, the creation of resorts and grounds for hosting different activities will be of great importance. These platforms will create an effective room for the promotion of cultural tourism in the region and allow for other strategies for the promotion of the tourism industry such as sports. The infrastructural development will ensure sustainable development of the industry and the revitalization of the economy of Clipper Bay (Rukuižienė, 2014). These programs will promote socio-economic development while protecting and conserving the environment of Clipper Bay (Newberger & Toussaint-Comeau, 2015). However, all the processes will require the joint effort of the public and private sectors.
The provision of incentives for entrepreneurial and industrial development will play a key role in the revitalization of the economy of Bay. The government and the municipality of the region must create a demand for the locality by the private sector to promote development and thus revitalization. The increasing interurban competition that Clipper Bay may be facing thus hindering its development must be handled through the implementation of measures and strategies for inducing private sector development. For instance, the municipality of the region can focus on strategies such as reducing the cost of doing business in the region through the application of various types of tax abatement, land grants, and low-interest loans (Wachter & Zeuli, 2014). The effective implementation of such strategies will play a key role in the revitalization of the region by encouraging and promoting private investment in the infertile land Clipper Bay. Additionally, the government must focus on improving the efficiency of the planning agencies to streamline permission processes and allow flexible zoning for the encouragement of development in the region.
Additionally, the public-private partnerships may prove effective for the development of the economy of Clipper Bay by encouraging the development of under-utilized public land. The municipality must offer grounds for effective development. The development of the unfertile land and forest can be utilized by the private sector to revitalize Clipper Bay. According to Schill, Nathan, and Persaud (2012), the partnerships between the private and public sectors allow the achievement of substantial development, redevelopment, and revitalization of cities. The success in the process will make sure that the set goals and objectives are achieved through the facilitation of economic growth and the strengthening of community assets (Law, De Lacy, Lipman, & Jiang, 2016). The influence of the partnerships will be enhanced development in Clipper Bay. However, the local and national government, must integrate different strategies and measures to ensure the effectiveness of the partnerships. For example, the governments should create agencies for the analysis of the market potential and the development of programs that prompt stronger private sector responses towards the revitalization programs.
The development of the tourism industry will various advantages and disadvantages. The development of the industry will trigger the economic development of the region by causing the improvement of the various sectors. The different businesses and employment opportunities will cause the development of the economy of the region. The substantial influence on the economy of the region will cause the development of Clipper Bay and the country in general. However, unfavourable economic trends and the numerous costs incurred in the development of the industry may impact negatively on Clipper Bay. Moreover, as tourists continue to visit the region there is a high likelihood of increased pricing of products, development of infrastructure costs, and the dependence of the local community on tourism (UNEP, 2016).
Additionally, the development of the tourism sector in Clipper Bay will cause numerous socio-cultural advantages and disadvantages. The advantages may include the socio-economic development experienced due to the creation of employment opportunities and improvement of the livelihood of the local community. Additionally, the promotion of cultural tourism promotes the local culture and thus socio-cultural improvement. Additionally, the development of the sector may offer a supportive force for peace in the region, foster pride in the local culture, and reduce relocation to other economically revitalized or developed areas. However, a critical concern may arise from the influence of the tourists’ culture on the indigenous people. The influence of the tourists causes changes in the behaviour of the people and in the value systems. Therefore, tourism in Clipper Bay may threaten the indigenous identity. Moreover, tourism in the region may trigger changes in the community family structure and relationships and impact negatively on the collective traditional lifestyles of the people in the region (UNEP, 2016).
Apart from socio-cultural and economic impacts, tourism influences the environment significantly. The sector involves different activities causing a complex relationship between it and the environment. For instance, in the case of tourism development in Clipper Bay, the major environmental concerns will stem from the extensive constructions and the development of social amenities and other infrastructural development. However, focusing on marine and land tourism calls for the protection and preservation of the environment. The conservation of the environment in Clipper Bay will cause an immense positive effect on the environment. It will also play a significantly important role in the creation of awareness on the need to protect the environment (UNEP, 2016). As such, it will be an essentially important and sustainable way for the revitalization of the economy of the region.
Conclusion
The
development of the tourism sector in Clipper Bay will serve a significant role
in the development of its economy. The process will allow investment in key
sectors such as in the hospitality industry. Additionally, it will foster for
the protection of the environment and the promotion of cultural heritage of the
people. The promotion of cultural tourism and the various tourist attraction
sites of the region will attract both domestic and foreign tourists, boosting
the economy of the region significantly. Additionally, the involvement of the
private sector, the encouragement of the sector in investing in the area, and
the utilization of public unutilized land will foster sustainable use of
resources and enhance sustainability in the development of the region. As such,
the tourism sector will have numerous economic, socio-cultural, and environmental
benefits which by far will outweigh the concerns of the few negative effects.
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