Definition of Tourist/Tourism Essay
DEFINITION OF TOURIST/TOURISM
Throughout the academic and business world there is ongoing debate regarding the insufficient definitions of the terms ‘tourism’ and ‘tourist’. Upon researching this matter I have also come to question the validity of the ‘tourism industry’ and its ability to meet the requirements of industrial and commercial activities due to the lack of uniform and limitations of what it pertains to. The following are definitions I have chosen, in order of preference, to shed light on the ambiguous nature of these terms so that a clearer understanding can be realised for economic and educational use. Of these it can also be seen that they have been sourced from opposing areas of interest - industry, academic and dictionary, as to better illustrate the need for more than one type of definition. Furthermore, each will be deconstructed to communicate their relative strengths and weaknesses in relation to fundamental aspects of their current use.
- World Tourism Organisation (cited in Tribe 2009, p.44); Tourism: ‘... comprises the activities of a person’s travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited.’
- World Tourism Organisation (1993, cited in Cooper, Shepherd & Westlake (1996, p.18); Tourist: ‘...A visitor* who in the country visited for at least one night. *Visitor: ‘...Any person who travels o a country other than that in which he/she has his/her usual environments, for a period not exceeding 12 months and whose main purpose of visit is other than the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the country visited.’
- Stear (2005, p. 8&11); Tourism: ‘... tourism is travel and temporary stay, involving at least one night away from the region of a person’s usual home that is undertaken with the major expectation of satisfying leisure needs
Throughout the academic and business world there is ongoing debate regarding the insufficient definitions of the terms ‘tourism’ and ‘tourist’. Upon researching this matter I have also come to question the validity of the ‘tourism industry’ and its ability to meet the requirements of industrial and commercial activities due to the lack of uniform and limitations of what it pertains to. The following are definitions I have chosen, in order of preference, to shed light on the ambiguous nature of these terms so that a clearer understanding can be realised for economic and educational use. Of these it can also be seen that they have been sourced from opposing areas of interest - industry, academic and dictionary, as to better illustrate the need for more than one type of definition. Furthermore, each will be deconstructed to communicate their relative strengths and weaknesses in relation to fundamental aspects of their current use.
- World Tourism Organisation (cited in Tribe 2009, p.44); Tourism: ‘... comprises the activities of a person’s travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited.’
- World Tourism Organisation (1993, cited in Cooper, Shepherd & Westlake (1996, p.18); Tourist: ‘...A visitor* who in the country visited for at least one night. *Visitor: ‘...Any person who travels o a country other than that in which he/she has his/her usual environments, for a period not exceeding 12 months and whose main purpose of visit is other than the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the country visited.’
- Stear (2005, p. 8&11); Tourism: ‘... tourism is travel and temporary stay, involving at least one night away from the region of a person’s usual home that is undertaken with the major expectation of satisfying leisure needs