Tourism

Peter Robinson, Michael Lück, Stephen Smith

• Editorial: CAB International
• Año: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781789241518
• Edición: 2
• Categoría: Business
• Categoría: Hospitality, Travel & Tourism Industry

Fully revised, Tourism, 2nd edition covers aspects of tourism from a modern perspective, providing students with a range of theoretical and research-based explanations, supported by examples, case studies and unique insights from industry representatives. The many facets of tourism management are presented in a style that is as relevant for 1st year students as it is for postgraduates. The text offers introductory definitions and detailed discussions of contemporary issues that recognize current teaching practice around the world. Covering topics such as policy and planning, heritage management, leisure management, event management and hospitality management, the book tackles the practical elements of academic tourism such as infrastructure management and economic development, together with other important contemporary issues such as sustainable development and post-tourists. This new edition also features: · Updated and new contemporary case studies, including countries such as Egypt, Croatia and The Philippines· New material on · tourism and sustainability including the SDGs · Unions in the travel and tourism sectors· Gender issues in travel and tourism· Augmented reality and robots· Prosumption and co-creation· Contributions from professionals working in the tourism industry for a real-world perspective· A fresh new layout and full colour text and figures that make it easy to locate information and aid learning· Links to new video material throughout, which provide easy access to additional content for further study This will be an essential text for all students of travel and tourism at all levels of study.

Part 1 Tourism Perspectives

Part One introduces you to the study of tourism. Chapter 1 will give you the foundation for understanding the subject of tourism. This will take you beyond the usual thoughts many people have about tourism being simply for pleasure. Although tourism as a major social phenomenon began with the arrival of commercial jet aircraft in the 1950s, people have been travelling for many purposes for millennia. Chapter 2 looks at the economic aspects of tourism. While tourism is much more than just an economic phenomenon, the study of economics sheds light on some key topics, such as resources, costs, values, scarcity, the nature of the industry and other forces that shape how tourism operates and affects societies. These two chapters will help you appreciate the universality of tourism as well as its local forms and national experiences, together with the relationships that exist between tourism and local, regional and national economies.

1 An Introduction to Tourism

Learning Objectives

Upon completing this chapter, you will be able to:

• describe the evolution of tourism with reference to specific countries;

• discuss the definition of tourism;

• summarize the ‘tourism system’ and the key players and components in contemporary tourism.

Introduction

Tourism is a familiar concept to many people, perhaps even seen as a trivial thing, not appropriate for, or requiring, ‘serious’ study. For many, tourism is a source of fun or relaxation; something people do during time off from work or during retirement. Certainly, hundreds of millions of people take billions of tourism trips every year, with many of them resulting in good times, stories to tell their friends and pleasant memories.

However, for millions of other people, tourism is also something they do for their job. Those jobs may be temporary and short term, such as a summer job for university and college students, or they may be professional, lifelong careers that build on higher education and experience. Some tourism jobs may be low paid but other tourism careers pay very well. Further, while tourism businesses employ many people around the world, tourism also offers the opportunity for people to start their own businesses. These businesses usually begin and remain small, often at the choice of the entrepreneur who starts the business. Tourism can offer someone the opportunity to build a business that provides not only a source of income, but also a desired lifestyle. Moreover, tourism enterprises can grow into substantial businesses, creating jobs for scores of employees. Tourism enterprises and operations are not just for-profit businesses, but also include agencies at all levels of government and not-for-profit organizations. These organizations and agencies play many roles, including providing service directly to customers or visitors, but they may also provide services to other businesses and different community or governmental agencies.

This chapter will introduce you to concepts of tourism, different definitions of tourism and how tourism has developed in various nations. The economic and political histories of nations have shaped how tourism has developed in each place. So, although tourism exists in some form or other in virtually every part of the globe, it can take very different forms and have very different histories in different countries.

Various ways that industry leaders, policy analysts and researchers classify tourism will also be discussed briefly. Characteristics of tourism that distinguish it from other forms of human activity and examples of how tourism is organized and delivered will also be explored. Tourism has numerous and diverse effects on a destination and this chapter introduces some of the key economic, environmental and social effects of tourism. In brief, this chapter will help prepare you to better appreciate and understand the material the book will present in subsequent chapters on the myriad forms of tourism, their relationships with each other, the role of tourism in society and how tourism is planned, developed, managed, marketed and delivered.

The Evolution of Tourism

Tourism is a near-ubiquitous phenomenon. With the exception of areas being ravaged by war or political instability, tourism, to some degree and in some form, will take place everywhere. Even war zones draw visitors in the form of journalists, writers and thrill-seekers, who use local services such as accommodation, restaurants and transportation. The history of travel and tourism can be traced back to the earliest historical records, although many of the early forms of travel would not be considered tourism as we know it today. For example, the Sumerians, as early as 4000 bc, travelled for the purposes of trade, using an innovation we know as money as a means of exchange – which might be argued to be a form of business travel. The Egyptians, in 3000 bc, travelled great distances for trade and diplomacy, but also mixed in sightseeing as well as the purchase of souvenirs. Citizens living in the Greek and Roman civilizations travelled extensively for trade, conquest, religion, health and pleasure. The ancient Olympic Games stimulated travel from around the Aegean Sea – perhaps the first example of sport tourism.

The first known guidebook was written in the 2nd century by Pausanias, entitled Periegesis Hellados (Description of Greece). The book is still useful for understanding classical Greece, and some scholars consider the book to be the foundation work of classical archaeology. The Romans built sophisticated road networks, some of which are still in use. These networks permitted extensive travel for many reasons, but they were primarily designed for the movements of the Roman Legions rather than for other travel purposes. Military movements are normally excluded from definitions of tourism, although other forms of Roman travel such as for trade, health, religion and sightseeing could be considered types of tourism.

The Polynesians, 1000–2000 years ago, made long seafaring voyages by canoe, primarily for the purpose of exploration of new islands on which to settle. Explorers such as Columbus, Magellan, Marco Polo, Cabot, Cortes and de Soto are well known in Europe and the Americas and are also sometimes cited as early examples of tourists. However, again from a modern viewpoint, the purposes of their travels, sometimes succinctly summarized as ‘God, glory and gold’, would probably remove them from the realm of tourism.

Other cultures also had remarkable explorers and travellers. Zheng He, sailing for a Ming Dynasty emperor between 1405 and 1433, made seven voyages to what would become 30 modern countries throughout the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean. With reportedly up to 200 ships and a crew of 28,000 sailors, his expeditions ultimately covered 50,000 km and were arguably the largest maritime expeditions in history. As with many early explorers, these voyages were primarily about exploring potential trade routes and asserting diplomatic or political power.

Ibn Battuta was a 14th-century Moroccan Berber who, over 30 years, travelled across North Africa, West Africa, Southern and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, India, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and China. The length of his travels, which he wrote about extensively, is estimated at 120,000 km. Although his exploits are perhaps not as well known in some parts of the world as those of Marco Polo, a contemporary, his travels exceeded even those of that Venetian traveller. Unlike many other explorers and travellers, Ibn Battuta appears to have been motivated primarily by a love of travel and a hunger to learn about other cultures.

The Hajj is the oldest pilgrimage tradition in the world and represents the single largest movement of human beings on an annual basis. Although the Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is associated with Mohammed (7th century), the pilgrimage has roots that go back to 2000 bc and is seen, by believers, as beginning with the prophet Abraham. The focus of the Hajj is Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, and it involves a series of prescribed rituals and activities. It draws well over 1.5 million pilgrims each year to Mecca. Whether this can be considered a form of tourism is hotly contested. It meets the definition of tourism as articulated by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and the sacred and exclusive nature of the Hajj as a Muslim experience can be seen as putting the Hajj into a unique category of travel.

Despite the prevalence of tourism as a general phenomenon across time and the face of the earth, the story of tourism in any given city, region or nation varies greatly from other places. Social mores, technology, political history, environmental constraints and more, all shape the form and pace of tourism development in a destination. Many tourism texts provide a brief mention of the history of tourism, typically mentioning familiar topics such as ‘The Grand Tour’ of Europe in the 17th through to the mid-19th centuries, or Thomas Cook’s first package tour in 1841. This overlooks the fascinating and profound regional and national stories of tourism in different parts of the world. The following profiles are ‘thumbnail’ sketches of the global development of tourism.

This short film provides a fascinating visual history of tourism:

Video 1.1. www.youtube.com/watch?v=83IVP1LxesU (EyeforTravel)

Historical Geographies

Africa

Africa is a continent of contrasts. In this narrative, we will begin in the north. Morocco and Algeria are popular destinations for independent travel, and increasingly for package tours and student travel, offering an insight into culture beyond the borders of the Western world, but sufficiently close that travel from Europe remains relatively affordable. Many choose to reach these countries across the Mediterranean Sea, and ferry crossings are especially popular among overland travellers – small convoys of off-road vehicle users who travel the deserts and villages of these North African countries to enjoy a sense of exploration and adventure. Egypt is another popular destination on the African/Asian bord...