Travelling

By Author: Arvind Singh
Total Articles: 2
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What is Travel & Tourism
We all travel and have been a tourist, perhaps many times in our life. Tourism and tourist are so common words that they find mention in newspapers and magazines almost on a daily basis. In spite of its popularity, have you ever deliberated what the definition of travel and tourism is? What components constitute the tourism industry? Who qualifies to be called a tourist? Well, this article attempts to explore the words "travel”, “tourism” and "tourist'- both technically as well as conceptually.

What is the meaning of travel and how it converted into a full-time industry? What are the fundamental concepts pertaining to tourism and what are the characteristics of tourism as an industry? What are the different forms of tourism? In this article, we will explore answers to these basic questions on the travel and tourism industry.

Meaning of Travel
The term travel originates from the Old French word ‘travail’ which meant heavy labor. Travel refers to the movement of people or objects such as airplanes, boats, trains, and other conveyances between various distant geographical ...
... locations. Another "etymologically for the world tour as suggested by Theobald in 1994 is that it is derived from the Latin, 'tornare' and the Greek, 'tornos', meaning 'a lathe or circle and the movement around a central point or axis'. This meaning changed in modern English to represent 'one's turn‘ and they suggest the action of movement around a circle. Argument is that a circle represents a starting point, which ultimately returns back to its beginning. Therefore, like a circle, a tour represents a journey in that it is a round-trip, i.e., the act of leaving and then returning to the original starting point, and therefore, one who takes such a journey can be called a tourist

What is Tourism? Defining Tourism
Tourism in our minds is connected with vacation, holidays, pleasure, tours and travels, attractions, historic or scenic places, and going or arriving somewhere. Tourism is prevalent from the pre-industrial age and some common examples are cruises on the Nile River, tours made by wealthy Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, and the grand tour. People travel for short-term to other places from their normal place of residence and during these temporary visits consume goods and services like transportation, accommodation, etc., and the entire process is known as tourism. The tourism industry revolves around providing enjoyment and pleasurable experiences. Hence the term ‘tourism’ is comprised of several social practices and experiences, signifying a 'departure' from normal mundane life.
Given below are characteristics of tourism as evident from the definitions discussed above. Theses will be helpful in understanding tourism at a conceptual level.

Tourism involves travel and stay, can also include day trips, business trips, etc.
There is a movement of tourists from the place of origin to the destination. The tourism industry is tourist-oriented and built entirely upon people.
Tourism can be international when travel is from one country to another
Domestic tourism means the travel is within the country
Tourism is a leisure activity
Tourism also involves a journey and services like transport, accommodation, catering, and viewing, etc.
The journey and stay is generally at a site is outside the normal working place or residence
Tourism is for a short period
Tourism may involve a variety of experiences. Every individual tourist may have different perceptions about the same products/services of the tourism industry. Tourism is always about the experience that the customer makes.
The products and services of the tourism and travel industry are perishable meaning they are consumed as soon as they are produced and cannot be stored for the future.
Tourism is also associated with the status symbol in modem society
There may be indirect and direct recreational and health benefits of tourism
Tourism is now emerging as global phenomena
There exists a variety of tourist types and modes of tourist experiences
The tourism industry involves tourists, tourist product, types of destinations, attractions, and tour management
Most of the tourism products are intangible as tourism is about the time spent and the experience made
Social, economic, and institutional factors affect travelers’ decisions to travel to certain selected destinations that affect these decisions
Supply-side of the tourism industry is limited and pre-fixed that is surplus capacity based on demand cannot be instantly created like train berths, hotel rooms, etc.
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Tourism
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