Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Understand how trends and factors
are currently af ecting the travel
and
tourism sector
SECTION 4
Trends
c
urrently af ecting
the development of travel
and tourism
There is little doubt that the travel and tourism
sector is set to grow in the future. Figures from
the World Tourism Organisation forecast a growth
in international tourism from 880 million arrivals in
2009 to 1.6 billion in 2020. The UK government also
sees tourism as a major area for economic growt
h
in
years to come, particularly leading up to
t
he
2012
Olympic Games. Just how travel and tou
r
ism grows
is the question on the minds of every
b
ody with an
interest in the sector, from national
g
overnments to
private businesses.
Figure 1.15 gives an overview of the key recent trends
that are affecting the current travel and tourism sector,
each of which will be investigated in the following
sections of this unit.
Increased frequency of holidays
In the previous section of
this unit we looked back
at how recent dev
e
lo
p
ments have shaped the
present day travel an
d
tourism sector. This section
investigates som
e
o
f
the most important trends and
factors that a
r
e currently affecting today's travel
and tourism
,
with examples of the effects across
compo
n
en
t
industries.
As people in western countries become more affl uent,
and travel prices fall, they are able to enjoy more holidays
than was previously the case. It is not uncommon
nowadays for British people to take one overseas
holiday each year plus a number of short breaks or
additional holidays in the UK or overseas. According to
Frequency
of holidays
Greater fl exibility
Expansion of
regional airports
Trends
Independent travel
New destinations
Adventure travel
Fig 1.15 - Trends af ecting the current travel and tourism sector
