Review Of Cruise Tourism And Malaysia Tourism Essay

Review Of Cruise Tourism And Malaysia Tourism Essay Cruise Tourism is one of the major growth areas of world tourism Peisley, 1992; Hobson, 1993; Cruise Lines International Association, 1995. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit: There seems little doubt that, by the turn of the century, cruising will be firmly established as one of the worlds major tourism industries with significant markets in North America, the UK, Europe and Asia. The total number of annual passengers will have reached 8 million plus Cruising is the fastest-growing sector of the international holiday scene (The Passenger Shipping Association, 2003). Cruise tourism can be defined as the use of ships for pleasure cruising and not merely for transportation (UNWTO, 1997). Ocean and coastal cruise tourism is unique in the manner in which it provides a combination of transportation, accommodation, entertainment, retail and destination services. Cruise liners can be regarded as floating resort facilities, which have the major advantage of seasonal repositioning. From its predominantly Caribbean base, cruise tourism has spread across the world, increasing ports of call in all regions. As well as this, river and canal cruising has grown rapidly, particularly in Europe and China. The cruise industry is growing, expanding and accessing new markets by, in part, bringing into reach a diversity of popular and successful destinations that are new for cruise tourism, by exploiting previously under-utilised ports (Younger, 2003). 2.1.1 The cruise industry The growth of the cruise market throughout the world, and perhaps more notably in the United Kingdom (UK) has been one of the most remarkable phenomena of the 1990s (Wild Dearing, 2000). The cruise industry is the fastest growing segment of the travel industry achieving more than 2,100 percent growth since 1970, when an estimated 500,000 people took a cruise. Industry estimates are that 13.5 million people took a cruise vacation in 2009, with a total of 14.3 million passengers forecasted to sail in 2010. (Cruise Lines International Association [CLIA], 2010). In early 2001, 64 new and larger capacity ships were in production, expanding passenger capacities by 35%. More than 50% of these ships are dedicated to the United States tourism market and are now operating throughout the Caribbean (Sparrow, 2004). The cruise industrys growth is also reflected in its expanding guest capacity. Nearly 40 new ships were built in the 1980s and during the 1990s, nearly 80 new ships debuted. By the end of 2009, over 100 new ships were introduced since 2000, with 12 new vessels on the way for 2010. (CLIA, 2010) These new vessels carry more passengers, more crew, generate more waste and consume more goods and services. 2.2 Theoretical Framework According to Weaver and Oppermann (2000), tourism is a complex phenomenon involving many actors and interactive factors. Some of the actors are tourists, tour operators, cruise lines and airlines. To be able to understand the complicated nature of the tourism industry, a system based approach is suitable. Leipers tourism model can be used as the theoretical framework as it views tourism as a form of a system in which there is an operational structure built up of interacting components. Leiper who was an early supporter of the adoption of a systems approach towards understanding tourism defined tourism as: . . . the system involving the discretionary travel and temporary stay of persons away from their usual place of residence for one or more nights, excepting tours made for the primary purpose of earning remuneration from points en route. The elements of the system are tourists, generating regions, transit routes, destination regions and a tourist industry. These five elements are arranged in spatial and functional connections. Having the characteristics of an open system, the organisation of five elements operates within broader environments: physical, cultural, social, economic, political, technological with which it interacts. The components of the tourism system are shown in the model below (fig 1.1). This whole tourism system approach helps to organise our knowledge about tourism and its relationship with cruises. Leipers approach was to try and understand destinations, generating areas, transit zones, the environment and flows within the context of a wider tourism system rather than seeing them as separate independent entities. In the model there are three interactive components: (i) the tourism generating region, (ii) the destination region and (iii) transit routes which link the two regions. It is evident that transport forms an integral part of the tourism system by linking the tourist generating and destination regions together. Collier (1994) classifies tourism transport on several bases (e.g. public or private sector transport, water/land/air transport; domestic and international transport and mode of transport). Cruise tourism is considered as a system in which cruisers and operators are major actors. The tourism-generating region and the destination region are linked together through cruising which is also a tourism product. This makes cruise ships a unique form of tourism transport. People go on a cruise more than they go to a place. And yet their major competition is not other forms of transport but real places. As Morrison et al. (1996: 15) put it: Instead of competing with the airlines, the cruise lines have become their partners and now compete with destinations, resorts, and other vacation alternatives. The cruise ship itself has become a floating resort providing the maximum possible leisure and entertainment facilities. However Leipers model has been criticized for being simplistic (Prosser, 1998). Prosser provided a more detailed model that, he claimed, represents more effectively the inner complexities of the tourism environment. 2.3 SWOT analysis for Mauritius SWOT is an acronym where the letters stand for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It is a commonly used analytical tool in business environments that has become firmly established in the literature of strategic management (Evans, et al. 2003). A SWOT analysis is a useful way of assessing the situation that a destination faces in its effort to develop cruise tourism. . According to Weihrich (1982), the SWOT analysis is the process of analysing organisations and their environments based on their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This includes the environmental analysis, the process of scanning the business environment for threats and opportunities, which is considered as external factors, and the organisational analysis, the process of analysing a firms strengths and weaknesses as internal factors. Internal factors Strengths Weaknesses A strategically located port in the Indian Ocean Capacity and Infrastructure constraints- too few berths Safe and wonderful tourism destination Cyclonic period during the months of November to May Pleasant climate practically whole year round Nautical constraints- For many big cruise vessels at the same time Variety of land-based and water-based attractions Poor maintenance of beaches and attractions A great variety of cultures Low awareness in the market about cruise tourism in Mauritius Relatively good basic structures(hospitals, roads) and a good transport system Mauritius considered as an expensive destination and not within the reach of many World class quality services by Tour Operators, Hotels, Restaurants, and Travel Agents. Poor service at the port and untrained staff Minimum formalities on arrival of cruise vessels Poor road links to certain location and place of interest Lack of industry cohesion No strategic plan at MPA and MOT level External Factors Opportunities Threats Estimated two million tourists by the year 2015 Seasonality of the industry Brand name- Ile Maurice un plaisir Threats by terrorists and Somalian Pirates The cruise market Potential is strong for Regional/ International growth Competition from other exotic tourism destinations Improvement of physical infrastructure including adequate parking facilities at places of interest and other recreational areas Likely increase in oil prices affecting cost of travel Political stability of market of origin Economic uncertainty- late bookings and close-to-home cruises to avoid expense on flying Air network expansion facilitating Fly-cruise concept Strong growth of European demand (German, French and Spanish markets) 2.4 Sustainable development issues of cruise tourism: Although a relatively new phenomenon, tourism has become one of the worlds largest industries in recent years. According to the World Tourism Organization (WTO, 2004), sustainable tourism development meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future. In 2008, International tourism arrival reached there were 922 million worldwide, with a growth of 1.9% as compared to 2007. (WTO) Given its total significance, it is not surprising that the tourism industry has a substantial environmental impact. In particular, tourism development is associated with environmental problems like deforestation, soil or beach erosion, and coral ecosystem destruction. Since tourism development also tends to result in rapid urbanization, it can contribute to such problems as increased air and water pollution, as well as inadequate solid waste management (Baver and Lynch 2006, 5). The scale and gravity of these impacts tend to be amplified in the Caribbean, where the environment comprises some of the most fragile ecosystems on earth, including beaches, coral reefs, and tropical forests (Lynch 2006, 158). When sustainable tourism has been applied to the industry, more emphasis has been given to tourisms effects upon the environment and economy, rather than to factors related to its effect on communities (Hardy et al, 2002: 491) Cruise tourism is currently going through a period of revival with new vessels being launched and sailing to ever more exotic places. Criticisms Hunter (1997) argues that different interpretations of sustainable tourism are appropriate urder different circumstances. The study of sustainable tourism should not be a rigid framework, but an adaptive paradigm which legitimizes a variety of approaches according to specific circtimstances (Htinter, 1997: 851).

Stone Walls Of New England :: essays research papers

Introduction Stonewalls of New England are rich with history and archeologists are still trying to determine who may have built the first stonewalls or if our concept of when North America was first settled is wrong. Items of stone and metal lead archeologists to believe that the archaic period is when the Northern New England portion of America was first inhabited. There have been many different types of fences built in New England, natural debris, wood, and stone included. Stemming from these different fence types American ingenuity flourished and inventions arose. Agriculture was a big part of the fencing of America; the cultural differences of the colonists and the Indians also played a big role in the ideas of fencing and laws. Stonewalls are important to our culture as not only North Americans but also as humankind in general. Overview of the ancient history of New England The Wisconsin continental ice sheet retreated about 15,000 BC, causing the climate to warm, sea level to rise, and the habitat was changed from tundra to spruce-lichen. The Pleistocene mammals (mastodons, mammoths, and caribou) were attracted to the new habitat, this caused the Paleo-Indians or Big Game hunters to arrive armed with Clovis fluted point projectiles (Salisbury, 1982). Many sites have been found in New England that shows evidence of tool-making, ritualized inter-band exchanges and other non-hunting activities. By around 8,000 BC, the spruce-lichen forest was mostly replaced by pine and hardwoods, this evolved into other types of food causing the Paleo-Indian era to give way to the early archaic. In New England, early Archaic projectile points were found, these differ from the Paleo-Indian points because the archaic points are generally stemmed and notched for more effective specialized hunting (Salisbury, 1982). Salvatore Trento tells of one point found in Monhegan, Maine:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A tiny arrowhead or possibly a small dagger was recovered from an excavation of a rubbish heap by the island archeologist. A C14 test of the organic material associated with the deposited metal artifact gave an approximate date of 1800 BC. During the summer of 1975, William Nisbet of the Early Sites Research Society submitted a tiny fragment of the artifact to a laboratory for analysis. The results were shocking. The seemingly insignificant arrowhead was composed of copper in tin. There are no tin deposits in either the eastern of middle states of America. The closest mines are in Bolivia, but these were not worked in 1500 BC.

All About Blood Essay

1.) What is the significance of lower-than-normal hematocrit? Lower-than-normal hematocrit indicates anemia. People with anemia do not have enough hemoglobin, which is the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells. Iron, B12, and folic acid deficiencies, some medications, and pregnancy can cause anemia. There are also more serious causes such as problems with the immune system that cause destruction of red blood cells earlier than normal, chronic diseases including kidney disease and cancer, and problems with bone marrow found in leukemia and lymphoma (MedlinePlus:Anemia, 2012). What is the effect of a bacterial infection on the hematocrit? A bacterial infection, which raises white blood cell counts, may affect the hematocrit by lowering it. 2.) Compare the development of lymphocytes with the development of the other formed elements. Lymphocytes and the other formed elements are developed from pluripotent stem cells. The pluripotent stem cells generate myeloid stem cells and lymphoid stem cells. Myeloid stem cells start and complete their development in red bone marrow and give rise to red blood cells, platelets, eosinophils, basophils, neutrophils, and monocytes. Lymphoid stem cells begin development in the red bone marrow, but some are completed in the lymphatic tissues, where they give rise to lymphocytes. The B cell lymphocytes are began and completed in the red bone marrow and the T cell lymphocytes begin in the red bone marrow, but they mature in the thymus (Jenkins, Kemnitz, & Tortora, 2010). 3.) What is erythropoiesis? Erythropoiesis is the production of red blood cells or erythrocytes. It starts in the red bone marrow with a proerythroblast. The proerythroblast divides many times and produces cells that begin to make hemoglobin. A cell near the end of the development cycle ejects its nucleus and then becomes a reticulocyte. Reticulocytes pass from red bone marrow into the bloodstream. Reticulocytes develop into erythrocytes with 1 to 2 days after they are released from the bone marrow (Jenkins, Kemnitz, & Tortora, 2010). Which factors speed up and slow down erythropoiesis? Oxygen deficiency (hypoxia) detected by the kidneys increases erythropoiesis. This stimulates the kidneys to release more erythropoietin. It circulates through the blood to the bone marrow and speeds up the production of proerythroblasts into reticulocytes. Erythropoiesis slows down when there is sufficient oxygen delivery to the kidneys and tissues (Jenkins, Kemnitz, & Tortora, 2010). 4.) Explain what would happen if a person with type B blood were given a transfusion of type O blood. Type O blood carries neither antigen A nor antigen B and is known as the â€Å"universal donor† because of this. Therefore, there would be no negative reaction if a person with type B blood were transfused with type O blood (Jenkins, Kemnitz, & Tortora, 2010). 5.) During an anatomy and physiology exam you are asked to view white blood cells in prepared slides of standard human blood smears. Based on the observations below, what is the name and function of each WBC? a.) WBC has a round nucleus surrounded by a blue halo of cytoplasm with no visible granules. These are lymphocytes (T cells, B cells, and natural killer cells). Lymphocytes mediate immune responses, such as antigen-antibody reactions. B cells develop into plasma cells, which then secrete antibodies. T cells attack viruses, cancer cells, and transplanted tissue cells. Natural killer cells attack a variety of infectious microbes and certain tumor cells. b.) WBC contains dense blue-purple granules that hide the nucleus. This WBC is a basophil and makes up 0.5-1% of the total WBCs. Where there is inflammation, basophils leave the capillaries. They enter tissues, and release histamine and heparin. These substances make inflammatory reactions greater and are involved in allergic reactions. c.) WBC has a U-shaped nucleus and a bluish, foamy cytoplasm with no visible granules. These are monocytes, making up 3-8% of WBCs. They migrate from the blood into tissues, enlarge, and then become macrophages. Some become fixed macrophages and live in a particular tissue, such as the lungs and spleen. Others become wandering macrophages and gather at infection and inflammation sites. They gather at infection sites in large numbers and phagocytize microbes. They also clean up cellular debris after an infection. d.) WBC contains small, pale lilac granules and a four-lobed nucleus. This type is a neutrophil and makes up 60-70% of WBCs. Neutrophils arrive at an infection site the quickest of all WBCs. After they ingest a pathogen, neutrophils release chemicals to destroy that pathogen. These chemicals include lysozyme, hydrogen peroxide, and hypochlorite. Neutrophils also contain defensins, which are a protein that poke holes in the membrane of the microbe and kills it. e.) WBC contains red-orange granules and a two-lobed nucleus. This is a sample of an eosinophil and they represent 2-4% of all WBCs. Eosinophils leave the capillaries and enter the tissue fluid where they release enzymes that combat allergic reactions. They also phagocytize antigen-antibody complexes and fight parasitic worms. A high eosinophil count would most likely indicate an allergy or a parasitic infection (Jenkins, Kemnitz, & Tortora, 2010). 6.) Why would the level of leukocytes be higher in an individual who has been infected with a parasitic disease? A parasitic disease is a stressor in the body. It is a normal, protective response for the number of leukocytes to increase in this situation because the blood is producing more leukocytes to fight the parasite. 7.) In regions where malaria is endemic, some people build up immune resistance to the malaria pathogen. Which WBCs are responsible for the immune system response against pathogens? How do they function? Eosinophils are the WBC responsible for immune system response against pathogens. Eosinophils leave the capillaries and enter tissue fluid where they release enzymes. They phagocytize antigen-antibody complexes and fight parasitic infections (Jenkins, Kemnitz, & Tortora, 2010). 8.) What is the function of prothrombinase and thrombin in clotting? Explain how the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways of blood clotting differ. The extrinsic pathway of blood clotting occurs rapidly, within a matter of seconds. A tissue protein called tissue factor enters into the blood from damaged tissue cells outside (extrinsic) blood vessels. Tissue factor then begins a series of reactions that lead to the formation of prothrombinase. The intrinsic pathway occurs more slowly, over the course of several minutes. The activators of this pathway are in direct contact with blood or contained within (intrinsic) the blood. Again, after a series of reactions, prothrombinase is formed. Once the prothrombinase is formed it converts prothrombin (a plasma protein formed by the liver) into the enzyme thrombin. Thrombin, together with calcium ions, converts fibrinogen to fibrin threads and activates a clotting factor that strengthens the fibrin threads into a clot. A positive feedback cycle begins with the formation of thrombin. Thrombin activates more platelets, which increases the release of platelet phospholipids, which then increases the formation of prothrombinase. Thrombin also directly accelerates the formation of prothrombinase. The additional amount of prothrombinase accelerates the production of thrombin. The positive feedback loop continues and the fibrin clot grows (Jenkins, Kemnitz, & Tortora, 2010).

African American Family History Step by Step