Relationships between Tourism and Leisure Behavior - Case Study Example

Toursim and Leisure Behaviour Introduction Through the ages leisure behaviour of the masses has been largely associated with the spare time where they are able to indulge in activities that satisfy their idyllic pleasure, pleasing their senses. The developing societies of the nineteenth and twentieth century have increasingly viewed leisure as a source of testing new approaches in widening their sphere of knowledge vis-à-vis new territory and a world away from their home and professional life. Though the pattern of holidays and vacations, has changed over the years, the basic aim of relaxing has remained the most important feature. The concept of ‘away from home’ has been constructively exploited by the enterprising entrepreneurs to lay the foundation of tourism which has now become a huge emerging new industry in the contemporary environment of globalization. Thus the intrinsic but evolving relationship between the tourism and leisure behaviour of the people has become the one of the most challenging business goals of the contemporary society. Historical significance Leisure and recreation were not an option in olden times but the industrial revolution of the nineteenth century had brought about sweeping changes in the workplace, providing people with more time and improved lifestyle and was motivated towards recreational activities, involving family and friends. Alfred Llyods says ‘leisure ... is a pressing problem of the day… if the new leisure in amount and importance be what it has appeared to be and if, as might be inferred, the mingled danger and opportunity of it be at all in proportion, then is civilization entering upon an adventure for romantic characters, for need of wisdom and imagination and courage far exceeding anything in the past’ (Lloyd, 1922: 171, 172). Indeed, the leisure time is important part of recreation. Bertrand Russell argues that ‘mans true life does not consist in the business of filling his belly and clothing his body, but in art and thought and love, in the creation and contemplation of beauty and in the scientific understanding of the world’ (Russell and Russell, 1923: 50). The House of Lords had also acknowledged that ‘it should make one or two hours a week available for leisure’ (House of Lords Select Committee on Sport and Leisure, 1973: xii). But Roberts challenge the perception of leisure when he says ‘Are we verging on a golden age of leisure or threatened by a wilderness of boredom?’ (Roberts, 2006: 18). Development of Tourism as value addition to recreational activities Leisure times and holidays have always held a special charm for the young and the old alike. Krippendorf (1987) says ‘travel is: recuperation and regeneration, restoring body and soul’ (pp24-8). Vacations to different places have not only provided a way to rejuvenate the mind and the body after the humdrum monotony of the routine life but they have also been a great source of information and knowledge about people and places. Thus, making tourism was a natural outcome of the changing societal perception towards leisure time and leisure behaviour of the people. Mathieson and Wall have defined tourism as ‘‘the total number of persons who travel, or wish to travel, to use tourists’ facilities and services at places away from their places of work and residence’ (Mathieson & Wall, 1989, p39). It is true that leisure time is the main factor for the promotion of tourism but with the widespread interest that it has generated amongst the population in the growing times, it has also emerged as an industry with huge potential. Johnson and Thomson (1992) assert that it has become important for policymakers and private developers both because of its contribution to the economic welfare of the local economy and need to study the risks and prospects of the region. Bull et al. also affirm that leisure has greatly contributed to the diverse activities, including recreational and tourism activities of the people (Bull, 2003). To understand the changing behaviour of the public vis-à-vis travel destination, attraction etc. and the ability to forecast the same has become essential in the changing times (Witt & Witt, 1995). The various determinants for the burgeoning demands for tourism are primarily driven by the changing leisure behaviour of the people. Vanhove (2005) has enumerated the five most common economic variables that affect tourism demand are: income levels; population; relative prices; exchange rate; and personal preferences of consumer tastes and travel costs. The people are motivated and driven by the new economic euphoria and technological advancement that has made it easy for the consumer to satisfy their changing requirements for new tourism destinations offered in a packaged deal. Indeed, advent of new technologies has revolutionized the communication, bringing forth a host of new ideas and opportunities in the field of tourism. ‘In the tourism industry, more and more tourist service providers rely on the internet as a key communication tool that is enabling them to save costs and increase the number of customers’ (ICT, 2005). The globalization has further, made it easier for the entrepreneurs to encash the vast potential in this new emerging industry. The competitiveness has brought in a new fervour in the industry and new ideas and partnership in the field of tourism has become a norm. ‘An increasing globalization and the emergence of new tourist destinations worldwide have created a changing nature of competition’ (Nordin, 2005). Therefore, tourism, in the contemporary times, needs to be redefined in term of changing global values and designed towards exploring the factors that affect the success of management of the tourism business. Special Interest Tourism Poon has described special interest tourism has ‘The provision of customised leisure & recreational experiences driven by the specific expressed interests of individuals and groups’ (Poon, 1997). In recent times, there has been great mushrooming of these travel agencies and the tourism industry has flourished at an unprecedented rate. With the competition becoming tougher everyday, it has become important that new strategies and plans incorporating exotic and special themes be introduced. Innovative ideas in attractive packages are being prepared for a select target thus opening a whole new vista of tourism. The exclusivity of the package has special appeal which has popularized the concept of special interest tourism (SIT). This type of tourism goes beyond the usual definition of the word and fulfils the extra demand that the body or the mind or sometimes, both, require. Tourism that caters for a specific target group with focus on one special activity has become very popular among the elite class. According to Douglas (2001), SIT products can be broadly described as complex because ‘the delivery of viable specialist services and the management required to satisfy the concerns of all stakeholders, including the host community, tourism partners and government at all levels, while maintaining the principles of sustainability’ (Douglas, 2001). It can be contributed to the fact that they cater to the needs of the individuals rather than groups. Health and spa tourism is a highly exclusive package that enjoys select patronage where money is no consideration. To meet the growing need for this segment of the society, the tourism industry has come up with innovative and effective packages which are customer focussed and offer special deals at premium prices without compromising on the quality. Globalization and advancing technology Globalization has dramatically changed the lifestyle of the people. It has brought in new dimension of work culture and an inherent competition that is both invigorating as well as stressful. It has become apparent that this cut throat environment in the life of the professionals is having adverse effect on their health as well as affecting their performance in the work area. Multinational companies and big business houses have started making efforts to provide requisite outlets to relieve them of the stress. The awareness about issues and things specially related to people, health and environment, that has prompted entrepreneurs and agencies to come up with tour plans which would be multi-purpose and satisfy people’s needs. Indeed, ‘the scope of providing new attractions to feed the insatiable appetite of the tourist is never ending’ (Holloway, 2002, p 205). Information technology has facilitated wider options of holiday destinations to the common man and travel agencies have made it easier for the him to go to far flung places by providing the necessary appendages like accommodation, transport etc. In fact ‘consumers are now able to put together more flexible packages.. via internet’ (Urry, 2002, p 46). This industry has greatly facilitated employment through entrepreneurial ventures who are able to run successful travel agencies with small initial investment. The awareness about issues and things has prompted entrepreneurs and agencies to come up with tour plans which would be multi-purpose and satisfy people’s needs. At the same time, globalization has dramatically changed the lifestyle of the people. It has brought in new dimension of work culture and an inherent competition that is both invigorating as well as stressful. The attractive vacation packages which are highly de-stressing in content would be greatly in demand as they would rejuvenate body and mind so people can come back to take up Management of contemporary tourism SIT packages have given a new twist to the consumer behaviour in the recent times. The information explosion due to the fast developing technologies has made even a middle class person, with limited resources, to crave for the attractions and exciting new packages that are on offers by the travel agencies. To tap this emerging market, the agencies are collaborating and coordinating with the national governments to organize packages which would meet the financial parameters of the general public as well as benefiting the organizers. The vast inflow of tourists, on the other hand ensures a steady income of foreign funds for the country in question while popularizing the local cuisine and craft. The SIT products heavily rely on intricate networking with various elements within the paradigms of the specialized module. The SIT products cater to seasoned travellers and not amateur tourists. They therefore offer highly indigenized package suited to the individual needs. The success of the package is dependent on the high quality of the service provider that may be located at some remote area and keeping constantly in touch with the various inter-related elements becomes a highly complex administrative and managerial task for the travel agents who offers the specialized services to his niche clientele. Apart from this, the niche clientele for this SIT product normally comprises of people who are looking for alternative therapy, plastic surgery or diagnosis and onus falls on the travel agent who must ensure safe and rejuvenating package that would help people to combine health and holiday. The emerging new trends in the tourism industry has opened a floodgate of new opportunities for the entrepreneurs who are forging alliances with various agencies across the world who can provide these services to select target group of travellers. Special interest tourism provides tours, which are exclusive in content and resources and hence enjoy special clientele whose prime motive goes beyond the precincts of financial considerations. Such packages are normally carried out in partnership with the local agencies which specialize in the concerned area. The role of local agencies is paramount in any tourism packages but here it assumes a much more important and interactive role because of the nature of the package. The local speciality and local talents are often used to provide requisite essence which enhances the overall impact of the packages. The more the involvement of the local group, the better is the result of the tour package. This special interest tourism provides a challenging and often interesting mix of entertainment and therapy that successfully rejuvenates the person as a whole. The success of such packages has encouraged tour operators to experiment with wide ranging ideas with impunity. Conclusion The emerging new relationship between Tourism and leisure behaviour of the consumers has brought in new challenges in the tourism industry to provide increased value for money either through innovation–driven cost reducing changes in production and marketing processes or through product changes providing more varied tourism experiences (Weiermair, 2001). The growing demand for SIT has necessitated the need to explore new areas of public interest. SIT projects or packages because of their exclusivity, frequently address the current burning issue of sustainable development. Brundtland Report, also known as Our Common Future, has defined sustainable development as ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (Brundtland Report, 1987). (2072) Reference Brundtland Report. (1987). Available from: [Accessed 22 November 2009]. Bull, Chris; Hoose, Jane and Weed, Mike. (2003). Harlow, Prentice Hall. Douglas, Norman, Douglas, Ngaire and Derrett, Ros. (2001). Special Interest Tourism. John, Wiley & Sons. Holloway,Christopher J. (2002). The Business of Tourism. Essex.(6th ed.).Pearson Education Limited. House of Lords Select Committee on Sport and Leisure (1973) Second Report. London: HMSO. Lloyd, A. H. (1922) Ages of leisure. American Journal of Sociology, 28(2), 160-178 Krippendorf, J. (1987). The Holiday Makers. London. Butterworth-Heinemann. Mathieson, A. & Wall, G., (1989). Tourism : Economic, Physical and Social Impacts. London. Nordin,Sara.(2005). Tourism of Tomorrow Available from; [Accessed 22 November 2009]. Poon, A. (1993). Tourism, Technology, and Competitive Strategies. Cab Intern., Wallingf. Roberts, K. (2006). Leisure in Contemporary Society. 2nd Ed. University of Liverpool, UK. Russell, B., and Russell, D. (1923) Prospects of Industrial Civilization. London: Allen and Unwin. Urry, John. (2002). The Tourist Gaze. Nottingham.(2nd ed.) SAGE Publications. Vanhove, N. (2005). The economics of tourism destinations. US: Elsevier. Weiermair, K.; Peters, M.; Reiger E. (2001). Neue Organisations-, Koordinations- und Führungsprinzipien im alpinen Tourismus,., Vom alten zum neuen Tourismus, Studia, Innsbruck, pp. 244-254. Witt, S.F. & Witt, C. A. (1995). Forecasting tourism demand: A review of empirical research. International Journal of Forecasting 41, 212-235. Read More