Tourism is one of the world largest industries.It is also one
of the fragmented industries.Tourism industry consists of all the
organisations,facilities and firms which are intented to serve the specific
needs and wants of tourist.It is based on the different components like
transport, accommodation, attraction,marketing and government regulations.
Tourism is important to the world because of the amount of
the income it brings in to countries and it promot interconnectedness
throughout the world.It provide people visiting the country of their choice
with the variety of services.Thus it provide jobs to the residents of the
country that are being visited not only in the tourism and service industry but
also in the ,manufacturing industry.Tourism tends to have disposible income
that they spent in the country they are visiting.Most tourists are well
educated with sophisticated taste which have resulted in the better service and
products.
“Leiper” defines Tourism Industry as “the range of business
and organisations involved in delivering the tourism products.To him the key
elements in tourism industry are travel agencies,tour operators ,hotels
,airlines ,distributionregularities bodies etc.
Significance
Tourism industry is the backbone of any countries economic
status. It provides foriegn exchange earnings to the destination country.It
generate more employement avenues to the natives of the country.It raises the
living conditions of the citizens and will be helpfull in raising the GDP of
the country.Infrastructure development is another advantage of tourism
industry(Road,Railway,aiport etc).Conseravtion of floara and fauna is another
important feature of tourism industry.It also opens the coutry to the outside
world.It promotes craftsmanship and creates domestic employement.
What is leisure?
Leisure is the time free from the demands of work or duty
when you can rest or enjoy hobbies.Leisure time is the ti e you have left after
work,school,college,sleep and household jobs etc.As we know that tourism is
travel for recreational ,business and leisure purposes.Here leisure is the time
spend in non compulsory activities.So leisure is the time available to an
individual after sleep and other basic needs have been met.The philosophy of
leisure and leisure time are believed to have emerged in the late 19th
century with the rise of machinised industry.Machine made work was more
efficient and production began to increase.Now the workers also began to
increasingly engaged in non compulsory activities such as sporting events or
theatres etc.
Leisure can be divided in to two;active leisure and passive
leisure.
Active leisure:It implies a prefered exertion of
energy.This involves active recreation activities such as swimming,mountain
climbing,hunting,engaging various sports etc.People can participate in sports
for fun rather than competition.
Passive Leisure:It implies a desire to refrain from
exerting energy such as lounging or doing nothing.It is viewed by many people
as wasting of time.Passive leisure that is not enjoyable can lead to boredom.
Leisure industry is
devided in to five key components:-
1- Sport and physical
recreation:-Some sports can be a
physical recreation when the competition is not present, such as cycling, horse
riding and sailing. Both sport and physical recreation may be aimed at
improving health and fitnes.
2-Arts and entertainment:-It refers to things that take
place outside your home which ‘entertain you’. this can include things that you
watch, e.g. a musical at a theatre,orchastra,karaoke,cinema etc
3- Countryside
recreation:-It can take place in National Parks ,areas of outstanding natural
beauty on the coastline etc
4- Home-based leisure:-It is not always necessary to leave your home to take part in
leisure activities.
Home-based
leisure includes:Music – including playing and listening,Television related
entertainment,Crafts,Home improvements and gardening,Internet based leisure,Reading
and Games etc.
5-Play- and
activity-based leisure:-Play based leisure is activities that are mainly
associated with children.It is a
fast-growing component of the leisure industry. It include whitewater rafting
and aerial adventures.
play- and
activity-based leisure activities are available in towns, cities and seaside
resorts, as well as in the countryside.Many types of leisure in this component
are free, such as mother and toddler playgroups, local park playgrounds for
younger children, beach activities etc.
Does tourism represent an effective or realistic
means of achieving development?
Tourism is one of the major social and economic
phenomenon of modern times.Since the early 1990’s when,as a social activity
,Tourism was largely limited to a previlaged minority.But it now became the
single largest peacefull movement of people across cultural boundaries in the
history of the world.However tourism is not only a social phenomenon but it is
also a big business industry.The ability of ever increasing number of poeple to
enjoy travel related experiences has depended upon the myriad of organisations
and business that comprise the torurism industry.
Today tourism has developed in to a powerfull world
wide economic force contributing much to the world GDP and global employement.Owing
to its rapid and continuing growth and associated potential economic
contribution it is now regarded as a effective means of achieving
development.that is in both industrialised and less developed countries of the
world ,tourism has become an important and integral element of their
development strategies.
Similarly within the tourism literature the
development and promotion of tourism is largely justified on the basis of its
catalystic role in broader social and economic development.The role of tourism
is officially sanctioned by WTO in the Mannila declaration on world tourism
that “world tourism can contribute to the establishment of a new international
economic order that will help to eliminate the widening gap between developed
and developng countries and ensure the steady acceleration of economic and
social developemnt and progress in particular in developing countries.
The focuss of WTO is primarly on the contribution
of tourism to development in the less developed countries of the world.Today
international tourism is viewed as a means of achieving both economic and
social developemnt and progress;and the re-distribution of wealth and power
that is necessary to achieve such development.
Tourism has become a favoured means of addressing the
soci-economic problems facing peripheral rural areas while many urban areas
have also turned to tourism as a means of mitigating the problems of industrial
decline.Govenment also extend their support for tourism related development
which is evident in financial support for tourism related development or
regenaration projects.
Throughout the world,the most compeelling reason
for pursuing tourism as a development strategy is its alleged positive
contribution to the local or national economy.International Tourism represents
an important source of national exchange earnings.Tourism is also considered to
be an effective source of income and employement.Tourism is frequently turned
to a new or replacement activity in areas where traditional industry have fallen
in to decline.
Both internationally and domestically,tourism is
seen as an effective means of transfering wealth and investment from richer to
the poor areas.This distribution of wealth occures as a result of both tourist
expenditure in destination areas and investment by the richer,tourist
generating coutries for tourismfacilities.Unlike many other forms of
international trade,tourism does not normally suffer from the position of trade
barriors.Though many countries place some regulations on imports to protect
their internal markets,major tourist generating countries generally do not
noramally impose limitations on the rights of their citizens to travel
overseas.
The development of tourism is also based upon the
natural resources that are free or of the country;like
sea,beaches,climate,mountains etc.Similarly historic sites and attractions that
have been handled down by previous generations may also considered to be free
whether natural or man made.Tourism also requires a variety of goods and
services in the destination areas including accommodation,food and
beverages,entertainmentlocal transport services,souvenirs and so on.So it
offers more opportunities for bachward linkages throughout the local economy
than other industries.Such opportunities include both direct link such as the
expansion of the local farming industry to provide food for hotels,restuarents
and indirect links with the constuction industry.
A variety of other reasons may also be suggested
for the popularity of tourism as a development strategy.These include the facts
that the development of the tourism may lead to infrastructural improvements
and the provision of facilities that are of benefits to local communities as
well as tourists;that tourism often provides the jusisdiction for environmental
protectiont through the designation of natural parks and zoo’s;and the tourism
may encourage the realisation of traditional cultural crafts and
practices.together,along with the other reasons outlined above explain why
every country in the world has to great extent developed a tourism industry.
Travel for learning and education is not a new
concept.Travelling in search of either academic qualifications or broad general
learning and observation was started several years ago.Smith and Jenner(1997)
suggets that tourism broadens the mind ,and thus all tourism may be considered
education.
The ‘Grand Tour’ was seen as the beginning of
cultural and educational tourism undertaken initially by scholars and
aristocratic British youth as part of their education during the 17th,18th
and 19th century.The purpose behind the Grand tour was to teach and
civilize participants through a series of study tour lasting up to several
years in various european destinations.The discovery of Alps Mountains in
europe during the later phase of the grand era resulting in an increased
scientific interests in mountains.An increase in travel to the Alps for
educational purpose related in many minerological,geological,and geo
morphological discoveries which were made public through guests lectures and
publications in scientific journelas and periodicals.
The traditional of the educational value of travel
facilitated the development of study abroad as a legitimate component of
tertialry education in the west.Education and learning has more recently become
an increased imporatant and recognised component of travel activity and travel
experiences with an increasing amount of tourist activity involving some form
of either formal or informal education or learning.Despite this,little research
has examined educational tourism or the links between tourism and learning.
There are more potential segments of education
tourism which may become more prominent due to the growth of
education.Sometimes in educational tourism,travel is a primary motivating
factor and purpose learning is secondary.At the same time,school
excursions,language schools and university students tours are primarily
motivated by education and learning,but may be classified as tourists even if
they are not percieved to be tourists;even though,they have tourists impact and
regional development implications.
A vareity of organisations combine to form the
primary education tourism experience including:-
1-Attractions
and events which provide the venue for learning experience (park,historic
sites,zoos,wild life sanctuary and archaeological digs etc).
2-Resource
specialists who are responsible for delivering the learning components of
these vacations(employees,curation,interpreters,lectures,story tellers,research
academicians etc).
3-Affinity
travel planners from organisations who help plan and develop learning programmes for
travellers(special interest groups,language schools etc).
4-Tour and
receptive operators who package experience for customers and organisations
and provide destination expertise ,local knowledge,escort services and
marketing services.So like transportation,hospitality services,travel agencies
and destination marketing organisations are also required for educational
travel.The continued development of innovative partnership and product
development is critical to the future of the educational tourism industry.
5-In short,educational tourism developed because of
the growing popularity of teaching and learning of knowledge and exchanging of
technincal competency outside of the class room environment.In educational
tourism,the main focuss of the tour includes visiting another country to learn
about the culture or to work and apply skills learned inside the class room in
a different environment.
Tourism is often credited for its role in enhancing
the process of acculturation.Acculturation is defined as the process by which
members of one society divest themselves of some of their own cultural elements
and take on elements from a forign culture.However,the acculturation between
the tourist from the developed countries and localities in the developing
countries is not on the give and take basis.It is only the inhabitants of the
developing countries who have shown a great receptiveness to the
acculturation;accepting the values of the western world while discarding their
own-a one way acculturation.
Today international tourism is thought to influence
socio-culturalal life through the process of acculturation.The theory of acculturation
rests on the notion that contact between cultures results in sharing and
adoption of one another value and attitude.In this process,a majore concewrn is
that when a culturally week society comes in to contact with a culturally
strong one ,the process will be more one way;that is,the values and attitudes
of the strong nation are transfered to the weak nation.Thus acculturation is
more pronounced in less developed countries particularly those which have had
less contact with western society in the past.Culture may be trivialised by
tourism in an attempt to make it a product for tourists to consume.At the same
time,tourism results in the preservation and realisation of traditional
cultural practices by providing financial support and engending community
pride.
Tourism industry
is the kind of industry associated with providing leisure activities concerned
with travel,natural beauty,food accommodation,environment and other facilities
for the people who are visiting a place for any reason.
1-Health
Tourism:-This type of tourism consisting of programmes andactivities developed
to improve or balance physical or spiritual condition of an individual or group
of persons.Examples:-yoga workshops,detoxication clinics,spas etc.
2-Education
Tourism:-This segement of tourism consists of programmes and activities for
learning,training or increasing knowledge on sites involving students and
teachers with local professionals
(anthropology,biology,zoology,cookery,language,photography etc).
3-Conference
Tourism:-Multinational companies hold their conferences and meeting venues in
the central point of the country in favour of the participants from various
countries to visit with ease and to save costs.
4-Recreational
Tourism:-This type of tourism is concerned with leisure and rest recover
physical and spychic stamina.Recreational tourism is often sea,sand and sex
promoted by beautiful color picture;that make the visitors to be there on.
5-Historical
Tourism;-It deals with the magnificence of the past.In this type of
tourism,people generally visit museum,cathedrals and site of historical
importance.Tourists need a guide in this type of tourism.
6-Sports
Tourism:-This segment of tourism consisting of programmes and activities for
the specific purpose of promoting the practice of sports by amatures and
professionals.Examples:-Mounteneering,diving,fishing,wind surving etc.
7-Cultural
Tourism:-this type of tourism provides knowledge about culturally rich city or
region.Cultural tourism upgrade the religion of the different ethnic groups.It
promotes the development of cultures one country to another country.
8-Eco Tourism:-It
is entirely a new approach in tourism.Eco tourism is a preserving travel to
natural areas to appreciate the cultural and natural history of the environment
,taking care not to disturbe the integrity of the eco system,while creating
economic opportunities that make conservation and protection of natural
resources advantageous to the local people.So it can be categorised as a
tourism programme that is nature based and ecological sustainable.In india,the
lan of varied geography offeres several tourist destinations that not just de
stress but also rejuvenate one.Thenmala in kerala is the first planned eco
system destination in india which creates to cater to the eco tourists and
natural lovers.
Shabeermon.M
KAHM UWC manjeri.
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