Learning outcomes
After studying this chapter, you would be able to:
- Describe the concept of air transportation.
- Identify the instances that led to the evolution of modern aviation and tourism.
- Relate travel in the process of tourism.
- Derive the intricacies existing between transport, particularly air transport, and tourism.
- Comprehend the growing travel propensity, hypermobility and tourism.
1.1 Introduction
The human desire to fly has been there since time immemorial. Even in the early history, instances of varied attempts to fly are seen. Such attempts continued, and some of those paved the way for the emergence of mechanized flying. In fact, people had to wait until the 20th century to make air travel possible in a smooth and comfortable manner. Begun in the first decade of the last century, aviation has grown by leaps and bounds and turned into a huge industry with wide socio-economic ramifications. The phenomenal success of air transport is particularly due to the consistent advancements in the aviation technology because of rigorous attempts to improve. Currently, this is the most rapid transport system, which generates incredible economic growth, results in a large number of employment opportunities and facilitates international trade and tourism. Of late, the commercial air transport network is with more than 1,400 scheduled airlines, 26,000 aircrafts in service, 3,900 airports and 173 air navigation service providers (ATAG, 2017). Moreover, out of the total employment of 62.7 million jobs created by this sector, 9.9 million are generated directly in the industry (IHLG, 2017). Moreover, an efficient air transport system is a determinant in the socio-economic progress of a country. Along with the exponential rise of air transport as a major mode of transportation, the air travel propensity has permeated deep into various societies all over the world. Consequently, air travel became accessible to more sections of the society compared to the early stages of modern aviation. Once, air travel was restricted to a few, the rich and the aristocratic. Now, it is a mass transport system having billions of users availing its services annually. Although there is a stalemate in the air transport system due to the pandemic, the sector is poised for further growth, and the predictions in the growth of air transportation are awesome, which is described in the following sections.
By the second half of the last century, air transport became significant in tourism, and of late, the majority of the international tourists now depend on the mode of air transport for their onward and return journeys. Almost in the same era, tourism too got into a new stage of evolution, often remarked as the beginning of modern tourism. Both the sectors have grown together to become large economic sectors in the world towards the end of the 20th century, and more often, both are represented together in the tourism literature. As stated by Page (2009),
Tourism has become one of the most visible signs of human movement at a global level, benefiting from increased prosperity, a desire to travel and the benefits which new transport technology has brought to aid increased accessibility of destinations to tourists and other travellers.
While air transport has evolved into a mass mode of transportation mainly due to the technological advancements and the deregulation process began in the USA in the late 1970s, tourism gained the pace in its growth due to a wide range of reasons. Yet amongst the reasons, the rise of air transport as an increasingly affordable option for long-haul travel turned to be a major one. Taleb Rifai, the former secretary general of the UNWTO, stated that
The extraordinary growth of international tourism over the last decades â from 25 million tourists in 1950 to 990 million in 2011 â is as much due to advances in air transport as to growing wealth in industrialized and emerging countries and the forces of globalization. Over half of all international tourists currently arrive to their destinations by air and UNWTO expects 23 million more tourists to take to the skies each year between now and 2030.
(Rifai, 2012/UNWTO Global aviation report)
In the new millennium, the new airline business models and the increasing rate of dynamism in it, along with a number of other factors, spurred tourism growth further to become one of the top five economic sectors in the world. There exists an inextricable link between both the sectors, and it is of paramount importance to discuss deeply the interrelationship between both the sectors. This book has been envisaged as one that comprehends the interactions and interrelationships between tourism and air transport.
1.2 Air transportation
Air transportation is certainly one of the most significant components of the global transport system, and the significance has predominance in the long-haul travel. Moreover, it has remarkable significance in the worldâs socio-economic impacts. Usually, transportation is classified based on the medium in which the process of movement takes place. In air transport, the vehicle used for the movement is aircraft, mostly. Helicopters, hot air balloons, gliders, jets, etc. can also be used for the movement. Air transport represents the mode of transport using aerial vehicles for moving people, mail and cargo from one place to another. It enables the people to travel through air to a distant place so quickly. In addition, it enables people to send cargo or similar consignments to another location in the fastest possible manner. The term âair transportationâ is used to denote the commercial transportation of cargo and passengers. Basically, it conveys the mobility of people and cargo by air. The difference between air transportation and aviation is that the latter is an umbrella term involving all aspects of air travel, whereas the term âair transportationâ denotes mainly the commercial transportation of people, mail and cargo from one place to another. Air transportation, simply, is the system in which the air transport activities are undertaken, in order to enable the movement of people, mail and cargo using aircrafts of varied kinds. It is a transportation system for transporting goods and passengers by air. Industries in this system provide âair transportation of passengers and/or cargo using aircraft, such as airplanes and helicoptersâ (North American Industry Classification System/www.bls.gov). Air transport services constitute the most visible component of aviation as well. The predominant view of air transport is related to the use of the service of âcommon carriersâ, which are used in the context of public transport. While analysing air transport from a marketing point of view, it can be seen as an intermediate good as most of the people use it as a means to achieve some other purpose (OâConnor, 2001). For example, when tourists fly to a destination, they may have an objective to have a happy vacation; the air trip is largely or entirely a means to this objective.
Commercial air transport is getting increasing significance due to its inherent characteristics. As mentioned above, speed is the most important factor that makes it more special in the long-haul travel. Being the fastest mode of transportation, it is the most suitable means where time is an important factor. Its speed is many times more than that of most of the other modes of transportation. Latest aircrafts are speedier as well. Military aircrafts are featured with speed. Some of the latest such aircrafts have a top speed of more than 2,500 mph. In addition, there are planes being developed with a speed of more than 5,000 mph. However, in commercial transportation, flights of 900 km/h, on an average, are in use. The speed can increase tremendously in the future, which can stimulate air travel propensity further. As per latest reports, supersonic commercial aircrafts are being designed that can fly at a speed of 1,450 mph and that can make the trip from New York to London in three hours and 15 minutes. This sector also provides very regular services along with high level of comfort. Most of the operations within air transport are highly time-bound, and efficient system of functioning makes it possible.
1.3 Evolution of air transportation
Though there have been many instances of attempts to fly using different objects in different eras in the written history, the modern aviation began only in the early 20th century. It was on 17 December 1903, using the flight âFlyer One First flightâ by Orville Wright, with the help of Wilbur Wright, flew a distance of 39 metres (120 ft.) for the duration of 12 seconds at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, which paved the way for the emergence of an innovative transport system in the world. From then onwards, innovations and developments emerged at regular intervals. All such contributed to the evolution of a great industry, which changed the way that people move from place to place. Many instances can be noted in the history of aviation, and only a few are pointed out here. In the first decade of the last century itself, aircraft manufacturing company was started â that too just four years after the first successful experimental flight of an aircraft. In 1905, Gabriel and Charles Voisin started the worldâs first aircraft manufacturing company in France. In 1909, Louis BlĂ©riot crossed the English Channel in a monoplane.
In 1914, St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line organized the first scheduled passenger air transport, from St. Petersburg in Florida in the USA. The first airmail route in the United States was established in 1918 between New York City and Washington DC, and in the same year, US Post Office Department took over the entire airmail service. World wars contributed greatly in the evolution of aviation as rigorous experiments and researches were undertaken during the war years to improve the air transport capability. Newer technologies were introduced and experimented during the wars. In Europe, the use of aircrafts for various purposes, particularly for the war purposes, was predominant. For instance, Bartsch (2018) noted that ââŠat the beginning of the war in 1914, the Great Britain possessed only twelve military aeroplane; by the warâs end in November 1918, there were 22,000 aeroplanesâ.
As air transport gained increased significance, an urge was there to have some agencies to initiate regulations and guidelines for the smooth and efficient air transport all over the world. The International Air Traffic Association was formed in 1919 at The Hague, Netherlands, with the objective of forming a common understanding about international air transportation. Soon, many airlines were born. Examples include Qantas (1920), Imperial Airways (1924), Lufthansa (1926) and Air France (1933). By the time, in 1925, the United States had introduced the Kelly Act, which is a Contract Air Mail Act that authorized the postmaster general to enter into contracts with private persons or companies for the airmail transportation. Soon, the US government passed the Air commerce Act in 1926. Passenger service became popular in the United States by the mid-1920s. The experimental flight by Charles Lindberg in 1927 across the Atlantic was a revolutionary occurrence in the early history of modern aviation. In between, many events occurred with the objective of standardizing various aspects associated with flying on international routes. Paris Convention (1919) was a major one, in which 27 states signed the convention relating to the Regulation of Aerial Navigation in Paris. Madrid Convention (1926), Havana (Pan-American) Convention (1928) (the first multilateral convention), etc. are some other major events held before the Second World War (Bartsch, 2018). Later, after the Second World War, Chicago Convention (1944) was organized. It reaffirmed the system of bilaterally negotiated âtraffic rightsâ between nations and gave birth to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as a UN agency in order to guide and regulate global civil aviation. In the next year, International Air Transport Association (IATA) was formed with the intention of smooth and efficient commercial air transportation. Bermuda Agreement was undertaken in 1946, which set the pattern for most other traffic rights agreements. Jet aircrafts were introduced in between, and in 1955, Pan American Airways gave orders for Boeing and Douglas jets. The Boeing 707, the pioneer jet engine model, went into service in 1958. Late 1960s saw the entry of supersonic aircraft, and in 1968, British Aircraft Corporation (BAC)/Aerospatiale introduced Concorde with a speed up to 2,400 kph and a range of 7,000 km.
Table 1.1 Second World War and Aviation Development The contribution of the Second World War in the advancement of aviation is summarized as follows: - Availability of experienced pilots in large numbers
- Aviation got increased awareness amongst the public
- Increased awareness of the weather
- More maps and knowledge of foreign terrain
- Availability of a large number of airfields in more parts of the world
- A large collection of surplus aircraft designs, flying techniques and other knowledge suitable for the evolution of aviation sector
- The development of jet aircrafts
|
Source: Modified from Gee et al. (1997).
Deregulation, pa...
