Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tourism within the reach of many who would otherwise be unable to travel. There will be some,
however, who for reasons of age, health, family responsibility, or disinclination are unwilling to join in
such holidays even when all arrangements are made for them.
Determination of Needs
Some countries carry out research in this
field. In Belgium, almost 60 percent of the respondents to an
inquiry preferred a continuous stay to moving from place to place, but this preference was more
marked among older people than among younger ones. In the Netherlands, another inquiry revealed
that about a million holidaymakers preferred not to rely on the hospitality of relatives if other facilities
within their means were provided. It was evident that existing facilities of this kind were inadequate.
It was also found that the tendency to take holidays away from home was increasing and that more
attention should be given to the educational and cultural aspects of tourism. Studies in France and
Italy have found orders of preference among the countryside, the seaside, the mountains, health
resorts, and other places; and in Sweden and Italy, inquiries have been carried out into the types of
accommodations favored.
Examples of Social Tourism
Leysin, in Switzerland, is one of the best-known examples of holiday centers for social tourism.
Originally a famous health resort, advances in medicine meant that its clientele would gradually
diminish; but with the cooperation of certain organizations, including the Caisse Suisse de Voyage, the
resort was adapted to attract a new type of tourist. A small golf course, a swimming pool, tennis
courts, and arrangements for skiing were established, and sanatoria and hotels were converted to meet
the new demands. A publicity campaign was begun, and in its
first year, over two thousand tourists
arrived and spent more than
fifty thousand bed-nights in the resort. Camping and staying at hostels
are popular with younger tourists and also with families. In recent years, there has been a considerable
development of recreation vehicle (RV) camps, particularly in Great Britain. Camping has the
advantage of being one of the least expensive forms of holiday and makes possible more mobility.
Financial aid is given to camps by the state in France and other countries. In Greece, camps are
operated by some large industrial
firms for the bene
t of their employees, and in most countries, they
are run by camping clubs and youth associations.
In 1999, the French government set up an of
cial state-funded agency to help French tourist
resorts
fill vacant beds with up to one thousand unemployed or otherwise struggling citizens.
Supporters claim that the right to leisure is as important a human value as the right to housing,
education, and medical care.
Provision of Information
In the development of social tourism, other problems arise, but these are largely common to tourism
in general. The provision of information, however, deserves brief mention here, because many of the
bene
ciaries of social tourism will have little knowledge of the special attractions of different
resorts. In some countries, government authorities, trade unions, national tourist organizations, and
other bodies have given attention to this question. In the United States, for example, there are
tourist information of
ces in the large cities, and publications are issued advising workers how they
can spend their holidays.
In Canada, bulletins are sent to the trade union of
ces and other
organizations.
To date, most progress has been made in domestic tourism only; and although many workers are
already traveling abroad, there is great opportunity for joint action between the of
cial travel
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