Understanding the Evolution of the Tourism Industry

• Defined as the activities of people travelling and staying in places outside their usual environment, tourism pivoted from elitist travel in the 19th century to mass tourism in the 20th, and evolved into green and sustainable tourism by the 21st.

• The Internet, digitalisation, and advancements in transportation have greatly transformed the industry. These are key drivers in the evolution of tourism.

• The ease of online booking and the rise of review platforms (e.g TripAdvisor) have democratised access to information and broadened consumer choice.

Key Milestones in the History of Tourism

• The Doctor's Walks of 18th century England were an early form of leisure tourism, usually rural trips that involved sightseeing and other recreational activities.

• The inaugural Thomas Cook package holiday in 1841, offering an all-inclusive rail package from Leicester to Loughborough.

• The creation of the jet engine in the 1950s opened the door for mass international tourism by drastically reducing travel times and costs.

• The birth of Internet commerce in the late 1990s and early 2000s profoundly reshaped tourism with online booking of flights, hotels, and travels becoming the norm.

Emerging Trends in Contemporary Tourism

• With growing environmental consciousness, sustainable tourism is in vogue. Tourists increasingly seek eco-friendly options that contribute to the preservation of the environmental and cultural authenticity of destinations.

• With technology and increased globalisation, over-tourism has become a significant issue.

• Technology has also led to the emergence of virtual reality (VR) tourism, allowing individuals to experience places without leaving their homes.

• There has been a steady rise in medical tourism — patients travelling overseas to undergo treatment or operations that are cheaper or unavailable in their home country.

The Future of Tourism: Predicted Trends

• Space tourism is anticipated to become a reality in the not-so-distant future, with several companies planning commercial flights.

• The push towards carbon neutrality will lead to further developments in green travel and carbon offset schemes in tourism.

• There will be a continued trend towards personalised experiences, driven by data analytics and AI.

• A post-COVID world will see the emergence of health and safety tourism; travel services promoting health, well-being, safety, and hygiene will gain precedence.