Growth of Tourism–Tourism Development (Sea, Road, Rail, Air)

The transport industry has gained a vital place in the global network system and is one of the
most important components of the tourism infrastructure. It now becomes easier for people to
travel from one place to another because of the various modes of transportation available.

Since tourism involves the movement of people from their places of residence to the places of
tourist attractions, every tourist has to travel to reach the places of interest. Transport is, thus,
one of the major components of the tourism industry. To develop any place of tourist attraction
there have to be proper, efficient, and safe modes of transportation.
Transportation is vital to tourism. Studies have shown that tourists spend almost 30 to 40
percent of their total holiday expenditure on transportation and the remaining on food,
accommodation, and other activities. This aspect once again highlights the importance of
transportation.
A tourist can travel by a variety of means. The tourism professional, as well as tourist, should be
aware of the various modes of transport available to reach the destination and at the
destination.

The various mode of transport can be broadly divided into the following three categories:

1. Air transport
2. Land transport
3. Water transport

Air Transport

Due to the growth of air transport in recent years, long-distance travel has become much
simpler and affordable. Distance is now measured in hours and not in kilometers. The world
has indeed shrunk and becomes a small village. The development of air transport mostly
occurred after World War I and II. Commercial airlines were created for travelers. Because of
increasing air traffic, the commercial sector grows rapidly.

The modern era, thus, is the era of mass air travel. After road transport, air travel is the most
popular mode of travel, particularly for international travel. For the business travelers, air
transport is more convenient as it saves their precious time and offers a luxurious and hassle-
free travel. Many airlines nowadays offer special facilities to the business tourist such as
Internet on board.

There two types of airlines. These are following as:

1. Scheduled
2. Chartered
Scheduled airlines operate as regular schedules. Chartered airlines or the non-scheduled
airlines operate only when there is a demand, mainly during the tourist seasons. The chartered
flights work out cheaper than the scheduled carriers as they are operated only when there is a
high load factor.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulates international air travel. IATA

has more than 105 major airlines of the world as its members. IATA regulates the price of tickets
on different sectors of travel in the world. The concerned government decides the domestic
fares.
The airfares are normally determined on the volume and the air travel demand in an area.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is an intergovernmental organization

established in the year 1945. Only the government of the country can become a member. The
government has to enter into a bilateral agreement for the frequency of flights for operating
commercial airlines between them.
Airlines are classified into two broad categories namely small carrier and large carrier. The
small carrier also known as commuter airlines have less than 30 seats. The larger carriers, also
known as major airlines fly direct routes between the major cities and seat and seat 100 to 800
passengers.
The recent boom in the aviation technology has certainly bought some new development to
airlines industry. There has been a major change in the size of the aircraft.

Every year there are a growing number of new airlines being introduced. Because of the
growing number of new private airlines, there is stiff competition among them. This has
resulted in a considerable reduction in air fairs and has boosted the growth of air traffic. To woo
and attract customers, many airlines offer cheaper promotional fares such as excursion fares,
group fares, and apex fares.
Million of tonnes of cargo and mail are also handled by the air transport industry.

Road Transport

Humans travel place to place in search of food in the primitive era. They tamed animals such as the dog,
ox, horse, camel, reindeer, elephants, etc. for carrying the load and traveling. After the discovery of the
wheel, humans developed the cart, the chariot, and the carriage.

Until the seventeenth century, horses were used for traveling. Later on better roads were
constructed and some of these roads developed into trade routes, which linked many countries.
One of them is the Silk Route which was used for transporting silk from China to Persia and the
Blue Gem road from Iran to Afghanistan and India.

Today, the most popular and widely used mode of road travel is the automobile or the car.
Road transport is dominated by the automobile, which provides views of the landscape and the
freedom to travel. Tourist often travels with their entire family for holidays.
To promote tourism, the vehicle required are coaches and tourist cars. Tourist coaches or buses
are preferred for large tourist groups traveling together on a specified tour itinerary. Many
tourists prefer to travel in comfort and privacy and hire cars. Cars of various makes and
standards are available on a rental basis.
Tourist also uses their own motorcar when holidaying. Cars and coaches carried long distance
by train facility is also available in some countries.

The car rental segment of the tourism industry is in a very advanced stage in foreign countries.
The client can book a car, himself or through agents, and make it wait at the desired place at the
destination. The client can then drive the car himself /herself on reaching the destination.

Rail Transport

The railway is the most economical, convenient, and popular mode of travel especially for long distance
travel all over the world. The railroad was invented in the seventeenth century in Germany with
wooden tracks. The first steel rail was developed in the USA during the early 1800s. The railways
revolutionized transportation and mass movement of people seen in the nineteenth and twentieth
centuries. The broad gauge lines account for more than 55 percent of the total network and carry 85
percent of total traffic. The steam engines have been replaced by diesel and electric engines which have
helped in increasing the speed. Railways have promoted tourism by introducing a special tourist train.

Water Transport

Humans have been traveling through water since time immemorial and carried good and people from
one place to another. The boats progressed from the simple raft with some modifications and
improvement and were first used around 6000 BC.

Travel by ship was the only means for traveling overseas until the middle of the twentieth
century. The Cunard Steamship Company was formed in 1838 with regular steamship services
operating on the North Atlantic. During the World War I, in 1914 the operations of the
steamship company had to be suspended. After the World War I, the steamship luxury liners
were back to business till World War II.
After the World War II, the large luxury liners again started their operations all over the world
and carried passengers and holidaymakers. Some of the linear were very large accommodating
up to 1000 passengers and had facilities like swimming pools, cinema halls, shops, casino, etc.

The cruise lines are the new attraction among the tourist. The cruises are booked several months
in advance for trips into the tropical and sub-tropical waters of the Hawaii, Caribbean,
Mediterranean, etc. Water transport today plays two main roles in travel and tourism
namely ferrying and cruising.

An Account of Famous Travellers

Xuanzang or Hsuan-tsang (602-664)

The greatest Asian traveller of all time, Xuanzang was a Chinese Buddhist monk. In order to
find the origin of Buddhism, Xuanzang crossed the Himalayas through Khyber Pass and came
to India. This journey took around 17 years. In his narrative 'Great Tang Records on the Western
Regions', Xuanzang spoke about the then social structure of India, the rulers, the architecture.
His record of the journey was so accurate that it helped the 19th and 20th century scientists find
the ancient sites along his chartered path.

Marco Polo (1254-1324) 

In the early 1270s, Italian explorer Marco Polo set off on a journey to explore Asia with his
father and uncle. The most popular traveller of all time, Marco Polo travelled through Persia,
Afghanistan, Mongolia and China. The path they took is now known as the Silk Route. Marco
Polo settled in Beijing, from where he led expeditions to other parts of China, the then Burma
and India. He sailed back to Italy after exploring Singapore, Sumatra and India. His 26-year-
long journey is recorded in 'Livres des merveilles du monde' or 'Book of the Marvels of the
World'.

Vasco Da Gama (1460-1524)

He was the first person to link Europe and Asia through sea routes. In 1498, Vasco Da Gama
reached Calicut (now Kozhikode) in Kerala. This was the most significant event in the imperial
history. The Portuguese explorer had crossed the Atlantic and Indian Ocean to reach 'the East'.
This led to more sea voyages from all over Europe. He was also the first man to sail across the
Cape of Good Hope.

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506)

Columbus wanted to do what Vasco Da Gama did-- discover India. The Italian explorer
planned to sail to far west to find a better sea route to the eastern country, hoping to circle
around the world. But instead, he landed in the Bahamas. From then, Columbus paid repeated
visits to the western land and found himself in Central and South America. He crossed the
Atlantic Ocean several times and established prominent trade links between Europe and
America.

Amerigo Vespucci (1454-1512)

The continent of America was named after the Spanish explorer Amerigo Vespucci. Why, you
ask? Well, because he explored most parts of the eastern coastline of South America and
realised that the continent is neither linked to Asia nor is it as small as it was thought at that
time. He launched several expeditions from Spain and Portugal and discovered the mouth of
Amazon.

Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521)

 
Magellan was the first man to set off on a journey to go around the world and find sea routes
that would help others circumnavigate the planet as well. The Spanish explorer was also the
first person to find his way through North and South America and reach the Pacific Ocean. The
waterway through which he did this, is named as the Straight of Magellan.
 James Cook (1728-1779)
Captain James Cook is the man who mapped out Newfoundland (East Canada) and led three
voyages to the Pacific region. On those voyages, he discovered Australia, circumnavigated New
Zealand and Hawaii and travelled for thousands of kilometres doing so. No other explorer has
travelled as extensively as Captain Cook. He travelled to all the seven continents, crossed both
the poles and sailed all the oceans on his HMS Endeavour, a ship that now has now lent its
name to a space shuttle.

 Jeanne Baret (1740-1807)

Jeanne Baret is the first woman to go around the world. The French botanist disguised herself as
a man and enlisted as a valet of naturalist Philibert Commercon on the ship of Captain Louis
Antoine de Bougainville. Little was known about this courageous sailor until the first English
biography of Jeanne Baret by John Dunmore was published in 2002. Further information about
her was found in Glynis Ridley's book The Discovery of Jeanne Baret (2010).

Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

The world remembers this man for his theory of evolution and his book On the Origin of Species.
However, Charles Darwin was a part of the surveying crew on HMS Beagle. Young Darwin
travelled around the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean to explore New Zealand, parts of Australia
and other coastlines. His account of this voyage is recorded in his book Journal and Remarks,
which later became known as The Voyage of the Beagle.

Role of Industrial Revolution

The industrial revolution and the modern tourism industry began at the same time. Wealthy
persons of course had always been able to make extended visits to fashionable watering places
or country homes. Before the industrial revolution, a religious pilgrimage was about the only
acceptable reason for a lower or middle class person to travel. In protestant societies, some sort
of pilgrimage with an educational component was acceptable. Artists were expected to travel
from their city studios and take inspiration from nature. Farmers could attend fairs or make a
tip to the seaside where they would fish or gather shellfish. There are even accounts in New
Jersey of disgruntled workers at the early iron furnaces putting down their tools and going to
the beach. But vacations in the modern sense did not yet exist.
The industrial revolution and the modern tourism industry began at the same time. Wealthy
persons of course had always been able to make extended visits to fashionable watering places
or country homes. Before the industrial revolution, a religious pilgrimage was about the only
acceptable reason for a lower or middle class person to travel. In protestant societies, some sort
of pilgrimage with an educational component was acceptable. Artists were expected to travel
from their city studios and take inspiration from nature. Farmers could attend fairs or make a
tip to the seaside where they would fish or gather shellfish. There are even accounts in New
Jersey of disgruntled workers at the early iron furnaces putting down their tools and going to
the beach. But vacations in the modern sense did not yet exist.
Railroads changed all of this, and Jamaica Bay was just one of the many places they
transformed. Like most cities of the period, the growth of Brooklyn after the Civil War was
facilitated by the expansion of rapid transit lines and passenger railroads. Brooklyn seems to
have been particularly blessed with an abundance of steam dummy lines. A “steam dummy” is
a locomotive whose boiler and machinery were enclosed by a wooden body. This body muffled
the sounds coming from the locomotive and in theory, it could operate on city streets without
frightening horses or disturbing pedestrians. In the 1800s people unable to speak were called
“dumb” and what was a common disability gave the locomotive its name. By 1873 there were
steam dummy lines in operation at Flatbush, Fort Hamilton, Bath, Coney Island, Canarsie, East
New York, and other neighborhoods. The growth of these railroads was not without its critics.
A letter writer to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle noted in March of 1873 that Long Island was only
four to twelve miles wide but would soon have six steam railroads running through it. Most of
the enthusiasm for new railroad construction, according to the writer who identified himself
only as "AntiPandemonium," was the result of hype created by real estate promoters and
railroad companies. More steam dummy lines, according to Anti-Pandemonium, would fill the
streets with locomotives "hissing and rattling" horses would be frightened, it would not be safe
for old people to venture outdoors, and dwellings would be filled with smoke, steam, and "the
abominable odor of coal gas." The suggested solution would be to increase the frequency of
horse car service (“No Steam on the Streets Wanted, But OneThird More Horse Cars”, Letter to
the Editor, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Mar.21, 1873). The Brooklyn and Rockaway Beach left the Bay
Ridge Branch of the Long Island Railroad near the shore of Jamaica Bay east of Canarsie, ran
over the shoreline marshes and drove straight through the center of Canarsie, and terminated at
the steamboat docks of Canarsie Landing. (Figure EH-2) Passengers transferred to a steamboat
for the trip to the Rockaway Peninsula or remained in Canarsie to swim, fish, or boat in quieter
waters of Jamaica Bay. The railroad originated DeWitt C. Littlejohn (1820-1890) obtained a
charter from the State of New York to build a railroad from Broadway in Brooklyn, through
Vesta Avenue, and to Canarsie. As Littlejohn's brother was then speaker of the state assembly,
there was no difficulty obtaining the charter and the land required for the right of way was
inexpensive. There was little reason to build such a railroad and less reason to expect that it
would be profitable (“To Improve Canarsie”, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 29, 1891). Other press
reports credit the construction of the railroad to DeWitt C. Littlejohn’s father-in-law, identified
only as Dr. Thompson. Thompson was reported to have a large tract of land on the Rockaway
Peninsula and wanted a railroad to bring people to the beach. (“To Stop for Winter”, Brooklyn
Daily Eagle, Sep.08, 1896) A real estate promoter named James S. Remsen, after whom a
neighborhood on the Rockaway Peninsula is named, owned 150 acres on the peninsula's
beachfront that he wanted to develop into a tourist resort. Remsen offered Littlejohn 75 acres if
he built the railroad. A 3.5 mile single track railroad was completed by 1865. The railroad began
operation with a few four wheeled cars and two dummy locomotives (“To Improve Canarsie”,
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 29, 1891). By 1871 the Canarsie railroad came under the control of
Phil H. Reed, owner of the Howard House Hotel (not to be confused with the Hotel Howard at
Howard Beach) The bar at the hotel was a popular place to wait for the trains and people come
pouring into the hotel between 9:00 Sunday morning and 3:00 Sunday afternoon. In the heat of
summer, an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people use the railroad and visit Rockaway Beach (“East
New York, Canarsie, and Rockaway”, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 21, 1871). The railroad was
immediately popular. According to one press report the "restaurant men and mosquitoes of
Canarsie did a lively business." The mosquitoes were less of a nuisance on the Rockaway
Peninsula but the large numbers of "noisy young men" who frequented Fort Hamilton for
baseball and bathing did tend to discourage the "better class of people" from using the beaches
there (“Sunday Out Doors”, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 24, 1872). The rolling stock of the
railroad was described as consisting of a number of open passenger cars. Two new steam
locomotives were built at the Grant Locomotive works in Paterson, New Jersey. The engines
had 2-4-2T wheel arrangements and were designed to run double ended. (The 2-4-2 designation
means two unpowered leading wheels, four powered driving wheels, and two unpowered
trailing wheels. The “T” stands for “tank” meaning the locomotive carried its water supply in a
tank mounted above the boiler. Fuel was carried in a small bunker behind the cab and the
locomotive did not require a separate tender.) These locomotives were reported to have been
dummies. With 50-inch diameter driving wheels they had an estimated speed of 30 mph.
However an engraving of a 2-4-2T locomotive reported to have been built for the railroad
survives from this era. (Figure EH-3) The locomotive in the engraving was built by the Rogers
Locomotive Works of Paterson, New Jersey, it was not a dummy, and the driving wheels are
not fifty inches in diameter. A detailed examination of the railroad’s locomotive roster will be
required to resolve this discrepancy. Whatever type of locomotive brought the train to the
waterfront, the next stage of the journey was by steamboat. From Canarsie to Rockaway the
voyage on the steamboat "E. Corning, Jr." took about an hour. No liquors sold on board (“East
New York, Canarsie, and Rockaway”, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 21, 1871). The route followed
from the waterfront was from the Howard House to the curve of East New York Avenue and
then into what was still undeveloped county, woods, fields, and farms. The route over the
marsh grass meadows was described as "serpentine". Occasionally the train passed frames for
the drying of nets or fishing boats. Fishing stakes appeared along the creeks and finally the Bay
View House came into view. Canarsie itself was described as sandy and very dusty on windy
days. The tourists at Canarsie were described as lounging, strolling on the beach, or going out
in boats. Newspaper accounts say that they "stuff themselves with shellfish" play billiards at the
hotels, or take a punt out to fish (“A Sunday Out, Opening of the Excursion Season”, Brooklyn
Daily Eagle, May 13, 1872). The 1894 edition of the Brooklyn Citizen Almanac states that during
the summer months, the railroad ran trains to Canarsie every hour between 6:30 am and 8:30
pm. Trains from Canarsie ran on the half hour. The trip lasted 13 minutes (Brooklyn Citizen
Almanac, 1894, 123). Plans to double track the railroad were announced in 1891 and the double
tracking was completed in 1894 (“To Improve Canarsie”, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 29, 1891).
In September of 1896 the railroad notified the New York State Railroad Commission that they
would not run service during winter months. The railroad had been operated year round but
the owners claimed that revenues did not meet expenses after October (“To Stop for Winter”,
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sep.8, 1896). Clearly there were still tourists to be carried, but the year-
round population had other transportation options, such as the expanding streetcar and rapid
transit networks.
 

Modern Era of Tourism after World War – II

Travel & Tourism

The development of the Industry after the Second World War
“Travel and Tourism is not one activity, but a series of industry sectors linked by the common
aim of serving the travel needs of people around the world and defined by the world and
defined but the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) as:
The economic activities associated with travel as measured by the wide variety of current and
capital expenditures made by or for the benefit of the traveller before, during and after the trip.
Changing Socio-economic circumstances
Since the Second World War the Travel and Tourism Industry has developed. The main factors
that have led to the growth and socio-economic circumstances of the Travel and Tourism
Industry are:
* Increase in Car Ownership
The greatest single transport factor that has increased for travel and tourism is the car
ownership. There was an increase in the number of cars on the road between 1951 and 1970 and
an even bigger increase between 1951 and mid 1990’s. Increased car ownership has now been a
major factor of visits to tourist’s attractions and leisure facilities.  
This shows how car ownership has increased over the years.
* Increase in Leisure time
People now don’t have to work as much so more time to have holidays in the UK and abroad so
more times to go on holiday. In the 1950’s the average working week was 50 hours but now the
typical hours in a normal working week ranges from 37 – 40 hours.
* More disposable income and paid holiday
People now have more money to spend on holidays from two incomes in a family and go on
more holidays. Also people now are paid for there time off from work and use this to on
holiday home and abroad. This was not until 1938 that it came a legal requirement. It has
gradually increased to 4 weeks or more per year.
Technological Developments
* Jet Aircrafts Developed
The breakthrough of the Jet Engine first started after the Second World War. It brought
dramatic improvements however technology restricted a number of people to travel and was
very expensive. But it was in 1958 when the first passenger jet started and transatlantic crossing
time was cut from some five days on an ocean liner to seven hours on an aircraft. Then in the
1970s the jet aircraft really started being able to carry more passengers and increased profit and
made flights cheaper. The last twenty years tour operators have created packages for the needs
of these new travellers
* Computerised Reservation Systems
Many travel retailers use to rely on pen and paper to do the work but attitudes started changing
as technology started to improve by the early 1990s. View data was the first industry-wide
booking system, first introduced back in the 1980s. View data is more than 20 years old and out
of date but still the trade’s favourite reservation system. Global distribution systems (GCDs)
were known as a computer reservation computer in the late 1980s. These were set up by
competing airlines to distribute their fares electronically to business travel agencies. Business
travel agencies still use them but only 1 of the GDSs than all of them. Also now you can book
online, over the phone and on teletext.
Extensive use of new technology
Over the years the technology has improved all through the travel and Tourism industry with
better transport, computerised reservation systems at travel agents and airports and better
packaged holidays.
Product Development and innovation
* Introduction of holiday camps
The introduction of places like Butlins and Centre Parcs has led to a big growth in the Travel
and Tourism industry. There is many holiday camps been open for many years before the
Second World War but there were over 100 holiday camps but Butlins beat them all through the
1960’s and still to this day millions still go.
* Low Cost Airlines
Over the last couple of years the low cost airlines have made a big development in the business.
Low cost airlines like Easy jet, Ryan air and BMI Baby make it easy for people to travel to places
in Europe for cheap prices.
* Long Haul Destinations
Long Haul destinations have changed the industry a lot most holidays started just in the UK
and Europe now you can travel to places like Australia and America and doesn’t take to long to
get there. This gives people to travel around the whole world and go somewhere different.
* Package holidays
Package holidays have made a big improvement in the business. Package holidays is your
accommodation, transport and 1 other put together to bring a holiday together so it’s easier for
the customer and there is so many different types of packages.
Entrepreneurs in the Travel and Tourism Industry
* Thomas Cook
Thomas Cook (Thos Cook and son) after the war benefited from the post war holiday boom
then which saw one million Britons travel abroad in 1950. In 1965 the company exceeded 1
million but then decreased and fall behind younger rivals. In the 1980’s Thomas Cook started to
concentrate on long haul holidays then short and leaving short haul in 1982. Then he returned
back into short haul in 1996. Today Thomas Cook is a leading travel company and most widely
recognised and this started 160 years ago.
* Billy Butlin (Butlins)
Billy first started in Skegness and a total of nine were eventually built and can be divided into 3
distinct areas pre war, war, and post war camps which were Bognor, Barry, Minehead and
Mosney. The camps were doing well in the late 1960s and Billy retired in 1968 and the company
taken over by his son but in 1972 the company was sold for £42 million. Things carried on well
but then British Holidays had some competition from the foreign countries like Spain and
holidays abroad had boomed up and British seaside holidays were coming to an end. Now only
3 camps remain.
Changing Customer needs and expectations
Peoples needs and expectations have changed a lot in recent years. People are now fitter,
healthier and more prosperous and are seeking more different and exciting types of leisure and
tourism experiences.
The Domination of the private sector
Private sector organisations:
Private sector organisations are in private ownership, either directly or indirectly. They are
normally profit making. Examples of facilities run by private sector organisations include
hotels, tourist attractions and health and fitness clubs.
Accommodation Most hotels in the world are small and privately owned and operated. Most of
these establishments usually employ less than 20 people. Such hotels often advertise locally or
through regional tourist board promotional materials and do not take space on a Computer
Reservation System (CRS); Some of the hotels offer rooms to tour operators on contract as part a
package holiday deal. Privately owned hotels offer a variety and different sort of hotel to your
branded hotel.
An individual chain may operate a wide range of differently named hotels and these are called
brands. Brands are often differentiated by the quality of service that they offer. Holiday Inn
Worldwide (USA) for example is owned by Bass PLC, UK and operates the three and four star
brands of Crowne Plaza, Express, and Garden Court.
Airlines Since the attack on America Airline Company’s have lost millions in the business so the
bottom line is that the airlines want free public money, so that they can then make private profit
once they get back on their feet! If the airlines cannot run safely, efficiently, and at a reasonable
cost what will they do Public ownership under workers’ control is the only solution. If they
want public money to run the airlines, then let the public run them.
Vulnerability to external pressures
* Currency Fluctuations
Most of Europe has joined to the Euro but some countries still have their original currency. But
when exchanging money abroad if interest rates go up people lose out on money. (There’s a
lower cost of living in Eastern Europe e.g. Turkey and Bulgaria)
* War/Civil unrest
The pressure this is having on countries like America where people could be scared to travel
there in case anything happens again. Also Turkey is having a big cut down on people
travelling there because it’s close to Iraq and Turkey has been having problems in the main
towns. It says that some insurance companies won’t insure people travelling to the main
destinations in Turkey because they know there are problems so if anything happens they
won’t be insured so less people travel there and Turkey is loosing out on tourism and money.
* Climatic Changes
Over the years the weather has been getting warmer so snow will melt in the ski tourist places
will start to lose money and tourist because of the weather also some places will have increased
tourist for the weather being warmer.
* Diseases
Some countries are also loosing tourist because of diseases like Sars and foot and mouth
because people don’t like to travel to somewhere where they could catch something and can’t
even go there. Britain lost a lot of tourists a couple of years ago through foot and mouth.
Research reveals that:
1. 78% say that there is still plenty of things for tourist to do in the country
2. 46% believe that most places in the countryside were closed during foot & mouth but then fell
to 17% following a new advertisement
3. 46% of those in the survey said they were intending to visit the countryside in the month or
so for a day visit (27%), short break (15%) or a holiday of 4 nights or more (11%).
* Legislation
Legislation is making laws and some of the important ones in Travel and Tourism in the UK
are:
Year
Act
Aim
1947
Town & Country Planning Act
Local authorities able to designate open spaces for recreational use or development.
1949
Access to the Countryside Act
Encouraged local authorities to promote access to the countryside for recreational purposes and
led to the creation of the National Parks.
1969
Countryside Act
Enabled local authorities to provide countryside-based recreational facilities.
1969
Development of Tourism Act
Created the British Tourist Authority and the national tourist boards for England, Scotland and
Wales.
Positive and negative impacts on host communities
Tourism can have many positive and negative impacts on tourist destinations.
The positive are:
Many jobs are made in the tourism business e.g. in restaurants, hotels, shops etc. Also the
owners of the shops and restaurants make quite a lot of money from tourists visiting and
money in the country improves the country’s appearance because they have the money to
improve buildings etc. The more visitors the more well known it gets and people will travel
there and is known as a place to visit.
The negative are:
Even though many jobs are produced through the tourism industry most jobs are seasonal so
people working in hot countries e.g. Spain after about October when it’s colder and no tourist
there’s then no work till the summer again. Also for the winter ski holidays. Shops and
restaurants also lose business through problems like war and diseases so people don’t travel to
dangerous countries so the owners lose the money. Another negative impact is how countries
can get destroyed e.g. Falaraki has had many problems with loads of young people up all night
drinking. Also there have been cases of British people being arrested and even raped over the
last couple of years.
Components
The components to make up the structure of the Travel and Tourism Industry are:
A tourist attraction is the place where tourist would go to visit e.g. Alton Towers theme park.
Blackpool Beach
Transport is then needed for how to reach the tourist attraction e.g. by car, train etc
Accommodation is not always needed as some tourist attractions could just to visit for a day but
if needed hotels, caravans etc
Tour Operators then put a package together using the attraction visiting, the transport and
accommodation and then put it in travel agents or a direct sell to the customer and cuts out the
travel agent.
Travel Agents then sell the holidays in brochures in many shops all over the UK. Travel Agents
often receive commission from selling the holiday.
Then the Tourism development and promotion section advertise and promote their part of the
country so more people will visit the area from seeing advertising.
Tourist Attractions
A tourist attraction is a place where people can go to visit and usually of interest. The attraction
can be free or of additional charge to enter the attraction.
There are 2 different types of attractions natural and man made:
* Natural – is things that are natural and not made by people e.g. national parks, which is full of
natural scenery and mountains which tourist go to visit e.g. Snowdonia, Blackpool Beach which
receives more than 6 million people visiting the 42 acre beach.
* Man made – is attractions that are made by people for tourists e.g. Alton Towers that is a
theme park with many rides which first started off as a stately home in Staffordshire, then was
built up into a theme park. Also there’s the attractions like the pier in Blackpool that was built
for tourist going to Blackpool to enjoy with rides.
Many places offer the entrance to the attraction for free. Places like
Blackpool Pleasure Beach
National History Museum
Science museum Tate Modern
Tate Britain The Lowry
British Museum National Gallery
Source: Survey of Visits to Visitor Attractions (star UK)
Other attractions also have a admission enter the attraction. Places like
British Airways London Eye Tower of London
Eden Project Legoland Windsor
Chester Zoo Stonehenge
Windsor Castle Edinburgh Castle
Source: Survey of Visits to Visitor Attractions (star UK)
Transport
Transport plays a big part in the Tourism industry and accounts for 25% of all tourists spending
on a trip. There’s many different ways of getting around and plays a big part in the travel and
tourism industry and also tourist usually have to travel by more than one mode of transport to
get to there destination. Either travelling to a place by own car or public transport visitors
expect high standards of service including car parks and park and ride schemes. Also travel
information services
* Land/Rail-There are now many train services that take you all around the country. There are
now many privately owned companies virgin, GNER, also included in this are Eurostar, which
takes passengers through the channel tunnel between England and France over a year channel
tunnel receives over 5 million passengers. From the old days the train journeys have changed a
great amount these days train journeys are more modern and a comfortable journey. General
travel on trains has declined but certain services that train companies offer have risen. Coaches
have always played a big part in the travel and tourism industry they provide a low cost way of
travelling to a holiday destination around the UK even to places like France and Spain.
Companies that offer these trips are Ledger and National Express which carries more than 12
million passengers each year to around 1200 destinations throughout England, Scotland and
Wales.
* Air- that has two different types of flights. Scheduled which operates to a set timetable and
will fly regardless of how many seats are sold, they are usually sold directly to business people,
wholesalers and travellers. The top scheduled airline companies in the world are.
American Airline
United Airlines
Delta Airlines
Lufthansa Group
Air France Group
British Airways
Japan Airlines
Federal Express
Northwest Airlines
All Nippon Airways
US Air Group
Continental Airlines
SAS Group
Alitalia
KLM Royal Dutch Airline
Source: Airline Business, Fighting Back, Reed Publishing Ltd, September 1994
Charter flights are planes that are hired for a specific flight or duration of time that doesn’t have
a regular fixed departure and arrival times. Some large tour operators own their own charter
airlines, which they can then sell as part of the package holiday e.g. JMC and Airtours
Over three quarters of all package holidays sold in the UK use air travel to transport
* Sea-Ferries have been a popular way to get across to places like Ireland and France. P&O first
initiated a commercial route across the channel from Dover to Calais and now other transport
links are hovercraft, which can take you across the sea. Cruises have made a great holiday for
many holiday makers cruise liners like P&O princess which offer trips all around places like the
Mediterranean.
Accommodation and Catering
There are many different types of accommodation and is very important in the travel and
tourism industry. They can be hotels, B&B’s which can be a family owned business or a large
well-known chain company. Hotels use a rating system to show the quality of the hotel. They
do this using a scale of 1-5 of stars.5***** offering the best accommodation, exceptional quality
and best care and 1* offering fair quality and just an overall standard.
Other different types of accommodation are caravans, self-catering villas, travel inns and
campsites. Different types of catering are offered e.g.
* Self-catering is where in the accommodation you have to buy and cook your own food or go
out to eat. Self-catering accommodation offers all the facilities and utensils to make the food.
There has been a growth for self catering holidays in recent years, self catering can also be in a
range of accommodation e.g. Studios, villas, apartments, tents, caravans and boats
* B&B is where you get just your breakfast included in the price of your accommodation
* Full Board is where you get all meals included breakfast, dinner and tea
* Half Board offers you your breakfast and tea.
* All-inclusive gives you all your breakfast, dinner and tea but also includes snacks in between
and drinks included in price.
Tour Operators
A tour Operator is a company that puts a holiday together into a package. They make the
package up negotiating a contract with accommodation providers, transport providers and 1
significant other. Of the tour operator buys in bulk they can obtain a better price and save
money. The tour operator then puts it into a brochure then it is sent out to travel agents for the
holidays to be sold. The holiday then can either be sold directly from the tour operator at a
lower price this is called direct sell operations. Along with Travel agents, tour operators they
are most important link in the selling of products and development. It is also the most rapidly
growing parts of the travel and tourism industry.
There are 4 different types of Tour Operators:
1. Mass Market, which is the main Tour Operator that is the most popular of Tour Operators.
The 4 most well known mass market tour Operators are Airtours
Thomas Cook
First Choice
Thomson
Which offer holidays like Lakes and Mountains, winter, All-inclusive, City breaks and summer.
2. Specialist that offer a specialist holiday for the interests of the holidaymaker. These could be:
youth holidays (18-30)
Seniors (young at heart)
Activity (Diving-Neilson)
Country/Area (Africa-Somak)
3. Domestic is holidays in the UK for UK tourists. These types of places can be: Holiday Centers
(Butlins)
Health Spas
Adventure/Outward Bound
Camping
4. Incoming that offers holidays for overseas tourists visiting the UK. This is a great way to get
overseas visitors to the UK and makes the UK a great place to visit. These holidays are usually
offering tours of the history and culture of the UK to mainly Americans, Japanese and the
French: Miki Travel
Frames Rickard
Travel Agents
Travel Agents are what sell the holidays from the brochure they offer in the shop. Travel agents
can be individually owned or owned by a Tour Operator and are the important link of selling
holidays. The travel agent is usually the link between the tour operator, and the consumer.
Travel agents make their money on a commision basis from the selling of the holiday. Many
travel agents these days have specialist holidays There are different types of travel Agents. They
are:
* Multiple which is a large chain of the travel agents that have shops all around the UK in major
towns and cities. These types of travel agents are very well known throughout the country. The
most well known multiples are travel agents like Lunn Poly, Thomson and Going Places.
* Miniples are a small chain of travel agents around 20 to 30 shops usually in towns all near
each other. These types of travel agents have to compete with the larger companies who want to
buy them out. Travel Agents like Althams are a miniple and they’re placed around Sale and
other towns.
* Independent travel agents are just 1 or 2 travel agents which are usually a family owned
business with just a couple around usually in a small town.
* Business deal with the big companies like American Express and sort out business travel with
the company for business trips that need to be dealt with. These types of travel agents are in
offices and not in a shop.
* Also the same for call centres there in offices not in shops. Customers then phone up to book a
holiday instead of going into a travel agent e.g. Cresta
Tourism Development
A tourist board is where people can go for information about an area they would like to know
about to go and visit. They can then ring up and ask about the area. In a tourist information
centre they can get leaflets and other information about the area. The tourist information centres
are there to promote the area and show what it has to offer. Tourist information boards are also
there to:
· To promote or undertake publicity in any form;
· To provide advise and information services;
· To promote or undertake research;
· To establish committees to advise them in the performance of their Functions
Blue Badge Guides are trained up to take individuals or groups around the region for tours of
the area for visitors. You can identify the guide by them wearing a blue badge

Functions of Travel Agency

1. It provides information and expertise in a country
2. It impartially recommends particular destination, suppliers, products and services best suited
to the needs of the travelers.
3. It provides assistance in securing travel documents, such as passport and visas and
immigration clearances.
4. It processes travel arrangements by placing reservations, obtaining confirmation and issuing
corresponding tickets or tour vouchers
5. It assists in cases of refunds and cancellation.

There are more than a dozen functional or operational areas that directly and indirectly
determine the quantum of business that a travel agency or tour operation firm manages for
profit as well as customer satisfaction. In this lesson, major functions of travel agencies and tour
operators include travel information, booking tickets, itinerary preparation, designing of tour
packages, travel documents, insurance, foreign exchange, franchising, conducting tours,
marketing and publicity, research and development, training and development, etc. Table
presents the functions of travel agency briefly.

1 Provision of Travel Information Places of Tourist Interest, Connectivity, Climate

2 Market Research & Development
3 Reservation of Tickets
4 Reservation of Hotel Rooms
5 Reservation of Ground Services
6 Selling Cruise Package
7 Preparation of Itinerary
8 Costing Package Tour
9 Designing of Package Tour
10 Conducting FIT, GIT & FAM
Tour
11 Promotion & Publicity
12 Reservation and Cancellation
13 Management of Ground Services
14 Travel Documents
15 Preparation of Annual Budget
16 Corporate Social Responsibility
Culture, Customs, Currency, Health and Security,
Checks Permits and Immigration
Package tours Destinations and Attractions & Other
Services Market Study, Customer Purchase Behavior
Airlines, Railways, Buses, Passenger Ships, Events
Hotels, Resorts, Motels, Home-stay
Cars, Coaches, Caravans, Entertainment Entries,
Guides, Interpreters
Linking with Small Retail Agents, Negotiating,
Commission with Cruise Company
Collection of First-hand Information
Estimation of Fixed and Variable Costs
Assembling All Elements of Services
Uploading Services to Ground Operator
Issue of Exchange Order to Clients and Service
Providers
Collection of Feedback and Release of Final
Payments
Participation in FAM Tours
Marketing, Sales Promotion and Publicity
Booking Rooms, Airlines, Train and Coach Seats
Uploading Responsibility to Ground Operator
Handling Enquiries, Counseling, Travel and
Destination Information, Passport, VISA
Cost Estimation
Allocation of Budget to Different Departments
Management of Finance and Accounts
Corporate Social Responsibility towards
stakeholders, clients, community and quality ethics
 17 Training and Development Manpower Planning, In-house and Outhouse
Training
18 Maintaining Relationship With Members of Trade Associations
Tourism Ministry
19 Travel Insurance Personal, Baggage, Travel Break-up, Accidents,
Insolvency
20 Currency Exchange Transaction of Buying and Selling
Renewal of Authorization, Maintenance of Stock of
Currency
21 Operation of MICE Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conferences,
Conventions, Exhibitions, Seminars, Symposiums
22 Disaster Preparedness Contacting Police and Disaster Rapid Action Force
23 Use of Information Technology Hiring IT services and Purchas of Latest IT Gadgets

Functions of Tour Operator

A tour operator is an organization, firm, or person who is responsible for the actual
arrangement of transport and accommodation facilities on any tour or vacations. They are also
responsible for operating and providing vacation through contracting, booking, and packaging
together of the various components of the tour such as hotel, transportation, meals, guides,
optional tours, and sometimes flights.

A tour operator is like a service provider, providing the most convenient option for tourists to
stay, visit, as well as leave from the city. A tour operator owns a high volume of travel services
across carriers, services, and accommodation. Some most important functions of the tour
operators are following as:

Planning a Tour

The most important functions of the tour operators are planning a tour. Tour operators plan a
tour and make tour itinerary which contains the identification of the origin, destination and all
the stopping point in a traveler’s tours. A prospective tour operator also gives advice to
intending tourists in various types of tour programmes, which they may choose for their leisure
or commercial travel.

Making Tour Package

Tour operator buys individual travel components, separately from there suppliers and
combines them into a package tour. Tour operators make tour package by assembling various
travel components into a final product that is called tour package which is sold to tourist with
own price tag. Making tour packages is also an important function of Tour Operator.
Arranging a Tour

Tour operators make tour package and also arrange a tour according to tourist demands. Tour
operators arrange the tour package and various tourists activities to provide the best experience
to tourists/traveler.

Travel Information

Whatever the size of tour operators, it has provided necessary travel information to the tourists.
This task is utterly difficult and very complicated. A tour operator must give up-to-date,
accurate and timely information regarding destinations, modes of travel, accommodation,
sightseeing, immigration, health and security rules about various permits required to travel in a
particular area etc.

Reservation

It is a very important function of all type tour operators and travel agencies. Tour operator
makes all the reservation by making linkages with accommodation sector, transport sector and
other entertainment organizations to reserve rooms, and seats in cultural programmes and
transportation.

Travel Management

Tour operators manage tour from beginning to the end of the tour. A tour operator has the
responsibility to look after the finer details of a vacation or tour such as hotel, accommodation,
meals, conveyance etc. Tour operators provide travel guide, escorting services and arrange all
travel related needs and wants.

Evaluate the Option Available

Tour operators evaluate all available options to provide a unique or unforgettable travel
experience to tourists during their journey. Tour operators evaluate the various options
available for a tour package and provide best of them to tourists.

Promotion

Tour Operators makes tour packages and promote them into various tourists markets at
domestic as well international level. Tour operators promote a travel destination to attract a
large group of tourists at domestic as well as international level. In the promotion of tourist
destination, tour operators play a key role. Travel agencies or tour operators are called as image
builder of a country.
Sales and Marketing

Tour operators do sales and marketing of tourist products. Tour operators buy individual travel
components, separately and combine them into a tour package, which is sold with their own
price tag to the public directly. Tour operators do marketing of tourist destinations and tourism
product to attracts the attention of the tourists/travelers.
Taking Care of Glitch

Tours operators are also called handling agencies which handles tour package and take care of
all the glitches and problems arises during a tour package. Tour operators fix the glitches and
provide the best available alternative to tourists during their journey.