History of Tourism

According to the authors, there are two lines of thought in which the History of Tourism is divided. The first would be that tourism begins in the nineteenth century as a displacement whose main purpose is leisure, relaxation, culture, health, business or family relationships. These shifts are distinguished by their purpose of other types of travel motivated by war, migration, conquest, trade, etc.. However tourism has clear historical precedents. Then come to fruition with the movement then the Industrial Revolution. The second line of thought is based on the Tourism really began with the Industrial Revolution, since the displacements have as a plan leisure.

Ancient Age
The history of ancient Greece, gave a great importance to tourism and leisure, which were devoted to culture, entertainment, religion and sport. The shifts were more prominent than they were for the purpose of watching the Olympics (which occurred every 4 years in the city of Olympia). There were moving thousands of people, mixing religion and sport. There were also religious pilgrimages, such as those headed for the Oracles of Delphi and Dodona's.

During the Roman Empire the Romans frequented hot springs (such as the Baths of Caracalla). They devoted themselves to great performances in theaters, and performed regular shifts to the coast (as the case of a, well known for a holiday village: the "orillas del mar"). These pleasure trips occurred possibly due to three key factors: the "Pax Romana", the development of major traffic routes and economic prosperity that allowed some citizens to finance and leisure.

Middle Ages

Pilgrim MecaDurante in the Middle Ages was at first a setback due to the increased number of conflicts and economic recession, however this time comes a new kind of travel, religious pilgrimages. Although it has existed in the ancient and classical, though Christianity and Islam spread to a larger number of pilgrims and shifts greater. They're famous expeditions from Venice to the Holy Land and the pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela (from 814 when it was discovered the tomb of the saint), were continuing pilgrimages from all over Europe, creating maps and all kinds of service for travelers. The Tourism Islamic Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and one of the five Pillars of Islam obliges all believers to make this pilgrimage at least once in your life.


Modern age

Elizabeth I, Queen of England and Irlanda.As pilgrimages continue during the Modern Age. In Rome 1500 pilgrims die because of plague.

And now when the first results with the name of the hotel (the French word which designated the urban palaces). How to travel the great personalities accompanied by his entourage, entourages ever more numerous, it is impossible to accommodate everyone in the palace, is the creation of new hotel buildings.

This is also the time of the great maritime expeditions of Spanish, British and Portuguese arouse curiosity and interest on long trips.

At the end of the sixteenth century comes the custom of sending young English aristocrats to make a gran-tour at the end of their studies, in order to supplement their training and gain some experience. Being a large trip duration (3 to 5 years) that were made by different European countries, and this activity came about the words: tourism, tourist, etc..

If there is a resurgence of ancient thermal baths, which had fallen during the Middle Ages. Since only motivated medical indication, and also for fun and entertainment in spas, for example, in Bath (England). Also in this same time the date of discovery medicinal value of the clay mud baths as a therapeutic remedy, cold beaches (Nice, ...) where people would take baths by prescription.

Contemporary
With the Industrial Revolution was consolidated around the bourgeoisie to have economic resources and free time to travel. The invention of the steam machinery promotes a revolution in transportation, which allows replacing animal traction by steam train and the rail lines that travel quickly over long distances covering the large areas of Europe and North America. Also the use of steam in the sea lanes reduces the time of displacement.


Freedom of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world, was a symbol of the great voyages marítimas.Inglaterra becomes the first to offer tickets transoceanic crossings and dominate the marine market in the second half of the nineteenth century, which will facilitate the migration flows Europe to America. This being the great moment of shipping companies and shipyards.

Is emerging in Europe mountain tourism or health: are constructed famous sanatoriums and private clinics Europe, many of them still exist as small hotels while still keeping a certain charm. It is also when the cold beaches (Blue Coast, English Channel, ...).

Thomas Cook
Main article: Thomas Cook
In 1840 Thomas Cook, the father of modern tourism, promotes the first package in history. Even though it was a commercial failure is considered as a protundo success for the organization of the first package tour, because it found the enormous economic opportunity that this business could grow to as an activity, creating in 1851 the Travel Agency "Thomas Cook and son.

In 1867 he invented the voucher the voucher, a document that allows the use of certain hotels in contracted services and propagated across a travel agency.

Henry Wells and William Fargo to create a travel agency American Express initially engaged in the transportation of goods and subsequently becomes one of the largest agencies in the world. Introducing the system of financing and issuance of travelers checks, such as travel-Check (money custom made with paper currency in common use which protects the traveler from possible theft and losses).

Cesar Ritz

Hôtel Ritz Ritz ParisCesar is considered the father of modern hotels. From an early age occupied all possible jobs in a hotel until the manager of one of the largest hotels of its time. Improved all hotel services, created the figure of somellier introduced the bathroom in the housing units (housing units) creating the suites, revolutionizing the administration. (He turned the decaying of the best hotels of Europe, which led to the nickname of "magician").

By blasting the First World War in the summer of 1914 it is believed that there were about 150,000 American tourists in Europe.

After the war begins to mass manufacture of buses and cars. At this time the beaches and rivers turn into centers of tourism in Europe beginning to acquire major coastal tourism.

The airplane used by minorities over long distances, is developing timidly to stop imposing itself on the marine companies.

The crisis of 1929 negatively affect the entire tourism sector by limiting its development until about 1932.

The Second World War absolutely paralyzes the industry around the world and its effects extend to the year 1949.
The tourist boom

Parthenon in Athens, Greece, one of the most visited ancient monuments in Europe.
Prague Castle above the Vltava River in Prague in the Czech Republic.
Brandenburg Gate
Palace of Westminster and Big Ben. Are some of the postcards of London.
Eiffel Tower, the main icon and tourist attraction in Paris.
Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany.
Machu Picchu in Cuzco, Peru.
The Temple of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza, Mexico.
Cancun, Mexico, one of the main tourist places of país.Entre 1950 and 1973 starts talking about tourist boom. International tourism is growing at a higher rate than in its entire history. This development is a result of the new international order, social stability and development of the culture of leisure in the Western world. At this time you begin to legislate on the sector.

The economic recovery, especially from Germany and Japan, was an astonishing increase in the income levels of these countries and giving rise to a stable middle class that is beginning to be interested in travel.

However with the recovery by raising the standard of living of the most important sectors of the population of Western countries. Emerges as society's well-being than once with their basic needs met is to seek the care of new needs. Appearing at the moment educational and interest in travel and experience other cultures. On the other hand the new labor law adopting the English week 5 days of work, reduction of working 40 hours a week, expansion of social coverage (jubilación, unemployment, disability, ...), stimulate a large extent the development of leisure and tourism.

And these are the years in which to develop major urban centers and the mass is evident, there is also the desire to escape, escape the routine of the cities and rest the minds of the pressure.

In years to develop the production of cars in the series that allows increased access of the population and thus the construction of more roads, it allows a greater flow of travelers. In fact, the new road that crosses the Alps in Switzerland from north to south assuming the loss of hegemony in this country as a hub receiver, for they would now cross into Switzerland to go to other countries with better climate.

Evasion is replaced by recreation, which is assumed to be a definite blow to the marine companies, who are obliged to devote their boats to cruise.

All these factors lead us to the era of standardization standardize tourism products. The major tour operators launch market million package tours identical. In the vast majority is used for charter flights, which tend to be inexpensive and increasingly popular product. The beginning of this period (1950) had 25 million tourists, and the end (1973) had 190 million.

No obstante, this step is also characterized by lack of experience, which implies the following consequences. As the lack of planning (to be built without any low end of demand or of environmental and social impacts that may arise with the massive influx of tourists) and colonialism news (there is a large dependence on foreign suppliers U.S., British and German mainly) .

In the 1970s energy crisis and the resulting inflation, especially felt in the transport sector, provoking a new period of crisis for the tourism industry that extends until 1978. This recession implies a reduced capacity to lower costs and prices to propose a mass of supply and demand.

In the 1980s the standard of living around the rise and tourism becomes the economic engine of many countries. This faster development is due to improved transport and better with new Boeing and Airbus, high-speed trains and the consolidation of the new charter, there is also a tough competitor for scheduled airlines that has been required to set their own join charter.

In recent years it produces a very striking internationalization of large hotel companies and operators. They seek new ways to use the free time (theme parks, deporte, resorts, health ...) and applying even more marketing techniques, because the tourist has ever more information and experience, seeking new products and destinations, which generates a strong competition between them.

The possibility of using multimedia communication environments transform the sector, making the designer of products, the service, the marketing of them in a more fluid way.

In the 1990s major events occur, such as the fall of communist regimes in Europe, the Gulf War, German unification, the Bosnian war, which affect directly the history of tourism. This is a stage of maturity of the sector that continued to grow, and in a more moderate and controlled.

The significant problems this season caused limitations on the ability receptive generating the need to match supply to existing demand, striving to control the load capacity of the environment property and historical importance of diversifying the range of products and destinations. Still in the perception of the diversification of demand profiles showing new types of tourists who demanded a better quality.

Tourism comes as an essential part of the political agenda of many developing countries that public policies focused on promoting, planning and marketing as a key part of economic development. Improving is mejora developing training plans for special education. The goal of achieving sustainable tourism development by attracting new markets and regulation of seasonality.

The policies at the supranational level to consider the development of tourism as an important element as the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 (free traffic of people and goods, European citizenship), and in 1995 the entry into force Schegen and eliminate border controls in countries Union.

Occurs again a cheapening of air travel by means of low-cost (low cost) and the release of companies in many countries and fierce competition from them. This liberalization affects other aspects of tourism services such as airport management and undoubtedly will be refined when it comes into force the so-called Bolkestein directive (liberalization of services) in the European Parliament tramite