Appunti di inglese

Appunti di inglese

Tourism

Tourism is travel for pleasure or business purposes. It has become a popular global leisure activity thanks to the developments in technology and transport infrastructures, that have made many types of tourism. Tourism is really important because it gives a lot of opportunities for work for people and with the Internet it’s very easy to go on holiday. In the last few years, there have been developed many hotels and resorts with different styles and prices, for the large number of different tourists.

Types of vacations

For example, some people prefer simple beach vacations, while others want quieter resorts or family-oriented holidays. There were also changes in lifestyle, for example, some people in retirement age support tourism throughout the years. Tourism has increased thanks also to packages that offer some sites to customers. But, for some disasters, such as the September 11 attacks or the tsunami in the Indian Ocean, thousands of lives were lost, including many tourists, and this caused a decrease in tourism in those areas for a lot of time. Furthermore, at the end of the 2000s, tourism suffered a strong slowdown partly due to the spread of the H1N1 influenza virus.

History of tourism

Wealthy people have always traveled around the world, to see monuments, learn new languages and new cultures, and taste new typical foods. During the Roman Republic, spas and resorts, as Baiae, were popular among the rich. By the Middle Ages, there was the tradition of pilgrimage even among the lower classes to travel for health or spiritual improvement. Modern tourism began with the Grand Tour, a travel in Europe especially in Italy and Germany by European young of the middle-class.

Tourism can be domestic or international, and international tourism has both incoming and outgoing results on a country's balance of payments. In fact, tourism is vital for many countries, such as Egypt, Greece, or Malaysia, and many Islands, such as The Bahamas, Maldives, or Philippines, for the large entry of money thanks to the services and employment opportunities in the tourism sector.

Types of tourism

• Leisure travel started with the Industrial Revolution in the United Kingdom, the first European country to promote leisure time to increase industrial population. “Cox & Kings” was the first official agency formed in 1758. The British origin of this new industry is reflected in many place names. In Nice, France, the long esplanade along the seafront is known as the “Promenade des Anglais”. In many other historical sites of Europe, there are old hotels, like the Hotel Bristol, that highlight the dominance of English customers.
• Winter tourism: St. Moritz, Switzerland, became the cradle of winter tourism which developed in the 1860s, even if only in the 1970s, winter tourism became more popular than summer tourism in many Swiss ski resorts. Major ski resorts are located in several European countries, Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Chile, and Argentina.
• The World Tourism Organization defines sustainable tourism as tourism activities that don’t alter the environment (natural, social, and artistic) and don’t interfere with the development of other social and economic activities. Sustainable tourism meets the needs of present tourists and host regions, protecting and enhancing the opportunities for the future. It must integrate the management of all resources in such a way that economic, social, and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled, maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity, and life support system.
• Mass tourism developed thanks to improvements in technology, which allows the transport of large numbers of people in a short period of time to places of leisure interest. It generally looks for entertainment and doesn’t show any particular interest in the local culture of the countries they visit.
• Niche tourism occurs in urban areas with particular historical significance or cultural facilities, such as museums and theatres. Cultural tourism also highlights the various traditions of indigenous communities through observing their rituals, customs, as well as their values and lifestyle.
• Pro-poor tourism can be defined as tourism that provides benefits for the poor. It is a comprehensive approach to tourism development, and management aims to unlock opportunities for the poor to obtain benefits from tourism.
• Recession tourism is defined by low-cost and high-value experiences taking the place of once-popular generic retreats. Various recession tourism hotspots have seen business boom during the recession thanks to the lower costs of living and a slow world labor market.
• Medical tourism is when there is a significant price difference between countries for a given medical procedure, particularly in Southeast Asia, India, Eastern Europe, Cuba, and Canada in which there are different regulatory regimes.
• In educational tourism the main focus of the activities includes the visit to other countries to learn about the social and cultural aspects of the regions by applying skills learned in the classroom in a different environment.
• Creative tourism is a form of cultural tourism. Its European roots date back to the time of the Grand Tour, which saw the sons of aristocratic families traveling for the purpose of mostly interactive, educational experiences. It’s defined as tourism related to the active participation of travelers in the culture of the host community, through interactive workshops and informal learning experiences.
• One emerging area of special interest has been identified as "Dark tourism". This type of tourism involves visits to "dark" sites, such as concentration camps. Dark tourism remains a small niche market, driven by varied motivations, such as mourning, remembrance, education, or macabre curiosity.
• Also known as "Tourism of Doom," or "Last Chance Tourism", Doom tourism is travel into important ecological places for the Earth, that are threatened, like the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
• Since the late 1980s, sports tourism has become increasingly popular. Events such as the Olympics or football World Cups have enabled specialist travel companies to gain packages that include flights, hotels, and excursions.

On the 15^th of April 2010, a headline in the British newspaper “The Sunday Times”, proclaimed that the European Commissioner Antonio Tajani presented a plan declaring tourism a human right. According to the article, pensioners, young people, and those too poor, should have the opportunity to travel. The way we take our holiday indicates the quality of our lives. The thought of Tajani was supported by other media such as the conservative Canadian newspaper “National Post” and Wikipedia. EurActiv, an independent media portal, criticized the Times article because the plan would cost a lot of money.

Differences between tourist and traveller

Furthermore, it is possible to make a difference between:

• A tourist may carry a camera, guidebook, and map and wear the same clothing he wears at home. He may speak only English and tries to learn phrases in the local language. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) defines tourists as people who travel and stay in different places to their usual environment for leisure, work, and other motivations.
• A traveller is someone who tries to immerse himself in the local culture. He explores the less-travelled areas and explores locations where tourism doesn’t drive the economy. A traveler interacts with locals and explores new things.

Travel and tourism

Tourism provides tourist guiding services. It can be in the form of a guide or director who accompanies groups of tourists around the city. They are selected for their knowledge in a specific area and also they are able to organize and manage people. They can negotiate with other suppliers, such as the Pullman company, hotel accommodation (if this is provided) and the guide in museums.

Other types of guiding services are the museum guides, who are able to conduct guided tours for foreign tourists who don’t speak the local language. Some companies provide audio packages in various languages, which describe the features of a place or a chosen monument.

Tourism can have many different effects on social and cultural aspects in life in a particular region or area. The interaction between tourists and the host community can be positive or negative.

Positive impacts

• Local community can mix with people from different backgrounds with different styles;
• Development of infrastructures to support tourism;
• Cultural and social events such as exhibitions or entertainment available for local people;
• Conservation of local cultural heritage of an area;
• Increase in youth exchange programmes, village tourism and more.