Models such as Butler sequence are useful to destination managers even though th

ey seldom explain real life situations

Models such as the Butler sequence are essential to destination managers in vari
ous ways. Butler model has proven to be an important aspect in articulating the
evolution of the area for tourism, at the same time, verifying the imitation of
the predictable pattern of the stages of the lifecycle which are Exploration, In
volvement, Development, Consolidation and Stagnation these are related to all ty
pes of organisations may it be biological, genetic, cognitive, cultural ecologic
al, or economic.
The model may be used as a basis of study. The model helps destination mangers
in areas with people, of low-income status living in a possible tourist destinat
ion to gain extra income. Areas that are good locations for tourist destination
can be developed in order to attract possible tourists in the area this again pr
oves the destination development model is utilised for the evolution of a destin
ation
Models aid understanding and communication and also help managers plan .Tourism
is also a business, and businesses constantly evolve in order to keep up with th
e trends and the competition with others. Planning is essential for a destinatio
n as tourism has both positive and negative impacts on the economy, society and
the environment. Tourism involves many other industries and planning is necessar
y to insure that every industry gets profit of its development. Tourism is still
a new type of activity and many entrepreneurs have no experience in how to deve
lop a destination thus models such as butler give them a framework for planning.
Destination managers may use butler model for strategic planning for sustainable
development rather than for maximum growth, or in the context of best value to
indicate the most acceptable choice between limited opportunities e.g. in butler
model the development stage is most critical so they can use it to plan on the
level of development needed in the destination and which type of tourists to att
ract. Moreover, the strength of the model is that it is a useful tool for unders
tanding the development patterns of mass tourism destinations.
Models are a simplification of reality, constructed after study of representativ
e real world circumstances. Destination managers can use the Butler model in mak
ing predictions about change if certain conditions are altered in a destination.
By altering these conditions and observing or predicting the results, the optim
um approach to management or development from a range of alternatives might be s
elected, using the stages characteristics.
The butler model helps managers analyse the growth of a destination and to also
promote and maintain the tourist destinations. Real world situations can be test
ed against the model. In addition, in the context of fully-developed destination
s the Butler model could be utilised in a strategic manner to instigate action t
o prevent the decline. A typical example was in Danxia Mountain China in 1993, w
herein Professor Jigang Bao found out that the mountain was in its Stagnation St
age and the best way to attract new tourists was to develop new tourist attracti
ons, and after deliberating the factors associated with developing new attractio
ns the Yangyuan Stone Scenic Spot was selected as the new attraction afterwards
it was developed. Danxia Mountain was quickly rejuvenated after selecting and ad
ding new tourist spots in the area. Butler`s Tourism Area Lifecycle model is use
ful in interpreting and explaining the past. Destination managers can easily kno
w what happened previously before the destination had reached its current stage.
Models are used to simplify reality. The simplicity of the model explains the pr
ocess of growth. Butler`s Tourism Area Lifecycle model is simple, plausible, and
obtains interesting outcomes, it is the first analytical framework that incorpo
rates the features of demand and supply of the customers. Butler clearly links t
he development cycle of tourism destinations to that of products in the product
life cycle model. This is one the best used management framework to know the evo
lution in a tourism destination.
However models simplify understanding but in this process there is a danger that
simplicity will replace complexity in destination managersâ understanding of the
phenomena. Butlerâ s Tourism Area Life Cycle testifies to the passion that issues r
elated to destinations and resorts have aroused. Surprisingly, the model has foc
used on specific forms of destinations and resorts and the problems they face wi
th less emphasis on a more general discussion about the role of destinations wit
hin the overall tourism system. Moreover, there has been a dearth of research in
to a number of significant issues including climate change, climbing rates of ur
banization and peak oil that are now beginning to have an impact on the structur
e and operation of destinations but it cannot be operationalised as a planning t
ool because it fails to provide sufficient detail for the development of plannin
g and policy in tourism areas
In a nut shell Butler`s Tourism Area Lifecycle model is the first tourism framew
ork developed and aside from the fact that it is a model for destination develop
ment it could also be utilised in monitoring the evolution of the area, Butlerâ s T
ourism Area Lifecycle could be able to determine whether the area is already sta
gnant and authorities will be able to prevent the decline of the area. The model
is also an appropriate tool for longer tourism plans because the stages are cre
ated for a longer span of time. The destination managers can already visualise f
uture problems and they can create risk measures to counter those probable probl
ems. But it must be ignored that destination models seldom if ever describe real
life situations.