Monday, July 14, 2008

TOURISM

TOURISM
Tourism is travel for predominantly recreational or leisure purposes or the provision of services to support this leisure travel. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited". Tourism has become a popular global leisure activity. In 2006, there were over 846 million international tourist arrivals.

Tourism is vital for many countries such as Egypt, Thailand and many island nations such as Fiji, due to the large intake of money for businesses with their goods and services and the opportunity for employment in the service industries associated with tourism. These service industries include transportation services such as cruise ships and taxis, accommodation such as hotels and entertainment venues, and other hospitality industry services such as resorts.

Hunziker and Krapf, in 1941, defined tourism as "the sum of the phenomena and relationships arising from the travel and stay of non-residents, insofar as they do not lead to permanent residence and are not connected with any earning activity."In 1976, the Tourism Society of England defined it as "Tourism is the temporary, short-term movement of people to destination outside the places where they normally live and work and their activities during the stay at each destination. It includes movements for all purposes." In 1981, International Association of Scientific Experts in Tourism[6] defined Tourism in terms of particular activities selected by choice and undertaken outside the home environment.

The United Nations classified three forms of tourism in 1994 in its Recommendations on Tourism Statistics: Domestic tourism, which involves residents of the given country traveling only within this country; Inbound tourism, involving non-residents traveling in the given country; and Outbound tourism, involving residents traveling in another country.

The UN also derived different categories of tourism by combining the 3 basic forms of tourism: Internal tourism, which comprises domestic tourism and inbound tourism; National tourism, which comprises domestic tourism and outbound tourism; and International tourism, which consists of inbound tourism and outbound tourism. Intrabound tourism is a term coined by the Korea Tourism Organization and widely accepted in Korea.[citation needed] Intrabound tourism differs from domestic tourism in that the former encompasses policymaking and implementation of national tourism policies.
Recently, the tourism industry has shifted from the promotion of inbound tourism to the promotion of intrabound tourism because many countries are experiencing tough competition for inbound tourists. Some national policymakers have shifted their priority to the promotion of intrabound tourism to contribute to the local economy. Examples of such campaigns include "See America" in the United States, "Malaysia Truly Asia" in Malaysia, "Get Going Canada" in Canada, "Wow Philippines" in the Philippines, "Uniquely Singapore" in Singapore, "100% Pure New Zealand" in New Zealand and "Incredible India" in India.

History
Wealthy people have always traveled to distant parts of the world to see great buildings or other works of art, to learn new languages, to experience new cultures, or to taste new cuisine. As long ago as the time of the Roman Republic places such as Baiae were popular coastal resorts for the rich.


The word tourism was used by 1811 and tourist by 1840.[11] In 1936 the League of Nations defined foreign tourist as someone travelling abroad for at least twenty-four hours. It successor, the United Nations amended this definition in 1945 by including a maximum stay of six months.


During the 17th century, it became fashionable in England to undertake a Grand Tour. The sons of the nobility and gentry were sent upon an extended tour of Europe as an educational experience. The 18th century was the golden age of the Grand Tour, and many of the fashionable visitors were painted at Rome by Pompeo Batoni. A modern equivalent of the Grand Tour is the phenomenon of the backpacker, although cultural holidays, such as those offered by Swan Hellenic, are also important.

Health tourism
The Great Bath at the Roman Baths, in Bath, one of the world's first health tourism sites.
Health tourism has long existed, but it was not until the eighteenth century that it became important. In England, it was associated with spas, places with supposedly health-giving mineral waters, treating diseases from gout to liver disorders and bronchitis. The most popular resorts were Bath, Cheltenham, Buxton, Harrogate, and Tunbridge Wells. Visits to take 'the waters' also allowed the visitors to attend balls and other entertainments. Continental Spas such as Carlsbad (Karlovy Vary) attracted many fashionable travellers by the nineteenth century.

Creative tourism
Creative tourism has existed as a form of cultural tourism since the early beginnings of tourism itself. Its European roots date back to the time of the Grand Tour, which saw the sons of aristocratic families traveling for the purpose of (mostly interactive) educational experiences. More recently, creative tourism has been given its own name by Crispin Raymond and Greg Richards, who as a member of the Association for Tourism and Leisure Education (ATLAS) has directed a number of projects for the European Commission, including cultural tourism, crafts tourism or sustainable tourism. They have defined "creative tourism" as tourism related to the active participation of travelers in the culture of the host community, through interactive workshops and informal learning experiences.
Meanwhile, the concept of creative tourism has been picked up by high-profile organizations such as UNESCO, who through the Creative Cities Network have endorsed creative tourism as an engaged, authentic experience that promotes an active understanding of the specific cultural features of a place.

Leisure travel
Leisure travel was associated with the industrialisation of United Kingdom – the first European country to promote leisure time to the increasing industrial population. Initially, this applied to the owners of the machinery of production, the economic oligarchy, the factory owners, and the traders. These comprised the new middle class. Cox & Kings were the first official travel company to be formed in 1758. Later, the working class could take advantage of leisure time.

British origin of this new industry is reflected in many place names. At Nice, France, one of the first and best-established holiday resorts on the French Riviera, the long esplanade along the seafront is known to this day as the Promenade des Anglais; in many other historic resorts in continental Europe, old well-established palace hotels have names like the Hotel Bristol, the Hotel Carlton or the Hotel Majestic - reflecting the dominance of English customers.
Many tourists do leisure tourism in the tropics both in the summer and winter. It is often done in places such as Cuba, The Dominican Republic, Thailand, North Queensland in Australia and Florida in the United States.

Winter tourism
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The Matterhorn near Zermatt in the Swiss Alps.
Winter sports were largely invented by the British leisured classes, initially at the Swiss village of Zermatt (Valais), and St Moritz in 1864. The first packaged winter sports holidays took place in 1902 at Adelboden, Switzerland. Winter sports were a natural answer for a leisured class looking for amusement during the coldest season.
Major ski resorts are located in various mainland European countries, Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Chile and Argentina.

Mass tourism
Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, Valencia, Spain.
Saint Peter's Square, St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City.
Baalbeck, Lebanon.
Mass travel could only develop with improvements in technology allowed the transport of large numbers of people in a short space of time to places of leisure interest, and greater numbers of people began to enjoy the benefits of leisure time.
In the United States, the first great seaside resort, in the European style, was Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Long Island.
In Continental Europe, early resorts included Ostend (for the people of Brussels), and Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais) and Deauville (Calvados) (for Parisians).

Iguazu Falls, Argentina-Brazil border.

Niagara Falls, United States-Canada border.

Waterfalls on Una River ,Bosnia and Herzegovina

Red Square, Moscow, Russia.

Recent developments

Disneyland, Tokyo, Japan.
There has been an upmarket trend in the tourism over the last few decades, especially in Europe where international travel for short breaks is common.[citation needed] Tourists have higher levels of disposable income and greater leisure time and they are also better-educated and have more sophisticated tastes. There is now a demand for a better quality products, which has resulted in a fragmenting of the mass market for beach vacations; people want more specialised versions, such as Club 18-30, quieter resorts, family-oriented holidays, or niche market-targeted destination hotels.
The developments in technology and transport infrastructure, such as Jumbo jets and low-cost airlines, and more accessible airports have made many types of tourism more affordable. There have also been changes in lifestyle, such as retiree-age people who sustain year round tourism. This is facilitated by internet sales of tourism products. Some sites have now started to offer dynamic packaging, in which an inclusive price is quoted for a tailor-made package requested by the customer upon impulse.
There have been a few setbacks in tourism, such as the September 11, 2001 attacks and terrorist threats to tourist destinations such as Bali and European cities. Some of the tourist destinations, including the beach resorts of Cancún have lost popularity due to shifting tastes. In this context, the excessive building and environmental destruction often associated with traditional "sun and beach" tourism may contribute to a destination's saturation and subsequent decline. Spain's Costa Brava, a popular 1960s and 1970s beach location is now facing a crisis in its tourism industry. On December 26, 2004 a tsunami, caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake hit Asian countries bordering the Indian Ocean, and also the Maldives. Tens of thousands of lives were lost, and many tourists died. This, together with the vast clean-up operation in place, has stopped or severely hampered tourism to the area.
The terms tourism and travel are sometimes used interchangeably. In this context travel has a similar definition to tourism, but implies a more purposeful journey. The terms tourism and tourist are sometimes used pejoratively, to imply a shallow interest in the cultures or locations visited by tourists.


Medical tourism
When there is a significant price difference between countries for a given medical procedure particularly in South East Asia, India and Eastern Europe or where there are different regulatory regimes between countries in relation to particular medical procedures (eg dentistry) travelling to take advantage of the price or regulatory differences is often referred to as "medical tourism".

Celebrity tourism
In celebrity tourism the main tourist attraction are the celebrities or celebrity activities. During the stay of a tourist in a particular place or area, he or she will do leisure activities which involves showbiz events or any event which includes popular individual/s. Such celebrity tourism includes the Cannes Film Festival in France, Hollywood Tour, Concert tour and the like.

Educational tourism
Educational tourism developed because of the growing popularity of teaching and learning of knowledge, and enhancing technical competency outside the classroom environment. In the educational tourism, the main focus of the tour or leisure activity includes visitation of another country to learn about the culture of the visited country (Student Exchange Program and Study Tour) or to work and apply their learning inside the classroom in different environment (Int’l Practicum Training Program).

Other developments
Creative tourism More recently, creative tourism has gained popularity as a form of cultural tourism, drawing on active participation by travelers in the culture of the host communities they visit. Several countries offer examples of this type of tourism development, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and New Zealand.

Adventure tourism Tourists are looking for an adventure when they travel, see the destination more like a local would experience it. [Private tour guides] are an excellent way to get fast insight into a country and also help locals earn an income.
In recent years, second holidays or vacations have become more popular as people's discretionary income increases.[citation needed] Typical combinations are a package to the typical mass tourist resort, with a winter skiing holiday or weekend break to a city or national park.
Dark tourism One emerging area of special interest tourism has been identified by Lennon and Foley (2000) as "dark" tourism. This type of tourism involves visits to "dark" sites such as battlegrounds, scenes of horrific crimes or acts of genocide, for example concentration camps. Dark tourism poses severe ethical and moral dilemmas: should these sites be available for visitation and, if so, what should the nature of the publicity involved be. Dark tourism remains a small niche market driven by varied motivations, such as mourning, remembrance, macabre curiosity or even entertainment. Its early origins are rooted in fairgrounds and medieval fairs.

International tourism receipts in 2005
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) forecasts that international tourism will continue growing at the average annual rate of 4 %.[14] By 2020 Europe will remain the most popular destination, but its share will drop from 60% in 1995 to 46%. Long-haul will grow slightly faster than intraregional travel and by 2020 its share will increase from 18% in 1995 to 24%.

With the advent of e-commerce, tourism products have become one of the most traded items on the internet.[citation needed] Tourism products and services have been made available through intermediaries, although tourism providers (hotels, airlines, etc.) can sell their services directly. This has put pressure on intermediaries from both on-line and traditional shops.

It has been suggested there is a strong correlation between Tourism expenditure per capita and the degree to which countries play in the global context. Not only as a result of the important economic contribution of the tourism industry, but also as an indicator of the degree of confidence with which global citizens leverage the resources of the globe for the benefit of their local economies. This is why any projections of growth in tourism may serve as an indication of the relative influence that each country will exercise in the future.
Space tourism is expected to "take off" in the first quarter of the 21st century, although compared with traditional destinations the number of tourists in orbit will remain low until technologies such as a space elevator make space travel cheap.


Technological improvement is likely to make possible air-ship hotels, based either on solar-powered airplanes or large dirigibles. Underwater hotels, such as Hydropolis, expected to open in Dubai in 2009, will be built. On the ocean tourists will be welcomed by ever larger cruise ships and perhaps floating cities.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

TOURISM NEPAL

Treking in Nepal
Nepal is a unique destination for trekking because of its unbeatablee combination of natural beauty and cultural riches. And the most appropriate way to experience it is walk through them. Nepal is a special and rewarding mountain holiday and tough or easy walking trip following well developed trails. With a trek around Nepal, you will directly experience our culture and way of life of different ethnic people, religion and festivals.

Rafting in Nepal

White water rafting is negotiating river rapids and obstacles in an inflatable rubber boat with a team of up to eight people and a river guide. Rivers are graded from easy to near-impossible according to their size, the intensity of their rapids and the difficulties that may affect rescue attempts.

Jungle Safari in Nepal
The southern belt of Nepal is known as the Terai. It is a lowland covered with dense subtropical forest. Here you will find some of National Parks in Nepal. The national parks and game reserves of the Terai offer some of the finest Wildlife experiences in Asia, and it definitely is the ultimate in sub-tropical adventure. Endangered species such as one-horned rhinos, Bengal tigers, and Gharial crocodiles abound on the ground, while uncountable species of birds and butterflies dominate the air. The indigenous Tharu ethnic group lives in the lowland Terai areas around the parks areas, and provide a surprising cultural contrast to the mountain peoples of the north. Nepal's parks and reserves offer incredible Wildlife viewing opportunities just choose the best one to suit your time and interests. You will be going into deep jungle on elephant back or four-wheel drive to view wild animals in their natural habitat. The activity of Nepal Jungle Safari includes canoeing, nature walks, bird watching, excursions, and visit to an ethnic Tharu village in the Jungle Safari Park. There are 14 national parks and wildlife reserves in the Kingdom. Royal Chitwan National Park, Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, and Royal Bardiya National Park are most famous and popular.


A huge diversity of land exposes Nepal's fascinating diversity with the highest crystal mountains, terraced middle hills and flat plains from north to south. The dense foliage of the southern lowlands offers an exciting jungle safari tour with its rich habitat and population of wildlife a massif wild family. Certain areas of the southern flatlands have been declared as National Parks and wildlife reserves, here let us inform you about some of the greatest jungle safari parks in Nepal.

Royal Chitwan National Park
In southern Nepal, Chitwan is the richest wildlife reserve in Asia with an area of 932 sq,km. Easy access in 5-6 hours by bus riding or 35 minute short flight from Kathmandu or Pokhara. The home of the indigenous people, the Tharu, and the home of the unique one- horned rhino, majestic Royal Bengal Tiger, Many species of deer, and the largest number of zoological species of local and migrated birds more than 450, Crocodile family with the rare species of Marshmugger, Gharial and numerous flora & Fauna to be discovered. Elephant riding and walking through the woods makes the unique experience of a safari interesting.

Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve
A recently promoted safari park lies in eastern Nepal. The reserve provides the best opportunity to spot hundreds of rare species of birds and fresh water Dolphins. This reserve is of course, the least explored but also can be combined to the trip to India, which enhances the journey and allows you to enjoy nature.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

World Tourism Day

Since 1980, September 27 is celebrated by the World Tourism Organization as World Tourism Day. It was established at the Third Session of the UNWTO General Assembly in Torremolinos, Spain, in September of 1979. The purpose of this day is to display awareness that tourism is vital to the international community and to show how it affects the social, cultural, political and economic values worldwide. September 27 is important since on that day in 1970, the Statutes of the WTO were adopted. The adoption of the statutes is considered to be a milestone in global tourism.
At its Twelfth Session in Istanbul, Turkey, in October of 1997, the UNWTO General Assembly decided to designate a host country each year as the Organization's partner for celebrating World Tourism Day.
At its Fifteenth Session in Beijing, China, in October of 2003, the Assembly decided the following geographic order to be followed for the World Tourism Day celebrations: 2006 in Europe; 2007 in South Asia; 2008 in the Americas, and 2009 in Africa

Monday, July 7, 2008

ABOUT THE WORLD TOURISM NETWORK

The WTF Brand will be built via the cooperative placement of a WTF-branded Icon on the websites of destinations, non-profit organizations, and suppliers. The Icon enables the consumer to seamlessly navigate destination and supplier choices and build a travel itinerary.


Unique to the tourism industry, the destination is the core product of tourism. WTN will place each unique destination in the “center of universe” with all suppliers and the rest of the world revolving around them. The WTF Icon provides entry into the WTN’s Destination Navigator relative to the site where it is found. At any point in the Destination Navigator experience (up, down, and around their destination choice) the Visitor can access the site of the most locally recognized Destination Management Organization (DMO) for non-biased destination information. Aligned to each DMO, WTN will provide a non-biased menu of interfaced suppliers serving that destination.


The WTN will network servers to check availabilities and pull live inventory from any one interface path the supplier directs. This may be via a GDS, a Switch, a chain CRS, a tour operator CRS, a destination system, a web-based channel management vendor, or direct from a supplier’s reservation management system. WTN will use industry-created messaging specifications for the interface protocol.


The transaction fee charged to the travel supplier is positioned to be the guaranteed lowest-cost path for distributing their product short of supplier-direct. A supplier can get a significant reduction in their on-going transaction fee by cooperatively displaying the WTF Icon. The more inventory allocated to the WTN the lower the fixed transaction fee. A DMO or any non-profit organization generating a casual click on the WTF Icon will receive accumulating grants from the WTF based on the transaction fees realized from a Visitor’s purchases. DMO Partners are also eligible for Project-Specific Grants.