How Big Is Travel and Tourism Industry and Find Why You Should Tap Into This Giant Business !
(source : http://www.drtomorrow.com)
Ready For The Race ?
Two centuries years ago even Washington's crossing the Potomac or
Wolfe's traversing the Plains of Abraham wouldn't have classified
them as tourists. The tourism industry hadn't even been thought of,
never mind exist. People who travelled in those days were called
explorers.
Today tourism has reached, in people and in dollars, the top of the
heap. More money, time and equipment are involved in tourism than in
any other single business. In major tourism countries (see
accompanying list) more than 350 million visitors intermingle
annually, bringing billions into these countries while paying for
airline, ship, hotel, entertainment and other services and goods.
Even with such massive numbers travelling, tourism remains mainly a
business of the wealthier countries although some smaller and poorer
countries manage to provide a livelihood for some citizens catering
to visitors from richer countries. A recent phenomenon is the rise
of a segment of the world population with the largest amount of
disposable income -- young Japanese women between ages 19 and 34
who, through a strange mix of tradition and the new Asian economic
miracle, are far ahead in the new "world order" of tourism. These 26
million women travel more frequently and widely and spend more money
than any other group. They have substantial economic clout.
Why? Until recently, young Japanese ladies did not go out to work.
They stayed at home with their parents. By tradition their families
demanded no payment for room and board, as do most European and North
American societies. Consequently, when these women started going to
work and Japan expanded economically so rapidly, their savings became
disposable income as their families still cover their living expenses
until they get married. The women it seems are waiting longer before
getting married ... no doubt sending restrained shock waves through
the rest of the close-knit traditional Japanese family. Today, it is
not uncommon for such girls to go on buying sprees for shoes and
shoes only -- to Rome, Geneva, London or Hong Kong. They are
travelling much more than young Japanese men, seeing more, and are
changing their outlook more than their traditional culture may be
willing to readily accept. More Japanese women may decide to leave
their homeland and immigrate to lands visited. Freedom, once tasted,
is difficult to give up.
How did this happen? It is part of the emergence of the
Communications Age. As people talked to one another more frequently and
for
longer periods, they found out about the next village and the
next
city, the next country and the world. Within just a minute of
time
on the galactic scale, we learned far more about the
planet,
different countries and cultures, how to converse with people
anywhere, and how to get there. The inquisitive nature of the human
race did the rest.
Today, with proper planning, you can get to almost any place on
the
planet within 24 hours. Not everyone needs that speed, but it
is
available. In 12 hours destinations are easily accessible
that
would have taken months and fortunes to reach 200 years ago.
This
also accentuates competition between destinations.
Listed here are the current rankings for countries experiencing the
greatest influx of tourists, crossing national borders in a single
year.
France, fortunately located within easy travelling distance (by car,
plane or boat) of about 20 other European countries, tops the list
with 50.2 million visitors. France has only 40 million residents.
Spain, south of France and warmer, comes in third beating out the
United States, which has only two close countries, Canada and Mexico,
to draw on. Canada, comes in seventh on the tourism scale, thanks
primarily to the U.S.A. market -- within easy driving and flying
distance.
The Bahamas, located off the east coast of Florida, receive 1.6
million tourists annually despite having only 200,000 citizens.
That's eight tourists to one native -- year round! Hong Kong
matches tourists with residents, 5.4 million annually.
Always remember however, to keep such figures in the proper
perspective: more people visited Florida's Disney World (28.5
million) than went to Italy (26.7 million).
The development that speeded up expansion of the tourism industry was
jet travel, especially the Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet which can now carry
over 400 people non-stop, if necessary, for 18 hours at speeds of 550
mph. It enables almost everybody, in an industrialized country who
wants to fly, to fly, and within reason, to a spot they chose. This
mobility was never before possible.
Despite terrorists, wars, strikes, weather and currency fluctuations,
the tourism wave continues. A recent growing phenomenon: shorter
flights to distant locations (London for lunch?) cause travel agents
much glee, although the length of such trips reduce the amount spent
"on location".
Ready For The Race ?
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