Chapter 2.

SOCIOLOGY OF TOURISM

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. explain the social nature of travel;

2. describe the social effects of tourism;

3.discuss the socioeconomic variables and their effect on travel

4. describe the new travel patterns;

5. explain the preferences of the international tourist;

6. describe the types of tourist roles; and

7. explain the meaning of social tourism.

The Social Nature of Travel

Travel is brought about by the social nature of man. Human beings, as social animals, feel comfortable in
a tour group. They feel that their trip is more enjoyable and free from anxiety if they join a group tour.
Camaraderie often develops friendships that last for years. in some subcultures, travel is the accepted
way of spending one's vacation Sabbatical leaves and foreign assignments make it possible for university
faculty members and employees to travel and develop a passion for it. Tourism evolves a mutual trust
and respect for one another and the dignity of life on earth, According to Pope John Paul II, "The world is
becoming a global village in which people from different continents are made to feel like next-door
neighbors. In facilitating more authentic and social relationships between individuals, tourism can help
overcome many real prejudices and foster new bonds of fraternity."

The Social Effects of Tourism

Tourism is concerned with the movement and contact between people in different geographical
locations. In sociological terms, this involves:

1. social relations between people who would not normally meet,

2. the confrontation of different cultures, ethnic groups, lifestyles, languages, levels of prosperity, and
the like;

3. the behavior of people released from many of the social and economic constraints of everyday life;
and

4. the behavior of the host population which has to reconcile economic gain and benefits with the costs
of living with strangers.

The degree to which conflict will occur between host and guest depends upon the similarity in their
standards of living, the number of tourists at any time, and the extent to which the tourists adapt to
local norms.
Socioeconomic Variables and Their Effect on Travel

A. Age
There are several differences between patterns of travel based on age. Younger people tend to
select more active recreational activities than older people. The elderly (those in the late sixties and
upward) prefer more passive forms of recreation, such as visiting friends and relatives, fishing,
sightseeing, and playing golf. Older tourists tend to travel to farther destinations, prefer ship travel,
travel more in spring than younger tourists do, and spend less than middle-aged tourists but more than
younger tourists.

B. Income and Social Status

Income and social status have a great influence on travel. Rich persons, as well as persons with higher
social status, travel more than those with lower Income and social class status. Higher income tourists
stay longer and spend more per day than those with lower incomes.

C. Education

There is a strong correlation between education and travel. Generally speaking, the better educated
members of the population have a greater desire to travel. Researchers have found that the more
educated the travelers are, they tend to be more sophisticated in their tastes. They prefer activities that
require the development of interpretative and expressive skills, such as attending plays, concerts, art
museums, reading books, playing golf, and skiing.

D. Life Stages of the Family

The presence of children in the family limits travel. More leisure time is spent at home. As the children
grow up and leave home, the married couples renew interest in travel. Couples in this life stage usually
have more discretionary income and are more financially capable to travel.

The Rise of New Travel Patterns

A. Travel Clubs

The most significant development in group travel consists of travel clubs. A very good example of these
is the Club Mediterranee which started in Western Europe and then spread to North America and other
areas of the world. In this group travel plan, a club member enjoys travel opportunities and vacation
destination facilities at a much cheaper price than that paid by a nonmember. The accommodations
offered by the club range from deluxe to very modest. There is also a wide choice of locations, climate,
and other vacation features.

B. Airline Group and Arrangements

Another development in group travel is the introduction of different types of tour fares promoted by
airlines. These are the following:

1. groups of 15 or more are given reduced fares;

2. charter service is given by some airlines to affinity group tours which are intended for those affiliated
to a legitimate group for a period of six months or longer;
3. public charter in which an entire airplane is made available to a group of persons who travel to the
same destination; and

4. incentive tours which are given by firms to employees as a reward for a special achievement or as a
motivation for achievement.

C. Special Interest Tours

Special interest group travel is becoming more popular at present. These are tours arranged for those
who are interested in a particular activity such as bird watching, festivals, fishing, hunting, scuba diving,
photography, flower arrangement, golf, skiing, mountain climbing, and the like.

Preferences of the International Tourist

The preferences of the international tourist are divided into four categories, namely:

1. complete relaxation to constant activity;

2. traveling near one's home environment to a totally strange environment;

3. complete dependence on group travel to traveling alone; and

4. order to disorder.

A. Relaxation Versus Activity

Before, the workweek for most people including the middle class was long and exhausting. Thus, they
demanded holidays that offered relaxation and rest. At present, the workweek has been shortened and
the annual holiday leave has been lengthened. Work has become less tiresome and people have become
used to greater leisure. Relaxation has become possible throughout the year. Accordingly, people have
started to use their no- holiday time leisure to exercise new activity skills, such as sailing, climbing, horse
riding, and sports. The demand for activity-oriented travel has greatly increased.

B. Familiarity Versus Novelty

In general, most tourists on their first trip abroad tend to seek familiarity rather than novelty. They
search for something that will remind them of home, whether it be food, newspapers, living quarters, or
another person from their own country. As soon as they find a place where they feel at home, these
tourists will go back to the same place for a number of times. Not until they have gained more
experience in traveling will they want to go to a new environment to see customs and cultures different
from their own, and to mix with people who speak differently, eat differently, and dress differently.

At present, there is an increasing positive attitude for novelty and for change. People accept innovations
in industry, education, family life, the arts, and social relationships, among others. Tourists move away
from traditional resorts to new tourist destinations.

C. Dependence Versus Autonomy

In the past, tourists joined package tours in which transportation, lodging, food, sightseeing, and
entertainment were fixed in advance by the tour agency. At present, there is the emergence of a group
of tourists who would like to acquire a sense of personal autonomy regarding their leisure time. They
would like to travel on their own and not part of a group. They would like to feel independent-in
complete control of what they do and how they do it.

D. Order Versus Disorder

In the past, tourists sought holidays which enforce the traditional concept of conformity-set meals at
fixed times, guidebooks which told them the right places to visit, and resorts where their fellow tourists
were tidy, well-behaved, and properly dressed. They avoided situations where their adult-imposed
sense of orderliness might be offended.

Now, the new generation of tourists is not very much concerned about what to wear and how to behave
when on holiday. Informality in behavior, a greater tolerance toward the differences of others, and
freedom from institutionalized regulations are now the characteristics of the modern traveler.

Because of social and economic changes in modern society, the demand for travel will be based less on
familiarity, relaxation, dependence, and order, but more on novelty, activity, autonomy, and informality.

Types of Tourist Roles

The continuous combination of novelty and familiarity forms the basic variable for the sociological
analysis of the phenomenon of modern tourism. This combination leads to the four types of tourist
roles. Each type represents a characteristic form of tourist behavior. The first two types, the organized
mass tourist and the individual mass tourist, are called institutionalized tourist roles because they are
dealt within a routine way by the tourist establishment, such as travel agencies and hotel chains which
cater to the tourist trade. The last two types, the explorer and the drifter, are called non-
institutionalized tourist roles because they are loosely attached to the tourist establishment.

A. The Organized Mass Tourist

This type of tourist is the least adventurous. He buys a package tour in which the itinerary of his trip is
fixed in advance and his stops are well- prepared and guided. He seldom makes decisions for himself. He
prefers a familiar environment rather than a new environment.

B. The Individual Mass Tourist

The individual mass tourist is similar to the organized mass tourist, except that the individual mass
tourist has a certain degree of control over his time and itinerary and is not bound to a group. However,
all the major arrangements of his tour are still made through a travel agency. Like the organized mass
tourist, he also travels within his own country and goes out of it occasionally. Familiarity is still
dominant, but less than the organized mass tourist. The desire for novelty is greater for the individual
mass tourist.

C. The Explorer

This type of tourist arranges his trip by himself and looks for comfortable accommodations and reliable
means of transportation. He tries to associate with the people he visits and to speak their language. The
explorer dares to leave his country much more than the previous two types, but goes back to it when
the experience becomes too rough. Although novelty dominates, the explorer does not adopt
completely the lifestyle of the host country. He still retains some of the basic practices and comforts of
his native way of life.

D. The Drifter

The drifter goes the farthest away from the accustomed ways of life of his own country. He is almost
totally immersed in his host culture. He tries to live the way the people he visits live and to share their
shelter, food, and habits. He retains only the most basic of his native customs. He arranges his own trip
and does not seek the help of a tour agency. He does not have a fixed itinerary. Novelty is at its highest;
familiarity disappears almost completely.

Social Tourism

In a general sense, social tourism is a subsidized system of travel through the intervention of the
government, employer, or labor union to achieve social goals and purposes. In the late 1930s, when
many European countries passed laws on paid holidays, it was recognized that the right to legal holiday
could not only be meaningful if the ordinary worker will be able to afford travel for recreation and rest.
Thus, a number of voluntary associations in the field of social tourism worked to obtain reduced fares
and to create a network of holiday centers for tourists of limited means.

In 1963, the International Bureau of Social Tourism (BITS) was founded in Brussels to encourage the
development of social tourism on an international scale. At present, it has a membership of more than
100 associations all over the world. The BITS is promoting tourism to achieve social objectives by
studying such issues as youth and senior citizen travel, the staggering of holidays, camping and
caravanning, building and financing moderate cost tourist facilities, and preservation of local culture and
environment.

A number of European governments subsidized tourism in several ways. Belgium grants subsidies for the
modernization and construction of family hotels. Spain has provided money for winter sports, camping
sites, as well as rural and mountain recreational facilities. The state owns a chain of 82 inns called
paradores. France gives assistance to holiday villages and camping grounds. It also gives loans and grants
for rural lodgings rented to tourists for at least three months a year for a minimum of 10 years. Ireland
subsidizes inland cruising. Norway and Sweden grant loans for less expensive accommodations.

In the United States, more than 100 different major programs of the federal government provide for
recreation, tourism, travel, and environmental conservation. Activities range from assigning
approximately one billion acres of public lands for recreation to the operation of historic sites, national
parks, and forests.