There has been a discernible upmarket trend in tourism
over the last few decades, especially in Europe where international travel for
short breaks is commonplace. Tourists have higher levels of disposable income
and greater leisure time. They are also better educated and have more
sophisticated tastes. There is now a demand for a better quality product in many
quarters. This has resulted in the following trends:-
The old 'sun, sea, and sand' mass market has fragmented. People want more
specialised versions of it, such as 'Club 18 -30', quieter resorts with select
hotels, self-catering, etc.
People are taking second holidays in the form of short breaks/city breaks,
ranging from British and European cities to country hotels.
There has been a growth in niche markets catering for special interests or
activities, including growth of destination hotels.
The developments in technology and transport infrastructure (particularly the
advent of jumbo jets) have placed some types of holiday in the affordable
mainstream:-
The development of a mass cruise holiday market.
The advent of affordable holidays to long-haul destinations such as Thailand or
Kenya.
The phenomenon of the low budget airline, utilising a new generation of small
regional airports.
There have also been changes in lifestyle, which may call into question the
current definitions of tourism. Some people (particularly the 45+ and retired)
may be adopting a tourism lifestyle, living as a tourist all the year round -
eating out several times a week, going to the theatre, daytripping, and
indulging in short breaks several times a year.
Much of this results in impulse purchasing. This is facilitated by internet
purchasing of tourism products. Some sites have now started to offer dynamic
packaging, in which an inclusive price is quoted for a tailor- made package
requested by the customer upon impulse.
There have been a few setbacks in tourism, such as the September 11, 2001
attacks and terrorist threats to tourist destinations such as Bali and European
cities. Some of the tourist destinations, including the Costa del Sol, the
Baleares and Cancún have lost popularity due to shifting tastes. In this
context, the excessive building and environmental destruction often associated
with traditional "sun and beach" tourism may contribute to a destination's
saturation and subsequent decline. This appears to be the case with Spain's
Costa Brava, a byword for this kind of tourism in the 1960s and 1970s. With only
11% of the Costa Brava now unblemished by low-quality development (Greenpeace
Spain's figure), the destination now faces a crisis in its tourist industry.
Sustainable tourism is becoming more popular as people start to realize the
devastating effects tourism can have on communities.
Receptive tourism is now growing at a very rapid rate in many developing
countries, where it is often the most important economic activity in local GDP.
In recent years, second holidays or vacations have become more popular as
people's discretionary income increases. Typical combinations are a package to
the typical mass tourist resort, with a winter skiing holiday or weekend break
to a city or national park.
On December 26, 2004 a tsunami, caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake hit
Asian countries bordering the Indian Ocean, and also the Maldives. Tens of
thousands of lives were lost, and many tourists died. This, together with the
vast clean-up operation in place, has stopped or severely hampered tourism to
the area.
Tourism is the act of travel for predominantly recreational or leisure purposes,
and also refers to the provision of services in support of this act. According
to the World Tourism Organization, tourists are people who "travel to and stay
in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year
for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an
activity remunerated from within the place visited".
Tourism, however long its incident duration, has become an extremely popular,
global activity. In 2004, there were over 763 million international tourist
arrivals.[1]
As a service industry, tourism has numerous tangible and intangible elements.
Major tangible elements include transportation, accommodation, and other
components of a hospitality industry. Major intangible elements relate to the
purpose or motivation for becoming a tourist, such as rest, relaxation, the
opportunity to meet new people and experience other cultures, or simply to do
something different and have an adventure.
Tourism is vital for many countries, due to the income generated by the
consumption of goods and services by tourists, the taxes levied on businesses in
the tourism industry, and the opportunity for employment and economic
advancement by working in the industry. For these reasons NGOs and government
agencies may sometimes promote a specific region as a tourist destination, and
support the development of a tourism industry in that area. The contemporary
phenomenon of mass tourism may sometimes result in overdevelopment, however
alternative forms of tourism such as ecotourism seek to avoid such outcomes by
pursuing tourism in a sustainable way.
The terms tourism and travel are sometimes used interchangeably. In this context
travel has a similar definition to tourism, but implies a more purposeful
journey. The terms tourism and tourist are sometimes used pejoratively to imply
a shallow interest in the cultures or locations visited by tourists.
Wealthy people have always travelled to distant parts of the world to see great
buildings or other works of art, to learn new languages, to experience new
cultures, or to taste new cuisine. As long ago as the time of the Roman Republic
places such as Baiae were popular coastal resorts for the rich.
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