Tourism - Past era to Modern era

What is Tourism?

Marketing of the enjoyable and other features of a travel destination, and provision of facilities and services for the pleasure travellers (tourists).

The activity of travelling to place for pleasure.

The business providing hotels, restaurants, entertainment, etc., for people who are travelling.

History of Tourism

In ancient times people tended to stay in one place. Travel was essentially to seek food or to escape danger. Graduallay, larger settelments began to appear in coastal areas and besides rivers. This led to development of watercrafts. These boats were used to travel to other settelments in order to trade.

The developments of towns, cities and commerce led to the creation of empires. The first empire nation with specific needs for travel was Egypt. At the peak of the Egyptian Empire, travel for both business and pleasure began to flourish. Travel satisfied people's curiosity.

In Assyrian and Persian Empires, roads were improved, markers were established to indicate distances, and posts and well were developed for safety and nourishment. In those days, the Assyrian military travelled by chariot, others by horse, while the donkey was the principal mode of transportation of common people. Persians wheeled carriage for the wealthy.

It was the Greek Empire that first developed an expansive travel infrastructure. The Greeks would travel to other cities by boat to trade commercial goods.

Travel flourished in Roman times for several reasons. The Roman empire stimulated trade. The Roman legal system provided protection from foreign courts, thereby ensuring the safety of the traveller. Sightseeing became popular in Roman era, particularly trips to Greece. As well as Greece, Egypt and Asia Minor were popular destinations for Roman tourists. In 5th century, the roads fell into disuse as barbarians made it unsafe to travel. These roads became secure again in 12th century.

The beginning of the sixteenth century saw a new age of curiosity and exploration that culminated in the popularity of the grand tour(No gentelman's education was complete untill he spent from one to three years travelling around Europe with a tutor). This practice continued into 17th and 18th centuries. A typical grand tour for an English gentelman began in France. Here French was studied togaether with dancing, fencing riding, and drawing. Next, the student would head for Italy to study sculpture, music appreciation and art. The return was by way of Germany, Switzerland and the "low countries" (Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg).

The Industrial Revolution accelerated the movement from rural to urban areas. At the same time, the advent of the steam engine provided increasingly effective modes of transport in the steam train and steamship. Seaside resorts became popular as the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars Prevented people from travelling to Europe.

The United States of America began developing a unique tourism culture in 18th century. The development of the railway enabled people to travel around the USA. The first tourist resorts created in the United States were seaside resorts.

As American industry developed in the 18th and 19th centuries, wealthy business owners began touring throughout the USA. By the late 1800s the American west coast was popular tourist destination. Today, America take more than 500 millio trips annually to places 160 kilometers or from home. Two-third of trips taken in America today are pleasure oriented.

Modern Tourism

• Modes of Transport

The modes of transport available to people have a huge effect on the places people choose to travel. 

Stagecoaches were invented in Hungary in the 15th century. The need to rest horses every few kilometers led to the development of posting houses.

In the early 19th century John McAdam and Thomas Telford invented a new type of road surface that greatly improved the roads of Europe. The first railway was opened in Englad in 1825. The American model of long distance rail travel provided inspiration for mainland Europe. Rail was the most popular form of transport for approximately 100 years, from 1830s to 1930s.

The advent of the ocean liner in the early 19th century was the first time ships were used to travel long  distances in a short amount of time. The first regular and reliable ocean liner service was RMS Britannia which had its maiden voyage in 1840.

Air travel to a dramatic fall in the number of people using ocean liners.

Today, there are most Luxurious and Comfortable planes available that are much popular than any transport to visit internationally or locally.

• Types of Accommodation

From the middle ages until 17th century, tavellers would be invited into people's home as they made long journeys. People felt an obligation to house travellers and treated them well. As the numbers of travellers increased with modes of mass transport, specific buildings were erected to house travellers.

The first hostelries, called ordinaries, began appearing in mid-17th century colonial America. They later evolved into inns. An ordinary usually consisted of two small rooms. One room had and was used for eating and drinking; the other room was reserved for landlord and his family. Travellers slept on the floor of the bar and dining room.

As the amount of travellers grew, inns offered quarters for overnight guests while taverns specialised in food, drink and convivaility. It was accepted practice for travellers the same gender to share both rooms and beds.

In victorian era two remarkable institutions were created: the railway station and the grand hotel. The Grand Hotel ensured that overnight accommodation was no longer painful necessity. It was in the United States that the first grand hotel was developed. The City Hotel in New York city opened at the 18th century, it consisted of 73 rooms on five floors.

The Trenmont House opened in Boston in 1829 and is generally regarded as the first modern hotel in America. Then the largest hotel in world, it had 170 rooms and a dining room capable of seating 200 people.

By the 20th century, as the more people travelled, the nature of the hotel industry changed. In 1907, the opening of the Hotel Statler in Buffalo, New York signalled the beginning of the commercial hotel concept. The hotel's slogan was "a room and a bath for dollar and a half".

In 1952 Kemmons Wilson established the first Holiday Inn chain and greatly improved the quality of motels.

The 1970s saw a decline in the popularity of motels and resurgence in the popularity of hotels. In 1980s, wealthy tourists led to a rise in luxury hotels.

Today hotel industry is segmented into the upscale, the middle market, and the value conscious. Most chains have separate divisions competing in each segment of the marketplace.

• Travel Considerations

There are many things a person need to consider before deciding to take a holiday. These factors are as follows:

a)     Time

During the industrial revolution, holidays were infrequent and unpaid. After the rise of trade unions in the 1920s and 1930s, workers began to gain paid vacations. Today, time is considered a precious commodity and lack of time is one of the biggest barriers to taking a holiday.

b)     Money

The major financial considerations for people interested in taking a holiday are Financial Obligations such as rent/mortgage, food and taxes, And Surplus Income etc.

c)     Motivation

Even if people have the time and money to travel they will not unless they have the motivation. People spend money on vacations because they feel that making the purchase will satisfy their needs and desires.

In his hierarchy of human needs, Abraham Maslow identified the forces that control human desire. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs can be used to create effective advertisements of tourism businesses.

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