The scale and scope of tourism industry has widened to such an extent that it has emerged as an industrial giant with gigantic potential to go further. This has been made possible mainly by the civilizational and technological advances the world over.
The headway in civilization imply improvements in socio-economic conditions namely, changes in the demographic structure and social pattern of populations (living patterns and lifestyles), in terms of the aging of the population, increase in working women and two income earning households, trend towards late marriages and faster growth in the number of childless couples, increased paid leave and more flexible working time etc.
Such occurrences in the developed and newly industrialized countries mean that more people will have the time, inclination and income to travel. In the category of technological advancements, these are particularly, the developments in crucial technologies such as revolutions in the transport system be it air transport (Jet propulsion aircraft in the sixties and Jumbo Jets in the seventies of the twentieth century), water transport (cruise ships and motor-coaches) and/or rail-road transport (trains and automobiles) that have made travel more faster, convenient, comfortable and safer; information and communication systems helpful in changing the relationship between vendor, intermediary and the consumer have contributed significantly towards tourism development and promotion.
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The advances in technologies related to transport, communication systems, electronic media have transformed marketing and advertisement strategies, as well as distribution networks.
The development in the information and communication technologies are sure to bring benefits to both travel suppliers and travellers in the form of more efficient data handling and processing, reducing the requirement for staff and hence, lowering operating costs.
A part of these cost savings can be passed on to the travelling consumer who also benefits from these sophisticated systems not only in terms of money but in terms of time, energy and botheration as well.
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With the on-going development and growth in the socio-economic aspect and technology stepping up, it is quite hard, if not impossible, to perceive the lively and dynamic future ahead for tourism.
In this context, Herman Kahn of the Hudson Institute (1976, 1979) in his books The Next 200 Years A Scenario for America and the World, and World Economic Development: 1979 and Beyond, could visualize that by the end of the twentieth century, tourism industry will emerge as one of the largest at the global level.
The findings in respect of tourism trends and future projections were presented in the fiftieth anniversary issue which were later updated by Doris and Phillip Davidoff and presented in sixtieth anniversary issue of the Travel Trade magazine in January, 1979 and May, 1989 respectively. An exemplary resume of the process of tourism development and a framework for future analysis of the industry is reproduced.
However, the subject matter and scope of tourism is controversial and debatable owing to conceptual infirmity and imprecision. There is an underlying lack of conscientiousness and focus especially when there is to general consensus on definition of tourism or even what is contained in the tourism industry.
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Again, it becomes all the more meaningful to provide a framework of a systematic and analytic approach capable of identifying the allied/related discipline approaches and businesses to be incorporated.
Yet again, tourism suffers from a particularly delicate set of data base in terms of similarity, comparability and quality. In view of the aforesaid problems, research in tourism entails a methodological framework.
For this, one can move along either individual discipline approach – be it economics, psychology, sociology or geography- tourism activity is viewed in the context of relevance of the concepts and notions of the subject approach concerned, it is an integration of a number of subjects and disciplines with a focus on tourism in an interdisciplinary approach.
It is, indeed, very difficult and if not impossible to include all the possible approaches to tourism, therefore, as an alternative and with a view to providing an organizing framework, Leiper’s model (suggested in 1979 and updated in 1990) can be a good fit.