6 basics types of tourism in the travel industry July 14, 2017

What is tourism?

We have all been tourists at some point in our lives, whether that was in our country of residence or in a different country. It can be hard to define what tourism actually is. The definition of tourism that comes to my mind is when people travel to and stay at a place outside of their usual environment usually for business, leisure or other purposes for no longer than one year.

Tourism is a very dynamic, profitable and a competitive industry that is constantly changing to fit the customer’s needs. There is a constant demand for people to get into this industry but this would require different travel and tourism courses.

Social and economic effects of tourism

The tourism industry creates many jobs in areas where jobs are sparse, countries such as Egypt and Turkey employ thousands of workers to come to popular tourist locations to work. The tourism sector also helps the local businesses to generate extra revenue, most popular are food, entertainment and souvenir places. The economic benefits are also felt by the government as they generate extra revenue from airport and hotel taxes that pay for schools, hospitals and housing.

The social effects come into place when tourism increases in a particular area, this means the government will invest in new infrastructure that will also benefit the local community. Tourism also encourages the preservation of traditional customs, festivals and handicrafts. Residents of popular tourist locations might enrol onto a tourism course and excel onto a travel courses. The social misgivings of a country such as poverty and human rights abuses are also highlighted globally when there is an increase in tourism.

There are different types of tourism in the travel industry such as:

The most common type of tourism that most of us have completed is recreation tourism. This is when people go to a place that is usually different from their normal environment to relax and have fun. This includes visiting beaches, theme parks and camp groups as the most common places people have visited.

Religious tourism is another popular type of tourism where people visit a holy location that relates to their religious beliefs. A few examples would be when 14.3 million Muslims complete their pilgrimage to Makkah and Medina, Saudi Arabia which is in line with one of the pillars of Islam. Jewish people are known to visit the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, Israel, as this is the most sacred site, yearly around 11 million people visit.

Medical or health tourism is when people travel to a different country to use their medical services for free or to go for a new treatment that they cannot get in their country of residence. This is relatively new but has been widely criticised by the British government as they feel people coming to Britain for free treatment is putting unnecessary pressure on the NHS. Cosmetic procedures and dental work are popular with health tourists.

For tourists who would like to see wildlife or want to be in the midst of nature, nature tourism is the answer. Ecotourism include bird watching, trekking through forests and jungles to see endangered animals.

Pleasure tourism is when people want to escape the daily rat race and feel like they need to rejuvenate. These trips are solely taken to refresh the soul, mind and spirit. This usually includes yoga workshops, detox massages and meditating.

Sports tourism has become very popular with the increased exposure of the Olympics, FIFA world cup and tennis. People will travel to different countries to ensure that they can see their favourite sports people compete.

Are you looking for a tourism course? Read more about the travel and tourism courses