Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The growth in long-haul travel has opened up many
new destination areas of the world, such as Florida, the
Caribbean, Brazil, India, the Far East, Dubai, Australia
and New Zealand. Cheap fl ights and package holidays
to long-haul destinations are helping to spread the
economic benefi ts of tourism right across the world.
Viewers are directed to the company's website or
call centre to make a booking;
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Self check-in - many airports now allow passengers
to check themselves in at kiosks inside the terminal
building and, in a more recent development, online
check-in via the internet is growing in popularity.
The rapid growth in low-cost airlines in Europe has
resulted in rapid destination growth in the countries
that they serve. Cheap fl ights to Prague, for example,
have turned this capital city into one of the most
popular short break destinations in Europe. The same
has happened in parts of France, e.g. the Limousin
and the Alps, which have experienced rapid growth in
tourist numbers on the back of the low-cost airlines.
Technological development
The last few years have seen a revolution in the way
we book holidays, fl ights and other travel products and
services. Developments in technology have opened up
completely new methods for companies to distribute
their travel and tourism products and new ways for
customers to buy. No longer is it necessary to visit a
travel agency for information or to make a booking,
although many people still prefer the more personal
service that agents offer. Some of the most notable
recent technological developments include:
The Internet has changed the way we book holidays
Transport development
Transport for tourism is constantly changing to meet
customer demands for safer, faster, more comfortable
and more affordable travel. Transport operators
also have to adapt to society's growing concern
for the environment by developing new types of
environmentally-friendly travel.
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The internet - this has revolutionised the way many
people now buy their travel and tourism products and
services. Travellers can make their own bookings for
fl ights, car hire, accommodation, travel insurance,
etc. on their computer at a time that is convenient
for them. These 'unpackaged holidays' do away
with the need for a tour operator or travel agent.
The internet has also led to the growth of so called
'e-retailers', for example ebookers, lastminute.com
and Expedia;
The development of jet aircraft
One positive outcome of the Second World War was
the rapid advance in aircraft technology, which led to
the growth of a viable commercial aviation industry in
Britain and the USA. The surplus of aircraft from 1945
onwards, coupled with the business fl air of entrepreneurs
such as Harold Bamberg of Eagle Airways and Freddie
Laker, encouraged the development of holiday travel
by air. Comet aircraft were used in the 1950s, but it
was not until the introduction of the faster and more
reliable Boeing 707 jets in 1958 that we began to see
the possibility of air travel becoming a reality for the
masses of the population. The 1960s saw a surge in
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Call centres - we saw earlier in this unit that many
of the larger holiday companies, e.g. Thomas Cook
and Thomson, operate call centres where large
numbers of trained staff provide details of holidays
and take bookings from customers;
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Digital and cable TV - companies such as Sky
Travel and Thomas Cook TV offer programmes and
features selling holidays to all parts of the world.
