EVOLUTION OF TOURISM

The development of tourism is inevitably tied to the economic growth of cities, regions and even nations as well as greatly influenced by the development of transportation. Therefore, it is evident that tourism is most common in nations which have the most well-developed transportation networks and are economically successful at that time. Beginnings:- Human population has existed for hundreds of thousands of years in all parts of the world. For example, Cro-Magnon man was active in Europe and the Middle East about 40 000 B.C. However, there was relatively little travel as we know it today until relatively recently in human history. > The Sumerians The recorded history of tourism began with Sumerians, who inhabited Mesopotamia, near the Persian Gulf, by about 4000 B.C. Much of the area, covering part of the modern state of Iraq, was particularly fertile. Sumerian farmers were eventually able to produce so much grain that they had a surplus available to trade. In addition to growing and trading grains, the Sumerians became skilled at converting it to alcoholic beverages, primarily beers. Local Sumerian taverns served various beers and provided a gathering place for local residents. >The Middle East By 2000 B.C., Middle East people travelled long journeys to trade for exotic goods, catered to in caravanserai (inns), providing food and shelter. > Empires: 3200 B.C. to A.D 476 While several civilisations were thriving in the region around Persian Gulf, others were developing around the Mediterranean Sea between 3200 B.C. and A.D. 476 􀄃 a period known to the historians as the Empire Era. During this time, three significant empires flourished around the Mediterranean: the Egyptian, the Greek and the Roman. Their developments in tourism reached their zenith during the Roman period with the creation of a transportation network that surrounded the Mediterranean and extended to such distant points as England, France and Germany. (a) Egypt The Egyptians created a political entity by around 3200 B.C., headed by a pharaoh, their term for a king. The famed pyramids were built as tombs for the pharaohs as early as 2700 B.C. and became tourist attractions that people travelled great distances to view. Besides, people travelled to see other sights, to trade goods, to transact government business, and to attend religious festivals. Thus, ancient Egyptians might have been responsible for beginning the activity we now call tourism. (b) Greece The Greeks were great travellers. By 356 B.C. they dominated the Mediterranean region. They established colonies that stretched their empire as far west as Spain and even to the north coast of the Black Sea. Besides, many Greeks travelled to great religious centres, particularly Delphi and Olympia, to take part in games and competitions and to consult their oracles. Their two most important contributions to tourism were their language, which became universally accepted as the language of international trade; and their currencies, which were widely circulated, accepted, and trusted as the medium of exchange for monetary transactions. These made travel and trade comparatively easy and thus played an important role in increasing the volume of both. (c) Rome By the time Rome conquered most of Western Europe and the Middle East, tourism was well established throughout the empire. Travelling was relatively safe and easy because the traveller needed only one currency 􀄃 Roman coins 􀄃 to travel anywhere in the Empire; the excellent roads systems made travel faster and easier; and the traveller needed to know only Latin or Greek, the language of business and government, to communicate fairly easily in any part of the empire. > Decline and Revival: 476 to 1300 After the fall of the Roman Empire and the decline in international trade, most of the population returned to agriculture. Cities began to crumble and some virtually disappeared. Trade nearly ceased and the middle class disappeared. This period was marked by invasions into areas of Europe that had once been the Roman Empire. The invaders were so-called barbaric tribes of north central Europe. Travel and tourism virtually ceased. Travel was undertaken primarily for religious reasons. This was the age of feudalism, a system whereby land was given by a ruler in return for loyalty and service. Church monasteries took over the job of feeding and housing travellers. > Renaissance: 1300 to 1600 The term „renaissance‰ is derived from the French word for rebirth and originally referred to the revival of artistic values, especially in Italy. Later, the term came to mean a distinct historical period characterised by the rise of the individual, scientific inquiry and growth of worldly values. By about 1350, some degree of safety had returned to roads, and travel and trade increased, creating conditions that led to the rise of the middle class in the economic life of Europe. The 16th century also saw the beginnings of an activity known as the grand tour. Wealthy English would send their sons to tour Europe to „finish their education‰ on a tour that might last as long as three years. Paris was a favourite destination, as was the Italian peninsula. Young men would spend an entire year learning about arts and humanities. > Early Modern: 1600 to 1800 The period from 1600 to 1800 was particularly important in the evolution of tourism. One critical element was the beginning development of roads, which facilitated the use of stagecoaches between cities. With regard to this, the famous English tavern was originally built mainly for travellers by stagecoach. Another important development was the English common law, which forms the basis of Malaysian law and which has special significance for the hospitality industry today. >The Industrial Era: From 1800 The Industrial Revolution, which dates from the mid-1700s, started in England with the development of machines to do work that was formerly done by hand. This period was an age of invention. With steam engines, power could be made available in locations that had no access to water transportation. The greatest period of growth followed the invention of the railroad in 1825. This new form of transportation started a network designed to move raw materials and finished goods from place to place. > Health Tourism and Leisure Travel It was not until the 19th century that cultural tourism developed into leisure and health tourism. Leisure travel was a British invention due to sociological factors. Britain was the first European country to industrialise and the industrial society was the first society to offer time for leisure to a growing number of people. Not initially the working masses, but the owners of the machinery of production, the economic oligarchy, the factory owners, the traders, the new middle class. The British origin of this new industry is reflected in many place names. At Nice, one of the first and most well established holiday resorts on the French Riviera, the long esplanade along the sea front is known to this day as the Promenade des Anglais; and in many other historic resorts in continental Europe, old well-established palace hotels have names like the Hotel Bristol, Hotel Carlton or Hotel Majestic 􀄃 reflecting the dominance of English customers to whom these resorts catered in the early years. > Mass Tourism Mass tourism did not really begin to develop until two things occurred. (a) Improvements in communications allowed the transport of large numbers of people in a short space of time to places of leisure interest, and (b) Greater numbers of people began to enjoy the benefits of leisure time. The biggest development of all was the invention of the railways, which brought many seaside towns within easy distance of large urban centres. The main purpose of mass tourism is visiting attractions. The father of modern mass tourism was Thomas Cook who, on July 5, 1841, organised the first package tour in history, by chartering a train to take a group of teetotallers from Leicester to a rally in Loughborough, some twenty miles away. Cook immediately saw the potential for business development in the sector, and became the world's first tour operator. The combination of short holiday periods, travel facilities and distances meant that the first holiday resorts to develop were towns on the seaside, situated as close as possible to the growing industrial conurbations. For a century, domestic tourism was the norm, with foreign travel being reserved, as before, for the rich or the culturally curious. > International Mass Tourism Increasing speed on railways meant that the tourist industry could develop slowly, even internationally. By 1901, the number of people crossing the English Channel from England to France or Belgium had already passed 0.5 million per year. However, it was with cheap air travel in combination with the package tour that international mass tourism developed after 1963. > Recent Developments Mass tourism has been stagnating and declining in recent years. The mass tourist economy has also been hit badly by terrorism, with specific attacks on destinations such as Bali and Kenya.