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Unit 1

This document provides an overview of tourism as a phenomenon. It defines tourism according to the World Tourism Organization as people traveling away from their home for 24 hours to 1 year for leisure purposes. Tourism involves the consumption of transportation, accommodation, food, and viewing of attractions that are different than one's everyday experiences. It has become a mass activity and global phenomenon, with many professionals developing tourist destinations and experiences. Tourism allows people to view different landscapes and cultures than their normal daily lives and is motivated by anticipation of pleasure through experiences that contrast with the ordinary.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
32 views

Unit 1

This document provides an overview of tourism as a phenomenon. It defines tourism according to the World Tourism Organization as people traveling away from their home for 24 hours to 1 year for leisure purposes. Tourism involves the consumption of transportation, accommodation, food, and viewing of attractions that are different than one's everyday experiences. It has become a mass activity and global phenomenon, with many professionals developing tourist destinations and experiences. Tourism allows people to view different landscapes and cultures than their normal daily lives and is motivated by anticipation of pleasure through experiences that contrast with the ordinary.

Uploaded by

dqxter2110
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 14

UNIT 1 UNDERSTANDING TOURISM-l

Structure

1.0 Objectives
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Tourism Phenomenon
1.3 What is Tourism?
1.4 Concepts
1.4.1 Defining Tourism
1.4.2 Tourism Products and Services
1.4.3 Tours
1.4.4 Tourists
1.4.5 The Tourist Destination
1.5 Tourism: Forms and Types
1.6 Future Trends
1.7 Let Us Sum Up
1.8 Keywords
1.9 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

1.0 OBJECTIVES
.'

After reading this Unit you will be able to:


• define tourism,
• understand the Tourism Phenomena,
I
• explain the characteristics of tourism,
J
• appreciate why and how it is a constantly changing activity,
,
I
• list the concepts of tourism, !
\
• define a tourist, tourist product and destination,
• know what a tour is, and
• explain the different forms and types of tourism along with certain future trends.

- 1.1 INTRODUCTION·

Tourism and tourist are words which are commonly heard or mentioned in everyday life.
Pick up any newspaper and you will find some reference to tourism i.e. in relation to
government policy, tourist jlJrivals, products, destination, impact on economy, hostility or
hospitality of the local people etc. But how often have you attempted to understand the
meaning of tourism or asked the question who IS a tourist? Well, this Unit attempts to
define for you the words "tourism" and "tourist"- both technically as well as
conceptually. Then it goes on to comprehend the concepts related to tourism and its
characteristics. It also takes into account the different forms and types of tourism along
with explaining to you the terms like tourist destination and tourist product, etc. A
knowledge of these aspects is a must for a tourism professional as well as for anyone '
interested in pursuing Tourism Studies.

1.2 TOURISM PHENOMENON

Tourism is concerned with pleasure, holidays, travel and going or arriving somewhere.
These 'are the motivations that make people leave their "normal" place of work and
residence for short-term temporary visits to "other" places"

I
Tourism Phenomenon Tourism is concerned with consuming goods and services. For example, you need 'some
mode of transport, some form of accommodation to stay and so on. However, the only
reason for the consumption of such services and goods is that we have a pleasurable
experience or that we enjoy ourselves. A part of the enjoyment is in the fact that these
goods and services are different from what we typically consume everyday. Another
aspect of our enjoyment is that we:
• look at a set of different landscapes, cultures and life styles, and
• see different people and hear other languages, etc.
Because we are "going away" what we look at and experience becomes something out
of the ordinary-something unique. In fact, we do anticipate the new experience and this
leads us to view it with greater interest and curiosity. However, few of us realise that in
the production of this pleasant experience many professionals and experts help to
develop and construct our viewing. How this experience has changed and developed
depends on a variety of factors like which:
• historic period we are looking at,
• social groups we belong to,
• society we live in.
The tourist gaze is, therefore, based on a "difference" i.e. the difference between the
practice of tourism and other non-tourism social practices, like paid work and domestic
life or like the difference between taking a bus to go for work and taking a bus to a
tourist destination.
Tourism, as a significant social phenomena, involves a temporary break with normal
routine to engage with experiences that contrast with everyday life, with the mundane.
Almost all travel types---the explorer, the pilgrim, the monk, the merchant, the student,
the missionary, the hermit, the refugee, the conqueror, the cure seeker etc.-can be cited
as prototypes of the modem tourist.

1.3 WHAT IS TOURISM?

Well, the term tourism comprises several social practices. All these have the minimal
common characteristic - that they are different and they are a 'departure' from normal
life. These minimal characteristics help us to define tourism, which according to the
WTO W.T.O. is the movement of people away from their normal place of residence and work
is for a period of not less than 24 hours and not more than 1 year.
World Tourism
Organisation Tourism infact is a leisure activity because it coexists with its opposite, that is regulated
based at and organised work. This shows us that in modern societies work and leisure are
Madrid, Spain organised as separate and regulated areas of social practice. They are located in specific
places and periods of time. Tourism involves-the movement of people to, and their stay
at various destinations. This involves a journey and services like transport,
accommodation, catering and viewing etc. The journey to and stay at a site is outside
the normal place of work and residence for a short period. There is a clear intention
when "going away" to "return home". We must remember that tourism sites are not
connected with paid work and they preferably offer some contrast with sites where a
person's work and residence are located.
A substantial proportion of the population engages in going away on holiday. Hence,
new socialised forms of the provision for goods and services are developed in order. to
cater to the mass character of tourism practices.. The tourist is, therefore, different from
the traveller, because travel has an individual character where as tourism has a mass
character. Tourism is directed at places chosen for the anticipation (often built on day
dreaming and fantasy) of intense pleasure because such places are different to what we
normally encounter. Such anticipation is sustained through a variety of experiences
which influence our daily lives like film, T.V., fiction, magazines, records, videos etc.
which construct and reinforce our image of a tourist destination.
The tourist's gaze is directed towards a landscape, a town or an event by pointing out
those features that separate it from everyday life. Whilst many features are viewed

6
-'
because they are out of the ordinary. there is much more emphasis on the visual Understandloa Tourlsm-l
elements because we have seen it before through photographs. post cards. films etc.
Infact, we recapture the site through personal experience. Tourism. therefore. also
involves the recognition and collection of signs that represent a reality of another time
and another place. For example camel rides in the desert for a person who resides in
the hills.· .
A number of tourism professionals emerge and develop these signs. They attempt to
create new and newer objects for the consumption of the tourist's gaze. What they
produce and why it becomes an object of tourism, or why it becomes popular depends
. on the competition between the travel trade for the attention of the tourist on the one
hand, and on the other, the changing class, gender and generational distinctions of taste
within the group of potential visitors. For example, one may stay in a five star hotel or
a Yatri Niwas: one may take a pilgrimage or a beach holiday; one may go on a
package tour or take a trekking holiday alone.
Finally, tourism has also become a status symbol in modem society and thought to be
necessary to ones health. Today 40% of free time is devoted to travel in developed
countries. 429 million tourists spent U;S. $ 429 billion in 1990 and by the year 2000
tourism services will probably be the largest sources of employment in the world. These
statistics reflect the fact that many new tourist sites are opening all over the world and
tourism is now a global phenomena. .

I Check Your Progress 1


1) Define tourism. Why is it different from travel?

2) Why is tourism called a phenomenon in modem society?

.........................................................................................................

1.4 CONCEPTS

Film, pleasure and entertainment are concepts popularly associated with tourism. Many
writers like Boorstin and Baudrillard have said that because tourists travel in guided
groups isolated from the host environment and people, because they are encapsulated in
planes, hotels and air-conditioned buses, they remain in an "environmental bubble". Such
tourists look for western facilities wherever they go and therefore they participate in
"pseudo-events" because they do not encounter the real world on the street. level. As a
consequence tourist entrepreneurs and the local people produce displays for gullible
tourists. These, over time and with the help of the media; become images which are the
basis of illusions associated with the sites where tourism occurs. Thus, there is a
paradox in understanding tourism-which is defined by its opposite, work and routine;
I "
...

I
Tourism Pheaomenon yet it is engaged in reproducing the familiar (like hotels etc.) which insulate the tourist
from the strangeness of the destination or the host environment.
The mass society tourist is located in a very secure and protected environment where his
. senses are necessarily restricted. The tourist never learns to decipher the complex and
alien cultures which cannot be simplified and massproduced easily. Hence, we end up
with a monotonous image of a uniform concept of tourism -as hotel, beach and local
colour.
But tourism is not only a mass phenomenon. Cohen maintains that there are a variety of
tourist types and modes of tourist experience. Hence, it is necessary to:
• defme the tourist,
• understand how tourism emerges from a basic division between the ordinary/
everyday and the extra ordinary.
• explain the.characteristics of the tourist product.
• list types of destinations and identify their attractions, and
• explain what is a tour.

1.4.1 Defining Tourism

Over the years the definition of tourism has undergone a change alongwith the historical
changes. According to Hunziker and Krapf tourism is "the sum of the phenomena and
relationships arising from the travel and stay of non-residents, in so far as it do not lead
to permanent residence and is not connected to any earning activity". This definition
emphasises travel and stay, but excludes day trips, business trips etc., and the
overlappirig of these boundaries with other practices.
The League of Nations in 1937 recommended that tourism covers the social activity of
those who travel for a period of 24 hours or more in a country other than the one a
person usually lives in. However, the limitation of this defmition was that it excluded
domestic and emphasised only on international tourism.
The Rome Conference on Tourism in 1963 adopted the recommendation to replace the
term "tourist" with the term "visitor" and defined tourism as a visit "to a country other
than ones own or where one usually resides and works", for the following reasons:
i) Tourism - the activity of temporary visitors staying at least 24 hours for leisure:
business, family, mission or meeting.
ii) Excursion - the activity of a temporary visitor staying less than 24 hours but
excluding people in transit.
This definition also excluded the domestic tourist, although it did recognise the day
visitor.
The Tourism Society of Britain in' 1976 proposed to clarify the concept of tourism by
saying that "Tourism is the temporary, short-term movement of people to destinations
outside the places where they normally live and work and their activities during their
stay at these destinations, including day visits and excursions."
AlEST in 1981 refined this concept and held that "Tourism may be defmed in terms of
particular activities selected by choice and undertaken outside the home environment.
Tourism mayor may not involve overnight stays away from home".
These defmitions indicate that tourism has expanded in its range and scope. The concept
of tourism has broadened to include all forms of the phenomenon of leisure activity.
Today we may define Mass Tourism as the quest of someone who travels to see
something different and is' dissatisfied when he fmds that things are not the same as at
home.
This definition reflects the orientation of global tourism, which is concentrated in
Western societies where 60% of international tourist arrivals are received and from
where 70% of the tourists originate. Because the control of tourism is centered in the
West, the concepts associated with tourism are 'necessarily influenced by the social
practices of these societies rather than the travel heritage of the non-western cultures and
developing societies.'

8
The movement of tourists from the place of origin to the destination is further described Understanding Tourlsm-l
as:
• International Tourism, when the travel is from one country to another. and
• Domestic Tourism, when the travel is within the country i.e. trips taken by a tourist
within his/her own country or where the origin and destination are in the same
country.
In International Tourism you will come across two other terms:
i) Inbound: This refers to tourists entering a country.
ii) Outbound: This refers to tourists leaving their country of origin for an other.
However, these terms apply in the case of outward travel only at its beginning. We must
remember that on the journey back a tourist is only returning to the place of residence
and he cannot be termed as inbound tourist But at the same time an outbound tourist
can also be an inbound tourist For example you decide to go to Cuba. From the point
of view of India you will be described as an outbound tourist but Cuba will describe
you as an inbound tourist.

INTERNATIONAL TOURISM

Tourist

I:: I---+-----=---~~-----+---I=- I
Outbound Inbound

K (Returning Home)

DOMESTIC TOURISM
Tourist

1= I__~ K__~ I~I


1.4.2 Tourism Products and Services

In relation to tourism, very often you will come across terms like tourism products and
services. Here we attempt to defme them.
The purchase of a tour is a speculative investment by the tourist, who anticipates the
pleasure the consumption of such a product will result in. Tourist consumption and
anticipation are related to services that after the basic necessities and comforts are
provided, leisure activities are also organised. However, it has often been said that
selling tours is similar to selling dreams. For example, a tour is more than buying a
mere collection of services like an aircraft seat, a hotel bed, meals and the opportunity
to see the Taj Mahal. The tourist is buying, temporarily, a strange environment including
unique climatic and geographical features and intangible benefits like bargain, luxury
service, hospitality, atmosphere, a culture and heritage.
The tourist product is therefore both, a physical as well as a psychological construction"
which is challenged to transform dreams into reality. The problem in meeting such a
challenge is that different cultures have different priorities and codes but the global
tourism professional requires a universal-Ioften termed as western) standard of
satisfaction. Apart from the problem of quality control there is always the element of
chance which can destroy the most well organised tour. This can be due to natural or
man-made reasons, accidents or sudden and unforeseen circumstances. Risks are higher
in tourism services because these services are considered luxuries and often not given
the same attention as essential services. Local people often express hostility to tourism
because they see it as an expression of Five Star culture. extending the gap between
their life style and that of the tourist.
For the producer of the service there are also risks. Travel services are consumed en route
and at the destination. They cannot be tested, seen, sampled or compared in advance.
9

I
Tourism Phenomenon They depend on a reputation earned by the satisfaction of previous users and on
advertising. Services are also created in a particular historical and social context and are
affected by a work culture. Moreover, the supply of services is fixed and created in
advance and the risk of underconsumption has to be borne by the producer because
travel services cannot be stored. For example. an unused aircraft seat or an empty hotel
room cannot be carried over to another day or time or place. It has a value where and
when it is offered. for use. Thus. the carrying capacity and' demand for a service have to
be carefully assessed and estimated. For example. it is often claimed that one of the
constraints for tourist movement in India is the shortage of airline seats. To makeup for
this air taxis were introduced. However. they have displaced 20 per cent of Indian
Airlines traffic rather than meeting the shortage or generating new demand. This creates
a crisis situation for both. Indian Airlines as well as air taxi operators along with a loss
of 6.5 crores in foreign exchange.
In tourism demand is often irrational and trends also change rapidly. But the building up
of services often requires a lead time. Once a capacity is offered, the hotel and transport
service for example, it often lasts longer than the demand for it This requires great
ingenuinity on the part of the producer to ensure that the service remains profitable.
In developing countries the risks cannot be carried from one tourist season to another.
Apart from the demand-supply constraints and socio-political factors, operators and
providers of service are also affected by weather conditions (like hot weather and the
monsoons). They are also constrained by a lack of capital to invest in marketing. In
many cases they depend to a large extent on the informal sector or what is termed as
the tout or broker. The tourist views the activities of such persons with suspicion and
considers their method a harassment. However, the small scale operator depends heavily
on the oral application and direct contact of the informal services of touts and brokers
for his profitability.

Economic
Social Destination
Political (Supply)
I Tourist
(Demand)
I Environment

Information
Transport
Accommodation
Catering I Intermediaries
Tours/Excursions
Entertainment
I (Formal/Informal)
I
1.4.3 Tours
Tours and their characteristics is closely linked to the motivation (See Unit 2) of the
tourist. Motivation or purpose of a visit is usually:
• Holiday or vacation, including a visit with friends and relations,
• Meetings and conferences, including other business activities,
• Health and sports,
• Religion and Culture, or
• Special interests. including study tours, etc.
The purpose of visit determines the nature of the tour in the following ways:
i) Are you free to choose your destination?
ii) Is price a constraint?
ill) Is time a constraint?
-I
iv) Is quality a determining factor? C/J

v) What facilities and services do you require? ..•.


o

c:J
o
o
10 "
..•.

.. ,
Tours can be within national boundaries or in any place in the world. Such a decision Understanding Tourlsm-l
will have an impact on the economy of both, the country of origin and the tourists'
destination site. Tours also focus on unique natural or geographical features like the
coastline, islands, mountains, health resorts, countryside, etc. At such locations the
provision of tourist services.and the pressure of tourists are bound to have impacts on
the environment, economy, local social practices and on the people.

Destination

~~ l~_IMP
A_C_T~<
__ !__ ~>_AREAS ~l ~~l _
_ EconO_IDY I I Fnvirooment 1 _Poop_le I I Culmre 11 ~ Practices 1

The time period a tour includes will depend on factors like:


• holiday period,
• price,
• attractions and activities,
• single destination or multi-destination,
• packaged itinerary or individual travel, and
• inclusive arrangements or special interest tours, etc.
In the case of an independent or tailor-made tour the visitor buys services individually.
This he does either by making reservations in advance, directly or through a travel agent
or on an ad hoc basis during the tour. The latter is called a walk-in arrangement which
depends on availability. A package or inclusive tour is an arrangement in which
transport and accommodation are purchased at an inclusive price. This means that the
prices of the individual components of the services required by the tourist cannot be
determined by the buyer. ,
I Packages are assembled by tour operators who buy the individual elements in advance
from the producers and the wholesalers. Because these services are bought in advance in
large numbers, the tour operator buys at a special discount price (20% to 30% lower
than the market price). He then sells individual and group tours either directly or
through travel agen,s who are performing the retail function. For this travel agents earn
a commission (2% to 10%).
Tourist services are also accordingly diverse to suit all the aspects of demand. For
example:
1) Transport services can be scheduled (run according to a time-table) or chartered
(according to demand).
2) Accommodation can be in the formal (hotel) sector or the subsidiary sector
(guesthouse. camp site. apartment on rent etc).
3) Catering can be on a meal plan which includes a variety of options. For example,
American Plan including 3 meals, Modified American Plan including breakfast and
lunch or dinner and European Plan including breakfast only.
4) Local transfers and sight-seeing can be organised by coach, taxi, etc. For those
who like to do things on their own, the rent-a-car option is also available.

1.4.4 Tourists

The tourist, apart from being a holiday maker or businessman. can also be in terms of
region, nationality. soda-economic class, age and sex. Behavioural aspects like stage in
the life cycle, personality and educational levels also help the producer of services to
design products that fit specific target grout s or market iegments. This is termed as
profiling the tourist ( ee T·2 Iock-;' ~ ich denni anal refinement helps us to
1

collect data on what .he tour' st ~ r al» !c;() .rg f ( at the destmation. Such data also
11

I
Tourism Phenomenon helps us to understand tourism and to see how travel and tourism related practices differ
between different markets. Such information helps the industry to design products and
develop strategies appropriate to the needs of the market. Such data also enables
activists, who may be local activists or networking with international groups to control
the form of tourism being developed at a particular destination and to:
• intervene in the type of development being planned, an~
• maximise the benefits from tourism and to minimise negative impacts.

1.4.5 The Tourist Destination

A destination is both a site and an event, and these two factors are the attractions. In a
site attraction, a location exercises appeal like the Shimla hills, the Kerala coastline or
the Kbajuraho temple complex. With an event acting as a pull. tourists are drawn toa
particular place because of what is happening at that location; Where both site and event
are attractions. like the Konark Dance Festival or the Elephant March or Boat race in
Kerala, the success of such a destination multiplies.
Destinations can be spread over a wide geographical area. The attraction to a destination
lies in the image it has or the attractions it offers. (You will read in detail about
destinations in Unit 18).

I Check Your Progress 2

1) Explain why tourism is difficult to defme. How would you define Tourism?

.........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
.. ,

.............................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
2) Is the tourist product similar to other products?

..........................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
............................................... \ .
.........................................................................................................
3) What are the essential features of a tour? Why is a package tour a popular
phenomenon?

••••••••••••••••••••••.•••••••••••••••••••• 0/' ••••••• ~ •••••• 0 0 ••••••••••.••••••••••••••••••••••.•••••••.•.•••••••

-I
Cl>
.........................................................................................................
......................................................................................................... to
o
o
12 "
Understanding Tourism-l

1.5 TOURISM: FORMS AND TYPES

Today people are feverishly participating in tourism. This may include short trips during
the week, weekend breaks or longer journeys during holidays. Old age pensioners have a
dream of retiring to a place where the weather is good and the prices low. Without any
outside pressure, millions of people flock to destinations of their own free will. Long
lines of cars, crowded buses and trains and jumbo jets go all over the world. As a result
the beaches become too small, shops and restaurants too crowded, porting facilities and
the environment degraded and worn down with years of being admired and used, and
the world shrinks. For an increasing number of people work is no longer the main
purpose of life and this encourages tourism. Modem tourism is one of the most striking
phenomena of our times and tourism offers us an opportunity to learn, to enrich
humanity and to identify what may be termed as goals for a better life and a better
society. But conservationists want to change things. They want to arrest the spread of
the "landscape eaters" who have transformed the countryside with their mass migration.
Forms and types of tourism emerge within the context of changing social values. For
example, in modem society, the value of 'being' has been superseded by the value of
'having'. Possession, property, wealth, egoism and consumption have become more
important than community, tolerance, moderation, sensibility and modesty. As a result,
in all parts of the 'Yorld:
• economy is characterised by increasing concentration of wealth, division of labour
and specialisation,
• environment is being treated as if resources are renewable,
• the limits of eco-system are stretched without considering the negative aspects, and
• peoples' rights are constantly eroded to meet the needs of the power system, etc.
Forms of tourism emerge from different fields of tension such as: work/rest, awake/
asleep, exertion/relaxation, income/expenditure, job/family, freedom/necessity, risk/
security. Similarly, dirt, noise, rush, pollution and trouble etc. are all key expressions of
such tension. The possibility of going away is very important in such a context.
The desire for tourism is therefore determined socially. Governments promote tourism,
people talk about their holidays, unions sponsor holidays, health insurance covers visits
to spas, tax rebates are given for holiday homes and corporations reward employees with
travel instead of bonus money. Seasonal pressures strengthen the urge to get away from
home. Annual vacations; the media, literature and fashion all strengthen the holiday
mania. The tourism industry whets the appetite with tantalising offers of entertainment
and pleasure. The commercialisation of recreation functions within the well-established
principles of a free market economy. In the past, in the erstwhile socialist countries
holiday homes and limited foreign travel were subsidised for workers. In India we still
have a transport subsidy called the Leave Travel Concession and most companies
provide holiday homes for their workers, but tourism is primarily a private enterprise. A
study of tourist brochures indicates the successful design of a tourist visit:
1) Create a holiday mood by emphasising informality, abandonment, serenity, freedom,
pleasure. -
13

I
Tourism Phenomenon 2) Show time, standing still, romanticism and relaxation, peace and space.
3) Show something beautiful that is not available at home. And typical holiday
symbols like the sun, a beach umbrella, a palm fringed coastline etc.
4) Show people from other cultures, always beaming, happy, friendly and idle.
All four ingredients from the tourism mix. However, in todays context the different
types of tourism are as follows:

1. Rest and Recuperation


Taking a rest from everyday life; relieve the stress of societies that have shifted from
manual to sedentary work. Tourism as diversion or compensation to holiday destinations
is what may be called holiday or vacation travel which is focused on resorts and beach
holidays, both domestic and international.

2. Escape
Tourism as a mass flight from everyday reality to an imaginary world of freedom. This
flight takes place within the movements from centres to peripheries or in other words a
North-South migration.

3. Communication
Spending quality time with family and friends, make new friends and acquaintances.
This is mass tourism, in herds, enjoying the facilities of tourism enclaves.

4. Culture and Education


Such Tourism is based on sight-seeing tours to experience and see other countries of the
world though not necessarily in depth.

S. Freedom
Tourism frees you from home and work and is directed towards facilities and comforts
rather than experience. "

6. Health
Visit spas, go to saunas, undergo cures for chronic ailment, visit health 'clubs for
workouts or do yoga i.e. travel for health.

7. Special Interest Tours


Is organised as per the special interests of the tourists ranging from medical, historical,
archaeological and other interests to golf or fishing.
8. Adventure and Wild Life
Far away from modem civilisation, with bearers and porters and mules, camels,
elephants or jeeps, mixing trekking and hiking and camp life with the luxury of a rust
class hote1.

9. Convention Tourism
To mix leisure with work, holding convention or meetings at tourist destinations.
Different forms of tourism also give rise to different types of tourists.
1) 1tte-fldic.ulous tourist who is dressed in funny clothes and views everything through
the lens of a camera.
2) The naive tourist who is inexperienced in travel, always asks unnecessary questions
and has no ,language skills.
. 3) The organised tourist who feels at home with a guide and a group of fellow
tourists.
4) The ugly tourist who behaves as if he owns the world.

14·
5) The uncultured tourist who is a beach bum and spends his time lazing and eating, Understanding Tourlsm-l

6) The rich tourist who can afford anything, likes to show prosperity and enjoys being
waited upon.
7) The exploiting tourist who spends a holiday at the cost of people and takes
advantage of their culture, hospitality and poverty.
8) The polluting tourist who demands that for his comfort everything can be flattened
or destroyed. '
9) The alternative tourist who explores the few untouched corners of the world thus
opening the way to mass tourism.

I WANT
TO
REST TOUR CULTURE
..l ...L EDUCATION

BUT
ESCAPE ,..-- I-- FREEDOM
WHY?

COMMUNICATION HEALTH

SPECIAL ADVENTURE BUSINESS


INTEREST WILDLIFE LEISURE

, 1.6 FUTURE TRENDS

A recent B.B.C. programme entitled "Wish you weren't here" underlines the concern
today at what the Golden Hordes have done to the world environment and fragile
communities and cultures. There was a time when the UN promoted tourism because of
its economic benefits, because:
1) A transfer of wealth from the rich to the poor was possible.
2) Regional imbalances could be overcome in areas where there were no other
developmental resources.
3) Provide employment to people with low educational and skill levels.
4) Give rise to economic growth with the circulation of the tourist dollar.
After four decades of organised Mass Tourism, today the option for the future is
Sustainable Tourism, or tourism controlled by the local people at their pace and in
answer to their needs. The essential aspect of Sustainable Tourism is the concept of
carrying capacity, that is, a control on the number of tourists as well as the type of
tourism to be developed. Carrying capacity is a concept that has to keep in mind the
needs of:
a) the environment
b) the level of development-both economic and social
c) culture
d) population and its needs in the present and in the future
e) tourism vs. other forms of economic activity.

Here we give you some of the projections made by the WTO in relation to future
trends.

1S

I
DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNATIONAL TOURISM ARRIVALS AND

.
RECEIPTS (l) WORLDWIDE 1950-93
RECEIPTS US $'" J$O '\
,

1(]() .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-----.---.-.-.---.-.-.-.-.-~-~: •••• ~ - (100


¥OO .-.:.- -tt.t.-.- -_-_._-,_._.__-
arrivals •• •
_.-.!._,_._._._~.uo
.200
J(]()

soa
-.-.---.-.-----.-.-

---- --:;i;.- •••••.•


!--••
••. - .-------.-.~-.-.-.-~---.-.-,

•• receipts j 150

lOO

.'...
100 --_._ .••• _-_.---._ .. ---._--.-.-.- _ _.' 10
- - -
o 0
'PlO 60 61 70 7$ 80 8f 8.2 83 8/1 85 86 87 88 8f1 90 fit fI.2 fI.1

(1) Excluding International fore receipts


Source: WfO

FINAL RESULTS OF INTERNATIONAL TOURJSM IN 1992

~ un,_ ~ro ~.3 3.7 aaS.5 i4\.P5.6 12.9 102

:£ASlAStA 1t.ACmC ~UQG 5a.'9.24 13.7 ..i2 1l5Aa6 .a9.~ ll:5.n :2...6

b3t~ 80.~ m..836 3.7 .;2,4 35a,B1'5 !l35.1M1 ~a~ ".2;$

~1'£i£A'S'1f t7,:~1 ~,~OI lIS.7 ~lO:3 '1\.;398 ~;V-9 26.'2 -11<6:5

'S'tlflm A'Sil -S.- 3;2;7!P 17.'Iil '3.11 :2;0'111 lH9.68 ;5.'S .·)1••11

::s.<iW(Cfl: \WIt!:i>

....
~l~
. .-":. .
TOUHIST ACTIVITY~ FOHECAS'lYl . ()9(J-201 () .~' ,

TOURIST ARRIVALS WORLDWIDE TOURIST ARRIVALS REGIONAL


GROWTH RATES 1990·2000
I A'.0it pdlp.t. ~
IIM4IGI
937
1
6
5
••
3
2
I
o~~~~~~~~~~~
Iltb,"ii
~./!.I ,1
2000 )o,e
Understanding Tourlsm-l ,,
I Check Your Progress 3
1) How are we socially oriented or directed towards participation in tourist activity?

............... , ": .

......................................................................................................... ,

2) Differentiate between different forms of tourism and link them to impacts on the
environment and culture.

3) What is Alternative Tourism?

.......................................... ; .

4) What is Sustainable Tourism?

17

•• <

I
1/ ,I

Tourism PbenomenoD ..........................................................................................................


.........................................................................................................
-

1.7 LET US SUM UP

You have seen that tourism is defined in different ways. It is crucial to note that the
tourist has the understanding of coming back to the place of residence after being at the
destination and having enjoyed the tourist products, attractions and services. There are
different forms of tourism and so also the types of tourists with their own behavioural
characteristics. Over the years different concepts have emerged in tourism. Tourism
products and services play a vital role. While looking at the future trends a variety of
factors have to be accounted for. For example, now there is emphasis on the
Alternative or Sustainable Tourism as people are beginning to assert their rights and
demand controls.

1.8 KEYWORDS

Environmental Bubble: Isolated situation in which a tourist is placed e.g., in an


air-conditioned bus or a car tour where local weather conditions do not affect him/her.
Golden Hordes: The mass of tourists with money to spend.
Itinerary: Schedule.
Phenomenon: Happening encompassing different sectors of a group.
Psuedo-events: Happenings especially conjured up to meet the tourists preconceptions
e.g. creating an image that India is basically a land of fakirs and snake-charmers for
foreign tourist
Tourist Gaze: The way a tourist sees his/her tourist site.
Tourist Season: The time of the year when arrivals of tourists at a particular destination
are at a peak.

1.9 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS·


EXERCISES

I Check Your Progress 1


1) See Sec. 1.3. You may have to make a difference between the individual character
of travel and mass character of tourism.
2) See Sec. 1.3. You may have to look into the number of implications tourism has
forme economy, society etc.

I Check Your Progress 2


1) See Sub-sec. 1A.1. You may have to look into the changing character of tourism.
2) See Sub-sec. 1.4.2. You will have to have the difference between the speculative
nature of tourist products and the correct nature of other products.
3) S~ Sub-sec. 1.4.3. Tours are basically defined by their motivation.

I Check Your Progress 3


1) See Sec. 1.5. Different societies create different motivation for tourism.
2) See Sec. 1.5.
. 3) See Sec. 1.5.
4) See Sec. 1.6.

18

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