Introduction to Tourism

Tourism is related to travelling and travelling is naturally a human character . Man needs change and travel provides the change . The Great American writer Mark Twain has aptly said that even heaven can be boring after a while . Travel has had a fascination for man. He has been travelling throughout the ages . During that time travel was there but 'tourism' was not there .Because travel was not undertaken for the purpose of pleasure at that time and their motive was not to seek holiday from the routine work . The primary motive of their travel was trade and commerce or pilgrimage or to explore . The basis concept of tourism 'pleasure, at leisure' was not there . When people learned to travel for pleasure ,the concept of tourism started .Learning to differentiate between work and leisure creates tourism. So tourism is related to movement of people from one place to another in leisure time for the purpose of getting pleasure.

The word 'Tourism' did not appear in English Language until the early nineteenth century. The word was derived from French language 'tourism'.The literal meaning is 'the practice of touring or travelling'. It is a new concept and it's significance was fully realized recently .Tourism is the most recent and significant phenomena of modern times . It is difficult to describe tourism , as it is an experience rather than a tangible objects .It is related to service . The Oxford Dictionary defines the word 'tourism' as organising touring or services for tourists . So the word tourism involves three basis elements : tour, tourist and to organise a business to provide travel related services . Tourism in this sense is a service industry operated to facilitate the tour for the tourists.

At the same time traditional authorities are not confirmed whether tourism is to be considered as industry or not. The prefer to call it 'activity' rather than 'industry'. They say that it is an activity that takes place when people move to some other place for leisure or business and stay at least for 24 hours . In this modern world tourism has been well accepted as service industry , although,it encompasses a wide variety of products and individual industries . Before defining the subject confusion may rise between Tourism and Travel and Tourism. Travel and tourism is the term most often used in North America. For the sake of convenience and easy to understand the term tourism is used in this book, which is the word used in Nepal for Travel and Tourism industry. Students should be aware that no conceptual difference is implied between the two expressions in this book.

Some authors describe tourism as a system .Tourism as a system consists of four interrelated parts : Market, Travel, Destination and Marketing. Market is the customer of potential customer as tourist. The second segment of tourism is travel, which includes mode of transport. Third segment consists of destination . The destination includes attractions, accommodation and facilities . The business organisations involved in this process jointly or individually encourage people to travel through the process of marketing and different organisation are involved in providing services. So in this sense tourism involves different aspects.

Tourism is as compound of different elements. It does not exist in isolation. To understand tourism in necessary to know about the various components, which together make tourism. Tourism is made of 4 A's as follows

• Attraction - local


• Accessibility that is transport


• Accommodation


• Amenities -Facilities/Services

Movement of people is the most important elements of tourism which asks for transport . Transport is so much associated with travel and tourism that many use them synonymously. The mode of transport may be motor car, a coach, an aeroplane ,ship or train , which enables a traveller to reach his/her predetermined destination. The attractions are the holiday destinations, which attracts tourists. The attractions are either man-made or natural . The man-made attractions includes various things such as city, historical places , museums, zoo, etc and natural attractions are like sunshine, scenic beauty. Accommodation is another basic component of tourism . Tourists need accommodation and food at their destination, Amenities are necessary aid to become tourism. In tourism the facilities or services are added to transport, accommodation or to the attraction. By adding the concept of service a transport becomes tourist transport, accommodation centre becomes tourist hotels and attraction becomes tourist destination.