Chapter 1 Tourism History
Learning objectives
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Recognize the antiquity of human travel over vast
distances on both sea and land.
Understand how these journeys have evolved from trips
which were difficult and often dangerous to mass travel
for millions today.
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Learn the names of some of the great travelers in history
who wrote astonishing accounts of exotic places they
had visited.
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Discover the many similarities in travel motivations,
economic conditions, political situations, attractions, and
tourist facilities during the time of the Roman Empire and
that of today.
Early beginnings
About 4000 B.C.E. the invention of
money by the Sumerians (Babylonians)
and the development of trade mark the
beginning of the modern era of travel.
 They were also the first to invent
cuneiform writing and the wheel.
 They should be credited as the founders
of the travel business.
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Early beginnings
Five thousand years ago, cruises were
organized and conducted from Egypt.
 Beginning in 2700 B.C.E. the pharaohs
began to take advantage of the
abundance of good building stone in the
Nile valley to build their elaborate burial
tombs.
 These great outdoor wonders began
attractions since 1600B.C.E..
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Early roads
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The wheel led to the development of a heavy wagon that
could be drawn by teams of oxen. A vehicle needs a
road.
Who traveled?
 Mainly three groups: the military, government officials, and
caravans.
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The Romans started building roads in about 150 B.C.E..
 By the time of Emperor Trajan (98 to 117 C.E.), the Roman roads
comprised a network of some 50,000 miles.
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The Romans could travel as much as 100 miles a day
using relays of horses.
Roman tourists went about sight-seeing much as we do
today.
 They used guide books, employed guides, and bought souvenirs.
The Silk Road
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From the beginning, some Silk Route sections
were mere directions across trackless steppe or
desert rather than visible paths.
Marco Polo, who traveled to China from Italy in
the thirteenth century, became the first western
explorer to compose a popular and lasting
account.
Westbound caravans…… tea, spices
Eastbound caravans…… perfume, textiles
The Classical World
The lands of the Mediterranean Sea
(2000 B.C.E. to 500 C.E.) produced a
remarkable evolution in travel.
 In the cradle of western civilization, travel
for trade, commerce, religious purposes,
festivals, medical treatment, or education
developed at an early date.
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The Grand Tour
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In 17th and 18th centuries, the “grand tour” was made by
diplomats, businesspeople, and scholars who traveled to
Europe, mainly to the cities of France and Italy.
It became fashionable for scholars to study in Paris,
Rome, Florence, and other cultural centers.
A three-year tour as customary;
Generally accepted Itinerary:
 a long stay in France, especially in Paris, almost a year in Italy,
and then a return by way of Germany and the Low countries via
Switzerland.
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Today’s grand tour to Europe is far different, the tour is
more likely to be three weeks, not three years.
Seven Wonders of the Ancient
World
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Great Pyramids of Egypt (including Sphinx)
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Tomb of Mausolus at Halicarnassus
Statue of Zeus at Olympia in Greece
Collosus of Phoebus in the Harbor at Rhodes,
an island belonging to Greece
Great Lighthouse (Pharos) in Alexandria, Egypt
Temple Artemis at Ephesus --- at the time part
of Greece, and now in turkey.
The Great Pyramids of Egypt
is the sole remaining wonder.
The first travel agents
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Thomas Cook was recognized as the first rail excursion
agent, the father of modern mass tourism.
In 1841, Thomas Cook began running a special
excursion train from Leicester to Loughborough (in
England), a trip of 12 miles.
On July 5, Cook’s train carried 570 passengers at a
round-trip price of 1 shilling per passenger. This is
believed to be the first public advertised excursion train.
The company continuous to be one of the world’s
largest travel organization.
http://www.thomascook.com/
Historic Transportation
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The early tourist traveled on foot, on beasts of burden, by boat,
and on wheeled vehicles.
Stagecoach Travel
 Coaches were invented in Hungary in the 15th century and
became popular in Great Britain by the 19th century.
Water Travel
 Market boats picked up passenger as as well as goods on
ships canals in England as early as 1772.
Rail Travel
 Railways were first built in England in 1825 and carried
passengers beginning in 1830.
Automobile and Motorcoach Travel
 Automobiles entered the travel scene in U.S. when Henry
Ford introduced his famous Model T in 1908.
Air Travel
 The first U.S. airline, Varney Airlines, was launched in 1926
and provided scheduled airmail service.
Mass travel
Mass travel could not really begin to
develop until two things occurred.
 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.
Recent developments
Recent developments
Special forms of tourism
For the past few decades some forms of tourism have been
becoming more popular, particularly:
 Adventure tourism: tourism involving travel in rugged
regions, or adventurous sports such as mountaineering
and hiking.
 Agritourism: farm based tourism, helping to support the
local agricultural economy.
 Ancestry tourism: is the travel with the aim of tracing
one's ancestry, visiting the birth places of these
ancestors and sometimes getting to know distant family.
Special forms of tourism
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Cultural tourism: includes urban tourism, visiting
historical or interesting cities, and experiencing their
cultural heritages.
Ecotourism: sustainable tourism which has minimal
impact on the environment,
Gambling tourism, e.g. to Atlantic City, Las Vegas,
Macau for the purpose of gambling at the casinos there.
Health tourism: usually to escape from cities or relieve
stress, perhaps for some 'fun in the sun', etc. Often to
"health spas".
Pilgrimage Tourism: pilgrimages to ancient holy places
(Rome for Catholics).
Special forms of tourism
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Wine tourism, the visiting of growing regions,
wineries, tasting rooms, wine festivals, and
similar places or events for the purpose of
consuming or purchasing wine.
Sport travel: skiing, golf are popular ways to
spend a vacation. This could also include
travelling to a major international sporting event
such as the FIFA World Cup.
Space tourism: traveling in outer space or on
spaceships.
Future trends
The World of Tourism in 2020
Forecasts of International Tourists Arrivals (millions)
Worldwide and by Region 1995-2020
Regions
Tourist Arrivals (million)
1995
2000
2010
2020
335
390
527
717
80
116
231
438
111
134
195
284
Africa
20
27
46
75
Middle East
14
19
37
69
South Asia
4
6
11
19
564
692
1,047
1,602
Europe
East Asia/Pacific
Americas
World
Tourism development in China
— pre-1949
China’s civilization is more than 5,000 years old.
Tourist activities in China can be traced back to ancient
times. The increase of travel and tourism serves as an
important symbol of China’s social and economic
development.
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Travel and tourism in ancient times falls, roughly, into
the following categories:
Tour by emperors,
Tour by officials,
Travel by scholars and scientists,
Travel for religious reasons,
Travel for festivals.
Tourism development history
— post-1949
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The first three decades (1949 to 1978)
From the PRC establishment in 1949 till to 1978,
international tourism was considered a
diplomatic, rather than economic, activity.
A small amount of foreign visitors and overseas
Chinese visiting China.
Two travel agents, China Travel Services (CTS)
and China International Travel Services (CITS)
handle the foreign visitor affairs then.
Tourism development history
— post-1949
The year 1978
was of great significance for China.
 In the year 1978, the Third Plenary Session of
CPC eleventh Congress was held, and China
shifted its emphasis to economic reconstruction
and opened its door to the outside world.
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Tourism development history
— post-1949
High development especially since 1978.
Major changes:
 From nobody to one of the top ten world
destinations;
 From a seller’s market to a buyer’s market;
 From one-way to two-way flow;
 From state monopoly to decentralization.
Tourism development history
— post-1949
From 1978 to 1985
International tourism developed rapidly.
Attracted to this mysterious oriental country that
had been closed to the outside world for such a
long period, there was a sudden influx of
visitors from abroad.
However, due to the serious shortage of
necessary infrastructure, service facilities, and
capable personnel, China was unable to
effectively serve so many visitors.
Tourism development history
— post-1949
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Since 1986 tourism in China has been regarded as a
significant industry for the national economy.
 In that year, China placed the tourist industry into the national
plan for social and economic development for the first time.
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By the end of 1998, the governments of 24 out of all 31
municipalities, provinces, and autonomous regions in
China had made the tourist industry one of the leading or
pillar industry in their locality.
The CPC Central Committee at its conference on the
economy in late 1998 identified the tourist industry as
one of the new growth points of the national economy in
the years to come. The tourist industry has been drawing
much more attention from people in various
governments, industries, and the general public as well.
Current situation
Inbound tourism
 Outbound tourism
 Domestic tourism
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