of Typical
Development
in a Resort Town
that the "four stages" concept is
original to this publication, and
we will be glad to give proper
credit to its originator upon
receiving that information from
one of our readers.
** See below, thanks!
The area is in the
process of being
"discovered." It is
frequented by a few
adventurous individuals
and an occasional travel
writer.
Stage Two
More people come to
visit. There are "Mom
and Pop" type lodging
places, and a few guest
houses. Typically you
will see a number of
original locally owned
eating places.
Key West, for example,
passed from Stage One
to Stage Two with the
arrival of Flagler's
railroad. It stayed at
this stage until the
1960's.
Stage Three
Chain motels begin to
come in. As larger
investors see the
possibilities of
development and
growth, national
restaurant chains begin
to arrive. This part of
the cycle ends with the
arrival of resort
condominium
development.
When the number of
resort condominium
units begins to exceed
the number of
traditional hotel/motel
units, the original
atmosphere which
attracted the early
visitors changes.
Stage Four
The area is
overdeveloped. The
original natural
attractions are replaced
by "novelty"
attractions, i.e.
museums, sideshows, T
shirt shops, tattoo
parlors, and "honky
tonk" type attractions.
There are demographic
disruptions, as "regular
people" are forced out
by rising prices. This
stage is typified by
greater vacancies in
commercial properties,
a shrinking tax base,
and a search for
alternative sources of
revenue. Business
ownership tends to be
concentrated in the
hands of a few.
or Cozumel, Mexico and Grand Cayman Island in the 1960's. Or, more
recently, places like Bocas del Toro, Pamama, in the 1990's.
sometime in the early 1960's. Old Timers will remember Hall's Camp, Faro
Blanco, and the Buccaneer, among other resorts of Marathon's unsung heyday.
sport fishermen began to look for fresher waters, the town began a
slow decline which lasted almost a quarter of a century.
Key West's transition began a few years earlier, but was slowed by the
closing of the downtown Navy base. Commercial fishing also declined
in this period, leaving tourism as the city's main source of revenue.
The creation of the Tourist Development Council and subsequent
advertising helped increase investment in tourism related businesses.
community goes to more condo type lodging as opposed to traditional
hotel/motel type units, the number and variety of restaurants in business
typically declines, adding to the erosion of the local tax base.
revenue, such as legalized gambling. A typical community in Stage Four
would be Atlantic City, NJ, before legalization of the casinos there.
a way as possible, of course,
if any of our politicians are aware of
these trends.
And more importantly, whether any of
them have an inclination to help us avoid
the negative effects of these trends.*
Stay tuned!
another (possible) outcome is that Key West
ends up to be a winter resort for the very rich
and closes down for the most part in the
summer and fall, much like Palm Beach today
or say, Nantucket Island.
Either way the character changes, as folks
like myself can no longer afford to live and
work here.
For those of us out of town for the summer, what is
the latest on beach closings? We've been told that
our polluted water is of our own making...that the
sewer laterals, which we paid plenty for, were not
connected properly.
Many of us feel the destruction of our near shore
waters is at the top of the list of the most tragic
events of recent years. What are our candidates
saying,if anything, about this issue?
mailing list. Based on the intro., I'm very
interested in the concept.
Area Life Cycle. Scholar Richard Butler says the theory discusses stages of growth:
exploration, involvement, development, consolidation and stagnation. After
stagnation, communities can decline or rejuvenate. "
For the full source article, Click Here.
inquiries are welcomed.