116791-Chapter 2 - Preliminary Site Assessment

TMP 106: TOURISM POLICY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 2: Preliminary Site Assessment
Reference: Tourism Policy Planning & Development (2022 Edition)

by Reil G. Cruz, Ph. D.
A crucial early stage in the situation analysis is the preliminary

assessment. This chapter will discuss the factors that influence tourism
planning and the elements included in the pre-assessment phase.
PRELIMINARY SITE ASSESSMENT AND ITS IMPORTANCE

Before carrying out a full-blown assessment, it is critical to conduct a
preliminary evaluation of the study area. Preliminary Site Evaluation
(PSE) can help provide a picture of how ready the place is for tourism. A
place's general tourism readiness could be gauged by classifying its
attractions/sites as being existing, emerging, or potential.
• An existing attraction/site is one where supply and demand for
tourism are already established.
• An emerging tourist attraction/ site is one where the supply and
demand are still in the inception or development stage.
• A potential attraction/site is basically a greenfield or an area without
tourism structures and visitors but which has outstanding aesthetic
appeal.
By performing the pre-assessment, the LGU or tourism developer will

quickly determine the potential of tourism development and how soon it
could commence. If the planners find severe hurdles in the preliminary
stage, they may advise the LGU or developer not to proceed to a full
assessment. Thus, a preliminary assessment could save an LGU from
investing huge sums of money into nonviable tourism projects.
MAJOR CONSIDERATIONS IN THE PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT

1. Hazards and Security Issues
One red flag is the presence of serious hazards in the area under study.
Good sources for this information are the LGU'S CLUP which usually
contains a section on identified hazards and susceptibility to such
hazards, Disaster Response and Recovery Management Plan (DRRM)
plan, and Local Climate Change Adaptation Plan (LCCAP). Hazards can be
natural or man-made. Extreme weather conditions or geological
phenomena may bring about natural hazards. Planners may evaluate
these hazards in terms of their frequency, severity, and extent of affected
areas. Man- made hazards include insurgency, terrorism, serious crimes,
and infectious diseases, such as COVID-19. Newspapers and the military
and police provide information about these security problems.
2. Control and Ownership of the Land

DOT et al. (2017) identify land ownership as among the salient factors
that need to be assessed in tourism planning. The DOT et al. (2017) favor
government- owned lands over private lands. This is because an LGU will
have a free hand in developing tourism in a government-owned area but
not in privately owned land. The government cannot fund projects in
privately owned land, protected areas, indigenous people's ancestral
domains, or those under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.
There is a need to secure permission from the Protected Area
Management Board (PAMB) in a protected area. Authorization from the
indigenous peoples (IP) community chieftains and the National
Commission for IP (NCIP) will need to be confirmed if it is an ancestral
domain. The process could be difficult but not impossible. There are
examples of protected areas managed by a private firm and where the
firm operates resorts.
3. Stakeholder Support for Tourism Development

One of the pillars of sustainable tourism development is the inclusion of
tourism stakeholders in decision-making. In the broadest sense, they
refer to people affected by tourism development, which essentially means
everyone. Therefore, to the greatest extent possible, all stakeholder
groups must help formulate tourism plans and share the benefits and
even costs of developing them. These groups are excellent sources of
information and data in their respective spheres of responsibility
(baseline data, best practices, existing protocols and projects, and
insights). Getting more groups involved in tourism development projects
creates a sense of ownership for the plan and, consequently, smoother
adoption by the LGU and the implementation.
The perceptions and attitudes of stakeholder groups are essential for

tourism to gain attraction and take off. Educating them about the value of
tourism' will help ease resistance to tourism development. Including them
in the decision-making process, opening opportunities for livelihood,
employment, and businesses on a fair set of guidelines, and ensuring that
the noneconomic benefits such as improved infrastructure and public
services will help create a positive tourism mindset development.
Political support for tourism is vital since the local chief executives and
councils set the legislative agenda. Tourism that the political leaders
champion usually gains momentum faster than tourism that does not
enjoy such support.
4. Significant Attractions in the Area

Attractions can be natural or cultural. Planners can assess them in terms
of their uniqueness and natural beauty, the level of their preservation, and
appeal to the senses. The rarer and more difficult it is to imitate them, the
better. In the case of heritage attractions, the older they are, the more
significant they usually are as well. Their age is just one consideration,
their quality of preservation is also paramount. The better preserved they
are, the easier it will be to develop and enhance them to turn them into
viable tourism sites. Appeal to the senses means that the site is not only
aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. Other features can satisfy the other
senses- hearing, touch, smell, and taste.
Planners must also evaluate the resources relative to the rest of the local
economy and its competitors or neighboring towns and cities.
5. Accessibility
This factor has something to do with the infrastructure that will enable
visitors to reach the attractions. The DOT recommends that sites be no
farther than two hours from a gateway, such as a seaport or an airport,
and not more than thirty minutes from the town center or service center.
The service center is the most urbanized town in the province, usually the
capital. Infrastructure includes expressways, roads, bridges, and railways.
Other aspects of accessibility are their frequency, scheduled trips, and
alternative modes by land, sea, or air. Information about accessibility may
be ascertained by doing an ocular inspection or consulting local
authorities and residents. Good sources of information about
transportation infrastructure are CLUPS and PDPFPs.
6. Sensitivity of the Site to Tourism Impacts

This factor may not be so critical if the site is in a brownfield or a built-up
area. However, if the site is in a greenfield, the development will need to
be controlled strictly to prevent adverse environmental impacts. There
are classifications of protected areas where tourism may be allowed only
on a tiny scale. Environmentally critical areas (ECAs) cover mangrove
forests, coral reefs, water bodies, and habitats of endangered animals. The
carrying capacities in these areas are much smaller; the authorities
curtail tourism activities to prevent environmental degradation. Planners
may find where such ECAS are in the LGU's CLUP.

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TMP 106: TOURISM POLICY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 2: Preliminary Site Assessment

Reference: Tourism Policy Planning & Development (2022 Edition)

A crucial early stage in the situation analysis is the preliminary

PRELIMINARY SITE ASSESSMENT AND ITS IMPORTANCE

By performing the pre-assessment, the LGU or tourism developer will

MAJOR CONSIDERATIONS IN THE PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT

2. Control and Ownership of the Land

3. Stakeholder Support for Tourism Development

The perceptions and attitudes of stakeholder groups are essential for

4. Significant Attractions in the Area

6. Sensitivity of the Site to Tourism Impacts

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