Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".
Wealthy people have always travelled to distant parts of the world, to see great buildings, works of art, learn new languages, and experience new cultures and to taste different cuisines. Long ago, at the time of the Roman Republic, places such as Baiae were popular coastal resorts for the rich. The word tourist was used by 1772and tourism by 1811. In 1936, the League of Nations defined foreign tourist as "someone traveling abroad for at least twenty-four hours". Its successor, the United Nations, amended this definition in 1945, by including a maximum stay of six months.
Leisure travel was associated with the Industrial Revolution in the United Kingdom – the first European country to promote leisure time to the increasing industrial population. Initially, this applied to the owners of the machinery of production, the economic oligarchy, the factory owners and the traders. These comprised the new middle class. Cox & Kings was the first official travel company to be formed in 1758.
The British origin of this new industry is reflected in many place names. In Nice, France, one of the first and best-established holiday resorts on the French Riviera, the long esplanade along the seafront is known to this day as the Promenade des Anglais; in many other historic resorts in continental Europe, old, well-established palace hotels have names like the Hotel Bristol, the Hotel Carlton or the Hotel Majestic – reflecting the dominance of English customers.
Many leisure-oriented tourists travel to the tropics, both in the summer and winter. Places of such nature often visited are: Bali in Indonesia, Colombia, Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Malaysia, Mexico the various Polynesian tropical islands, Queensland in Australia, Thailand, Saint-Tropez and Cannes in France, Florida, Hawaii and Puerto Rico in the United States, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, St.Lucia Saint Maarten, Saint Kitts and Nevis, The Bahamas, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Turks and Caicos Islands and Bermuda
World Tourism Industry
World Tourism Industry is an industry which is flourishing all over the world. The scenario of the World tourism industry is always in a state of flux, ever changing. It is reckoned that end of 2007 will see the World tourism industry generating as many as 234 million job opportunities for the people. It is also assumed that the contribution towards the GDP by the World tourism industry will be approximately 10.3%. People can afford overseas travel. However, in order to meet the requirements, constant changes in the travel and tourism policies need to be reframed and restructured.
World tourism industry and the environment:
The impact of the World tourism industry on our environment cannot be overlooked. While global tourism industry is expanding manifold, every effort is being made to protect the heritage of historically significant places. With every passing year, world tourism industry is experiencing new changes to adapt to the needs of time. Increase in the world tourism activities mean more consumption of energy and the natural resources. Alternative sources of energy are being worked out. Global warming, rise in sea levels pose to be a great threat to all the nations worldwide. Concepts of Eco tourism is fast catching up with the common people.
World tourism industry and economy:
In order to find out the contribution of the travel and tourism industry to a particular country, the Travel And Tourism Account or the TTSA is an important tools to determine the economics in detail. The TTSA throws light on matters related to travel, tourism job opportunities, comparing related tourism industries including hotels, transport etc.,.TTSA furnishes information about global travel, tourism pertaining to growth, demand, export, GDP, employment opportunities, capital investment etc.,.
Tourism – a development opportunity for Small Island States, finds UNWTO report
International tourism is one of the principal economic activities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS). A new UNWTO report launched on the occasion of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (RIO+20), confirms tourism as an essential source of job opportunities, livelihood, foreign exchange and inclusive growth for these countries.
“Tourism offers one of the most promising options for the economic growth and development of small island nations if planned and managed according to the principles of sustainability,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. “Tourism has been, for example, an important contributor in enabling the Maldives and Cape Verde to graduate from the status of Least Developed Country.”
The report, Challenges and Opportunities for Tourism in Small Island Developing States, finds that while SIDS often struggle to compete in the global economy, their natural and cultural resources give them a strong competitive advantage in the tourism marketplace.
- The number of international tourists visiting SIDS has increased by over 12 million in the last decade, to reach 41 million in 2011.
- The annual revenue generated by international tourism in SIDS exceeds US$ 38 billion.
- For some island nations tourism accounts for over 40% of GDP.
- Tourism accounts for 75% or more of exports of services for 15 SIDS, and over 50% in 13 others.
The Report calls upon the international community to continue supporting the SIDS because of their particular vulnerable situation and highlights the need to address key issues such as leakages, conservation, air connectivity and climate change if tourism is to effectively contribute to the sustainable development of SIDS.
International tourism off to a strong start in 2012
International tourist arrivals worldwide grew by 5.7% in the first two months of 2012. Demand remained strong in both advanced and emerging economy destinations, despite economic constraints in many of the source markets of Europe and North America.
The first results of 2012 indicate that international tourism continued to show sustained growth in spite of challenging economic conditions. During the first two months of 2012, international tourist arrivals grew by an estimated 5.7% compared to the same period of 2011, according to the May issue of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, released in Batumi, Georgia on the occasion of the 54th UNWTO Commission for Europe.
Europe sees continued growth
In Europe (+5%) results were above expectations, boosted by the strong growth in arrivals to Central and Eastern Europe (+8%) as well as to destinations of Northern Europe and Western Europe (both +6%). Europe’s performance is a continuation of an already solid 2011, when international arrivals increased by 6% overall to over 500 million. Demand has held up surprisingly well in the comparatively mature advanced economy destinations of Northern, Western and parts of Southern and Central Europe, despite continued concerns about the economy.
“These are welcome results for Europe in a moment in which countries are looking for sectors that can deliver on economic growth and job creation,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. “We need to work together with tourism administrations to ensure that governments give priority to tourism as part of national policies to stimulate growth and employment. In this respect, the 54th Meeting of UNWTO Commission for Europe is focusing on levers that can further enhance tourism development, particularly the crucial issues of visa facilitation, tourism promotion and branding.”
At the same time, international tourism has been particular buoyant in many emerging economy destinations in Eastern Europe. “Eastern European destinations have strong tourism potential provided they shape the adequate conditions. Georgia, this year’s host of the UNWTO Commission for Europe, is a remarkable example of a destination with a strong commitment towards tourism development,” added Mr. Rifai. “As a result, arrivals have almost tripled in the past five years, from just below a million in 2006 to close to 3 million in 2011, with international tourism receipts reaching almost US$ 1 billion in 2011.”
Encouraging results across the world
In the first months of 2012, growth was positive in all regions, with the exception of the Middle East (-1%), where there were nonetheless encouraging signs of recovery, such as in Egypt (+32% in the first quarter). South-East Asia and South Asia (both at +10%) led growth by subregion.
Africa was the fastest-growing region with an increase of over 7% in international tourist arrivals thanks to continued growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (+7%) and a clear rebound in North Africa (+8%) as Tunisia (+53% in the first quarter) started to recover. Asia and the Pacific saw a 7% increase in tourist arrivals, led by South Asia and South-East Asia (both +10%). North-East Asia (+6%) recorded higher growth as well, with arrivals to Japan up by almost 10% in the first quarter. The Americas also reported significant growth (+6%), driven by the sustained strong demand in South America (+8%) and Central America (+7%).
Worldwide, international tourist arrivals surpassed 131 million in the first two months of 2012, up from 124 million in the same period of 2011.
According to the forecast prepared by UNWTO at the beginning of the year, international tourist arrivals are projected to increase by some 3% to 4% in 2012. For the year as a whole, the number of international tourist arrivals is expected to reach one billion for the first time.
Tourism in India
Tourism in India is the largest service industry, with a contribution of 6.23% to the national GDP and 8.78% of the total employment in India. In 2010, total Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTA) in India were 5.78 million and India generated about 200 billion US dollars in 2008 and that is expected to increase to US$375.5 billion by 2018 at a 9.4% annual growth rate. The majority of foreign tourists come from USA and UK. Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan are the top five states to receive inbound tourists. Domestic tourism in the same year was 740 million. Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra received the big share of these visitors. Ministry of Tourism is the nodal agency to formulate national policies and programmers for the development and promotion of tourism. In the process, the Ministry consults and collaborates with other stakeholders in the sector including various Central Ministries/agencies, the state governments and union territories and the representatives of the private sector. Concerted efforts are being made to promote new forms of tourism such as rural, cruise, medical and eco-tourism. The Ministry of Tourism also maintains the Incredible India campaign.
According to World Travel and Tourism Council, India will be a tourism hot-spot from 2009 to 2018, having the highest 10-year growth potential. The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2007 ranked tourism in India sixth in terms of price competitiveness and 39th in terms of safety and security. Despite short- and medium-term setbacks, such as shortage of hotel rooms, tourism revenues are expected to surge by 42% from 2007 to 2017. India's rich history and its cultural and geographical diversity make its international tourism appeal large and diverse. It presents heritage and cultural tourism along with medical, business and sports tourism. India has one of the largest and fastest growing medical tourism sectors.
Indian tourism sector is one of the most crucial sectors of the economy in the country. It is not only a significant contributor to GDP and foreign exchange reserve of the country, but also it provides widespread employment. Tourism sector can also be considered the backbone for allied sectors, like hospitality, civil aviation, and transport. Sensing the importance of the sector, Indian Government has invested abundantly in the past for infrastructure development. It has been partially successful with increase in foreign tourist arrivals over the last decade, courtesy “Incredible India Campaign”. Infrastructure in the hospitality sector is still a matter of concern amongst other factors like season-based tourism in some states.
Domestic tourism is very huge in the country, promoted by various intents. Pilgrim and leisure tourism are two very important sectors. A lot of scope is available for new businesses to enter and tap the segment. With the rising economic status of the middle class and affluent population, outbound travel is on the rise. Though Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore circuit the most favored destinations among the tourists, interest for off-track destinations are also increasing. Foreign tourist arrivals in the country have increased substantially during the past decade motivated by both, business and leisure needs and are further expected to grow at a CAGR of around 8% during 2010-2014, as per our new research report “Indian Tourism Industry Analysis”.
