Unit I tourism

Tourism is the temporary movement of people to destinations outside their normal places of work and residence, the activities undertaken during their stay in those destinations, and the facilities created to cater to their needs. The study of tourism is the study of people away from their usual habitat, of the establishments whish respond to the requirements of travelers, and of the impacts that they have on the economic, physical and social well-being of their hosts. It involves the motivations and experiences of the tourists, the expectations of and adjustments made by residents of reception areas, and the roles played by the numerous agencies and institutions which intercede between them.

Tourism is a luxury. Until recently, participation was restricted to the select few who could afford both the time and money to travel. Increased leisure, higher incomes and greatly enhanced mobility have combined to enable more people to partake in tourism. Improvements in transportation, the proliferation of accommodation, and the growth of inclusive tours and other forms of relatively cheap vacation travel, have further extended the opportunity to travel for pleasure. Today the majority of people in the developed worlds and increasing number in developing countries are tourists at some time in their lives. Tourism is no the prerogative of a few but is an accepted and accustomed, even expected, part of the lifestyles of a large and growing number of people.

Tourism is of major economic and social significance. More than 270 million tourists spend $92 billion (US) annually in places outside their own countries. This is one of the largest items in the world’s foreign trade. With a world growth in visitor arrivals rate of approximately 6 per cent per annum, tourism is also one of the fastest growing economic activities. It is the most important export industry and earner of foreign exchange in many countries.

The significance of tourism has been recognized in both developed and developing countries. This can be seen in the establishment of government departments of tourism, widespread encouragement and sponsorship of tourist developments, and the proliferation of businesses and multinational corporations contributing to and deriving benefits from the tourism industry. There is widespread optimism that tourism might be a powerful and beneficial agent of both economic and social change. Indeed, tourism has stimulated employment and investment, modified land use and economic structure, and made a positive contribution to the balance of payments in many countries throughout the world.

History of tourism

B.C.

The earliest forms of leisure tourism can be traced as far back as the Babylonian and Egyptian empires. A museum of 'historic antiquities' was open to the public in the sixth century BC in Babylon, while the Egyptians held many religious festivals attracting not only the devout, but many who came to see the famous buildings and works of art in the cities. To provide for these throngs during the festivals, services of all kinds sprang up: vendors of food and drink, guides, hawkers of souvenirs, touts and prostitutes. Some early tourists took to vandalising buildings with graffiti to record theirs visit and Egyptian graffiti dating back to 2000 BC have been found.

From about the same date, and notably from the third century BC, Greek tourists travelled to visit the sites of healing gods. They also enjoyed their religious festivals, which in time became increasingly oriented to the pursuit of pleasure and, in particular, sport. Already by the fifth century BC Athens had become an important destination for travellers visiting the major sights.

During these times, travel guides played an important role in providing information and shepherding the tourists around the sites. However, the role of guides does not change through the centuries. As the philosopher Plutarch wrote to complain, a century before the birth of Christ, that guides insisted on talking too much about the inscriptions and epitaphs found at the sites, choosing to ignore the entreaties of the visitors to cut this short.

Guidebooks made their appearance as early as the fourth century BC, covering all important destinations of this time (e.g. Athens, Sparta and Troy).

The Romans

During the time of the Roman Empire international travel first became important. With no foreign borders between England and Syria, and with the seas safe from piracy due to the Roman patrols, conditions favouring travel had at last arrived. The use of a common currency and the Latin language made travel easy and even comfortable for the roman upper class. The Romans introduced guidebooks, listing hostels with symbols to identify quality in a manner reminiscent of the present-day Michelin Guides (European restaurant guide and maps).

Domestic tourism also flourished within the Roman Empire's heartland. Second homes were built by the wealthy within easy travelling distance, occupied particularly during the springtime social season. The rapid improvement in communications, which coincided with the Roman conquests, aided the growth of travel; first-class roads, coupled with staging inns (precursors of the modern motels) led to comparatively safe, fast and convenient travel unsurpassed in modern times.

Travel in the Middle Ages

Due to the collapse of the Roman Empire, and the onset of the so-called 'dark ages', travel became considerably less attractive; roads fell into disuse and barbarians made it unsafe to travel. Travel became more dangerous, difficult and more synonymous with 'travail' (literally, a painful and laborious effort, and the origin of the word travel). The result was that most pleasure travel was undertaken close to home, though this is not to say that international travel was unknown. Only adventurers and merchants travelled extensively to seek fame, fortune or new trade opportunities. These people used the remains of the roman streets. There were no useful guides or maps, robbery, plague and diseases made travelling an occupation between life and death. However, all these forms of travel would be identified either as business travel, or travel from a sense of obligation or duty.

Nonetheless, closer to home, holidays played an important role in the life of the public. The term 'holiday' has its origin in 'holy days', and from earliest times religion provided the framework within which leisure time was spent. For most people, this implied a break from work rather than a movement from one place to another.

The Renaissance

As society moved from a rural to an urban base, wealth grew, and more people had the money to travel. The impetus to travel to learn was aided by the arrival of Renaissance works from Italy. Stable monarchies helped ensure traveller's' safety. The beginning of the sixteenth century saw a new age of curiosity and exploration, which culminated in the popularity of the Grand Tour. The Grand tour was initially a sixteenth-century Elizabethan concept, brought about by the need to develop a class of professional statesmen and ambassadors. Young men travelled with ambassadors over Europe to complete their education. The practice continued to develop in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries until it became fashionable. No gentleman's education was complete until he had spent from one to three years travelling around Europe with a tutor. The Grand Tour began in France, Where the young man studied French, dancing, fencing, riding and drawing. Before Paris could corrupt the morals or ruin the finances, the student headed for Italy to study sculpture, music appreciation and art. The tour was by way of Germany, Switzerland, and the Low Countries (Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg). The Grand Tour reached its peak of popularity in the 1750's and 1760s but was brought to a sudden end by the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars.