The Growth of International Tourism During the Second Half of the 20th Century

The Growth of International Tourism During the Second Half of the 20th Century

During the last 50 years, international tourism has grown very

rapidly. As people have had large wage increases and package holidays

have become cheaper and more available to a wider range of people.

Today, tourism has become a part of the everyday life of most people

and has become a major source of employment in developed countries.

The growth of the tourist industry in the last 50 years can be linked

with increasing wealth, increased mobility, improvements in

accessibility and transport, more leisure time, product development

and innovations, improvements in technology, changes in lifestyles and

fashion, an increased awareness of other places and the need for

'green' tourism.

Increasing weal;th has allowed people in employment who earn high

salaries, to use their disposable income that is considerably higher

than it was several years ago, on tourism, and visiting foreign

countries. People in full time employment also now receive payed

holidays, which allows them to take mor than one holiday per year.

Greater mobility has given the growing number of people who own cars

more freedom to choose where then go on holiday and for how long. 50

years ago, only 1 in 20 UK families had a car. By the end of the last

century, 72% had at least one car. Frequently chartered flights have

made it easier for people to go further.

Improvements in communications such as roads, and especially motorways

have reduced driving times between locations and has encouraged more

people to take trips more often. Reduced air fares, package holidays,

larger and more efficient airports have encouraged more people to go

further a field.

Shorter working weeks and longer paid holidays in the UK have given

people more leisure time to go abroad. The population, which is aging,

is still active and wanting to go abroad.

The use of the internet better technological developments have enabled

people to get around the world easier. Holiday camps, long-haul

destinations and package tours have appealed to a wide variety of