PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MAYNILA

College of Business and Government Management

Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management ITM 1101 - Macro Perspective of Tourism and Hospitality

Topic 1: The Meaning and Importance of Tourism

I. Definition of Tourism, Tourists and Tourism - is the temporary, short-term movement of people to destinations outside the places
Excursionists where they normally live and work and their activities during their stay at these destination.

It involves two elements: 1. A Dynamic - the journey 2. Static - the stay.

Tourists - are temporary visitors staying at least 24 hours in the country visited whose purpose
is not for employment but for leisure, business, family, mission or meeting.

Excursionists - are temporary visitors staying less than 24 hours in the destination visited and
not making an overnight stay.

II. Elements of Travel 1. Distance

2. Length of Stay at Destination
3. Residence of the Traveler
4. Purpose of Travel
 Visiting friends and relatives
 Conventions, seminars, and meetings
 Business
 Outdoor recreation
 Entertainment
 Personal
 Others

III. The Nature of a Tour

1. Domestic and International Tourism. Domestic Tourism – refers to travel exclusively within the national boundaries of the traveler’s
country.

International Tourism – involves the movement of people across international boundaries.

2. Independent and Package Tour. Independent Tour – is one in which the tourist buys these facilities separately, either making
reservations in advance through a travel agent or en route during his tour.

Package Tour – sometimes called inclusive tour is an arrangement in which transport and
accommodation is bought by the tourist at all-inclusive price and the price of the individual
elements cannot be determined by the purchaser himself.

IV. Definition of the Tourist Product: 1. Consists of what the tourist buys.

2. Combination of what the tourist does at the destination and the services he uses during
his stay.

Characteristic of the Tourist Product:

1. Service. Cannot be inspected before they buy.
2. Psychological in its attraction. Temporary use of a strange environment.
3. Tends to vary in standard and quality over time. Cannot be consistently of equal
standard.
4. Supply of the product is fixed. Rooms available at a particular resort cannot be varied.

V. Definition of the Tourist Destination: 1. Geographical unit which the tourist visits and where he stays.

2. It may be a village, a town, a city, a district, a region, an island, a country or a continent.

Basic Factors of Tourist Destination:

1. Attraction

Site attraction
 Is one in which the destination itself has appeal.
 May be a country, a geographical region such as the Alps, a city, a resort such as
Boracay.

Event attraction
 Is one which tourists are drawn to the destination solely because of what is taking place
there.
 Include congresses, exhibitions, festivals such as the Ati-atihan Festival and sports event
 such as the Olympic Games.

Natural Attractions
 Include mountains, beaches, climatic features such as sunshine and pure air.

Man-made Attractions
 Include buildings of historical or architectural interest such as Fort Santiago, holiday
camps or “theme parks” such as Disneyland in Los Angeles, U.S.A.

2. Amenities or facilities - include accommodation food, local transport and communications

and entertainment at the site.

3. Accessibility - means having regular and convenience of transport in terms of time/distance

to the destination from the originating country at a reasonable price.

VI. The Principal Tourist Services are Supplied 1. Passenger Transport

by: 2. Accommodation, food and beverage, and entertainment.
3. Those provided by the travel agent and tour operator.
4. Other tourist services include currency, documentation, information, sightseeing, and
shopping.

VII. Characteristics of Tourism:
1. The product is not brought to the consumer; rather, the consumer has to travel and go
to the product to purchase it.
2. The products of tourism are not used up; they do not exhaust the country’s natural
resources.
3. Tourism is a Labor-intensive industry.
4. Tourism is people-oriented.
5. Tourism is a multi-dimensional phenomenon. Dependent on many and varied activities.
6. The tourist industry is seasonal.
7. The industry is dynamic. Changing ideas and attitudes of its customers.

VIII. Importance of Tourism 1. Contribution to the balance of payments. Earning the much needed foreign currency.
2. Dispersion of development. Spread wealth among countries.
3. Effect on general economic development.
4. Employment opportunities.
5. Social benefits.
5. Cultural enrichment.
6. Educational significance.
7. A vital force for peace.