Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and a corresponding rise in the availability of electronic entertainment as a
prerequisite for travel. What is clear is that tourism organisations will need
to develop multigenerational products and services to accommodate the
needs of the family market.
It is argued that recognition of the specific needs of this market proves,
for many tourism organisations, to be the differentiator between long-term
success and failure, and that the search for
quality
time together is the key to
understanding this highly price- and quality-sensitive market. The notion of
quality versus quantity of time is explored below from a family perspective.
Supported by current statistics related to family tourism expenditure and
participation in the UK, the chapter also considers current trends in the
UK family tourism market, including the notion of the 'staycation' and the
trend towards camping and 'glamping'. Additionally, legislative issues such
as those involved in taking family holidays in the school's academic year are
explored. The idea of children within today's families being the customers
of tomorrow is one which is briefly explored in a concluding section. The
notion that their consumption, experiences and level of enjoyment will
shape the way they structure their own family holidays in future is an
important consideration in any discussion of family tourism.
Definition of the family in this context
The introductory chapter established some clarity in the definition of family
in this context, where families are defined as social groups including at least
two family members. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) defines
families 'by marriage, civil partnership or cohabitation or, where there
are children in the household, child/parent relationships' (ONS, 2011: 3).
The family unit is generally considered to consist of one or more parents
together with one or more children. The extended family is likely to consist
of grandparents, aunts, uncles and other family members. Family tourism
therefore involves the family unit and their participation in diverse forms of
tourism activity.
Historical Development of Family Tourism in the UK
Holidays are dreamed of as restoring the abandon and bliss of childhood.
They will repair the ravages of old time. Once away from work-discipline
where time is spent and time is money, away also from the industrial
city, its dirt and noise and fearful, nameless crowds of people, we shall
restore time's losses, rediscover the magnificent freedoms of both famili-
arity and strangeness, natural beauty and civic ritual. (Inglis, 2000: 4)
The family holiday was firmly embedded in working-class culture as far
back as the late 1800s. According to Walton (2000: 15), 'working class
