1- Introduction to the main travel and tourism definitions and concepts
1.1 main types of tourism
Domestic- travel within their own country. E.g. Mesaieed to Dukhan
Inbound- a type of tourism where tourists travel to a country E.g. china to Malaysia,
inbound in Malaysia
Outbound- a type of tourism where tourists travel out of their country of residence E.g.
china to Malaysia, outbound tourist as travelling out of china.
International- tourists travelling internationally inbound or outbound E.g. Indian going to
Switzerland
Day trip- when a tourist travels for less than 24 hours E.g. going to Dukhan for a day
Short break- when a tourist stays away from their home for 4 nights or less, could be a
weekend trip or mid-week trip
1.2 main reasons why people travel
leisure- travel for the purpose of enjoyment or recreation
business (MICE)- meeting, incentives, conferences, exhibition
Meeting: where people are brought together to exchange information
Incentives: when a company gives a tourist experience as a reward
Conferences: more than 100 people attend meetings over more than one day
Exhibitions: when specific industries try and sell products and services
VFR- visiting friends and Relatives E.g. weddings
Special interests-
Medical: travelling abroad to obtain medical treatment E.g. surgery
Religious: travel for religious journeys or pilgrimages E.g. Mecca
Adventure: involves exploration or tourists engage in adventure activities e.g. combing
scuba diving.
Cultural: type of tourism activity in which the visitor’s essential motivation is to learn,
discover and experience and consume the tangible and intangible cultural attractions e.g.
architectural, festival or events
Sports: travelling in order to observe or participate in a sporting event e.g. world cup or
Olympic Games
Health: when a person travels to another country for medical care e.g. cosmetic surgery
1.3 sustainable travel and tourism
sustainability- our ability to sustain or conserve the environment and peoples way of life
into the future
sustainable travel and tourism- travelling to destinations in ways that are sustainable e.g.
travelling by train instead of by air
ecotourism- visiting a destination to enjoy the natural environment without causing any
damage
responsible tourism- behaving respectfully towards the environment and local people
1.4 characteristics of travel and tourism
Products- goods or services that are sold or made available to tourists e.g. travel guide book
Services- an action done on your behalf; someone doing something for you e.g.
housekeeping
Intangible- describes something that you cannot touch; it has no physical presence
Problems with intangibility: person cannot touch or see & feel the service in terms of how it
will affect them
Overcoming intangibility: use personal source of information to make services create a
strong organizational image.
Tangible- perceptible by touch
Perishable- describes something that can’t be stored; if the service is not sold, it expires e.g.
ferry has 200 tickets for specific journey only 150 are sold for that particular trip, they
cannot store the extra 50 tickets and sell them in the nest journey, tickets have been
perished means cannot no longer be used
Problems with perishability: can’t wait so the thing is filled or used at a specific time, if
someone has a ticket that has past due it can no longer be used
Overcome perishability: reduce costs, host events, weekend deals, offering different
alternatives
Goods- physical product, items that are tangible
Seasonal- the way tourism demand fluctuates throughout a year. Common split high & low
season and peak & off season
Problems with seasonality: T&T experiences changes in demand over a week.
Overcoming seasonality: reducing prices of the services to attract tourists, providing
different faculties, hosting events & festivals
Dynamic- they are always changing and evolving as the industry develops to meet the
changing customer needs and wants.
Increasingly sustainable- tourists increasingly want T&T products to be sustainable. They are
more aware of the impact that it has on the environment, economies and people
Resilient- can survive and recover after difficulties/ situations or conditions. Global scale
Covid- 19 national scale natural disasters
1.5 types of tourists:
Business- a person who travels for the purpose of work to attend a meeting, exhibitions,
conference and incentive trips
couples- two adults traveling together
Eco tourists- visiting destinations to enjoy the natural environment without causing any damage
Families- parents and children travelling, can also include grandparents
Groups- tourists travel as a group e.g. education or football team
Independent- book and plan their holidays by themselves
Individual- who travels alone or solo, may join a group
Leisure- purpose in enjoyment
Responsible tourist- showing respect to the environment and to local people’s customs and
cultures
Special interest- travelling to a place to take part in a special interest such as sports or adventure
Specific needs- tourists with medical conditions, dietary requirements, mobility issues
1.6 types of destinations:
Beach/coastal- a destination that has a beach and in on a coastline. Some coastal are urban and
some beaches destinations are countryside or lake destinations e.g. grand Bay, Mauritius
Island- island that tourists visit, Mauritius
Resort- have a range of accommodation and include a number of attractions and other tourist
facilities
Purpose built: offer accommodation, restaurants, and activities designed around a specific
theme e.g. Disneyland
Integrated: relatively new, large scale offers wide range of leisure and business facilities as well
as casino e.g. sentosa island, Singapore
Ski resorts: a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding and other winter sports e.g. aspen,
Colorado
Eco resort: located in a remote natural area/environment where the resot is environmentally
friendly and is sustainable e.g. uluwaty, Bali
Rural- destinations include lake and mountains such as Breckenridge, Colorado
Urban- town/city destinations and cities where tourists visit e.g. port Louis Mauritius
