The History of Tourism

Early Tourism

 Tourism is derived from the Hebrew word torah

which means studying, learning, searching.

 Early tourism has two forms:

 Travel for business

 Religious travel

 The invention of money, writing and wheel by the

Sumerians facilitated travel and exchange of goods.
 The early Phoenicians toured the Mediterranean as
traders.

 Both the Greeks and the Romans were well-known

traders and as their respective empires increased,
travel became necessary. At this time, there was also
travel for private purposes.

 Travel for religious reason took the form of

pilgrimages to places of worship .
 Pilgrimages were made to fulfill a vow as in case of
illness or of great danger or as penance for sins.

 Beside Rome and Jerusalem, St. James of Galicia

was the foremost destination of English pilgrims in
the 14th century.

 Beginning in 1388, English pilgrims were required to

obtain and carry permits, the forerunner of the
modern passport.
 Tourism in the Medieval Period

 During the medieval period, travel declined.

 Travel, derived from the word travail, became

burdensome, dangerous and demanding during this
time.

 After the decline of the Roman Empire in the 5th

century, roads were not maintained and they became
unsafe.
 Thieves infected harm on those who dared to travel.

 No one during this time travelled for pleasure.

 Crusaders and pilgrims were the only ones who

traveled.
 Tourism During the Renaissance and Elizabethan Eras

 Because few renowned universities developed, traveling for

education was introduced by the British in the 16th century.

 Under Elizabeth I, young men seeking positions in court

were encouraged to travel to the Continent to widen their
education.

 This practice was gradually adopted by others in the lower

social scale. In time it became recognized that the
education of a gentleman should be completed by a “Grand
Tour” of the cultural centers of the Continent which lasted
for three years.
Typical Grand Tourist

Map of Grand Tour

 Grand Tour was used as early as 1670. While
apparently educational, the appeal became social.

 Pleasure-seeking young men of leisure travelled

predominantly through France and Italy .

 By the end of the 18th century, the practice had

become institutionalized for the upper class of
society.
 As young men sought intellectual improvement in
the Continent, the sick sought a remedy for their
illnesses in “spas” or medicinal baths.

 The term “spa” is derived from the word Waloon

word “espa” meaning fountain.

 Travelers immersed themselves in healing waters,

soon, entertainment was added, and dozens of
watering places became resort hotels.
 Tourism during the Industrial Revolution

 The Industrial Revolution brought about major

changes in the scale and type of tourism
development.

 It brought about not only technological changes but

also essential social changes that made travel
desirable as a recreational activity.

 The increase in productivity, regular employment,

and growing urbanization gave more people the
motivation and opportunity to go on holiday .
 The emerging middle class combined higher incomes
and growing education into annual holidays.

 To escape from their responsibilities and the

crowded city environment, they traveled to the
countryside or seashore for their holidays.

 This led to the creation of working class resorts near

major industrial centers.
 Tourism in the 19th Century

 Two technological developments in the early part of

the 19th century had a great effect on the growth of
tourism.
 Introduction of the railway
 Development of steam power

 The railways created not only more business by

proving reliable and cheap transportation, but also
more competition as various private companies
invested heavily in hotels, resorts and entertainment
facilities.
 Thus, tourism was transformed from a small business
catering to the elite into the start of a mass market, that is,
travel by a large number of individuals.

 The use of steam power provided the increased mobility

needed by the tourism business.

 Steamers on the major rivers provided reliable and

inexpensive transportation that led to the popular day-trip
cruises and the growth of coastal resorts near large
industrial towns.
 As tourism became organized in the later years of the
19th century, the organization of travel became an
established institution.

 Travel organizers emerged. The first and most

famous of these was Thomas Cook.

 His first excursion train trip was between Leicester

and Loughborough in 1841 with 570 passengers at a
round-trip fare of one shilling.
 The success of this venture encouraged him to
arrange similar excursions using chartered trains.

 In 1866 he organized his first American tour.

 In 1874, he introduced “circular notes” which were

accepted by banks, hotels, shops, and restaurants.
These in effect the first traveler’s checks.
 Other tour companies in Britain:
 Dean and Dawson in 1871

 Polytechnic Touring Association in 1872

 Frames in 1881

 In the United States, American Express was founded

by Henry Wells and William Fargo

 As the 19th century drew to a close, photography and

guide-books became popular.
 A huge variety of guide-books which dealt with both
local and overseas travel were sold to tourists.

 The most popular of these was Baedecker, first

published in 1839, which became the leading guide
for European countries at the end of the century.