Posted by Chester Morton / Saturday, 19 May 2018 / No comments
Concepts in tourism
CONCEPTS IN TOURISM
Introduction
As a student or someone interested on
tourism, one would come across several words relating to in the industry. It is
very important for the student to understand what these words mean in the
contest of the tourism industry. These words sum up the concept of tourism. The
under-listed are some of the concepts in tourism.
Tourism
One of the most used definitions for tourism is the one by
the World Trade Organization (WTO). The WTO defines tourism as “…the activities
of persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment
for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes
not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place
visited.”
Another definition by Mathieson and Wall, 1982, is also worth
nothing. They wrote in 1982 that tourism is “The temporary movement of people
to destinations outside their normal places of work and residence, the
activities undertaken during their stay in those destinations, and the
facilities created to cater to their needs.”
From the above, one can define tourism as the non-permanent
movement of a person from his or her place of abode to another place for
purposes not limited to business, leisure and pleasure but not receiving any
monetary compensation for it. It includes staying in places provided by others
for free or paid for and using facilities created for the benefit of making
life easy during their stay.
Tourist
Usually, a tourist is any individual who leaves his or her
permanent place of abode to experience new things at another destination such
as sports, cultural festivals, or even see places of historical importance.
Most of the times, such people stay for between one day and one year though
some might stay just a little longer.
Visitor
In tourism, a visitor refers to any person who goes to
another place and spends some time or days with another person or group of
persons or even stays alone or makes new friends. The purpose of the stay could
be for business, pleasure, and sightseeing or even just to enjoy the weather,
for example.
Tour
A tour is not too different from a journey, except that in
the case of a tour, the people undertaking the journey visit many places within
the stipulated period, either a day or more. Usually but not always, it involves
several people using a bus or a coach. The purpose of the journey is most for
pleasure.
Excursion
An excursion is simply a journey that is undertaken by a
group of people. This type of journey is usually for educational purposes but
it can also be for leisure or as a physical exercise. This type of journey is
common in schools where the students are taken to places of relevance to a
particular subject being taught or a particular topic discussed in class.
Leisure
Leisure refers to that moment in a person’s life when he or
she is not compelled or constrained to anything. It is a moment where the
person can decide to sleep, relax at the beach or any other public place. In
fact, at these times, there is no work related issues to deal with. The most
important things here is for to choose what to do or not to do without any fear
of reprimand from any quarters.
Recreation
Recreation is an activity one engages in when one is not
doing what one was employed to do. Mostly, these activities are engaged in for
purposes of amusement; something that is expected to bring joy or is
pleasurable. It is usually fun.
Hospitality
Hospitality refers to the condition where people are made to
feel very comfortable by making available the amenities that are needed to make
their stay a memorable one. Though this is attributed to mainly places that
provide accommodation and food for a fee such as hotels, restaurants and bars,
individuals can also provide comfort for their visitors during their stay in a
house. Some nations and regions of the world are noted for their hospitality.
Travel
Travel is the process by which people move from one
geographical location to another one usually by means a vehicle, airplane, and
train or even on foot. The person who is travelling is mostly called a
traveller and he or she may or may not be carrying a luggage. One could travel by
his or her own means of transport or may hire the services of others such as airlines,
bus operators or car hiring agencies.
SAMPLE QUESTION(S)
1. Highlight six concepts in tourism.
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