Introduction to Tourism

Leture 1Samalgul Nassanbekova

1. Introduction to Tourism 2. History of Tourism 3. Concepts of ‘Travel’ and ‘Tourism’ 4. Tourist’s Codes of Behaviour and Other

Concerned Issues 5. Travel Motivations and Tourist Flows 6. Tourism Products - Attractions and

Destination 7. Different Sectors of the Tourism Industry and

Their Roles 8. The Local Tourism Industry 9. The Impacts of Tourism

Course structure

1. Understand the concept of thetravel and tourism sector

1.1 Main types of tourism 1.2 Reasons why people travel 2. Travel and Tourism as an Integrated

Discipline 2.1. Integrated Model of Tourism

◦ 2.1.1. Key Elements in the Integrated Model of Tourism

◦ 2.1.2. Factors that Encourage / Prohibit the Development of Tourism

Lecture plan

Travel and tourism has become an important part of how we live today and most people travel regularly for work and leisure. The UK also attracts many visitors from overseas, who arrive to visit friends and relatives, for business and pleasure.

This unit explores the main types of tourism, the motivating factors for travel, and the contribution that travel and tourism has on the UK economy. You will learn about the wide range of organisations that operate within the sector, their roles and inter-relationships.

Travel and tourism is now one of the largest sectors in the world in terms of generating jobs and income. It is a dynamic and vibrant sector which makes a major contribution to the countries’ economy.

1.1 Main types of tourism What is travel and tourism? Travel is about getting from one place to another, often

making a journey using a method of transport such as a train, plane or car.

However, not all travel can be classed as tourism. Tourism is often understood as the activities of people

travelling to, and staying in, places outside their usual environment for leisure, business and/or other purposes and for not more than a year at a time.

It may involve an overnight stay, but this is not always the case. Those travelling, but not staying away from home overnight, are sometimes classed as day visitors or day tourists.

1. Understand the concept of thetravel and tourism sector

Domestic tourism – taking holidays and trips in your own country

Outbound tourism – travelling to a different country for a visit or holiday

Inbound tourism – visitors from overseas coming into the country

There are three main types of tourism:

People travel for lots of different reasons but mainly for leisure, business and to visit friends and relatives (VFR), either in the country or abroad.

Leisure travel Leisure travellers may be on holiday, or taking a trip of

particular cultural or personal interest. When travelling for leisure reasons, tourists are taking trips and making journeys in their own leisure time; that is when they are not working.

Travelling for leisure may be within the country (domestic tourism) or abroad (outbound tourism). Popular destinations for leisure travellers could include coastal resorts, rural and countryside areas, or towns and cities.

Leisure travel may include visits to tourist attractions, bars, restaurants, events and evening entertainment.

1.2 Reasons why people travel

Business travellers will often attend meetings, conferences, exhibitions and events. When travelling for business reasons, travellers are attending locations and venues for work purposes and it is often the employer who pays for the travel and accommodation. Business travel can be within the country or overseas and often involves visits to large cities and commercial areas that have the facilities to hold large conferences and events

Business travel

Another very common reason for making a journey is to go and visit your friends and relatives, known as VFR. People may travel within the country or abroad to visit their friends and relatives, particularly if they have emigrated to another country or have moved away for work or study.

Visiting friends and relatives

Tourism type

Reason for travel Example

Agro tourism

Short for ‘agriculture’ where visitors areinterested in farms and the countryside.

A family from Astana who travel out of thecity to visit a farm – domestic tourism.

Dark tourism

Visiting sites associates with war, death andtragic events.

A group of schoolchildren who visitconcentration or death camps in Germany andeastern Europe – outbound tourism.

Faith tourism

Religious travel for pilgrimage and travel tosacred sites of religious importance, such asJerusalem and Mecca.

A group from a Roman Catholic church inLiverpool going to Lourdes – outbound tourism.

Table 1.1: Why people choose to travel

Healthtourism

Travelling to have operations, or receive dentaltreatment, which may be cheaper and fasterthan in the country.

An individual who travels to Poland to have aknee operation more quickly than waiting in theUK – outbound tourism.

Pink tourism

Attractions and events aimed at the LesbianGay Bisexual Transsexual (LGBT) community, forexample Pride and Mardi Gras festivals.

A group of friends who travel from Berlinto Manchester for the Pride Festival –inbound tourism

Sportstourism

Travelling to play in, or watch, sporting eventsand competitions such as the Olympics and theFootball World Cup.

A group of football supporters from Barcelonatravelling to Manchester for a ChampionsLeague match – inbound tourism.

Educationtourism

Visiting a place of educational interest orstudying a particular educational subject.

A group of college students who travel by trainto London to visit the National Science Museum– domestic tourism.

Integrated Disciplinary Model of Tourism Studies

2.1. Integrated Model of Tourism

1) Travellers Travellers are at the centre of the model where all tourism activities are focused. Radiating from

the centre are three large bands containing several interdependent groups of tourism participants and organizations.

2) Tourism Promoters Tourism promoters are in the first layer, in close contact with the travellers. Organizations in this

layer include tourism boards, direct marketing companies, meeting planners, travel agents and tour operators. The tourism boards and direct marketing companies provide information and marketing services to travelers whereas travel agencies, tour operators and meeting planners provide services such as making travel arrangements and giving professional advice on tourism related matters. All these organizations usually deal directly with individual travellers.

3) Tourism Service Suppliers Tourism service suppliers, such as airline companies, bus operators, railway corporations, cruise

ship operators, hotels and car rental companies, etc. usually provide services to travellers independently. The service suppliers may also collaborate to provide tour packages for travellers by combining the various services such as accommodation, air transportation, theme park entrance ticket, etc.

4) External Environment All of the participants, either individually or as a group, are constantly responding to a variety of

societal/cultural, political, environmental, economic and technological forces. It is the interaction of these forces that determine how closely the individuals and organizations work together.

2.1.1. Key Elements in the Integrated Model of Tourism

(i) Societal/Cultural forces Such as the local skill and know how, the indigenous cultures of

the destination and the attitude of local people towards the tourists would have a significant impact on the tourist experience in a destination.

(ii) Political forces Such as government support on infrastructure, its policy on

tourism planning, the diplomatic relations between tourist generating countries and tourist destination countries, etc. determines the environment of tourism development. For example, because of political instability in the Middle East, tourism development in the region and the attractiveness of these countries to tourists has been adversely affected.

(iii) Environmental forces Such as the problems of congestion, pollution, hygienic

conditions, loss of green belts caused by excessive urbanization and development of tourism may destroy the pleasant ambiance of the destination which visitors look for.

(iv) Economic forces Such as the disposable income of tourist and the

affordability of a destination affect the desire to travel.

(v) Technological forces Such as the popularity of using the Internet for

searching information, reservation or purchasing of tourism products affect the tourists’ buying behaviour. The traditional way of distributing tourism products through intermediaries, such as travel agents, tour wholesalers is facing a great challenge. Now that travellers can deal directly with the suppliers, such as airlines, hotels, operators of attractions to purchase tourism products, they can almost by-pass travel agents.

Social Factors Demographic trends and social changes will have important impacts

on the future development of the industry. The fact that people are living longer, the fall in the number of young people, the increase in one parent households, more couples choosing not to have children or delay having children. They all point to the fact that the type of travel and tourism products and services will change radically. Example: the aging population will be an opportunity for the cruise travel market where seniors are their key target groups.

Political Factors Political factors can lead to huge impacts on tourism development.

The factors are the policies in encouraging tourism activities such as investment in tourism related infrastructures, openness in travel visa applications and favourable foreign tourism investments. Finally, the political stability of the country in particular is the major factor.

2.1.2. Factors that Encourage / Prohibit the Development of Tourism

Economic Factors Whether the global economic environment is healthy or not would affect

people’s intentions of travelling to other countries. People tend to spend more on travelling if they are under a favourable economic environment.

Cultural and Environmental Factors A greater environmental awareness and a society that takes its health and

fitness more seriously than it was in the past. This awareness has affected travel and tourism developments in the recent years. 'Green issues' such as the development of eco-tourism, green hotels and conservation of heritage sites are becoming more and more important which provide a basis for sustainable tourism development of a tourist destination.

Technological Factors Travel and tourism has always been an industry that has made extensive

use of new technological equipment. Computerized reservation system (CRS), the use of computers and sophisticated databases for marketing purposes are very common among travel agencies. Increasing competition within the industry force agencies to use new technology to its fullness. Latest developments in transportation make extensive use of new technology