purpose of tourism

What is purpose of tourism?

Exploring the Essence of Tourism

Tourism is a multifaceted industry that caters to diverse interests and preferences. It allows people to unwind, learn, and grow by experiencing different cultures, landscapes, and cuisines. The purpose of tourism is not just limited to leisure and relaxation; it encompasses various aspects that contribute to personal and societal growth. In this article, we will delve deeper into the different purposes of tourism and how they enrich our lives.

Experiencing Different Cultures

Traveling to new places exposes us to different cultures and traditions, allowing us to experience the world from a fresh perspective. We learn about the history, language, customs, and beliefs of the people we encounter, which in turn broadens our understanding and appreciation of the world. This cultural exchange also fosters tolerance and empathy, as we become more open to embracing the differences that make each culture unique.

Personal Growth and Self-Discovery

Travel can be a transformative experience that fosters personal growth and self-discovery. It pushes us out of our comfort zones and challenges us to adapt to unfamiliar environments. By navigating new situations, we develop problem-solving skills, resilience, and a greater sense of independence. Moreover, immersing ourselves in different cultures leads to introspection, helping us better understand our values, beliefs, and aspirations.

Escaping the Mundane

One of the most obvious purposes of tourism is to provide an escape from the monotony of daily life. Traveling to new destinations allows us to break free from our routines and experience new adventures. Whether it's exploring a bustling city, relaxing on a tropical beach, or trekking through a dense jungle, these experiences can rejuvenate us and provide a much-needed break from the stresses of everyday life.

Creating Lasting Memories

Traveling, especially with friends and family, creates lasting memories that we cherish for a lifetime. These shared experiences strengthen our bonds with our loved ones and provide us with stories to reminisce about for years to come. Moreover, capturing these moments through photographs and videos allows us to preserve these memories and share them with future generations.

Supporting Local Economies

Tourism plays a vital role in supporting local economies, as it generates income and creates employment opportunities. When we travel, we contribute to the local economy by spending on accommodation, food, transportation, and various attractions. This financial boost helps improve infrastructure, fund public services, and ultimately improve the quality of life for local residents.

Promoting Environmental Conservation

Eco-tourism, which focuses on responsible travel to natural areas, plays a crucial role in promoting environmental conservation. By visiting protected areas and supporting eco-friendly initiatives, we contribute to the preservation of ecosystems and wildlife. Furthermore, our experiences in nature can inspire us to become more environmentally conscious and take action to protect our planet for future generations.

Enhancing International Relations

Tourism helps build bridges between nations by fostering cultural exchange and understanding. When we visit other countries, we have the opportunity to form friendships and connections with people from different backgrounds. These interactions contribute to breaking down stereotypes and promoting goodwill, ultimately fostering a more peaceful and interconnected world.

In conclusion, the purpose of tourism is multifaceted and extends beyond leisure and relaxation. Travelling allows us to experience different cultures, promotes personal growth, and helps us escape the mundane. Additionally, it creates lasting memories, supports local economies, promotes environmental conservation, and enhances international relations. As we continue to explore the world, let us embrace the many benefits that tourism has to offer and strive to be responsible travelers.

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Chapter 1. History and Overview

1.1 What is Tourism?

Before engaging in a study of tourism , let’s have a closer look at what this term means.

Definition of Tourism

There are a number of ways tourism can be defined, and for this reason, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) embarked on a project from 2005 to 2007 to create a common glossary of terms for tourism. It defines tourism as follows:

Tourism is a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes. These people are called visitors (which may be either tourists or excursionists; residents or non-residents) and tourism has to do with their activities, some of which imply tourism expenditure (United Nations World Tourism Organization, 2008).

Using this definition, we can see that tourism is not just the movement of people for a number of purposes (whether business or pleasure), but the overall agglomeration of activities, services, and involved sectors that make up the unique tourist experience.

Tourism, Travel, and Hospitality: What are the Differences?

It is common to confuse the terms tourism , travel , and hospitality or to define them as the same thing. While tourism is the all-encompassing umbrella term for the activities and industry that create the tourist experience, the UNWTO (2020) defines travel as the activity of moving between different locations often for any purpose but more so for leisure and recreation (Hall & Page, 2006). On the other hand, hospitality can be defined as “the business of helping people to feel welcome and relaxed and to enjoy themselves” (Discover Hospitality, 2015, p. 3). Simply put, the hospitality industry is the combination of the accommodation and food and beverage groupings, collectively making up the largest segment of the industry (Go2HR, 2020). You’ll learn more about accommodations and F & B in Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 , respectively.

Definition of Tourist and Excursionist

Building on the definition of tourism, a commonly accepted description of a tourist is “someone who travels at least 80 km from his or her home for at least 24 hours, for business or leisure or other reasons” (LinkBC, 2008, p.8). The United Nations World Tourism Organization (1995) helps us break down this definition further by stating tourists can be:

• Domestic (residents of a given country travelling only within that country)
• Inbound (non-residents travelling in a given country)
• Outbound (residents of one country travelling in another country)

Excursionists  on the other hand are considered same-day visitors (UNWTO, 2020). Sometimes referred to as “day trippers.” Understandably, not every visitor stays in a destination overnight. It is common for travellers to spend a few hours or less to do sightseeing, visit attractions, dine at a local restaurant, then leave at the end of the day.

The scope of tourism, therefore, is broad and encompasses a number of activities and sectors.

Spotlight On: United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

UNWTO is the United Nations agency responsible “for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism” (UNWTO, 2014b). Its membership includes 159 countries and over 500 affiliates such as private companies, research and educational institutions, and non-governmental organizations. It promotes tourism as a way of developing communities while encouraging ethical behaviour to mitigate negative impacts. For more information, visit the UNWTO website .

NAICS: The North American Industry Classification System

Given the sheer size of the tourism industry, it can be helpful to break it down into broad industry groups using a common classification system. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) was jointly created by the Canadian, US, and Mexican governments to ensure common analysis across all three countries (British Columbia Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training, 2013a). The tourism-related groupings created using NAICS are (in alphabetical order):

• Accommodation
• Food and beverage services (commonly known as “F & B”)
• Recreation and entertainment
• Transportation
• Travel services

These industry groups (also commonly known as sectors) are based on the similarity of the “labour processes and inputs” used for each (Government of Canada, 2013). For instance, the types of employees and resources required to run an accommodation business whether it be a hotel, motel, or even a campground are quite similar. All these businesses need staff to check in guests, provide housekeeping, employ maintenance workers, and provide a place for people to sleep. As such, they can be grouped together under the heading of accommodation. The same is true of the other four groupings, and the rest of this text explores these industry groups, and other aspects of tourism, in more detail.

It is typical for the entire tourist experience to involve more than one sector. The combination of sectors that supply and distribute the needed tourism products, services, and activities within the tourism system is called the Tourism Supply Chain. Often, these chains of sectors and activities are dependent upon each other’s delivery of products and services. Let’s look at a simple example below that describes the involved and sometimes overlapping sectoral chains in the tourism experience:

Before we seek to understand the five tourism sectors in more detail, it’s important to have an overview of the history and impacts of tourism to date.

Long Descriptions

Figure 1.2 long description: Diagram showing the tourism supply chain. This includes the phases of travel and the sectors and activities involved during each phase.

There are three travel phases: pre-departure, during travel, and post-departure.

Pre-departure, tourists use the travel services and transportation sectors.

During travel, tourists use the travel services, accommodations, food and beverage, recreation and entertainment, and transportation sectors.

Post-departure, tourists use the transportation sector.

[Return to Figure 1.2]

Media Attributions

• Front Desk by Staying LEVEL is licensed under a CC BY-NC 4.0 Licence .

Tourism according the the UNWTO is a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes.

UN agency responsible for promoting responsible, sustainable, and universally accessible tourism worldwide.

Moving between different locations for leisure and recreation.

The accommodations and food and beverage industry groupings.

someone who travels at least 80 km from his or her home for at least 24 hours, for business or leisure or other reasons

A same-day visitor to a destination. Their trip typically ends on the same day when they leave the destination.

A way to group tourism activities based on similarities in business practices, primarily used for statistical analysis.

Introduction to Tourism and Hospitality in BC - 2nd Edition Copyright © 2015, 2020, 2021 by Morgan Westcott and Wendy Anderson, Eds is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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The Importance of Tourism on Economies and Businesses

Published: 3/26/2019 12:21:08 PM

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Tourism is vital for the success of many economies around the world. There are several benefits of tourism on host destinations.  Tourism boosts the revenue of the economy, creates thousands of jobs, develops the infrastructures of a country, and plants a sense of cultural exchange between foreigners and citizens.

The number of jobs created by tourism in many different areas is significant. These jobs are not only a part of the tourism sector but may also include the agricultural sector, communication sector, health sector, and the educational sector. Many tourists travel to experience the hosting destination’s culture, different traditions, and gastronomy. This is very profitable to local restaurants, shopping centers, and stores. Melbourne, Australia ’s population is greatly affected by tourism. It has a population of around 4 million people and around 22,000 citizens are employed by the tourism sector only.

Governments that rely on tourism for a big percentage of their revenue invest a lot in the infrastructure of the country . They want more and more tourists to visit their country which means that safe and advanced facilities are necessary. This leads to new roads and highways, developed parks, improved public spaces, new airports, and possibly better schools and hospitals. Safe and innovative infrastructures allow for a smooth flow of goods and services. Moreover, local people experience an opportunity for economic and educational growth.

Tourism creates a cultural exchange between tourists and local citizens. Exhibitions, conferences, and events usually attract foreigners. Organizing authorities usually gain profits from registration fees, gift sales, exhibition spaces, and sales of media copyright. Furthermore, foreign tourists bring diversity and cultural enrichment to the hosting country.

Tourism is a great opportunity for foreigners to learn about a new culture, but it also creates many opportunities for local citizens . It allows young entrepreneurs to establish new products and services that would not be sustainable on the local population of residents alone. Moreover, residents experience the benefits that come with tourism occurring in their own country.

To learn about the countries earning the most from international tourist arrivals, click on the link below!

Countries Earning the Most from International Tourism

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Chapter 1. History and Overview

1.1 What is Tourism?

Before engaging in a study of tourism , let’s have a closer look at what this term means.

Definition of Tourism

There are a number of ways tourism can be defined, and for this reason, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) embarked on a project from 2005 to 2007 to create a common glossary of terms for tourism. It defines tourism as follows:

Tourism is a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes. These people are called visitors (which may be either tourists or excursionists; residents or non-residents) and tourism has to do with their activities, some of which imply tourism expenditure (United Nations World Tourism Organization, 2008).

Using this definition, we can see that tourism is not just the movement of people for a number of purposes (whether business or pleasure), but the overall agglomeration of activities, services, and involved sectors that make up the unique tourist experience.

Tourism, Travel, and Hospitality: What are the Differences?

It is common to confuse the terms tourism , travel , and hospitality or to define them as the same thing. While tourism is the all-encompassing umbrella term for the activities and industry that create the tourist experience, the UNWTO (2020) defines travel as the activity of moving between different locations often for any purpose but more so for leisure and recreation (Hall & Page, 2006). On the other hand, hospitality can be defined as “the business of helping people to feel welcome and relaxed and to enjoy themselves” (Discover Hospitality, 2015, p. 3). Simply put, the hospitality industry is the combination of the accommodation and food and beverage groupings, collectively making up the largest segment of the industry (Go2HR, 2020). You’ll learn more about accommodations and F & B in Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 , respectively.

Definition of Tourist and Excursionist

Building on the definition of tourism, a commonly accepted description of a tourist is “someone who travels at least 80 km from his or her home for at least 24 hours, for business or leisure or other reasons” [1] . The United Nations World Tourism Organization (1995) helps us break down this definition further by stating tourists can be:

• Domestic (residents of a given country travelling only within that country)
• Inbound (non-residents travelling in a given country)
• Outbound (residents of one country travelling in another country)

Excursionists  on the other hand are considered same-day visitors (UNWTO, 2020). Sometimes referred to as “day trippers.” Understandably, not every visitor stays in a destination overnight. It is common for travellers to spend a few hours or less to do sightseeing, visit attractions, dine at a local restaurant, then leave at the end of the day.

The scope of tourism, therefore, is broad and encompasses a number of activities and sectors.

Spotlight On: United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

UNWTO is the United Nations agency responsible “for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism” (UNWTO, 2014b). Its membership includes 159 countries and over 500 affiliates such as private companies, research and educational institutions, and non-governmental organizations. It promotes tourism as a way of developing communities while encouraging ethical behaviour to mitigate negative impacts. For more information, visit the UNWTO website .

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Given the sheer size of the tourism industry, it can be helpful to break it down into broad industry groups using a common classification system. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) was jointly created by the Canadian, US, and Mexican governments to ensure common analysis across all three countries (British Columbia Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training, 2013a). The tourism-related groupings created using NAICS are (in alphabetical order):

• Accommodation
• Food and beverage services (commonly known as “F & B”)
• Recreation and entertainment
• Transportation
• Travel services

These industry groups (also commonly known as sectors) are based on the similarity of the “labour processes and inputs” used for each (Government of Canada, 2013). For instance, the types of employees and resources required to run an accommodation business whether it be a hotel, motel, or even a campground are quite similar. All these businesses need staff to check in guests, provide housekeeping, employ maintenance workers, and provide a place for people to sleep. As such, they can be grouped together under the heading of accommodation. The same is true of the other four groupings, and the rest of this text explores these industry groups, and other aspects of tourism, in more detail.

It is typical for the entire tourist experience to involve more than one sector. The combination of sectors that supply and distribute the needed tourism products, services, and activities within the tourism system is called the Tourism Supply Chain. Often, these chains of sectors and activities are dependent upon each other’s delivery of products and services. Let’s look at a simple example below that describes the involved and sometimes overlapping sectoral chains in the tourism experience:

Before we seek to understand the five tourism sectors in more detail, it’s important to have an overview of the history and impacts of tourism to date.

Media Attributions

Front Desk © Staying LEVEL is licensed under a CC BY-NC (Attribution NonCommercial) license

• (LinkBC, 2008, p.8) ↵

Tourism according the the UNWTO is a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes.

UN agency responsible for promoting responsible, sustainable, and universally accessible tourism worldwide.

Moving between different locations for leisure and recreation.

The accommodations and food and beverage industry groupings.

someone who travels at least 80 km from his or her home for at least 24 hours, for business or leisure or other reasons

A same-day visitor to a destination. Their trip typically ends on the same day when they leave the destination.

A way to group tourism activities based on similarities in business practices, primarily used for statistical analysis.

Introduction to Tourism Copyright © 2020 by NSCC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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What is tourism? A definition of tourism

Disclaimer: Some posts on Tourism Teacher may contain affiliate links. If you appreciate this content, you can show your support by making a purchase through these links or by buying me a coffee . Thank you for your support!

Whilst most of us have been tourists at some point during our lives, you might find yourself asking ‘what is tourism?’ or ‘what is the definition of tourism’?

Having studied, worked in and taught tourism management for many years, I can tell you that there is no straight-cut answer to this question! In fact, I do tell you- in this YouTube video below!

The tourism industry is argued to be the largest industry in the world, providing more employment than any other industry. Note, however, the use of the word ‘argued’. You see, the tourism industry is somewhat grey in nature. Elements that some may consider ‘tourism’, others may not. Some people believe they are ‘ tourists ‘, when others do not. Some things are black and white, and others are not.

In this post I will explain why there is no simple explanation in answer to the question ‘what is tourism?’. I will explain the diversity of the tourism industry and provide a range of definitions of tourism that have been developed by academics and practitioners.

What is tourism?

Tourism is the generic term used to cover both demand and supply that has been adopted in a variety of forms and used throughout the world. 

Tourism essentially refers to the activities undertaken by visitors, also known as the visitor economy. The tourism industry encompasses all activity that takes place within the visitor economy.

This includes activities that are directly related to the tourist, such as staying in a hotel, ordering a meal or visiting a tourist attraction. It also includes indirect activities, such as the transport company which delivers the food to the restaurant in which the tourist eats or the laundry company that has a contract with the hotel for cleaning bed sheets.

It is largely due to the indirect contributions to tourism, that defining and measuring the tourism industry is so difficult!

Tourism comes in many different shapes and sizes and there are many different types of tourism . There is mass tourism , niche tourism and special interest tourism. There is domestic tourism and international tourism . There is inbound tourism and outbound tourism .

Whilst there is a range of different forms of tourism, they all come under the broad tourism umbrella, nonetheless. This is because they all revolve around visitors and they all feed the visitor economy in one way or another.

A definition of tourism

Tourism is a phenomenon with no universally accepted definition, owing to the complexity and individualism of the travellers themselves and the activities that they choose to undertake.

The most widely utilised definition of tourism, proposed by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and United States (UN) Nations Statistics Division (1994), prescribes that in order to qualify as a tourist one must travel and remain in a place outside of their usual residential environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business or other purposes.

Matheison and Wall (1982) on the other hand, do not impose a timeframe, simply stating that one must travel to a destination temporarily.

Leiper (1979) believed that defining tourism is more complex than this, proposing that there are three approaches that can be taken. The economic stance focuses on tourism as a business, the technical stance focusses on the tourist in order to provide a common basis by which to collect data and the holistic stance attempts to include the entire essence of the subject.

The Cambridge Dictionary define tourism quite simply as; ‘the business of providing services such as transport, places to stay or entertainment for people who are on holiday’.

Read also: – The importance of tourism – Types of tourism: A glossary – Outbound tourism | Understanding the basics – The structure of the tourism industry – Domestic tourism tourism explained – The history of tourism

Whilst such attempts to define the concept of tourism may be useful from a generic perspective, the practical application of such definitions is difficult when applied to specific tourism types, such as those outlined in this post outlining the different types of tourism.

In fact, Robinson and Novelli (2007), in their introduction to the niche tourism phenomena, postulate that tourists have developed as consumers, becoming increasingly sophisticated in their needs and preferences as a result of an emergent culture of tourism.

Despite such acknowledgements of the progressive and adaptive nature of tourism, particularly evident through the limitless introduction of new and niche tourism forms, there appear to have been no attempts to develop the commonly accepted definitions of tourism in parallel.

As such, I would argue that there is a need the definition of tourism to be revisited by academics and industry practitioner, to ensure that it is representative of the tourism industry that operates today.

How would you define the term tourism?

For more information on what makes up the tourism industry, I recommend the key text Tourism: Principles and Practice by John Fletcher, available from Amazon here .

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Tourism – Definition, Types & Forms, History & Importance of Tourism

Tourism is one of the world’s fastest-growing industries and a major foreign exchange and employment generation for many countries. It is one of the most remarkable economic and social phenomena.

The word ‘tour’ is derived from the Latin word tornus, meaning ‘a tool for making a circle.’ Tourism may be defined as the movement of people from their usual place of residence to another place ( with the intention to return) for a minimum period of twenty-four hours to a maximum of six months for the sole purpose of leisure and pleasure.

According to WTO (1993), ” Tourism encompasses the activities of persons traveling and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business, and other purposes.”

The Rome conference on tourism in 1963 defined tourism as ‘ a visit to a country other than one’s own or where one usually resides and works. This definition, however, did not take into account domestic tourism, which has become a vital money-spinner and job generator for the hospitality industry.

The UNWTO defines tourists as ‘ people who travel to and stay in place outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited.

According to the Tourism Society of Britain ,” tourism is the temporary short-period movement of people to destination outside the places where they usually live, work; and activities during their stay at these destinations.” This definition includes the movement of people for all purposes.

The development of technology and transportation infrastructure, such as jumbos jets, low-cost airlines, and more accessible airports, have made tourism affordable and convenient. There have been changes in lifestyle – for example, now retiree-age people sustain tourism around the year. The sale of tourism products on the internet, besides the aggressive marketing of the tour operators and travel agencies , has also contributed to the growth of tourism.

27 September is celebrated as world tourism every year. This date was chosen as on that day in 1970, the Statutes of UNWTO were adopted. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness of the role of tourism within the international community.

History of Travel and Tourism

Inbound tourism, outbound tourism, domestic tourism, forms of tourism, classification of tourism, nature of tourism, importance of tourism, economic impacts, social impacts, cultural impacts, environmental impact, industries related to tourism, tourism products.

Travel is as old as mankind on earth. At the beginning of his existence, man roamed about the planet’s surface in search of food, shelter, security, and better habitat. However, with time, such movements were transformed into wanderlust.

About five thousand years ago, climate changes, dwindling food and shelter conditions hostile invaders made the people leave their homes to seek refuge elsewhere like the Aryans left their homes in Central Asia due to climate changes. Perhaps, this leads to the development of commerce, trade, and industry.

Religion, education, and cultural movement began during the Hindu and Chinese civilizations. Christian missionaries, Buddhist monks, and others traveled far and wide carrying religious messages and returned with fantastic images and opinions about alien people.

For centuries movement of people continued to grow due to the efficiency of transport and the assistance and safety with which the people could travel. By the end of the 15th century, Italy had become Europe’s intellectual and cultural center. It represented the classical heritage both for the intelligentsia and the aristocracy.

During the 16th century, travel came to be considered an essential part of the education of every young Englishman. Travel thus became a means of self-development and education in its broadest sense. The educational travel was known as the ‘ Grand Tour .’

The industrial revolution brought about significant changes in the pattern and structure of British society. Thus, the economy of Britain was greatly responsible for the beginning of modern tourism. It also created a large and prosperous middle class. Because of remarkable improvement in transportation systems in the latter half of the 18th century and the first quarter of the 19th century, an increasing number of people began to travel for pleasure.

Travel was inspired initially by the need for survival (food, shelter, and security), the desire to expand trade, and the quest to conquer. As the transportation system improved, the curiosity for transforming the vast and virgin world into a close neighborhood created a new industry, i.e., Travel and Tourism .

However, the developments of rails, roads, steamships, automobiles, and airplanes helped to spread technology across the globe. Earlier travel was a privilege only for wealthy people, but with the industrial revolution, the scenario altogether changed. Transportation, as well as accommodation, became affordable to middle and working-class citizens.

Essentially, with the development of jet travel, communication, new technology, tourism, and travel became the world’s largest and fastest-growing industry.

Travel and tourism have recently emerged as a dominant economic force on the global scene, accounting for more than 12% of total world trade and growing at 8 percent annually.

Types of Tourism

Tourism has two types and many forms based on the purpose of visit and alternative forms of tourism. Tourism can be categorized as international and domestic tourism .

Tourism has two types and various forms. Based on the movement of people, tourism is categorized into two kinds. These are the following:

International Tourism

When people visit a foreign country, it is referred to as International Tourism . To travel to a foreign country, one needs a valid passport, visa, health documents, foreign exchange, etc.

International tourism is divided into two types; Inbound Tourism & Outbound Tourism.

This refers to tourists of outside origin entering a particular country. Traveling outside their host/native country to another country is called inbound tourism for the country where they are traveling. For example, when a tourist of Indian origin travels to Japan, it is  Inbound tourism for Japan because foreign tourists come to Japan.

This refers to tourists traveling from the country of their origin to another country. When tourists travel to a foreign region, it is outbound tourism for their own country because they are going outside their country. For example, when a tourist from India travels to Japan, it is outbound tourism for India and Inbound tourism for Japan.

The tourism activity of the people within their own country is known as domestic tourism . Traveling within the same country is easier because it does not require formal travel documents and tedious formalities like compulsory health checks and foreign exchange. A traveler generally does not face many language problems or currency exchange issues in domestic tourism.

Tourism has various forms based on the purpose of the visit and alternative forms. These are further divided into many types according to their nature. Forms of tourism are the following:

Some most basic forms of tourism are the following:

• Adventure Tourism
• Atomic Tourism
• Bicycle Tours
• Beach Tourism
• Cultural Tourism
• Industrial Tourism
• Medical Tourism
• Religious Tourism
• Rural Tourism
• Sex Tourism
• Space Tourism
• Sports Tourism
• Sustainable Tourism
• Virtual Tourism
• War Tourism
• Wildlife Tourism

Tourism can be classified into six distinct categories according to the purpose of travel. These are the following:

1) Recreational : Recreational or leisure tourism takes a person away from the humdrum of everyday life. In this case, people spend their leisure time in the hills, sea beaches, etc.

2) Cultural tourism satisfies cultural and intellectual curiosity and involves visits to ancient monuments, places of historical or religious importance, etc.

3) Sports/Adventure : Trips taken by people with a view to playing golf, skiing and hiking, fall within this category.

4) Health : Under this category, people travel for medical, treatment or visit places where there are curative possibilities, for example, hot springs, spa yoga, etc.

5) Convention Tourism : It is becoming an increasingly important component of travel. People travel within a country or overseas to attend conventions relating to their business, profession, or interest.

6) Incentive Tourism : Holiday trips are offered as incentives by major companies to dealers and salesmen who achieve high targets in sales. This is a new and expanding phenomenon in tourism, These are in lieu of cash incentives or gifts, Today incentive tourism is a 3 billion dollar business in the USA alone.

Tourism as a socio-economic phenomenon comprises the activities and experiences of tourists and visitors away from their home environment and are serviced by the travel and tourism industry and host destination. The sum total of this activity experience and services can be seen as a tourism product.

The tourism system can be described in terms of supply and demand. Tourism planning should strive for a balance between demands and supply. This requires an understanding not only of market characteristics and trends but also of the planning process to meet the market needs.

Often tourists from core generating markets are identified as the demand side; the supply side includes all facilities, programs, attractions, and land uses designed and managed for the visitors. These supply-side factors may be under the control of private enterprises, non-profit organizations, and the government. New and innovative forms of partnerships are also evolving to ensure the sustainable development and management of tourism-related resources.

The supply and demand side can be seen to be linked by flows of resources such as capital, labor, goods, and tourist expenditures into the destination, and flows of marketing, promotion, tourist artifacts, and experiences from the destination back into the tourist generating region.

In addition, some tourist expenditures may leak back into the visitors generating areas through repatriation of profits of foreign tourism investors and payment for improved goods and services provided to tourists at the destination. Transportation provides an important linkage both to and from the destination.

For planning purposes, the major components that comprise the supply side are:

• Various modes of transportation and other tourism-related infrastructure.
• Tourist information.
• Marketing and promotion.
• The community of communities within the visitor’s destination area.
• The political and institutional frameworks for enabling tourism.

The tourism system is both dynamic and complex due to many factors linked to it and because of the existence of many sectors contributing to its success. These factors and sectors are linked to the provision of the tourist experience and the generation of tourism revenue and markets .

The dynamic nature of the tourism system makes it imperative to scan the external and internal environment of the destinations on a regular basis so as to make changes when necessary to ensure a healthy and viable tourism industry.

Thus, it is now an accepted fact that tourism development can no longer work in isolation of the environment and the local communities, nor can it ignore the social and cultural consequences of tourism.

Tourism and hospitality , which are inextricably linked to each other, are among the major revenue-earning enterprises in the world. They happen to be among the top employers too. There has been an upmarket trend in tourism over the last few decades as travel has become quite common. People travel for business, vacation, pleasure, adventure, or even medical treatments.

Tourism constitutes an important industry today. It has opened up new vistas for the play of economic emancipation. It provides a very potent contribution by strengthening and developing the financial resources of a country. Moreover, it is a process in which mutual material and mental benefits occur. Furthermore,

• Tourism fetches foreign exchange in the form of invisible exports, which results in the manifold progress of the nation.
• Tourism generates jobs. These employments are the main contribution of tourism to generating national income. But one should remember that employment in the tourism industry is often seasonal.
• Tourism often leads to the commercialization of art forms and especially handicrafts. Art items with cultural or religious meaning are sought by tourists as souvenirs. As more and more tourists visit a destination, souvenir production has increased, often leading to mass production. This production also generates income.

With several business-related activities associated with tourism, the industry has a tremendous potential to generate employment as well as earn foreign exchange. Many countries, such as Mauritius, Malaysia, Singapore, Fiji, and the Caribbean, whose economies are primarily driven by tourism. Tourism can contribute to the economic growth of a country in the followings ways:

Employment Generation

It creates a large number of jobs among direct services providers (such as hotels , restaurants, travel agencies , tour operators , guide and tour escorts, etc.) and among indirect services providers (such as suppliers to the hotels and restaurants, supplementary accommodation, etc.)

Infrastructure Development

Tourism spurs infrastructure development. In order to become an important commercial or pleasure destination, any location would require all the necessary infrastructure, like good connectivity via rail, road, and air transport , adequate accommodation, restaurants, a well-developed telecommunication network, and, medical facilities, among others.

Foreign Exchange

The people who travel to other countries spend a large amount of money on accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping, etc. Thus, an inbound tourist is an important source of foreign exchange for any country.

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) predict in 1997 that the twenty-first-century economy would be dominated by three industries: telecommunications, information technology, and tourism. The travel and tourism industry has grown by 500 percent in the last 25 years.

Now withstanding this bright outlook and prospects, the tourism and hospitality industries are very vulnerable to the fluctuations of national economies and happenings in the world, especially terrorist attacks that have at times dealt severe blows to business.

In recent years, there have been a few setbacks in tourism, such as the terrorist siege of the Taj and Oberoi in Mumbai, India (26 November 2008); the attack on the World Trade Centre in the United States of America (11 September 2001); bombing in a hotel on the Indonesian island of Bali (12 October 2002); tsunami in Southeast Asia and South Asia on 26 December 2004, in which thousands of the lives where lost and consequently tourism was hit. Nonetheless, the sector is now getting back to business.

Impacts of Tourism

Tourism is a multi-dimensional activity. The scope of tourism activities is so wide and varied that it cannot be restricted to any particular field of activity. Tourism has ramifications in almost all sectors and is influenced by the performance of each of these sectors directly or indirectly. Tourism in any country can be an apt reflection of the nation’s economic and social endowment apart from its natural wealth.

Tourism has vast potential to bring about changes in the country’s economic, environmental, societal, and cultural edifice. Tourism has two basics: the supply of facilities and the demand for participation. The twin market forces of supply and demand interact to produce tourism patterns. These patterns are associated with economic, social, cultural, environmental, and ecological impacts.

Establishing or developing a tourism industry involves expenditure, gains, costs, and benefits. If these impacts are considered from the outset of planning, strengths and opportunities can be maximized while weaknesses and threats can be minimized.

Each destination will be different in terms of tourism characteristics . The cost and benefits of tourism will vary in each destination and can change over time, depending on tourism and other activities in a destination’s local and regional context.

Tourism activities impact the economy of the country as well as the local economy of the destination.

Economics Benefits

• Tourism generates local employment, directly in the tourism sector and in the support and resource management sectors.
• Tourism stimulates profitable domestic industries, hotels and other lodging facilities, restaurants and food services, transportation systems, handicrafts, and guide services.
• Tourism generates foreign exchange for the country and injects capital and new money into the local economy.
• Tourism helps to diversify the local economy.
• Improved tourism infrastructure.
• Increase tax revenues from tourism.

Economic Costs

• Higher demand created by tourism activity may increase the price of land, housing, and a range of commodities necessary for daily life.
• Demands for health services provision and police service increase during the tourist seasons at the expense of the local tax base.

Tourism also affects the society of the destination in good as well as bad ways. It benefits and costs the local communities.

Social Benefits

• The quality of a community can be enhanced by economic diversification through tourism.
• Recreational and cultural facilities created for tourism can be used by local communities as well as domestic/international visitors.
• Public space may be developed and enhanced through tourism activity.
• Tourism Enhances the local community’s esteem and provides an opportunity for greater understanding and communication among people of diverse backgrounds.

Social Costs

• Rapid tourism growth can result in the inability of local amenities and institutions to meet service demands.
• Without proper planning and management, litter, vandalism, and crime often accompany tourism development.
• Tourism can bring overcrowding and traffic congestion.
• Visitors bring with them material wealth and apparent freedom. The youths of the host community are particularly susceptible to the economic expectations these tourists bring which can result in complete disruption of traditional community ways of life.
• The community structure may change, e.g. community bonds, demographics, and institutions.
• The authenticity of the social and cultural environment can be changed to meet tourism demands.

Tourism activities also affect the culture of the host country. There are many positive and negative cultural impacts of tourism.

Cultural Benefits

• Tourism can enhance local cultural awareness.
• Tourism can generate revenue to help pay for the preservation of archaeological sites, historic buildings, and districts.
• Despite criticism about the alteration of cultures to unacceptable levels, the sharing of cultural knowledge and experience can be beneficial for hosts and guests of tourism destinations and can result in the revival of local traditions and crafts.

Cultural Costs

• Youth in the community begin to emulate the speech and attire of tourists.
• Historic sites can be damaged through tourism development and pressures.
• There can be long-term damage to cultural traditions and the erosion of cultural values, resulting in cultural change beyond a level acceptable to the host destination.

Tourism impacts the environment in positive as well as negative ways. These impacts are following below.

Environmental Benefits

• Parks and nature preserves may be created and ecological preservation supported as a necessity for nature-based tourism.
• Improved waste management can be achieved.
• Increased awareness and concern for the environment can result from nature-based tourism activities and development.

Environmental Costs

• A negative change in the physical integrity of the area.
• Rapid development, over-development, and overcrowding can forever change the physical environment and ecosystems of an area.
• Degradation of parks and preserves.

Over the years, tourism has become a popular global activity. Depending upon the nature and purpose of their travel, tourists, need and demand certain facilities and services. This has given rise to a wide range of commercial activities that have acquired industry proportions. Thus travel and tourism nowadays represent a broad range of related industries.

Hotels are a commercial establishment that provides accommodation, meals, and other guest services. In the travel and tourism industry, the hotel industry plays a very significant role, as all tourists need a place to stay at their destinations, and require many more services and facilities to suit their specific needs and tastes.

Restaurants

Restaurants are retail establishments that serve prepared food and beverages to customers. In the travel and tourism industry, restaurants and other food and beverage outlets are very important as tourists like to experiment with the local cuisines of the places they are visiting.

Retail and Shopping

The retail industry is very important as tourists shop for their day-to-day necessities as well as look for mementos and souvenirs. In recent years, some cities in the world have been promoted as shopping destinations to attract people with a penchant for shopping by offering various products, such as garments, electronic goods, jewelry, and antiques. New York, Paris, London, and Milan in Italy are famous as fashion havens of the world.

Transportation

It is the movement of people and goods from one place to another. A well-developed transport industry, as well as infrastructure, is integral to the success of any travel and tourism enterprise.

Travel Agencies

A travel agency is a retailing business that sells travel-related products and services, particularly package tours, to customers on the behalf of suppliers such as airlines, car rentals, cruise liners, hotels, railways, and sightseeing.

Travel agencies play a very important role as they plan out the itinerary of their clients and make the necessary arrangements for their travel, stay, and sightseeing, besides facilitating their passport, visa, etc.

Tour Operators

A tour operator assembles the various elements of a tour. It typically combines tour and travel components to create a holiday. Tour operators play an important role in the travel and tourism industry.

Tourist Destinations

A tourist attraction is a place of interest for tourists, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, nature or building beauty or amusement opportunities. These are the basic fundamentals of the tourism industry.

Cultural Industries

Cultural or creative industries are responsible for the creation, production, and distribution of goods and services that are cultural in nature and usually protected by intellectual property rights. As tourists like to visit places of cultural significance and soak in the culture of the area, the cultural industry is very important to travel and tourism.

Leisure, Recreation, and Sport

Leisure or free time is a period of time spent out of work and essential domestic activity. Recreation or fun is spending time in a manner designed for therapeutic refreshment of the body or mind. While leisure is more like a form of entertainment or rest, recreation requires active participation in a refreshing and diverting manner.

As people in the world’s wealthier regions lead an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, the need for recreation has increased. These play a significant role in the travel and tourism sector.

A tourism/tourist product can be defined as the sum of the physical and psychological satisfaction it provides to tourists, during their ‘traveling and sojourn’ en route at the destinations.

Since the travel and tourism industry is an agglomeration of too many sectors that promote travel-related services. These sectors are referred to as travel vendors and their services and goods are called ‘travel products’. A tourism product includes five main components such as physical plant, services, hospitality, freedom of choice, and a sense of involvement.

Thus, whatever the natural and man-made resources and services brought about the consumption of tourists are called tourism products .

Charecterstatics Of Tourism Products

By now, you must have understood what a tourism product is. Now let us look at some of its characteristics:-

1) Intangible : Tourism is an intangible product means tourism is such a kind of product that can not be touched or seen and there is no transfer of ownership, But the facilities are available for a specified time and for a specified use. For e.g. a room in the hotel is available for a specified time.

2) Psychological : The main motive to purchase a tourism products is to satisfy the psychological need after using the product, by getting an experience while interacting with a new environment. And experiences also motivate others to purchase that product.

3) Highly Perishable : Tourism product is highly perishable in nature means one can not store the product for a long time. Production and consumption take place while a tourist is available. If the product remains unused, the chances are lost i.e. if tourists do not purchase it.

A travel agent or tour operator who sells a tourism product cannot store it. Production can only take place if the customer is actually present. And once consumption begins, it cannot be stopped, interrupted, or modified. If the product remains unused, the chances are lost i.e. if tourists do not visit a particular place, the opportunity at that time is lost. It is due to tourism reason that heavy discount is offered by hotels and transport-generating organizations during the offseason.

4) Composite Product : Tourist product is a combination of different products. It has not a single entity in itself. In the experience of a visit to a particular place, various service providers contribute like transportation The tourist product cannot be provided by a single enterprise, unlike a manufactured product.

The tourist product covers the complete experience of a visit to a particular place. And many providers contribute to the tourism experience. For instance, the airline supplies seats, a hotel provides rooms and restaurants, travel agents make bookings for stay and sightseeing, etc.

5) Unstable Demand : Tourism demand is influenced by seasonal, economic political, and other factors. There are certain times of the year that see greater demand than others. At these times there is a greater strain on services like hotel bookings, employment, the transport system, etc.

Sustainable tourism

Related sdgs, promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable ....

Description

Publications.

Tourism is one of the world's fastest growing industries and an important source of foreign exchange and employment, while being closely linked to the social, economic, and environmental well-being of many countries, especially developing countries. Maritime or ocean-related tourism, as well as coastal tourism, are for example vital sectors of the economy in small island developing States (SIDS) and coastal least developed countries (LDCs) (see also: The Potential of the Blue Economy report as well as the Community of Ocean Action on sustainable blue economy).

The World Tourism Organization defines sustainable tourism as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities".

Based on General assembly resolution 70/193, 2017 was declared as the  International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.

In the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development SDG target 8.9, aims to “by 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products”. The importance of sustainable tourism is also highlighted in SDG target 12.b. which aims to “develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products”.

Tourism is also identified as one of the tools to “by 2030, increase the economic benefits to Small Island developing States and least developed countries” as comprised in SDG target 14.7.

In the Rio+20 outcome document The Future We want, sustainable tourism is defined by paragraph 130 as a significant contributor “to the three dimensions of sustainable development” thanks to its close linkages to other sectors and its ability to create decent jobs and generate trade opportunities. Therefore, Member States recognize “the need to support sustainable tourism activities and relevant capacity-building that promote environmental awareness, conserve and protect the environment, respect wildlife, flora, biodiversity, ecosystems and cultural diversity, and improve the welfare and livelihoods of local communities by supporting their local economies and the human and natural environment as a whole. ” In paragraph 130, Member States also “call for enhanced support for sustainable tourism activities and relevant capacity-building in developing countries in order to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development”.

In paragraph 131, Member States “encourage the promotion of investment in sustainable tourism, including eco-tourism and cultural tourism, which may include creating small- and medium-sized enterprises and facilitating access to finance, including through microcredit initiatives for the poor, indigenous peoples and local communities in areas with high eco-tourism potential”. In this regard, Member States also “underline the importance of establishing, where necessary, appropriate guidelines and regulations in accordance with national priorities and legislation for promoting and supporting sustainable tourism”.

In 2002, the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg called for the promotion of sustainable tourism development, including non-consumptive and eco-tourism, in Chapter IV, paragraph 43 of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.

At the Johannesburg Summit, the launch of the “Sustainable Tourism – Eliminating Poverty (ST-EP) initiative was announced. The initiative was inaugurated by the World Tourism Organization, in collaboration with UNCTAD, in order to develop sustainable tourism as a force for poverty alleviation.

The UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) last reviewed the issue of sustainable tourism in 2001, when it was acting as the Preparatory Committee for the Johannesburg Summit.

The importance of sustainable tourism was also mentioned in Agenda 21.

For more information and documents on this topic,  please visit this link

UNWTO Annual Report 2015

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UNWTO Annual Report 2016

In December 2015, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. This is a unique opportunity to devote a year to activities that promote the transformational power of tourism to help us reach a better future. This important cele...

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The 2012 UNEP Foresight Process on Emerging Global Environmental Issues primarily identified emerging environmental issues and possible solutions on a global scale and perspective. In 2013, UNEP carried out a similar exercise to identify priority emerging environmental issues that are of concern to ...

Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

This Agenda is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. It also seeks to strengthen universal peace in larger freedom, We recognize that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for su...

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Towards Measuring the Economic Value of Wildlife Watching Tourism in Africa

Set against the backdrop of the ongoing poaching crisis driven by a dramatic increase in the illicit trade in wildlife products, this briefing paper intends to support the ongoing efforts of African governments and the broader international community in the fight against poaching. Specifically, this...

Status and Trends of Caribbean Coral Reefs: 1970-2012

Previous Caribbean assessments lumped data together into a single database regardless of geographic location, reef environment, depth, oceanographic conditions, etc. Data from shallow lagoons and back reef environments were combined with data from deep fore-reef environments and atolls. Geographic c...

Natural Resources Forum: Special Issue Tourism

The journal considers papers on all topics relevant to sustainable development. In addition, it dedicates series, issues and special sections to specific themes that are relevant to the current discussions of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)....

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Market forces and government policies, including the Tenth National Development Plan (2007-2012), are moving Thailand toward a more geographically specialized economy. There is a growing consensus that Thailand’s comparative and competitive advantages lie in amenity services that have high reliance...

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Natural Resources Forum, a United Nations Sustainable Development Journal (NRF)

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UN Ocean Conference 2025

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58th Session of the Commission for Social Development – CSocD58

22nd general assembly of the united nations world tourism organization, world tourism day 2017 official celebration.

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World Tourism Day 2016 Official Celebration

Accessible Tourism for all is about the creation of environments that can cater for the needs of all of us, whether we are traveling or staying at home. May that be due to a disability, even temporary, families with small children, or the ageing population, at some point in our lives, sooner or late

4th Global Summit on City Tourism

The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the Regional Council for Tourism of Marrakesh with support of the Government of Morroco are organizing the 4th Global Summit on City Tourism in Marrakesh, Morroco (9-10 December 2015). International experts in city tourism, representatives of city DMOs, of

2nd Euro-Asian Mountain Resorts Conference

The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and Ulsan Metropolitan City with support of the Government of the Republic of Korea are organizing the 2nd Euro-Asian Mountain Resorts Conference, in Ulsan, Republic of Korea (14 - 16 October 2015). Under the title “Paving the Way for a Bright Future for Mounta

21st General Assembly of the United Nations World Tourism Organization

Unwto regional conference enhancing brand africa - fostering tourism development.

Tourism is one of the Africa’s most promising sectors in terms of development, and represents a major opportunity to foster inclusive development, increase the region’s participation in the global economy and generate revenues for investment in other activities, including environmental preservation.

• January 2017 International Year of Tourism In the context of the universal 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the International Year aims to support a change in policies, business practices and consumer behavior towards a more sustainable tourism sector that can contribute to the SDGs.
• January 2015 Targets 8.9, 12 b,14.7 The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development commits Member States, through Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.9 to “devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products”. The importance of sustainable tourism, as a driver for jobs creation and the promotion of local culture and products, is also highlighted in Sustainable Development Goal target 12.b. Tourism is also identified as one of the tools to “increase [by 2030] the economic benefits to Small Island developing States and least developed countries”, through Sustainable Development Goals Target 14.7.
• January 2012 Future We Want (Para 130-131) Sustainable tourism is defined as a significant contributor “to the three dimensions of sustainable development” thanks to its close linkages to other sectors and its ability to create decent jobs and generate trade opportunities. Therefore, Member States recognize “the need to support sustainable tourism activities and relevant capacity-building that promote environmental awareness, conserve and protect the environment, respect wildlife, flora, biodiversity, ecosystems and cultural diversity, and improve the welfare and livelihoods of local communities” as well as to “encourage the promotion of investment in sustainable tourism, including eco-tourism and cultural tourism, which may include creating small and medium sized enterprises and facilitating access to finance, including through microcredit initiatives for the poor, indigenous peoples and local communities in areas with high eco-tourism potential”.
• January 2009 Roadmap for Recovery UNWTO announced in March 2009 the elaboration of a Roadmap for Recovery to be finalized by UNWTO’s General Assembly, based on seven action points. The Roadmap includes a set of 15 recommendations based on three interlocking action areas: resilience, stimulus, green economy aimed at supporting the tourism sector and the global economy.
• January 2008 Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria The Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria represent the minimum requirements any tourism business should observe in order to ensure preservation and respect of the natural and cultural resources and make sure at the same time that tourism potential as tool for poverty alleviation is enforced. The Criteria are 41 and distributed into four different categories: 1) sustainability management, 2) social and economic 3) cultural 4) environmental.
• January 2003 WTO becomes a UN specialized body By Resolution 453 (XV), the Assembly agreed on the transformation of the WTO into a United Nations specialized body. Such transformation was later ratified by the United Nations General Assembly with the adoption of Resolution A/RES/58/232.
• January 2003 1st Int. Conf. on Climate Change and Tourism The conference was organized in order to gather tourism authorities, organizations, businesses and scientists to discuss on the impact that climate change can have on the tourist sector. The event took place from 9 till 11 April 2003 in Djerba, Tunisia.
• January 2002 World Ecotourism Summit Held in May 2002, in Quebec City, Canada, the Summit represented the most important event in the framework of the International Year of Ecosystem. The Summit identified as main themes: ecotourism policy and planning, regulation of ecotourism, product development, marketing and promotion of ecotourism and monitoring costs and benefits of ecotourism.
• January 1985 Tourism Bill of Rights and Tourist Code At the World Tourism Organization Sixth Assembly held in Sofia in 1985, the Tourism Bill of Rights and Tourist Code were adopted, setting out the rights and duties of tourists and host populations and formulating policies and action for implementation by states and the tourist industry.
• January 1982 Acapulco Document Adopted in 1982, the Acapulco Document acknowledges the new dimension and role of tourism as a positive instrument towards the improvement of the quality of life for all peoples, as well as a significant force for peace and international understanding. The Acapulco Document also urges Member States to elaborate their policies, plans and programmes on tourism, in accordance with their national priorities and within the framework of the programme of work of the World Tourism Organization.

UN Tourism | Bringing the world closer

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About UN Tourism

UN Tourism’s leadership vision acknowledges the most pressing challenges facing tourism and identifies the sector’s ability to overcome them and to drive wider positive change, including the opportunities responsible tourism offers for the advancement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

UN Tourism members have endorsed the Management Vision of the Secretary-General which seeks to position tourism as a policy priority, lead in knowledge creation, enhance the Organization’s capacity through building new and stronger partnerships , and offer better value for existing Members while also expanding membership.

To realize the Management Vision, UN Tourism’s work is based around five distinct pillars:

• making tourism smarter through celebrating innovation and leading the digital transformation of the sector;
• making tourism more competitive at every level through promoting investment and promoting entrepreneurship;
• creating more and better jobs and providing relevant training;
• building resilience and promoting safe and seamless travel; and
• harnessing tourism’s unique potential to protect cultural and natural heritage and to support communities both economically and socially.

As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UN Tourism promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide. 

UN Tourism encourages the implementation of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism , to maximize tourism’s socio-economic contribution while minimizing its possible negative impacts, and is committed to promoting tourism as an instrument in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) , geared towards reducing poverty and fostering sustainable development worldwide.

UN Tourism generates market knowledge, promotes competitive and sustainable tourism policies and instruments, fosters tourism education and training, and works to make tourism an effective tool for development through technical assistance projects in over 100 countries around the world. 

UN Tourism’s membership includes 160 Member States, 6 Associate Members and over 500 Affiliate Members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities.

Basic Documents

Our management.

The management team works towards a comprehensive vision for development of the tourism sector. This includes positioning tourism as a policy priority, establishing thought leadership in knowledge and policy creation, increasing resources and strengthening UN Tourism’s capacity through meaningful partnerships.

Governing Bodies

 The bodies of the World Tourism Organization are the:

• General Assembly
• Regional Commissions
• Executive Council
• Secretariat

Member States

An intergovernmental organization, UN Tourism has 160 Member States, 6 Associate Members, 2 Observers

Working With the Private Sector

Bringing together over 500 companies, educational and research institutions, destinations and NGOs, the UN Tourism Affiliate Members provides a space for members to engage in dialogue, share information and take further action.

UN Tourism Liaison Office in Geneva

As part of the UN Tourism Geneva Liaison Office (GVLO) scope of work to represent UN Tourism to the UN System and Diplomatic Missions in Geneva and in building strategic partnerships for increased capacity, GVLO has participated in numerous United Nations System led activities.

UN Tourism Tourism Ambassadors

UN Tourism’s Ambassadors for Sustainable Tourism are drawn from the worlds of sport, entertainment, business, gastronomy and more.

Tourism: Meaning, Types, Nature, Components & Importance

Meaning of tourism.

Tourism refers to social, cultural and economic phenomenon entailing the movement of people to foreign countries or places outside their usual environment for leisure or business motives. It is simply an act of travelling to places away from your hometown or usual area. It is quite interesting and thrilled filled activity that peoples have either done or would love to do it. Tourism is a collection of activities, services and industries that together provides better travel experience to peoples travelling away from their home. It comprises of transportation, eating and drinking establishments, accommodation, entertainment, retail shops and other hospitality services provided either to individuals or group of travellers. 

The World Tourism Organization (WTO) has specially defined tourism as a practice of travelling and staying away from your home or usual environment for 1 year or less in case if it is for leisure purposes, or for 24 hours or less if meant for business/professional purposes. Tourism concept is distinct from travel. In order for tourism to happen, some displacement must be there: a person has to travel using any mode of transportation (person can even travel on foot that is nowadays the case for poorest societies and happens even in more developed countries). Also, not all travels can be considered as tourism.

Types Of Tourism

Tourism is mainly of two types based on the purpose of visit and alternative forms of tourism. It can be categorized as international and domestic tourism. 

International tourism involves people travelling outside the boundary of their home country to some other foreign country. For travelling to foreign country, one need to go through several formalities and require documents such as valid passport, visa, foreign exchange, health documents etc. It is also divided into 2 types: Inbound Tourism and Outbound Tourism. 

Inbound Tourism: Inbound tourism refers to tourist belonging to some outside country entering a particular country. Travelling outside the home country to some another country is categorised as inbound tourism for the country where people are travelling. Like for example, when Indian origin tourists travel to Australia, then it will inbound tourism for Australia as foreign tourists have entered the country. 

Outbound Tourism: This refers to people travelling from their origin country to some different country. When tourists move to some foreign place, then it is categorized as outbound tourism for their own country as they are going outside their home country. For example, when Indian tourists travel to Australia, then it will be outbound tourism for India and inbound tourism for Australia. 

Domestic Tourism refers to tourism activities of people within their home country. When people travel to different parts of their home country, then it is covered under the domestic tourism. Travelling within the home country is easier because it does not need formal travel documents and tedious formalities such as compulsory health check-ups and foreign exchange. People when travelling domestically does not face much language issues or foreign exchange issues unlike in case of foreign travels. 

Nature of Tourism

The nature of tourism is much connected with travelling. It has been the human phenomenon since the beginning of human civilization. This is a sensitive factor for human nature in terms of moving to survive, explore and get to know the unknown things. Humans started travelling as nomads for search of prey and foods, in earlier times. Later on, the agricultural development developed the base for movement of peoples as traveller. After this the industrial revolution made various destinations prominent to travelling. This made the lifestyle of traveller much easier as well as safe to realize their tourism activities. Nature of tourism is further discussed in points below: – 

Tourism and service

Tourism is a service industry comprising of all those sectors of economy that are involved in offering services such as transportation, accommodation, food, beverage, as well as distribution and sales services. The tourism industry has been taken as term of economic growth, productivity, social development, employments income, etc. However, it does not produce any commodity that can be touched or taken home. Therefore, tourism is a hospitality industry and bridge in between peoples. It makes valuable contribution to world’s economy via offering jobs to more and more people than any other industry. 

Tourism is economy contributor

With the help of tourism business, a lot of income is generated within economy in the form of domestic or foreign exchange. A large population gets employed in this industry. Tourism industry is a major contributor to public revenue. Also, nature too can be tapped and friendly relations with other countries can lead to provide benefits for economy. 

Tourism products are highly perishable

The tourism products cannot be transported to customer location. Customers need to move to the products or visit the points of service delivery. For example, hotel rooms, culture, attraction is not possible to be transported from Sri Lanka. ‘Export’ or ‘Export of tourism products’ denote the arrival of tourists or facilities utilized by tourists. 

Tourism assists in educating the mass

Tourism industry plays an effective role in spreading ideas and knowledge among mass population. There is a spontaneous method of learning and exchange of ideas in this industry. Exploration and discovery scope is very high among the adventure tourists. Also, because of tourism, respect for each other’s own life exists. 

Tourism industry is sustainable

There is not any horizon or end to tourism activities. Tourism industry is a long-term industry. It represents non-stop movement of peoples and this incessant move give rise to more and more tourism activities. 

Components of Tourism

Tourism does not operate in isolation, but contains some components without whom it can’t be operated. Tour undertaken by person is affected by distinct elements or components. These components are core parts of tourism and are known as 4 A’s of tourism. 

The four components are: Attraction, Accessibility, Accommodation and Amenities. 

Attraction is considered as the most important component of tourism that creates desire among people to make visits to a specific place or destination. It is anything influencing or inspiring people to make visit/travel. Every country has different type of attraction that attracts in large number of tourists. The lack of attraction cannot pull travellers. Attraction is all those elements, that determines the tourist’s choice to visit one place over others. Peoples can be attracted by different attraction such as trekking, sunrise, waterfall, monument, historical building, cultural sites, national parks, beach resort, flora and fauna, scenic beauty, religious sites etc. The attraction creates flow of tourism to particular area/place and act as magnetic power on pull factor of tourism. 

Attraction can also be classified into two ways: – 

– Core Attraction : Core attraction denotes the basic assets or attributes of particular place/destination. This makes up the main theme of destination. Core attraction may be natural or man-made, cultural recreations, historic or spectator events. 

– Supporting Attraction : It includes the facilities and services that serve the needs of travellers lodging, food service, shopping and local transport, foreign currency exchange and so on. Also, the success of every tourism destination depends not only on its power to attract visitors but also on its ability to hold them. Therefore, a destination must have sufficient attraction such that it is appealing to wider market.

Accessibility

Accessibility is also key component of tourism that denotes reachability to place of destination via distinct modes of transportation. It is simply the way through which tourists can easily reach their destination point. An attraction is not only necessary but it should also be accessible. Tourists reach the place of attraction by using the means of transportation. Therefore, transportation services should be regular, economic, comfortable and safe, as if travel services are better then more will be the tourists coming. Transportation is very crucial and if tourism destination lacks transport facilities, it becomes of little value. 

The passenger transport is categorized into public or private, international air and surface, etc.

– Air Transport : Air transport is the fastest growing means of long-distance tourist transport and served as primary means of transport on many routes. 

– Sea Transport : It plays a major role on short sea routes, waterways and for cruises. 

– Rail Transport : Rail Transport is good for both short and medium distance within the home country or in-between different countries. This assist in reaching destination or for movements at destination. 

More and more tourists will visit a place if it has good modes of transportation available. For example, if we compare rara lake and phewa lake- Rara lake is beautiful destination in western Nepal but only few tourists visit this place due to transportation problem. Whereas, phewa lake is visited by millions of people due to the availability of good transportation.

Accommodation

Accommodation is another component of tourism which is a primary service needed by tourists at the place of destination. It has important role to play in influencing the tourists to choose destination. Accommodation denotes a place where travellers get food and shelter to stay. The tourists can stay in distinct types of accommodation such as staying with relatives, friends, other private accommodation and their own means of accommodation such as tent and caravans. This also include the provision of food and beverages for tourists. 

Tourism arises from the movement of people and stay at the place of destination. Accommodation complements the attraction and every tourist want such accommodation where they can stay comfortably and served good food. They give more priorities to place with good accommodation having all facilities such as hotel, lodges, apartment, bar and restaurant. A huge amount of investments are needed on accommodation that are designed as per the paying capacity of tourists. A well-designed accommodation at nice location with all facilities is also attraction. Tourist must spend at least one night on destination; therefore, accommodation is important. No one is going to visit a place with attraction and accessibility, but no accommodation. 

Amenities are yet another important component of tourism that are extra facilities like service added with attraction, accessibility and accommodation in order to create tourism. They on their own does not generate any tourist flow but their absence may distract the tourists. Amenities are basically the elements which provide pleasure and satisfaction to tourists from destination. Modern amenities are primary elements of tourism and are provided by government, hotel, airlines, travel agencies etc. Different amenities that government provides are visa, entry to archaeological and cultural sites, mountaineering permit, custom facilities etc. The necessary service and facilities for making guest feel comfortable while travelling such as food, rest, sport, communication and entertainment are also included within amenities. For example, sea side resort offer facilities such as swimming, yachting, boating, recreation.

Amenities are both natural and man-made where natural amenities comprise of fishing, trekking, beaches, climbing, viewing, and man-made amenities comprises of cinema, internet, telephone, drama, music, fair and festival, E-mail and fax service.

Importance of Tourism

The tourism industry is important due to the benefits it brings and its role as a commercial activity that creates demand and development for many more industries. Tourism not only contributes towards the economic development, but also generates large number of employment opportunities and revenues. The importance of tourism is well-discussed in points given below: – 

Brings in Influx of Wealth

The biggest advantage tourism provides to every country it that it provides way to economy for receiving influx of wealth. This thing becomes very crucial for nations with newer and weaker economies, and requires the boost. There are numerous countries in Africa that especially need this, and are heavily dependent on tourism sector. Tourists travelling from strong economy countries provide foreign cash that is much stronger than the currency of weak economy countries. This in turn means that tourists are willing to spend more, considering the strength of their money in particular area. Of course, this will bring in more benefits for country. The money spend by tourists not only goes to popular tourist destination and activities, that funds local tour operators and small ventures, but also goes at their general stay.

Large job opportunities

One of the best advantages of tourism industry is that it provides large employment opportunities for locals. Creation of jobs is the most obvious benefit provided to every country. This got spread throughout all industries, from pilots flying the planes for connecting countries to the people washing utensils in restaurant kitchens. Rise of customers during tourist peak season within the wide range of business fields provide enormous benefits. Tourism too creates new jobs for local peoples within the countries, paving the way for opening of new locally run business. More jobs are created from these new businesses both within the travel and tourism sector. 

Building infrastructure

An important benefit of tourism industry is construction and improvement of infrastructural facilities within the country. With the help of wealth inflow from tourists and local communities, large expenses for building up of roads, school, parks, hospital and community areas can be easily afforded. A booming tourism industry won’t be able to survive in country having absence of right infrastructure, as tourists face difficulties in moving around and there won’t be much activities available. For example, if country’s roads are badly damaged and cannot be driven on then tourist won’t be able to move to places where they want to. 

Source of diverse income

Most of the countries are heavily reliant on different industries operating within them, and when these industries fall short then entire economy broke down. Tourism is one of the industries that is much reliable and provides regular flow of income to countries. This means that sometimes the main industry of country can be tourism industry. Tourism remains heavy unlike the other one that changes with seasons. The tourism industry helps in easing the strain caused by suffering industries, and assist in minimizing the massive negative effect this has on overall economy of country. 

Environmental protection

The environmental health is nowadays taken seriously by entire world. Due to this, there is a demand for destinations to be environment friendly. Business involved in tourism activities are taking efforts to make themselves stand out by being more responsible to environment offering eco-tours. These businesses then impact the wellness of environment and improves ways of treating massive habitats. Now, key natural areas remain unharmed and conserved due to their value to tourism industry. Practice of eco-friendly tours and accommodations motivate tourists to respect the untouched sites they are visiting, that helps in keeping these sites and their inhabitants unharmed.

Gender equality

Women fill up the majority of positions in tourism industry among most parts of the world. Unfortunately, they tend to hold more jobs at lower designations and many of them even perform unpaid jobs in their family tourism businesses. That said, the gap in wages is smaller as per the UN Women. Women are earning 14.7% less as compared to men and fill more management roles than in other fields. Tourism industry carries lots of opportunities and strategies that has great potential to further empower women. 

Preserves heritage

Another important advantage of tourism is the preservation of culture and heritage. There are lots of tourist who visit the destination specially to see the local heritage. And due to this, many destinations will take all possible steps to preserve their heritage. This can involve putting restrictions in place or limiting the number of tourists, if necessary. It is also an example of careful planning of tourism and sustainable management of tourism.

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Why is tourism so important to the economy?

Recently updated on July 31st, 2023 at 04:03 pm

Tourism isn’t just about holidays and new adventures on distant shores. This incredible industry, quite literally, makes the world go round. From supporting local businesses to making up trillions of dollars of the global GDP, the importance of tourism on the economy is simply massive. And with the COVID-19 pandemic crushing the tourism industry this year, the damage has been felt across the world. In celebration of World Tourism Day on 27 September, we take a look at why tourism is so important to the economy and why it’s crucial this industry makes a comeback. 

What is the importance of travel and tourism?

In 2019 alone, the tourism industry contributed 10.3% of the global GDP – that’s US$8.9 trillion! It also provided 330 million jobs, or one in 10 jobs around the world, while over the past five years the tourism industry created one in four new jobs. The sector also experienced a 3.5% growth in 2019, exceeding the global economic growth of 2.5% for the ninth year in a row. 

Those are some impressive stats, painting a stark picture of the importance of tourism to the economy. So what happens when there is no tourism? 

2020 was the year that travel really did stop, with COVID-19 bringing the tourism industry to a devastating halt. By April 2020, at least 7.1 billion people, or 91% of the global population , were living with COVID-19 related travel restrictions.

Six months later, many countries are beginning to emerge from local lockdowns and re-open borders. But the tourism industry has been dealt a heavy blow.

Countless businesses have been forced to close, from local family stores to multinational companies. Millions of people have lost their jobs and livelihoods. However, a loss of jobs and income is just the beginning of the losses the world would face without tourism.

RELATED CONTENT: 6 ways your travels directly impact the lives of others for the better

What are the impacts of tourism?

The advantages of tourism go beyond creating billions of dollars and hundreds of millions of jobs and business opportunities. A booming tourism industry helps to build infrastructure such as roads, parks, hospitals, schools and community areas.

It also helps to preserve heritage sites, natural wonders, and precious cultures, by creating space for people to showcase their cultural traditions and protect sacred areas. Your travels can have a direct positive impact when you stay in locally-owned accommodation, shop in artisan markets, take part in traditional festivals, and tour with local guides. 

The tourism industry also helps to protect the environment and its wildlife, with many tourism businesses offering eco-friendly services and encouraging tourists to respect the lands and communities they visit.

Dozens of natural areas are gaining protection because of their importance to the tourism industry. There are also many inspiring cases of change, such as former poachers turning into safari guides or gamekeepers, as the income from tourists wanting to see wildlife means that protecting the animals is a far more valuable venture. Your trip can have a direct positive impact when you pay entry fees for national parks to ensure ongoing preservation. You should also always make sure you leave only footprints and take only photos from the natural areas you visit.

These positive impacts of the tourism industry are all part of a move towards responsible tourism. It’s all about having a beneficial effect on the communities we visit, protecting our wildlife, and caring for our planet. 

RELATED CONTENT: Travelling in today’s world: Your COVID-19 travel questions and concerns, answered

Why is responsible tourism important?

Without responsible tourism, many communities, cultures, animals and lands will suffer. Since tourism income provides a huge incentive to preserve areas of natural and cultural importance, removing this incentive puts these precious places at a higher risk of extinction. They’re more likely to be destroyed to make way for more profitable, and often harmful, developments such as mass agriculture .

RELATED CONTENT: Never again shall we take for granted how truly interconnected we all are

Responsible tourism also means more tourism businesses are using sustainable practices and promoting eco-friendly and culturally sensitive trips. This leaves less space for unethical businesses using tourism to damage the environment and exploit people and wildlife.

Responsible tourism is the way to go

The good news is, responsible tourism – and its big impact on the economy – is on the rise. As the tourism industry gradually makes a comeback in the wake of COVID-19, we’re likely to see changes in the way we travel. Travel trends like domestic travel, getting out into nature, and small group travel will all become more popular in 2021. 

RELATED CONTENT: From domestic travel to nature getaways, these are the 2021 travel trends we are seeing right now

After experiencing this global crisis together, we’re also feeling more interconnected than ever, and we’re more conscious of our impact on the environment. As a result, we’re more likely to take responsible holidays that celebrate our beautiful planet and connect with real people.

You can travel responsibly with Trafalgar with our JoinTrafalgar initiative, powered by the not-for-profit TreadRight Foundation . It was launched over a decade ago with a mission to use the positive power of travel to make a difference on our trips.

RELATED CONTENT: Now is the time to explore your own country, for you and the economy

How can my next trip help the economy?

So we’ve talked about the advantages of tourism to the economy and millions of people around the world… But how can we help the tourism industry make a comeback?

Since domestic travel will drive the recovery of tourism, the best place to travel first is your own backyard. Take it as a golden opportunity to explore some hidden gems in your own country!

You’ll get to reconnect with your local culture, history and nature, all while helping local businesses closer to home. When you spend money in small businesses like restaurants, hotels, shops and farms, you’re doing your part to support local families, revive the economy and bring travel back.

RELATED CONTENT: Aussies, here’s how your travels can directly boost the local economy

The wonders of local travel

You can embrace domestic travel with Trafalgar’s new ‘Near Not Far’ trips. They’re offering amazing local adventures in countries like the USA , Canada , Australia and New Zealand . 

You can choose from local experiences like visiting a real working sheep farm in southern New Zealand , or staying in a seaside eco-tent on the stunning Rottnest Island. Take part in a special Navajo cookout in Monument Valley , or sleep like royalty in the gorgeous châteaux of Quebec and Ontario.

While we don’t know how long it will take for the economy to recover, we do know that tourism is a crucial part of its revival. So once travel restrictions ease and borders reopen, why not think about taking a trip? It will do wonders for the world. 

What is the importance of tourism to you? Let us know in the comments below…

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What is Tourism? History, Attraction, Purposes, Benefits, Modes, Technology

• Post last modified: 28 August 2021
• Reading time: 26 mins read
• Post category: Tourism

What is Tourism?

Tourism is a concern with pleasure, holidays, traveling and moving, departing or arriving somewhere. These are the source of motivations that make people leave their “normal” place of work and residence for short-term or long-term temporary visits to “other” Places.

Table of Content

• 1 What is Tourism?
• 2.1 Roman Empire Period
• 2.2 Middle Age Period
• 2.3 17th Century
• 2.4 Industrial Revolution Period
• 2.5 19th to 20th the Centuries
• 3.1 Recreational Tourism
• 3.2 Leisure Tourism
• 3.3 Sports Tourism
• 3.4 Business of Technical Tourism
• 4.1 Holiday Tourism
• 4.2 Tourism for Visiting to Friends and Relatives
• 4.3 Study Tourism
• 4.4 Religious Tourism
• 4.5 Other Purposes of Tourism
• 5.1 Pedestrian Tourism
• 5.2 Motor Tourism
• 5.3 Railway Tourism
• 5.4 Maritime Tourism
• 5.5 Air Tourism
• 6.1 Transportation
• 6.2 Communications Technology Traditional
• 6.3 Distribution of Travel Products
• 7 Constraints of Tourism Growth
• 8 Benefits of Tourism

Tourism infect is a leisure activity or phenomenon because it coexists with its opposite, that is regulated and organized work this shows us that in modern societies work and leisure are arranged as separate and regulated areas of social practice.

They are spotted in specific places and specific spans of time. Tourism involves the movement of people to and fro, and their accommodation at different destinations. This activity involves a journey and services like transportation, accommodation catering and services, and viewing and exploring, etc.

History of Tourism

There are some phases of the history of tourism that discuss below:

Roman Empire Period

Middle age period, 17th century, industrial revolution period, 19th to 20th the centuries.

During the Roman Empire period (from about 27 BC to AD 476), travel developed for military, trade, and political reasons, as well as for communication of messages from the central government to its distant territories.

Travel was also necessary for the artisans and architects “imported” to design and construct the great palaces and tombs. In ancient Greece, people traveled to Olympic Games. Both the participants and spectators required accommodations and food services.

Wealthy Romans, in ancient times, traveled to seaside resorts in Greece and Egypt for sightseeing purposes.

During the Middle Age (from about AD 500 to 1400), there was a growth of travel for religious reasons. It had become an organized phenomenon for pilgrims to visit their “holy land”, such as Muslims to Mecca, and Christians to Jerusalem and Rome.

16th Century In the 16th century, the growth in England’s the trade and commerce led to the rise of a new type of tourists – those who traveled to broaden their own experience and knowledge.

In the 17th century, the sons and daughters of the British aristocracy traveled throughout Europe (such as Italy, Germany, and France) for periods of time, usually 2 or 3 years, to improve their knowledge.

This was known as the Grand Tour, which became a necessary part of the training of future administrators and political leaders.

The Industrial Revolution (from about AD 1750 to 1850) in Europe created the base for mass tourism. This period turned most people away from basic agriculture into the town/ factory and urban way of life.

As a result, there was a rapid growth of the wealth and education level of the middle class, as well as an increase in leisure time and a demand for holiday tourism activities.

At that time, travel for health became important when the rich and fashionable Europeans began to visit the spa towns (such as Bath in England and Baden – Baden in Germany) and seaside resorts in England (such as Scarborough, Margate, and Brighton).

In the 19th and 20th centuries, social and technological changes have had an immense impact on tourism. Great advances in science and technology made possible the invention of rapid, safe, and relatively cheap forms of transport: the railways were invented in the 19th century and the passenger aircraft in the 20th century.

World War II (AD 1939-1945) was also the impetus for dramatic improvements in communication and air transportation, which made travel much easier today than in earlier times.

The 1980s were called the boom years. Business and leisure travel expanded very rapidly. The baby boomers were coming of age and had the money to spend. These travelers were looking for a variety of travel products from exciting vacation options such as adventure travel, ecotourism, and luxurious travel.

There was not only a significant expansion in the travel market but also in tourist destinations. The fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany in 1989 signified the doom of communism in Europe. Countries such as Russia and the Czech Republic became new tourist destinations both for vacation and business travelers.

The Aviation Industry was facing high operational costs, including wages, oil prices, handling fees of the Central Reservation System (CRS), landing charges of the air crafts and advertising fees,s, etc. During this decade, CRS also marched towards more sophisticated technology.

It became possible for agents to book a huge inventory of travel products, such as hotels, car rentals, cruises, rail passes, and theatre tickets from the CRS.

The introduction of “ticketless traveling” (electronic ticket) brings benefits to the airlines by cutting the amount of paperwork and cost of tickets. At the same time, passengers do not have to worry about carrying or losing tickets.

Although electronic ticketing does not bypass the travel agents as intermediaries, it makes it easier for the airline to deal directly with consumers. Travelers can now log on to the Internet easily reach for travel information, book a simple ticket or hotel room through their personal computer at home. There are thousands of new destinations, tour products, and discounted airfares for travelers to choose from.

Tourism Attraction

The tourists have the different attraction of the different tourist places some of the types are as follow:

Recreational Tourism

Leisure tourism, sports tourism, business of technical tourism.

Recreation and entertainment are the first purposes of tourism. The people are bored with their routine and daily work. They want to change the dullness of the mind. They throw away their worries and start their work with a refreshed mind.

This change is done in tourism of this type, Tourists spend time in the hotels and enjoy. Some of the tourists choose the silent seashores or hill stations for their recreation. These tourists certainly choose good places where fresh air is available.

Shri. Atnadupsingh writes that the present trend is that this tourism is famous among the learned people and intellectual workers. At these places the people try to know the art, history, folklife traditions, customs, and natural entertainment, etc., sometimes this tourism is called as Cultural Tourism.

This tourism has various purposes. These tourists have different ways to derive pleasures, from such as different climates, different natural beauty, to rest at a remote place to observe tribal dances to see new things and to derive new experiences.

The tourists wish to spend their time at quiet places and away from their daily routine works and locality. These tourists go to calm places to get a quiet atmosphere away from their daily busy life, crowded streets, and house.

The main purpose of this tourism is to spend some time quietly and freely away from their usual daily work. In this tourism, tourists possibly roam to see beaches & waterfalls.

Tourism is also a group process like a visit to the sports field, Of course in these two fields excellent guidance and right planning is required, otherwise, development of both is impossible. The development of sports is one of the main purposes of tourism.

Swimming, sports competitions hunting, fishing, etc. sports are inspired due to tourism. Across the world, tourists crowd at the sports places during Olympic competition, skating, football competition, Wimbolden tennis competition, Hockey and boxing competition besides above sports-type maintaining horse riding, boat rowing, cricket, etc like these there are hundreds of sports competitions.

Countries that are inspired due to tourism arrangements develop sports fields. They get benefits from tourism development. Tourism is a good inspiration to sports organizers.

According to some economists and sociologists traveling done by professional people cannot be considered as tourism because the business view is more important than the self wish. It lacks entertainment, a recreation which is rest, etc. its aim of tourism.

In the professional traveling business, people have no freedom of fixing a tourist place. Even they have no personal traveling freedom, They do not get the joy of staying. Business tourism is not considered as good tourism as they have no freedom.

In business tourism, many business people have to travel for business and visit exhibitions, a fair which is included in it. Whenever business tourists get time like other tourists they spend their time for enjoyment and recreation.

Purpose of Tourism

Following are the purposes of the tourism such as educational, religious, and mostly recreational:

Holiday Tourism

Tourism for visiting to friends and relatives, study tourism, religious tourism, other purposes of tourism.

In holiday tourism the purpose of tourists is to spend the day at the natural places away from home to see the dam, sea beach or thick forests beauty. In Europe, America, and even India middle-class people enjoy holiday tourism during their holidays.

Parents and students participate in picnics or sports as a part of holiday tourism. Sometimes they go participate in foreign tourism. While choosing these places preference is given to the hobbies. Mostly such picnics are arranged for family members, friends, or colleagues.

Sometimes the purpose of tourism is to visit friends and relatives. In this tourism, both domestic and foreign tourism are included. Tourists visit their friends, relatives in the cities and towns as well as they visit the tourist places.

Tourists halt at their relatives and friends places hence they don’t have to spend money on stay in hotels.

Study tourism is practiced by youths. Students go to various countries for education. The students do not have a lot of money so they cannot afford to visit tourist places that are away from their study place. They visit educational, research centers, museums, exhibition,s etc.

The purpose of this type of tourism is to visit religious places. In eastern countries the main purpose of tourism is to visit religious places. In India, crores of people visit religious places. In Maharashtra, devotees visit Pandharpur, Kolhapur, Tuljapur, Shirdi, and Nasik.

They give preference to religious places rather than tourist places.

In this type of business purpose, health purpose, sale of articles, political, technical, and scientific causes are important. The specific climate is useful for recovery from various diseases for instance for TB clean air at sanitoriums is useful. Hot water springs are useful for skin diseases as it contains sulfur.

Modes of Tourism

These are the modes of tourism which we used for travel:

Pedestrian Tourism

Motor tourism, railway tourism, maritime tourism, air tourism.

Today this tourism is rare but earlier tourists were completing their journey on foot, as the development of transportation was very poor. At times they used animals such as ox, horses, and donkeys, camels for transportation.

Nowadays people have their own private vehicles so they use their vehicles for tourism. Due to private vehicles, this type of tourism has increased.

The railway is a very important means of transport for long-distance touring. A railway journey is comfortable to any corner of the country. The extension of the railway causes the development of tourism. The numbers of tourists have increased in Goa and Karnataka due to the Konkan railway.

Maritime tourism is famous from an earlier age. Ships were used for tourism, earlier steamships were used, nowadays diesel and atomic energy is used for ship transport in domestic and foreign tourism.

After World war II air transport has become important means in the development of tourism especially where there are no roads or railway routes. Air transport is useful for fast traveling and long journeys. Every country and every continent is connected by airways.

Technology in Tourism

Technology has greatly influenced the way travel is carried out, sold, and distributed from producers to consumers. It will continue to change and all participants in tourism will have to constantly adjust to new and often very different forms of technology.

Transportation

Communications technology traditional, distribution of travel products.

All tourists have to get to and from their holiday destinations by one form of transport or the other. In the 21st century, means of transport have become faster, more reliable, and more comfortable. Examples include Mega Ships, Fast Trains, Private cars, Tourist Attractions.

From the management of natural attractions to sophisticated, computer-run theme park rides and IMAX cinemas technology has greatly impacted the attractions industry.

Communications Technology Traditional: Messengers, Mail, Telex, Telegram, Fixed line telephone, Fax. In the 21st century: E-mail, Skype, Internet, SMS, Mobile Phone, Satellite phone (Iridium).

The vast majority of travel products are services and as such, they are different from physical products in several ways.

• Consumers must travel to consume the product.
• Intangibility (can’t be touched from the distance) of product means that pre-testing of tourism products is not possible.
• Perishable – hotel rooms, airline seats or events tickets can’t be stored.
• Simultaneous production and consumption.
• Traditional Travel Product Distribution The vast majority of travel products are services and as such they are different from physical products in several ways.
• Airlines, hotels, cruise companies, restaurants, attraction etc. ‘manufacture” the product or service.
• Tour Wholesaler or consolidators package the various products and offer them as packages to the market.
• Travel agents acting as agents of the producers of the services or agents of the tour wholesalers sell the products and services for a commission.
• The consumer buys the travel product from the travel agent 21st Century.

Constraints of Tourism Growth

The international community is threatened by numerous constraints , like the energy crisis, the use, and distribution of resources, inflation, unemployment, and deteriorating terms of trade. In this context, we have to clarify the true nature of tourism and its role in the future to see how these factors function as obstacles.

Most countries, by adopting paid holiday and some form of a tourism subsidy (like LTC or holiday bonus) have made a commitment to leisure time and, therefore, to tourism, such a commitment is often made without realizing that there is interdependence between the general level of development and the social framework of civil society.

These then act as obstacles to tourism development. These factors are identified as obstacles to the development of modern tourism. Added to these can be economic, social, and political differences in:

• Financial resources
• Human Resources
• Institutional, Administrative and Managerial Cultures
• Implementation and design Machinery
• Priority given to tourism

If tourism is not to be a threat to its own future then all countries should devote special attention in the following areas:

• A quantitative and qualitative analysis of the natural, cultural, artistic and human resources and plan their use as well as their protection. Most planned tourism extends their use but does not protect resources.
• Realize that one country’s heritage is a part of the heritage of making and, therefore, avoid conflict, was and mis-sensitivity to a holistic view of heritage.
• Recognize the social and economic importance of tourism and extend its conversations aspect to create an unpolluted environment.
• Recognize that traditional values, particularly non-materialistic values should guide tourism as a social force and a negotiable resource between the rich and the poor.
• To achieve tourism related goals via bilateral and multilateral agreements, into which socio-economic goals can be introduced, if tourism is for developing the host country.
• The threats and obstacles model in tourism development should address to the dual problem – preserve as you develop.
• All tourism development must not be related to short terms needs no matter how pressing, but must respond to obligations which we must feel towards the exploited, the marginalized, the poor and backward, the uneducated, etc. Therefore, the view of tourism should be long term. This means that the habitual consumer attitude which has been developed with general social approval should be discouraged.

Tourism can be said to have feed itself from obstacles if it can help people to change their daily routines. A new environment a new room, new food, new people, different faces, different languages, different money could be an opportunity to recognize the need for change rather than to succumb to international standards simply because they are familiar.

Benefits of Tourism

These are benefits of touris m we will discuss below:

• The value of tourism is much more than simply visitor numbers and expenditure.
• The value of tourism is the income generation and its linkage through the community to maximize the export earnings from visiting tourists.
• Through the identification of Local Distinctiveness a strategy can be developed to support the economically disadvantaged and stimulate micro businesses opportunities of produce, crafts and services.
• The value of tourism is to contribute to building better facilities for the local community. The more pleasurable a community’s lifestyle the greater the appeal of the destination to visitors.
• The value of tourism is to make direct contribution to the conservation of cultural and natural heritage which visitors come to consume.
• It is too easy to generalise about the economic value of tourism without examining the impact of tourism at a community or precinct level. A Responsible Accommodation experience can be both enriching for the guest and the community.
• Local economic development therefore works hand in hand with identifying the Local Distinctiveness of the destination, the linkage between tourism businesses and suppliers, the creation of opportunities for the community to prosper, the creation of facilities and the active involvement of local government.
• Regional and local tourism requires a partnership between local government economic development and planning policy, the communities, tourism operators, national parks and other stakeholders.
• Tourism funding and therefore its focus are all too often concentrating on promotion. The Visitor Economy requires a holistic and integrated strategy at local level to boost the linkage and minimize leakage.
• A five point recommendation list is made.

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• Travel Guide
• Sustainability

What Is The Purpose Of Ecotourism?

Published: November 14, 2023

Modified: December 28, 2023

by Verina Greenwood

Introduction

Ecotourism is a form of tourism that has gained significant attention in recent years. It is characterized by traveling to natural areas with the aim of conserving the environment, respecting local cultures, and promoting sustainable development. Unlike traditional tourism, which often disregards the impact on the environment and communities, ecotourism strives to minimize negative impacts and maximize positive outcomes.

In today’s world, with increasing concerns about climate change, ecosystem degradation, and loss of biodiversity, ecotourism plays a crucial role in promoting environmental sustainability. It offers a unique opportunity for travelers to engage with nature, learn about different ecosystems, and contribute to their conservation while supporting local communities.

As the demand for authentic, responsible travel experiences continues to grow, it is essential to understand the purpose and benefits of ecotourism. This article aims to delve into the various aspects that make ecotourism not only an exciting and fulfilling way to travel but also a powerful tool for protecting our planet.

Definition of Ecotourism

Ecotourism is a specialized form of tourism that focuses on responsible travel to natural areas, with an emphasis on conserving the environment, promoting sustainable practices, and benefiting local communities. This type of tourism aims to minimize the negative impacts of traditional tourism, such as habitat destruction, pollution, and exploitation of natural resources, while maximizing the positive outcomes for both the environment and local people.

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) defines ecotourism as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education.” This definition highlights the three core principles of ecotourism: conservation, community, and education.

Firstly, ecotourism places a strong emphasis on the conservation and preservation of natural resources. It seeks to protect and maintain the biodiversity, ecosystems, and natural landscapes of the destinations visited. This includes promoting sustainable practices such as minimizing waste, conserving water and energy, and supporting local conservation initiatives.

Secondly, ecotourism aims to support and benefit the local communities. It recognizes that the well-being of local people is essential for the long-term success of ecotourism initiatives. This involves involving the local community in decision-making processes, ensuring that their cultural heritage is respected and preserved, and providing economic opportunities such as employment, training, and revenue sharing.

Lastly, education and interpretation are integral components of ecotourism. It seeks to raise awareness about the importance of biodiversity, ecosystem conservation, and sustainable practices. Through guided tours, interpretive signs, and educational programs, ecotourism encourages visitors to learn about the natural and cultural significance of the destinations they visit, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation for the environment.

Overall, the definition of ecotourism revolves around the principles of responsible travel, environmental conservation, community support, and education. It provides a framework for travelers to engage in sustainable tourism practices while experiencing the beauty and wonders of nature.

Conservation and Preservation of Natural Resources

One of the primary purposes of ecotourism is the conservation and preservation of natural resources. Unlike traditional tourism, which often leads to environmental degradation and habitat destruction, ecotourism strives to minimize these negative impacts and promote sustainable practices.

Ecotourism destinations are carefully selected based on their significant ecological value, biodiversity, and unique natural features. These areas may include national parks, biosphere reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, and other protected areas. By attracting tourists to these locations, ecotourism contributes to their conservation by generating revenue for their management and protection.

Furthermore, ecotourism promotes the responsible use of natural resources. Sustainable practices, such as waste reduction, energy conservation, and water management, are implemented to minimize the ecological footprint of visitors. This includes staying in eco-friendly accommodations, using renewable energy sources, practicing responsible waste disposal, and using environmentally friendly transportation options.

In ecotourism destinations, strict regulations and guidelines are often put in place to protect fragile habitats and wildlife. Visitors are encouraged to follow leave-no-trace principles, such as not disturbing plants and animals, staying on designated trails, and respecting restricted areas. These measures ensure that the natural resources are preserved for future generations to enjoy.

Moreover, ecotourism facilitates scientific research and monitoring efforts. Researchers and conservationists often collaborate with ecotourism operators to collect data, study biodiversity, and monitor the health of ecosystems. This scientific involvement helps to deepen our understanding of the natural world and inform conservation strategies.

By promoting the conservation and preservation of natural resources, ecotourism plays a vital role in protecting the environment and ensuring the long-term sustainability of our planet. It allows travelers to appreciate the beauty and diversity of nature while actively contributing to its conservation.

Protection of Wildlife and Biodiversity

Ecotourism plays a significant role in the protection of wildlife and biodiversity. It offers travelers the opportunity to observe and appreciate the richness of natural ecosystems while supporting conservation efforts.

As part of ecotourism activities, visitors get the chance to encounter a wide range of wildlife species in their natural habitats. Whether it’s a safari in Africa, birdwatching in the Amazon rainforest, or swimming alongside marine life in a coral reef, ecotourism provides an up-close and personal experience with diverse ecosystems and their inhabitants.

By engaging with wildlife in a responsible and respectful manner, ecotourism contributes to the conservation of these species. Operators and guides adhere to strict guidelines to ensure that wildlife encounters are carried out without causing harm or disturbance to the animals. This includes maintaining a safe distance, avoiding intrusive behavior, and refraining from feeding or touching the wildlife.

In many ecotourism destinations, local communities are actively involved in wildlife conservation. They serve as important custodians of their natural heritage and play a key role in safeguarding wildlife habitats. Ecotourism provides economic incentives for communities to protect wildlife and their habitats by promoting sustainable practices and supporting conservation initiatives.

Moreover, ecotourism revenue is often allocated to funding conservation projects and anti-poaching efforts. This financial support enables the establishment and maintenance of protected areas, the implementation of monitoring programs, and the enforcement of wildlife protection laws. It allows for the preservation of critical habitats, the restoration of ecosystems, and the safeguarding of endangered species.

Through education and interpretation programs, ecotourism fosters a deeper understanding and appreciation for biodiversity and its importance. Travelers learn about conservation issues, the ecological significance of different species, and the threats they face. This knowledge enhances awareness and empathy, and often inspires travelers to actively engage in wildlife conservation even after their trip.

Overall, ecotourism serves as a powerful platform for the protection of wildlife and biodiversity. By promoting responsible wildlife encounters, supporting local communities, funding conservation initiatives, and raising awareness, it contributes to the preservation of our planet’s most precious natural assets.

Support for Local Communities

One of the key purposes of ecotourism is to support and benefit the local communities of the destinations visited. Unlike traditional tourism, which often leads to economic leakage, where the majority of profits go to foreign entities, ecotourism strives to ensure that local communities reap the benefits of tourism.

Ecotourism encourages the involvement and empowerment of local communities in decision-making processes. Community-based ecotourism initiatives often involve the participation of local residents in the planning, management, and development of tourism activities. This allows the communities to have a say in how tourism impacts their lives and ensures that their cultural heritage is respected and preserved.

By supporting local businesses, ecotourism helps to stimulate economic growth in communities. This includes utilizing local accommodations, restaurants, tour operators, and artisans, rather than relying on large international chains. These local businesses provide employment opportunities for community members, contribute to the local economy, and help improve the standard of living for residents.

Moreover, ecotourism often promotes the exchange of cultural knowledge and promotes intercultural understanding. Travelers have the chance to learn about the traditions, customs, and way of life of the local communities they visit. This cultural immersion allows for a more authentic and enriching travel experience while promoting mutual respect and appreciation between visitors and locals.

Many ecotourism initiatives also prioritize initiatives that directly benefit local communities. For example, revenue generated from ecotourism activities may be allocated towards community development projects such as education, healthcare, infrastructure improvements, and conservation programs. This creates a positive cycle where the success of ecotourism directly translates into improved living conditions and well-being for the local population.

Furthermore, ecotourism fosters social and human capital development within communities. It provides opportunities for skills training, capacity building, and entrepreneurship. Locals can acquire skills in guiding, hospitality, sustainable farming, and handicraft production, among others, which can open doors to new economic opportunities and income streams.

Overall, ecotourism serves as a catalyst for supporting and empowering local communities. By ensuring that the benefits of tourism are shared with the people who call these destinations home, ecotourism helps to create a more equitable and sustainable tourism industry.

Environmental Education and Awareness

One of the important purposes of ecotourism is to promote environmental education and awareness among travelers. Through guided tours, interpretive programs, and interactive experiences, ecotourism seeks to educate visitors about the importance of biodiversity, conservation, and sustainable practices.

Ecotourism destinations serve as outdoor classrooms, offering unique opportunities for travelers to learn about different ecosystems, natural phenomena, and the interconnections between humans and the environment. Knowledgeable guides provide expert insights into the local flora, fauna, and ecological processes, helping visitors gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the natural world.

Environmental education programs within ecotourism aim to raise awareness about the fragility of ecosystems and the impact of human activities on the environment. They highlight the importance of responsible tourism practices, such as reducing waste, conserving water and energy, and supporting local conservation initiatives. By imparting this knowledge, ecotourism seeks to inspire travelers to become more conscious consumers and environmental advocates in their daily lives.

Additionally, ecotourism plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between scientists, researchers, and the general public. Ecotourism destinations often collaborate with scientific institutions, conservation organizations, and local communities in conducting research, monitoring wildlife populations, and gathering data that contributes to the overall understanding of the environment.

Through direct interaction with scientists and researchers, travelers gain insights into ongoing conservation efforts, challenges faced by ecosystems, and the importance of biodiversity conservation. This exposure fosters a sense of responsibility and helps travelers recognize their role in protecting the environment.

Environmental education and awareness within ecotourism also extend to the local communities. Many ecotourism initiatives include educational programs aimed at raising environmental awareness among community members. This enables communities to be active participants in conservation efforts and empowers them to take ownership of their natural resources.

Ultimately, the goal of environmental education and awareness within ecotourism is to promote a mindset shift towards environmental sustainability. By equipping travelers with knowledge, fostering a connection to nature, and inspiring a sense of responsibility, ecotourism contributes to creating a conscious and engaged global community that works towards preserving the planet for future generations.

Economic Benefits

One of the significant advantages of ecotourism is its potential to generate economic benefits for local communities and regions. Unlike traditional tourism, where profits often leak out of the destination, ecotourism focuses on maximizing the economic advantages for the communities and businesses in the areas visited.

Ecotourism creates employment opportunities within local communities. It stimulates job growth in various sectors, such as hospitality, tour guiding, transportation, and handicraft production. The demand for ecotourism experiences leads to the development of small businesses and enterprises, providing income for individuals and families who otherwise may have limited livelihood options.

Furthermore, ecotourism promotes the growth of local businesses. Rather than relying on large international corporations, ecotourism encourages the use of locally-owned accommodations, restaurants, and service providers. This enables the retention of economic activity and contributes to the overall economic development of the community.

The revenue generated through ecotourism activities is often reinvested in the local economy. It provides funding for community development initiatives, infrastructure improvements, and the preservation of cultural heritage sites. This injection of capital can lead to an improved standard of living for residents, better access to healthcare and education, and enhanced infrastructure that benefits both residents and visitors.

In addition, ecotourism can help diversify local economies. It offers an alternative source of income for communities that may rely heavily on natural resource extraction or agriculture. By leveraging the unique natural and cultural attributes of the destination, ecotourism encourages a shift towards a more sustainable and diverse economy.

Ecotourism also stimulates the development of ancillary industries and services. Local markets and artisans often benefit from increased demand for locally-made handicrafts and souvenirs. Additionally, the need for sustainable transportation options, eco-friendly infrastructure, and conservation management services creates opportunities for local businesses and entrepreneurs.

Overall, ecotourism’s economic benefits extend far beyond direct financial gains. It provides opportunities for economic empowerment, community development, and sustainable livelihoods. By focusing on local participation and retaining profits within the destination, ecotourism contributes to building resilient and thriving economies while ensuring the long-term viability of the tourism industry.

Sustainable Development

Sustainable development is a fundamental principle of ecotourism. It encompasses the idea of meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Ecotourism plays a vital role in promoting and contributing to sustainable development in various aspects.

One of the key ways in which ecotourism supports sustainable development is by fostering environmental conservation. By encouraging responsible travel practices and minimizing negative impacts on the environment, ecotourism ensures the preservation of natural resources and ecosystems for future generations. This helps to maintain the integrity and resilience of ecosystems, which are vital for the well-being of both humans and wildlife.

Ecotourism also promotes social sustainability by supporting and involving local communities. It strives to empower and benefit local residents by creating employment opportunities, stimulating economic growth, and providing the means for communities to preserve their cultural heritage. This inclusivity and participation ensure that the benefits of tourism are shared equitably and help to build strong, resilient communities.

Economic sustainability is another crucial aspect of ecotourism. By supporting local businesses, maximizing local economic benefits, and minimizing leakage of profits, ecotourism helps to build a sustainable tourism economy. It encourages the diversification of income sources, reduces dependence on unsustainable industries, and promotes a more equitable distribution of wealth within communities.

Furthermore, ecotourism fosters sustainable consumption and responsible tourism behavior. Through environmental education and awareness programs, travelers are encouraged to make sustainable choices during their trips and in their everyday lives. This includes supporting local products and services, minimizing waste, conserving resources, and being respectful of cultural and natural heritage.

Sustainable development within ecotourism is also closely linked to the concept of capacity building. It involves providing training and education opportunities for local communities, tour operators, and guides to enhance their knowledge and skills. This capacity building ensures that the tourism industry can continue to operate in a sustainable manner and adapt to changing environmental and social circumstances.

Overall, ecotourism serves as a model for sustainable development by harmonizing environmental, social, and economic considerations. It offers a framework for responsible travel and encourages individuals and communities to take action towards creating a more sustainable and equitable future. By promoting the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit, ecotourism contributes to the overall well-being of communities and the conservation of our natural heritage.

Criticisms of Ecotourism

While ecotourism is often hailed as a sustainable and responsible form of travel, it is not without its criticisms. It is crucial to acknowledge and address these concerns in order to continually improve and ensure the effectiveness of ecotourism as a conservation and development tool.

One of the main criticisms of ecotourism is the potential for “greenwashing,” where businesses or destinations falsely claim to be environmentally friendly without implementing genuine sustainable practices. This can lead to misleading marketing and a lack of transparency, making it difficult for tourists to distinguish between genuine ecotourism initiatives and those that are merely exploiting the trend for profit.

Another concern is the potential for overtourism in ecotourism destinations. The influx of tourists can put significant pressure on fragile ecosystems, leading to habitat degradation, pollution, and disruption of natural behavior patterns of wildlife. Proper carrying capacity assessments, visitor management strategies, and effective regulations are crucial to ensure that ecotourism activities do not overwhelm and harm the very destinations they aim to conserve.

Some argue that ecotourism may contribute to the commodification of culture and the appropriation of traditional knowledge. Commercialization of cultural practices and traditions, without appropriate consent and benefit-sharing with local communities, can lead to the erosion of cultural authenticity and reinforce power imbalances.

The socio-economic impacts of ecotourism can also be a point of criticism. While it is intended to benefit local communities, the distribution of economic benefits may not always be equitable, and marginalized groups may not receive their fair share. This can further exacerbate existing inequalities within communities and create dependency on tourism as the sole source of income.

There are concerns about the displacement of local communities and the loss of their traditional lifestyles and connection to the land due to the development of ecotourism infrastructure. Additionally, increased tourist activities can disrupt traditional livelihoods such as fishing or farming, leading to a loss of cultural identity and economic insecurity for local residents.

Furthermore, the carbon footprint associated with travel to ecotourism destinations and the environmental impact of transportation are valid concerns. The emissions generated from air travel, as well as the demand for infrastructure development, can have adverse effects on the environment, offsetting the positive conservation impact of ecotourism.

Lastly, the lack of regulations and certifications for ecotourism can make it challenging for travelers to distinguish truly sustainable practices from those that are simply “greenwashing.” There is a need for standardized criteria and transparent certification processes to ensure the authenticity and credibility of ecotourism initiatives.

Addressing these criticisms requires a continuous effort to improve the practices and governance of ecotourism. Transparency, meaningful community engagement, sustainability certifications, and responsible marketing are essential to mitigate the negative impacts and maximize the positive outcomes of ecotourism.

Ecotourism is a powerful tool that combines responsible travel, environmental conservation, and community development. It offers unique experiences for travelers to engage with nature, learn about diverse ecosystems, and contribute to their protection and preservation. While it is not without its criticisms, the positive impacts of ecotourism cannot be overlooked.

Through its emphasis on environmental conservation, ecotourism plays a crucial role in protecting natural resources, mitigating habitat destruction, and safeguarding wildlife and biodiversity. By supporting sustainable practices and minimizing negative impacts, ecotourism ensures that these valuable assets can be enjoyed by future generations.

Ecotourism benefits local communities by creating employment opportunities, empowering residents, and promoting economic growth. The involvement of local communities in decision-making processes helps preserve cultural heritage, fosters intercultural understanding, and ensures that the benefits of tourism are shared equitably.

Furthermore, ecotourism serves as a platform for environmental education and awareness. By raising awareness about the importance of conservation and sustainable practices, it inspires travelers to make responsible choices both during their trips and in their everyday lives. This knowledge and understanding foster a sense of stewardship and enable travelers to become advocates for environmental protection and sustainability.

Economic benefits derived from ecotourism contribute to sustainable development by promoting diversification, supporting local businesses, and funding community development projects. This helps build resilient economies and improves the standard of living for local residents, while reducing dependence on unsustainable industries.

Though there are valid criticisms of ecotourism, such as greenwashing, overtourism, and unequal distribution of benefits, these challenges can be addressed through transparent practices, responsible development, and adherence to sustainability standards. Continued efforts to improve and refine ecotourism practices are essential to ensure its long-term effectiveness as a conservation and development tool.

In conclusion, ecotourism represents a valuable opportunity to promote sustainable travel, protect the environment, empower local communities, and raise global awareness about the importance of conservation. By embracing ecotourism principles and supporting responsible initiatives, we can contribute to a more sustainable and resilient world for current and future generations.

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What Is the Purpose of a Tourism Website?

By Robert Palmer

A tourism website is an essential tool for promoting and marketing tourism destinations to potential visitors. A well-designed and informative website can attract visitors, engage them with the destination’s attractions, and ultimately convert them into paying customers.

But what exactly is the purpose of a tourism website? Let’s take a closer look.

The Purpose of a Tourism Website

1. To Promote the Destination: The primary purpose of a tourism website is to promote the destination to potential visitors.

The website should showcase all the attractions, landmarks, activities, and experiences available in the destination. It should provide images and videos that give visitors an idea of what they can expect when they visit.

2. To Provide Information: Visitors need information about the destination before they decide to visit. A tourism website should provide all the essential information about the destination, including travel guides, maps, weather reports, transportation options, accommodation options, and local events.

3. To Offer Booking Facilities: A good tourism website should provide booking facilities for accommodation, tours, activities, rentals and other services that tourists may need during their stay in the destination.

4. To Create Engagement with Visitors: A tourism website should create engagement with its visitors by offering interactive features like blogs, forums or social media integration where they can share their experiences or ask questions about the destination.

The Key Elements of a Tourism Website

• Aesthetics: The design of a tourism website should be visually appealing and engaging to attract visitors’ attention.
• User Experience: Navigation through the site should be easy with well-structured menus and clear call-to-action buttons.
• Responsive Design: The site must be mobile-friendly since many people now use smartphones or tablets as their primary devices for browsing the internet.
• Search Engine Optimization: The site must be optimized for search engines to improve its visibility and ranking in search results.
• Social Media Integration: The site should integrate with social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., to increase engagement with visitors and promote sharing of content.

The Benefits of a Tourism Website

1. Increased Visibility: A tourism website can increase the destination’s visibility, both locally and globally, by attracting more visitors who might not have learned about it otherwise.

2. Enhanced Branding: A well-designed tourism website can help enhance the brand image of the destination and create a positive impression in the minds of potential visitors. Better Engagement: A tourism website can increase engagement with visitors by providing them with a platform to share their experiences or ask questions about the destination. Improved Customer Experience: A good tourism website should provide all the necessary information and booking facilities, making it easy for visitors to plan their trip and enjoy their stay in the destination.

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