The tourism industry

Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries and the growth rate of tourism exceeds the growth rate for the worldwide economy. That’s why it is difficult to define tourism. Also it is difficult to define tourism as an industry, because tourism includes many different industries such as transportation, food services and retail services. So it’s completely difficult to indentify tourism expenditures.

Tourism is an industry, which provides different activities, services with a help of different organizations such as transportation, accommodations, eating and drinking establishments, shops and other organizations available for travelers away from their home. Also tourism can be defined as a travel away from a person’s usual place of residence for a period of time longer than 24 hours, but less than a year, primarily for pleasure or recreation and sometimes to multiple destinations.

There are 3 basis forms of tourism. They are domestic tourism, inbound tourism and outbound tourism.

1) domestic tourism involves residents of the country travelling within this country

2) inbound tourism involves non-residents travelling in another country

3) outbound tourism involves residents travelling in another country

Inbound and outbound tourism are the components of international tourism.

4 different perspectives of tourism, from the point of view of different components of the industry are as follows:

1. The tourist. sees tourism as a way of getting new experience and satisfaction or recreating themselves. It determines the chosen destinations and activities.

2. Businesspeople, who provide tourist goods and services, see tourism as an opportunity to make a profit by supplying those goods and services, which are required by tourists.

3. The governments of the host community or politi­cians view tourism as a wealth factor in the economy of their countries. It means that their citizens can earn from this business and it also will help to attract foreign currency to their countries.

4. The host community or local people usually see tourism as a cultural and employment factor.

Travel motivation in international tourism can divided into 3 main categories. They are price, climate and personal factors. Price is a major motivating factor. For example, some people from the countries with a low general price level can’t allow themselves to travel to the countries with a higher price level. Climate is also important. That’s why some countries with a guaranteed sunshine benefit from this factor. Personal motives include leisure and holiday, recreation, education, business travel, congresses and meetings, religion. Sometimes they can complement each other.

According to the WTO’s definition travellers can be divided into 4 groups: domestic visitors, international visitors, international tourists and excursionists.

Domestic visitors are people, who travel to a place within their country, but outside their usual environment for a period of time less than a year and are paid within the visited place.

International visitors are people, who travel to another country and outside their usual environment for a period of time less than a year and are paid within the visited place.

International tourists are people, who travel to another country and outside their usual environment for a period of time less than a year, but more than 24 hours.

Excursionists are foreign visitors who stay less than 24 hours at the visited place. Also visitors spending the night on board the ship are classified as same-day visitors, but not tourists.

Travellers included in tourism statistics are same-day and over-night visitors, whose main purposes of visit are leisure and holiday, recreation, business, visiting friends and relatives, pilgrimage and so on. Travellers excluded from tourism statistics are temporary migrants, border workers, nomads and refugees, diplomats and members of the armed forces.

Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries, as I have said and it is expected to grow 4.3 per cent annually between 2008 and 2017. Certain sectors of the tourism industry such as airlines and cruises will grow faster than others. The primary feature of world tourism trends is the wide distribution of international travel flows to the different regions of the world. It is also predicted that in tourism industry will be an increase in competition, and mergers among hotel chains, cruise lines, and other segments. The greatest activity will come in Europe, particularly in the tour operating sector. China will soon be the most popular destination.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14