(TITC) – Tourism development relies on the infrastructure, connectivity, and the abundance of facilities. Abundance of infrastructures and facilities would facilitate the travel and transport. ASEAN required its member cities consider the tourism infrastructure and facilities as the principle components of tourism development policies.
Tourism Infrastructure and Facilities is one of indicator to consider in ASEAN Clean Tourist City Standard.
Accordingly, supporting infrastructures are mainly information centres, signage to tourist sites and tourist maps that are crucial for tourism information provision in the city. Other places where tourists as well as local residents can enjoy, together with equipment for serving the different objectives such as relaxation, culture, study, shopping, sports…etc., shall be recommended in the city.
Planning for tourism looks whether official plans and strategies are in place to control the development of tourism in the city such as zoning and land use plans for tourism areas, planned tourist itineraries, planning for tourist transportation, a cultural and heritage protection plan etc.…
Information centres, signage and tourist maps assesses the methods and effectiveness of tourism information provision in the city such as the size and location of information centres and the quality of material available within these centres, signage to tourist sites around the city and whether tourist maps exist, their content and distribution at points of interest in the city.
Location of shopping centres and retail outlets evaluates the areas where tourists can find items of interests, whether they are near tourist sites and the city centre, their ease of access and the quality and prices of local crafts and souvenirs.
Leisure areas (tourist areas, public parks, sports and recreation…) serves both to assess the range of activities available to tourists and whether these are also available and affordable to local residents.
Level of tourist satisfaction: It is important to monitor how much tourists are enjoying the city (cleanliness, welcome and hospitality, security, appreciation of decor and the environment etc.…) and to identify where improvements can be made. Regular surveys are crucial to gauge this information and these need to be analysed. The indicator evaluates whether these surveys are carried out, how often and if actions are formulated to improve the city based on the information contained in the surveys
Table of assessment on 5 indicators of Tourism Infrastructure and Facilities
| TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE AND FACILITIES INDICATORS | Requirement of major criteria | Criteria | Evidences for criteria | Appraisal | Score |
| 1.Planning for tourism | Existence of a tourism master plan being implemented and regularly updated | Has a tourism master plan for the city been formulated? | Provide decision and/or documents related to tourism master plan for the city | Yes No | |
| Is it being implemented? | Provide the name of responsible authorities/ institutions, detailed activities and measures taken place to implement the master plan | Yes No | |||
| Is it monitored and adapted on a regular basis (at least every 2 years)? | Provide monitoring tools/ mechanism, the schedule and reviewing procedure (at least every 2 years) | Yes No | |||
| 2 Information centres, signage and tourist maps | Quality of information centres, signage and tourist maps | Are there sufficient tourist information centres or points in the city? | Provide – a map of tourism office and tourist information centres/ points – responsible authorities – staffs who can communicate with tourists – working hours – available materials | Yes (At least one at each main tourist site to get a score) No | |
| Are the tourist attractions of the city properly signposted? | Provide a map indicating tourist attractions and signposts showcasing its locations (photos as evidence) | Yes No | |||
| Are signposts also in English? | Prove that international languages, especially English, are used on signposts (photos as evidence) | Yes No | |||
| Is there a tourist map for the city? | Provide a sample of tourist map for the city | Yes No | |||
| Are the map and other tourist information well disseminated at places where tourists congregate in the city? | Justify materials/means for dissemination and prove the actions taken at places where tourists congregate in the city (with schedule/frequency) | Yes No | |||
| 3 Location of shopping centres and retail outlets | Existence of shopping centres and retail outlets | Are shopping centres and shopping outlets within a reasonable distance of areas where tourists congregate (i.e. attractions, hotels, etc.)? | Provide a map indicating the locations of shopping centres and shopping outlets and the distance to tourist areas (attractions, hotels, etc.) | Yes No | |
| Are there handicraft centres near tourist area? | Provide a map indicating locations of handicrafts centres ( specifying size, products, etc.) and the distance to tourist areas | Yes No | |||
| Are the handicrafts on sale of good quality and representative of the city? | Prove the quality and the origin/ identity of handicrafts on sale | Yes No | |||
| Are local products available on sale? | Prove the presence of local products on sale for tourists (specifying types of products, location of shops, etc.) | Yes No | |||
| 4. Leisure areas (tourist areas, public parks, sports and recreation, etc.) | Existence and indication of leisure areas | Are leisure areas in the city clearly indicated and available to tourists? | Prove the existence of leisure areas in the city with a map indicating its locations (justifying its signposts) | Yes No | |
| Are these affordable to local residents? | Provide the range of prices whether it is affordable for local residents (any special price for local residents?) | Yes No | |||
| 5.Level of tourist satisfaction | Existence of surveys done to prove the level of tourist satisfaction | Are surveys regularly carried out to gauge tourist satisfaction with the cleanliness, welcome and hospitality, security, and the appreciation of decor and the environment of the city? | Justify: -types of surveys carried out -targets (local and international tourists) -objectives of the surveys -schedule/frequency | Yes No | |
| What percentage of tourists is satisfied? | Provide the results (statistics) of the surveys most recently conducted to gauge tourist satisfaction | ______% (At least 70% to get a score) | |||
| How often are they carried out? | Provide the schedule of the surveys to justify the frequency | Once a year or more often (At least annually to get a score) Less than once a year | |||
| Have the results of the surveys led to actions to improve the situation? | Prove the implementation of actions/measures based on the outcomes of the surveys to improve the situation (authority in charge, types of actions/measures, etc.) | Yes No | |||
| – Number of Detailed Indicators: 5 – Number of Criteria: 18 | Total | 18 |
Tourism Information Technology Center
