Preface

People travel for business, for pleasure, or for a combination of the two. The vast majority of these people travel to specific destinations, which represents the building blocks of tourism. Once individuals have the time, money and motivation to travel and have decided where to go, they need some means to get there. Once at the destination, these tourists, as they are now called, require some place to stay, some place to eat and drink, something to do (sightseeing, tennis, golf, skiing, for example), and something to buy as a remembrance of the trip. This is where the transportation, lodging, food and beverage, sightseeing, recreation, and retailing industries come in.

The shortsighted operator believes that business begins when the customer walks in the front door. The smarter manager understands that there is a vast world outside the front door (called travel and tourism) that determines the shape of demand for the business that one is engaged in. Thus, the airlines realize that to sell airline tickets it is necessary to sell a destination for someone to fly to; the hotel operator realizes that the fortunes of the property are dependent upon the fortunes of the destination of which it is a part.

That is what this book focuses on. By understanding what travel and tourism is all about, those who operate businesses that rely on the visitor will be in a better position to take a pro-active role in securing that business for themselves.

The text is divided into four sections: an overview of tourism, the development of tourism, the marketing of tourism, and the future of tourism.

The first section explains what tourism is. In the chapter “Tourism: its historical development”, the history of tourism is explored so that managers can get a perspective on where we have come from. Tourism, as we know it today, is defined and the factors that make up tourism are outlined. Careers in travel and tourism are highlighted for the reader's consideration.

“Who is the tourist?” explores the tourist in more detail. The reasons for travel are examined and various segments of the market are covered. The general principles explaining tourist movements are uncovered. By studying the factors that influence where tourism takes place, destinations can begin to determine their chances for attracting tourists. They can then go on to see where potential tourists will come from.

The means that tourists use to get to their destination are examined in “How do tourists travel”. Airways, railways, waterways, highways and local transit are covered in relation to their size and importance, who owns them, how they are financed, and the characteristics of the market that uses them. The way that transportation companies are regulated is dealt with, and the marketing of passenger transportation is examined in some depth.

The destinations that tourists go to are the subject of “Where do tourists go”, which explores the various tourism destinations of the world. This geography of the world concentrates on the tourist attractions of various countries and regions.

“How is tourism organized?” looks at how tourism is organized. The chapter considers tourism organization in both the private and the public sectors. In the public sector the international agreements necessary for tourism to flourish lead to an examination of the various international organizations that facilitate tourism. Various national models are explored. The private-sector businesses that make up tourism are summarized.

At this point the reader should have a good grasp of what tourism is all about: how it developed, what we mean today when we discuss tourism, why people travel, where they travel to, how they get there, and how the system is organized from the international to the local level.

The second part of the text covers the development of tourism. The next chapter answers the question: "Why develop tourism?” The goals of tourism are looked at from the perspective of the tourist, the destination and the host community. The pluses and minuses of tourism development are closely examined from an economic, social, cultural, and environmental viewpoint. Methodologies that measure the impact of tourism and priorities are suggested.

Once a destination is convinced of the desirability of developing tourism, a plan is needed. Thus, tourism planning is the subject of “The planning of tourism”. The importance of planning is explained, and the role of data collection and analysis as a basis for decision making is outlined. The various ways of collecting data for use in planning tourism are also examined.

The actual development of a destination is the topic of “Developing tourism”. Readers are taken through the steps involved in developing a destination for tourism from the preliminary analysis of tourist potential to the preparation of areawide master plans and the determination of financial feasibility.

Having developed tourism it is then necessary to manage it. In “The management of tourism”, we examine the requirements of a tourism "industry". Leadership must be developed in the community if tourism is to prosper. Coordinating this effort requires developing communications, tourist centers, a visitor services program, as well as conducting ongoing research into visitor satisfaction. Education and training for the host businesses are important as are promotional campaigns to lure tourists and a public awareness effort to educate local citizens about the benefits that tourism has for them. Lastly, this must somehow be paid for. Various community strategies for funding tourism are examined.

The reader by now will understand the benefits of developing tourism, the pitfalls to avoid, and methods used to collect research data as a basis for planning tourism. A step-by-step process for developing a destination and means to set up and fund a system for organizing tourism at the community level have been laid out.

The third section of the text covers tourism marketing. In “Tourism promotion”, the subject of promotion is covered. Readers are taken through the procedures involved in creating an effective promotional plan for a community. The role of both national and state government tourist offices is delineated. Advantages of direct promotion is contrasted with the use of various middlemen in the distribution of tourism.

“Travel distribution systems” focuses on the way travel is distributed to the public. A distinction is made between direct and indirect channels of distribution. The role of tour wholesalers in the marketing of tourism is examined and the reasons people take tours are explored. The chapter looks at the workings of the wholesale business from the economics of operation to the preparation and operation of a typical tour.

The part that retail travel agents play in distributing travel is the subject of the remainder of the chapter. The structure of the industry and the regulations that govern it are examined. A discussion of the functions of the agency and how the agency makes money completes the chapter.

The final section of the text is comprised of only one chapter: the future of tourism. The demand for tourism will be influenced by changes in population, income, leisure and consumer tastes. The impact of these changes on both pleasure and business travel is pointed out in some detail.

Three appendices complete the text. Appendix A leads the reader to the major information sources for travel and tourism. Appendix B is a glossary of common tourism terms. Appendix C is a listing of major trade abbreviations.

It is hoped that by the time they finish reading this book readers will understand what tourism is and will have a clear idea of how to develop and market a tourism destination. That knowledge can then be used to get a piece of the international pie called tourism.