Global Travel and Tourism Pattern and Trends Report

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Global Travel and Tourism Pattern and Trends
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Table of Contents
Introduction..............................................................................................................................3
LO1 and LO2............................................................................................................................4
LO3 and LO4..........................................................................................................................10
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................13
Reference List........................................................................................................................14
Appendix................................................................................................................................15
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Introduction
Tourism is the business of offering services to people such as accommodation,
entertainment, food and others. It can be international or within a visitor’s own nation. Travel
and tourism are one of the booming sectors in the world. The report shall provide a brief
overview of various aspects of the tourism industry. It shall state the development of tourism
sector along with the interrelationship among elements of this industry. The aspects of
driving and influencing the behaviour of all types of tourists will be explained in detail. The
recent patterns of the tourism sector and factors determining the popularity of global tourist
destination shall be reviewed.
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LO1 and LO2
Introduction
The task identifies and discusses the key milestones in the travel and tourism industry
development. It identifies the interrelationship between elements of the tourism industry. The
aspects influencing tourism behaviour and models of motivation are parts of the tasks.
Discuss key milestones in the development of the travel and tourism industry and
how they have shaped the travel and tourism industry
The key terminologies, concepts and growth shall determine the key milestones in the travel
and tourism sector. Tourism is the collaboration of economic and social process in which
individuals travel across the world for different purposes. UNWTO has described tourists as
the persons, who travel a minimum 80 kilometres from their home in a single day. It has
classified tourism into three major segments such as domestic, outbound and inbound
(Mowforth and Munt, 2015). The concept was not there in ancient time. The basic purpose of
travelling in the old ancient era was for food and shelter. Nowadays, travel has become an
interest among people. Individuals travel to have some quality time, explore new areas, learn
new things, and fulfil some adventures desires and others. Hospitality term came into the
picture in the fourteenth century, which aims at hosting people those visit to other places.
The trend of ‘Grand Tour’ started in the early seventeenth century, where high-income
people started roaming around Europe to see historical places.
With the development of tourism, Cox & King started its first travel agency to help people in
booking tickets for travel and accommodation. Other entrepreneurs consider the travel and
leisure interest of people to provide great facilities and earn revenue. Thomas Cook, the
second travel agency started its business in 1841 that was offering tour services to fulfil
needs of local people. Recently, the travel and tourism sector is a major aspect of every
country’s economy. Tour operators are taking charge of removing historical sites, which
essence is about fad away. Apart from this, the travel and tourism sector has been divided
into various segments such as recreation, entertainment, transportation, food and beverage
and accommodation.
In 1969, the Tourism Act has been developed to promote the development of tourism.
Tourists Boards and the British Tourist Authority have taken the responsibility of tourism
promotion. The introduction of low-cost holiday packages in early 1970 has changed the
travel preference of people. People started travelling islands and other beautiful places
during school holidays only at cost of £78 (dailymail.co.uk, 2019). With the introduction of
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package travel regulations in 1992, customers and tour operators become aware of their
responsibilities while dealing with holiday packages. The arrival of low-cost airline in 1995,
the number of tourists has increased because they were able to get flight services at a
cheap rate. With faster growth and access to the internet in 1999, customers got a chance to
book flight tickets and rooms through online platforms. This has given customers easy
access avail all services at their fingertip.
Identify the different elements of the travel and tourism industry and explore how they
interrelate to create the tourist experience
Travel and tourism have some core elements that are important to serve customers and the
growth of the sector.
Travel agent
Travel agents are regarded as the suppliers of travel and tourism services. They provide
information on holiday packages, accommodation facilities, tourist attractions and others
directly to customers (Boniface et al., 2016). Global population is fascinated towards travel
agents to grab the necessary information. The agents are the sources of information for
which interest in travel among customers is developed.
Tour Operator
It is the second important element of the travel and tourism industry, which takes the industry
to a new level. Tour operators provide travel facilities by air, rail, road and sea. They take
responsibility for arranging accommodation for customers and guiding tourists on the
destinations.
Accommodation and catering
This combination is the third major element that arranges villas, apartment and hotels for
travellers with additional services such as food, bar, gym, clubhouse and others. Hospitality
is the main concern that has connected these two aspects. The role of this element is to
provide customers with satisfactory service as per its agreement with tour operators.
Hospitality organisations retain information from tour operators and agents regarding the
tourist behaviour in different seasons of the year so that they can give a specific amount of
discounts.
Information technology
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With the development and growth of travel and tourism, information technology started
playing a role (Reisinger, 2013). Individuals prefer searching for the facilities and of various
hotels, that they want to book for accommodation. Social media and android applications
assist people in attaining important information related to travel, food and lodging. Service
providers post blogs on facilities and discounts on various social media channels. Tour
operators and agents promote their packages through social media and websites. This
attracts customers and lures them to make a purchase decision.
Transportation
Transportation is central to tourism development. Transportation development provides an
extra milestone for travel and tourism development. Customers get a chance to travel by
means of air, rail, ocean, road and others. Convenient transportation is a major element to
bring tourists to various attractive places. The more the number of tourists, the greater is the
revenue generation opportunity for service providers, travel agents and tour operators.
Attractions
The tourist attraction is the reason for travel or visit to any place. It can range from historical
places to natural ones. Each attraction has its importance and it attracts different types of
travellers. Attractions are categorised into cultural sites, traditional festivals or events, scenic
places, and others. Government and tour operators try to maintain the beauty of tourist
attractions, as they attract people to visit (Boniface et al., 2016). This makes individuals
purchase tourism services, thus it increases the revenue of service providers and tour
operators.
Support service such as money exchange, guiding service, information facilities and
insurance services is another major element of the tourism industry, as it helps tourists to
enjoy a comfortable stay in a tourist destination.
Determine the different factors that affect tourism behaviour
Many factors influence tourists to travel to different destinations in different seasons. Some
major factors are identified below.
Income
Income determines the spending capability of travellers. If their income is high, they will
search and avail hotels with luxurious services and great amenities. Individuals with
minimum income will choose packages with great discounts and low price (Cohen et al.,
2014). They search for low-budget hotels, guesthouse and low-cost airlines for their trip.
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Online Platform
Travellers have easy and affordable access to the internet. They are able to find all travel
and tourism related information on websites. Social media sites are great sources of such
applications are providing required information on accommodation, lodging, support
services, food and others. Therefore, online platforms are influencing travellers to get their
preferred services.
Prestige
Some people try to show their status class by travelling to tourist destinations and booking
for big hotels (Horner and Swarbrooke, 2016). Their motive is to let their peers and friends
know about their status and the way they are enjoying life in a grand way.
Relaxation
Some individuals find travelling as a mode of stress relaxing. They take out some free time
from routine work and visit new places. They engage themselves in exciting and thrilling
activities to reduce their stress. Such people do not think about discounts, holiday coupons
and other offers. In order to balance their work with personal life, they plan for a holiday trip
in any season.
Fitness
Some areas’ climate and weather have a positive influence on health conditions. People
those who prefer to stay fit and healthy travel in such places. Additionally, some service
operators arrange medical camps for which another visit there for health purpose.
Cultural Attraction
Heritage sites, cultural festivals and events demonstrate the lifestyle of ancient people
(Hosany and Prayag, 2013). They carry out the culture and tradition in a different way.
Travellers with an interest in history and culture gather maximum knowledge by travelling
locations with such facilities.
Marketing Efforts
Destination marketing has become a trend in the travel and tourism sector. Some
organisations are trying to promote destinations through developing a tourism-marketing
plan, arranging influencer programs, posting blogs on destinations and others. These
marketing efforts temp people to travel those destinations and capture a memory.
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Explain models of motivation and how they influence the consumer decision-making
process
The models of motivation have demonstrated the motivational factors influencing tourists.
Some models and their influence on consumer decisions are listed below.
Plog’s Model of Tourist behaviour
Plog has categorised tourists into three types such as allocentric, midcentric and
psychocentric (Šimková and Holzner, 2014). Allocentric are the wanderers, who get
motivated through the opportunity for adventurous activities and experiences. New and
unusual areas influence them to visit. Such visitors enjoy meeting foreign people and prefer
knowing their cultures. The basic requirement for allocentric travellers is hotels and
transportation. They choose a number of exciting activities and attractions and make their
own preparations to enjoy freedom. Psychocentric is repeaters, who prefer destinations
where they can enjoy and relax. They prefer family type restaurants for their food and avail
typical accommodations. They prefer great discounts while making purchases. Midcentric
tourists fall between the types of tourists mentioned above. They do have a preference for
adventures things and usual destinations.
Push and Pull Motives
The model has been accepted widely in order to explain travel motivations along with
tourists’ behaviour. Push factors are the drivers that push travellers from their home to
destinations, whereas pull factors pull travellers to the destinations. Push factors are the
psychological needs of an individual and pull factors are the motivations bringing people
towards a destination. Examples of push factors are exploration, regression, prestige,
relaxation and others. Examples of pull factors are cultural festivals and events, a good
brochure on destinations and others. Push factors enable people to make a purchase as per
their mood, whereas pull factors enable them to purchase as per preference based on
destination, holiday packages and others.
Tourist Career Model
The model is based on the principles of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. It demonstrates the
patterns of travel such as relaxation, level of stimulation, extension needs, specific
development needs, and fulfilment (Mehmetoglu and Normann, 2013). Relaxation is
associated with biological needs. People travel with their family members, colleagues and
friends for relaxation. They involve themselves in exciting things that give them joy and
peace. The second need is stimulation, which is the concern for others security and safety
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that make people travel. The third need is relationship development that lets people travel
with others to maintain a relationship. Personal development needs to make individuals to
travel and develop knowledge on tourism destinations. Fulfilment is the deep involvement
needs related to self-actualisation. The travel goals can be self-directed of driven by others
that enable people to travel for gaining group or solo experience.
Conclusion
The study has identified the key milestones associated with the travel and tourism sector.
The elements of the sector are tour operators, travel agents, information technology, tourist
attractions, transportation and others. The aspects influencing the behaviour of tourists are
online platforms, income, prestige, cultural attraction and others.
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LO3 and LO4
Introduction
The report identifies the key trends and patterns in international tourism. The factors
denoting demonstrating the popularity of global tourism attractions is being examined here.
The marketing manager of Great British Tips, who is in charge of London will prepare the
report.
Identify recent and emerging patterns and trends in the international travel and
tourism industry
In recent years, international travel and tourism have witnessed various patterns and trends.
Some of them are enlisted below.
Adventure Tourism
Adventure tourism is the practice of travelling at a certain degree of risk and danger. It
continues to gain popularity, as travellers search for different experiences. Travellers engage
themselves with adventure tourism activities such as day hiking, zip lining, mountain
climbing, rafting, and snowboarding (Hudson, 2012). This opportunity enables tourism
companies to arrange necessary facilities at the destination point and generate revenue.
Health conscious travellers
Such travellers have two motives such as eating healthy and staying fit. They prefer to
pursue authentic outdoor activities that can make them stay fit and healthy. They explore
travel destinations, where programs related to healthy lifestyle are being arranged. Tourism
organisations can incorporate mindful and healthy options for their travel services to attract
health-conscious travellers.
Ecotourism
The form of tourism is popular among the modern generation. It involves visiting undisturbed
natural areas such as pristine and fragile. The purpose of ecotourism is to support wildlife
and natural resource conservation (Fennell, 2014). Individuals opting for ecotourism
understand the needs of the local community and help them to enhance their quality of life.
Tourism organisations are supporting these tourists in improving the lifestyle of local people.
Solo travellers
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They do not require reassurance from others. They make travel decisions of their own and
travel from one region to others alone. They may search for guides, who can help them
during the trip. They visit numerous places without having a purpose. Service providers are
making unique packages for such travellers by including all facilities.
Multigenerational travel
Individuals from young and old generation travel together. They also carry children with
them. They show interest in get-together options such as reunion activities, cruises, safaris
and guided genealogy tours for all ages. The trend is one of the top trends in recent era and
tourism companies are taking advantage of this trend due to distinct needs of population
from each age group.
Business travel
The travel is carried out for work or business purposes. With inference of globalisation,
organisations are expanding their market for which individual travel new regions to identify
business opportunities. The reasons to perform business travel can be visiting suppliers or
customers, promoting products, building a new partnership, identifying new trends, visiting
project sites, attending a conference, and strengthening the relationship with suppliers or
customers (Swarbrooke and Horner, 2012).
Luxury tourism
Luxury tourism has evolved due to a rise in individuals with high and moderate income.
People are gaining high spending ability for which they prefer to get premium service in
accommodation and transportation. The increase in the standard of living is giving new
shape to this trend. Service operators are targeting this segment to design premium travel
and tourism products.
Educational Tour
Students travel some places to perform their academic project as a part of an educational
tour. They develop existing knowledge and acquire new things from tourism destinations. A
supervisor guides them during their trip to solve their queries on a new destination.
Examine the factors affecting the popularity of a range of global destinations
The popularity of a destination increases with a rise in a number of people visiting that
destination. The factors associated with the popularity of global destinations are listed below.
Comprehensive information from online platforms
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The power of review is important for most of the tourist destinations. People share their
travel experience through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media sites (Sigala
et al., 2012). They post a blog on tourism destinations. The most talked about destinations
tend to gain the highest popularity among people. People share photos of destinations they
travel, which develops craze among virtual community groups. Thus, social media networks
and other platforms are contributing towards the popularity of global tourist destinations.
Availability of special discounts and offers
Travel agencies, tour operators and hospitality organisations attract tourists with special
offers and discounts. They publish brochures on tourism destinations with their marvellous
beauty pictures. When these brochures reach consumers, the destinations become popular
across each corner of the globe. Travel brochures with discounts and offers make
destinations famous.
Recommendation from relatives and friends
Suggestion from friends, family members, colleagues and relatives is another important
factor that contributes towards the popularity of destinations. Individuals prefer to consider
the experience rather than reading from other sources. Therefore, they seek help from
people those who have already visited a particular destination. The individuals who have
witnessed the destinations carry out important information about those places. This inspires
others to visit the suggested destination for which a number of visitors to that place
increases; thus making the place more popular.
The closeness of tourist destinations
Some travellers do not prefer to travel places that are located at a long distance from their
residence. They choose destinations close to their home. Many people prefer destinations
that are easy to reach and easily accessible geographically (Vengesayi, 2013). Therefore,
these tourist destinations gain popularity due to their closeness to some people.
Conclusion
The recent patterns of international travel and tourism are ecotourism, solo travellers,
business travel, luxury tourism and others. Tourist destinations gain popularity due to their
closeness, special discounts by organizations and online platforms.
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