The Tourism Industry

The Tourism Industry

Tourism is regarded as one of the most efficient, organised and

marketed commodities in the world. Accounting for more than $655

billion of global income per year and 70 million jobs worldwide, the

tourism industry has become the largest in the world; exceeding the

oil and car industries.The World Trade Organisation definition of

tourism is activities that require travel from home and staying away

from home for at least 24 hours. It not only includes holidays

(although they do account for 70% of all journeys), but business trips

or visiting friends or relatives.

The tourism industry can be separated into two different categories.

These are international tourism, where a tourist travels abroad or

overseas and internal tourism, where a tourist’s travel and spending

are confined to their country of residence. Although internal tourism

accounts for as much as four times the amount of international

tourism, the reasons for their overall growth are very similar.

As countries become industrialised and urbanised, standards of living

increase. The world-wide phenomenon of tourism therefore began in

MEDCs, in Europe and North America and later in Japan. To this day,

80% of all tourists come from MEDCs and Europe alone accounts for 48%

of expenditure in the tourism industry. The links between economic

development and growth in tourism can be related to Rostow’s model of

economic development. As countries pass through the different stages,

from a traditional society, such as Sierra Leone, to a high mass

consumption society, such as the UK or South Korea, economic and

social conditions allow the wealthy people and ev...

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...as those in Bath as well

as tourism for winter sports such as skiing, although these have been

around since the 19th century. Popular tourist destinations are also

constantly changing as places go in and out of fashion. For example,

the Caribbean was renowned in the 1960s, but in recent years Asia has

been increasingly attracting large numbers of visitors. The tourism

industry is fairly new and not only does it help national economies by

providing millions of jobs but it also benefits individuals and

families and as more and more destinations are discovered, the greater

the growth of the industry will be. However, as well as thinking about

their economies, governments and individuals should take into

consideration the environmental and social impacts of tourism in order

to ensure sustainable development in the future.