Describe the growth of international tourism during the second half of the 20th century

During the last 50 years, international tourism has grown very rapidly. As people have had large wage increases and package holidays have become cheaper and more available to a wider range of people.

Today, tourism has become a part of the everyday life of most people and has become a major source of employment in developed countries. The growth of the tourist industry in the last 50 years can be linked with increasing wealth, increased mobility, improvements in accessibility and transport, more leisure time, product development and innovations, improvements in technology, changes in lifestyles and fashion, an increased awareness of other places and the need for ‘green’ tourism.

Increasing weal;th has allowed people in employment who earn high salaries, to use their disposable income that is considerably higher than it was several years ago, on tourism, and visiting foreign countries. People in full time employment also now receive payed holidays, which allows them to take mor than one holiday per year.

Greater mobility has given the growing number of people who own cars more freedom to choose where then go on holiday and for how long. 50 years ago, only 1 in 20 UK families had a car. By the end of the last century, 72% had at ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

Improvements in communications such as roads, and especially motorways have reduced driving times between locations and has encouraged more people to take trips more often. Reduced air fares, package holidays, larger and more efficient airports have encouraged more people to go further a field.

Shorter working weeks and longer paid holidays in the UK have given people more leisure time to go abroad. The population, which is aging, is still active and wanting to go abroad.

The use of the internet better technological developments have enabled people to get around the world easier. Holiday camps, long-haul destinations and package tours have appealed to a wide variety of people.

Nowadays, people are retireing early and so are able to take advantage of their relatively young age and get around more. People in employment take longer periods of rest where they go abroad to relax from the stresses of working life. Changing fashions have shown an increase in helth resorts, beach holidays, winter sun, etc.

There has been an increase in, for example, active holiudays such as water skiing, snowboarding, etc. A major growth nearer toi the end of the 20th century was cruise holidays. Theme parks have become increasingly important for example Disneyworld and Disneyland in Orlando, Florida and Paris respectively and Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida, etc. have attracted peoplke from all over the globe.

Better advertising such as holiday programmes, magazines, better quality brochures help to promote all kinds of holidays and appeal to everybody.