Tourism in Switzerland Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Tourism in Switzerland - Literature review Example However, the impact has not been extensive because of a number of factors such as new types of tourism like health and medical tourism, strong financial services in the country, and ability of the industry players in the country to deal with the situation. Impact of Currency Fluctuation on Tourism in Switzerland Over the years, tourism has been one of the greatest phenomena that enhance human interactions, cultural exchanges, leisure activities, and economic advancements among other benefits. It is agreeable that people across the world learn new things and experience new things through tourism (Elliott and Johns, 1993). Tourism entails activities of individual or group of individuals travelling to destinations and staying in environments that are away from their usual environment for a particular period of time for leisure, pilgrimage, business and other purposes (Lundberg et al, 2005). Tourism has provided the human species with the opportunity to explore new environments and travel to various parts of the world with fewer restrictions, a scenario which would otherwise be unattainable. Due to tourism and benefits derived from it, countries hosting tourism destinations have relaxed their rules and laws on visitors visiting for tourism reasons (Reynard, 2008). Actually, in most cases, countr ies have offered both the social and economic incentives to encourage more tourists to visit their countries. Most, if not all countries in the world, have at least one or more tourist destinations (Bhatia, 2004). That fact notwithstanding, there are countries that are preferred by tourists more compared to other countries. This scenario can be attributed to a number of factors that include but are not limited to political stability in particular countries; types and qualities of tourist destinations in particular countries; socio-cultural factors; level of technological advancements; and economic factors such as currency fluctuation (Fyall & Garrod 2005). These factors not only affect the number of tourists visiting particular countries, but they also influence the frequency of their visits to those countries (Kirchgassner, 2009). In Europe, Switzerland is one of the most preferred tourist destinations. The history of tourism in Switzerland can be traced back to mid 19th century (S witzerland: Market profile, 2005). Since that time it has developed to become one of the most sophisticated industries in the country that has a considerable contribution to the country’s economy. Besides, tourism has enhanced trade and foreign relations of Switzerland with the rest of the world (Hopkins et al, 2002). The tourism infrastructure in Switzerland is one of the highly developed across the world, concentrated mostly in the cities and mountainous regions (Sommerville, 2011). Switzerland’s landscapes and Alpine climate are cited as one of the main tourists’ attractions in Switzerland. Along with that, Switzerland has one of the greatest and most diverse commercial hubs, thus making it the preferred destination for tourists (Edgell, 2008). The role of tourism in the economy of Switzerland is significant; it accounts for over four percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Additionally, tourism industry in the country has helped in brid ging the unemployment rates as it creates employment opportunities both in the urban and rural areas (Datamonitor, 2010). Groux & Jesswein (2011) explain that tourism industry, just like most industries operating in the business environment, is subject to external environmental

Parthenogenesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Parthenogenesis - Essay Example What is parthenogenesis Why is it a form of asexual, rather than a sexual type of reproduction What are the organisms that have the ability to undergo parthenogenesis How can the knowledge of this type of reproduction benefit genetics, biology and science as a whole These are just some of the questions we will try to answer in this paper dedicated to delve deeper into the process of parthenogenesis. The most commonly known type of reproduction is the sexual reproduction. Two parents, one male and one female, are needed to produce an offspring. The Oxford Dictionary of Biology (2004) expounds that sexual reproduction is "a form of reproduction that involves the fusion of two reproductive cells (gametes) in the process of fertilization". In general, the gametes consist of a sperm from one individual and an egg from another. In a process called fertilization, the gametes unite to form a cell called the zygote, which develops into the offspring. The new individual is genetically different from its parents. Gametes are produced through a type of cell division called meiosis. In a cell produced by this kind of division, there are only half as many chromosomes as were in the cell that produced it. Sexual reproduction occurs normally, especially in animals. ... Gametes are formed by meiosis, a special kind of cell division in the parent reproductive organs that both reassorts the genetic material and halves the chromosome number. Meiosis thus ensures genetic variability in the gametes and therefore in the offspring resulting from their subsequent fusion. Sexual reproduction, unlike asexual reproduction, therefore generates variability within a species. However, it depends on there being reliable means of bringing together male and female gametes, and many elaborate mechanisms have evolved to ensure this (Oxford Dictionary of Biology, 2004). On the other hand, asexual reproduction is "a form of organic reproduction in which the parent organism does not exchange genetic material with another organism of the same species" (Ashworth and Little, 2001). In fact, there are four general types of asexual reproduction: 1.) Binary fission - Commonly occurring in protists and other unicellular organisms, binary fission closely resembles the process of mitosis, by which the cells of multicellular animals divide. The organism's chromosomes replicate (duplicate themselves) within the cell nucleus; the nucleus elongates with a group of identical chromosomes in each end; and finally the cell splits down the middle, along the short axis of the elongated nucleus, forming two "daughter cells", which are exact copies of the parent cell. 2.) Fragmentation - This occurs when an organism's body or body part breaks into two or more pieces; each part then develops into a completely new organism. The regrowth of tissue is referred to as regeneration. 3.) Budding - This process produces a small copy of the parent that begins as a growth on the parent's side and then breaks