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• Tourism is defined by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) as activities of people traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for leisure, business, or other purposes.
• The tourism industry aims to provide enjoyable experiences that boost economic development.
• Tourism significantly contributes to economic growth, employment, and regional balance in countries and regions worldwide.

Tourism Core Concepts

• Tourism encompasses various experiences, with each tourist having unique perceptions of the same products/services.
• Tourism products and services are perishable and consumed upon production, with no storage possible.
• Social, economic, and institutional factors influence travelers' decisions and help tourism businesses to gain marketing and advertising insights.
• Tourism involves traveling to a different place for varied purposes, encompassing the complete travel activity and stay duration based on the travel's purpose.

Commonly Used Terms

• Business Travel: Travel for commercial, governmental, or educational goals, with leisure as a secondary aspect.
• Carrier: A provider of mass transportation, often an airline.
• Group Rate: A negotiated hotel rate for conventions, trade shows, meetings, tours, or incentive groups.
• Hub: An airport or city serving as a central connection point for aircraft, trains, or buses from smaller, outlying areas.
• Incentive Travel: Travel offered as a reward for top-performing employees.
• Net Rate: The price excluding the travel agent's commission.
• Travel Product: Any product or service sold to consumers, including accommodations, attractions, events, restaurants, and transportation.
• Travel Seasons: Business cycles include peak season (primary travel season) and off-peak season (slow business period), with a shoulder season in between.

Types of Tourism

• Different types of tourism are recognized based on stay length, transportation, distance, purpose, and price.
• Domestic Tourism: Activities of visitors within their country of residence, outside their home.
• International Tourism: Activities of a resident crossing international borders, involving different currencies, languages, and cultures.
• Inbound Tourism: Activities of a visitor from outside the country of residence.
• Outbound Tourism: Activities of a resident visitor outside their country of residence.

Other Types of Tourism

• Gay Tourism (LGBT): Catering to LGBT tourists seeking safe and friendly destinations, with concerns about cultural and safety issues; activities include HIV/AIDS awareness, same-sex wedding ceremonies, and recognizing LGBT communities.
• Beach Tourism: Tourism at coastal resorts driven by inevitable beach attraction with activities like beach hopping, scuba diving, snorkeling, and speed boating.
• Virtual Tourism: Taking virtual tours of attractions from home using multimedia for an immersive experience, which helps travelers preview destinations.
• Space Tourism: Allowing tourists to become astronauts for recreational, leisure, or business purposes, with activities like visiting space museums, witnessing rocket launches, space travel, and stargazing.
• Dark Tourism: Visiting sites of natural or man-made disasters and somewhat controversial.
• Shopping Tourism: Developing authentic and unique shopping experiences connected to tourism branding and positioning; activities include visiting malls, theaters, museums, and dining out.

History and Development of Tourism

• The UNWTO announced September 27 as “World Tourism Day” in 1980.
• Early/Ancient Hospitality (40 BC): Hospitality services were common for social and religious gatherings.
• Greeks created thermal baths for relaxation and recuperation, which originated the modern-day spa.
• Romans provided traveler accommodations on government premises.
• Medieval Period: Inns started as private residences in English with permits to sell wine, spreading hospitality and providing resting destinations for caravans.
• Persians developed inns and post houses for accommodations and nourishment for soldiers and couriers.
• Renaissance and French Revolution (16th Century): Increased demand for inns; early 1800s inns were the only lodging for tourists.
• Lodging expanded to include food and drinks, eventually leading to hotels, such as Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan in Yamanashi, Japan, which was founded in 705 and has been owned by the same family for 52 generations.
• 19th Century: The hospitality industry organized properly in the 1950s/1960s.
• People sought hospitable places for relaxation and the industrial revolution in the 1970s facilitated hotel and casino construction in Europe, England, and America.
• Modern Tourism and Hospitality Industry: The customer remains central but today's hoteliers implement modern standards and technologies.

Tourism and Hospitality Careers

• Airlines: Offers careers like flight attendant, reservation agent, airline food service, flight dispatcher, operations agent, airline lounge receptionist, crew scheduler, gate agent, and passenger service representative.
• Travel Trade: Includes tour guides, tour operators, and travel agents.
• Accommodation Sector: Hotel General Manager, Front Desk Receptionist/Agent, Housekeeping Attendant/Room Attendant, Concierge, Bell Attendant/Person, Valet Runner/Valet Parking Attendant and Back of the House.
• Food and Beverage Service Sector: Restaurant Manager, Cashier, Server, Bartender, Barista, Executive Chef, and Pastry Chef.
• Cruise Lines: Activity/Entertainment, Service/Hospitality, Personal Care, Deck, and Office Staff Departments.
• Casinos/Entertainment Sector: Dealer, Surveillance, Pit Bosses, Cage Cashier, Technicians, and Casino Manager.