Travel & Tourism The last 50 years

Word Count: 1159                                   Author: Kimi Ural                                       Created: 2014

 

Travel and tourism has changed in the last 50 years, it`s easier to travel these days for example through the technological development where the internet and smartphones play a big role. The transport has developed as well; it is a lot quicker and cheaper to get to your desired destination then 50 years ago. Nowadays it`s normal to travel and have business meetings around the world whether it`s inbound, outbound or domestic.

Legislation

The laws have changed over the last 50 years, which has had an impact on the travel and tourism sector because a lot more people go out their country now than in 1960 because of the development of tourism act in 1969. The internet website VisitBritain is now the main organisation operating as another result of the development of tourism act which includes establishing the British Tourism Authority, which aim was to co-ordinate all of the organisations that make up tourism and provide a single voice. Also the Transport Act has changed between 1980 & 1985 which means that travellers since then can go any route. For example: Fly from the UK to the USA without having problems with the law.

Product Development

Holiday camps like Butlins or Pontins were at their peak between 1945 and 1960. 50 years ago almost everyone was a domestic traveller; a few tourists went abroad not only because of the world wars and the danger in other countries but also because there wasn’t a commonly used method of transport like a plane. From the 1970 till now the holiday camps went into decline because transport has developed and the wars have almost stopped so the danger to go abroad has decreased, also it’s a lot cheaper to travel outbound now. It affected the travel and tourism sector because more people go outbound, which means that the UK will lose some customers for domestic holiday camps which could be a disadvantage but earn a lot for travel agents who will book their holiday in a country outside the UK which is an advantage. For example: Thomas Cook was the first travel agent to organise a package holiday which was in 1841, a trip from Leicester to Loughborough by train. Later on Vladimir Raitz organised a holiday package in 1949 which are the ones we know now which includes accommodation and transport like return flights and transfer. Package holidays popularity grew in the 1970s when Spain build rapidly hotels which were in demand from British and German tourists. Package holidays made it easier for tourists to enjoy their holidays without bothering about anything which is an advantage but it also can be a disadvantage for travellers who are more spontaneous and would rather decide at their destination where to stay and when they are going back.

Transport Development

Transport in the Travel and Tourism sector has developed and so changed the industry for example: Air transport has made development; airplanes are much faster that’s an advantage because travellers can get to their destination quicker but also the risk of crashing into a building like on September the 11th. The Airbus A380 is the biggest aircraft and can carry approx 550-800 passengers, it also is better for the environment because of the developed technology these days; this had an impact of the travel and tourism sector through allowing more people to travel outbound. The growth of low-cost airlines had also a big impact on the transport sector because a lot of families or people who are not rich can travel with a low budged through last minute flights, which airline companies offer to fill up their spare seats. The Sea transport also has made considerable developments for example: The Channel Tunnel between England and France, 50 years ago it was just an idea to create a way for British people to leave the island without flying or risking to get seasick, but in 1994 the idea became reality and the channel tunnel officially opened.

Lifestyle changes

The lifestyle now is different from the lifestyle 50 years ago. For example education has improved that is an advantage because that means that people are more aware of the world and different places and therefore want to see them in real life and travel there. This could also be a disadvantage because they might not have the money to travel that far through the transport and stay costs. 50 years ago the subject Travel and Tourism did not exist which means that more people back then did not know where they could travel to. A lot of jobs these days pay your annual leave which means they get paid for holiday days so they have more time and money to travel. 50 years ago no one had such high expectations like travelling the world and having stays in a luxury place like these days. Travellers these days want to travel the world see different places and collect an experience which means that a lot of people travel around the world so that the outbound tourism takes profit from this. Having high expectations is an advantage because people travel more often like twice a year to further places like America. Having high expectations can also be a disadvantage because customers might expect too much and end up being disappointed.

Technological Development

The technological development had an impact on the travel and tourism sector because it is a lot easier and quicker these days than 50 years ago. For example Computer Reservation Systems also known as CRS opened a new world to the customer through being able to call a call centre, tell them what kind of holiday you want and they book it for you which made it a lot easier because you don’t have to make the effort to find it in travel magazines. Another example would be the internet through reservations and bookings which dramatically changed the way people book holidays. This is an advantage because it made it even easier and quicker to get information about a holiday residents online and book it straight away, on the other side it can be a disadvantage because people in call centres can lose their jobs.

Destination Development

Governments invest more money into attracting inbound tourists after the world realised the economic benefits 50 years ago. For example: Dubai created residential developments, hotels and shopping centres to attract more customers from all over the world which were mostly German and British tourists. This had an impact on the T&T sector through allowing Dubai to have more tourists which made more people travel to this destination. There are still some places on this planet tourists haven’t seized yet but I’m sure that will change in the following 50 years of destination development. An advantage of this development can be that people can get to see the whole world and not just the area they grew up in. Travelling to further places for example to America can also be dangerous because of the long flight and the possibilities that something goes wrong which could be a disadvantage.

*Note that this assignment has not been corrected since the date it was written for comparison purposes. The writers age was 16 & is meant to represent a Sixth Form/ College writing level.