Chapter 5

S
 Learning Objectives

S To describe the social nature of travel

S To explain the social effect of travel

S To be aware of the socioeconomic variables and their effect

on travel

S To enumerate and explain the new travel patterns

S To discuss the preferences of the international tourist

S To analyze the types of tourist roles

S To be familiar with social tourism

 THE SOCIAL
NATURE OF TRAVEL

S
 The Social Nature of Travel

S Travel is brought about by the the social nature of man.

S In some subcultures, travel is the accepted way of spending one’s

vacation.
 The Social Nature of Travel

How does tourism evolves a mutual trust and respect for one
another and the dignity of life on earth?
 The Social Nature of Travel

“The world is becoming a global village in which people from

different continents are made to feel like next door neighbors. In
facilitating more authentic social relationships between
individuals, tourism can help overcome real prejudices and foster
new bonds of fraternity.”

-Pope John Paul II

 THE SOCIAL
EFFECTS OF TRAVEL

S
 The Social Effects of Travel

S Tourism is concerned with the movement of and contact between

people in different geographical locations. In sociological terms,
this involves:
1. social relations between people who would not normally meet;
2. the confrontation of different cultures, ethnic groups, lifestyles,
languages, levels of prosperity, and the like;
3. the behavior of people released from many of the social and
economic constraints of everyday life; and
4. the behavior of the host population, which has to reconcile
economic gain and benefits of the cost of living with strangers.
The Social Effects of Travel

How and why does conflict arise from the

tourists and host community interaction?
SOCIOECONOMIC
VARIABLES AND
THEIR EFFECT ON
TRAVEL

S
 Socioeconomic Variables and
Their Effect on Travel

Age

S There are several differences between patterns of travel

based on age.

S Younger people: active recreational activities

S Elderly: passive forms of recreations

 Socioeconomic Variables and
Their Effect on Travel

Income and Social Status

S Has a great influence on travel.

S Rich persons and/or persons with higher social statuses

travel more or stay longer on the destinations.
 Socioeconomic Variables and
Their Effect on Travel

Education

S Education and travel has a strong correlation.

S Better educated members of the population have a greater

desire for travel and tend to be more sophisticated in their
tastes.

S They prefer activities that require the development of

interpretative and expressive skills.
 Socioeconomic Variables and
Their Effect on Travel

Life Stages of the Family

S The presence of the children in a family limits travel.

S More leisure time is rather spent at home.

S As the children grow up and leave home, the couples renew

interest in travel.
 THE RISE OF NEW
TRAVEL PATTERNS

S
 The Rise of New
Travel Patterns

Travel Clubs

S In this group travel plan, a club member enjoys travel

opportunities and vacation destination facilities at a much
cheaper price than that paid by a non-member.

S Example: Club Mediterainee

 The Rise of New
Travel Patterns

Airline Groups and Arrangements

S Another development in group travel is the introduction of different

types of tour fares promoted by airlines.
1. Groups of 15 or more are given reduced fares
2. Charter service are given by some airlines to affinity group tours which are
intended for those affiliated to a legitimate group for a period of six months
or longer
3. Public charter in which an entire airplane is made available to a group of
persons who travel to the same destination
4. Incentive tours which are given by firms to employees as a reward for a
special achievement or as a motivation
 The Rise Of New
Travel Patterns

Special Interest Tours

S Becoming popular at the present

S These are tours arranged for those who are interested in a

particular activity
 PREFERENCES
OF THE
INTERNATIONAL
TOURIST

S
 Preferences of the
International Tourist

S The preferences of the international tourist are divided into four

categories:
1. Complete relaxation to constant activity
2. Traveling near one’s home environment to a totally strange
environment
3. Complete dependence in group travel to traveling alone
4. Order to disorder
 Preferences of the
International Tourist

Relaxation versus Activity

S Before, the workweek for most people was long and exhausting.
Thus, they demanded holidays that offered relaxation and rest.

S At present, the workweek has been shortened and the annual

holiday leave has been lengthened.

S Relaxation has become possible throughout the year.

S Accordingly, people have started to use their no holiday-time

leisure to exercise new activity skills.
 Preferences of the
International Tourist

Familiarity versus Novelty

S In general, most tourists, on their first trip abroad, tend to seek

familiarity rather than novelty.

S Tourists search something that will remind them of home, and

go back to the same place for a number of times not until they
have gained more experience in traveling will they want to go to
a new environment.

S At present, there is an increasing positive attitude for novelty, for

change.
 Preferences of the
International Tourist

Dependence versus Autonomy

S In the past, tourists joined package tours in which transportation,

lodging, food, sightseeing, and entertainment were fixed in
advance by the tour agency.

S At present, there is an emergence of a group of tourists who

would like to acquire a sense of personal autonomy regarding
their leisure time.
 Preferences of the
International Tourist

Order versus Disorder

S Because of social and economic changes in modern society, the

demand for travel will be based less on familiarity, relaxation,
dependence, and order but more on novelty, activity, autonomy,
and informality.
 TYPES OF
TOURIST ROLES

S
 Types of Tourist Roles

Institutionalized Tourist Roles

S The Organized Mass Tourist

S The Individual Mass Tourist

Non-Institutionalized Tourist Roles

S The Explorer

S The Drifter
SOCIAL TOURISM

S
 Social Tourism

S In a general sense, social tourism is a subsidized system of

travel through the intervention of the government,
employer, or labor union to achieve social goals and
purposes.

S In 1963, the International Bureau of Social Tourism (BITS)

was founded in Brussels to encourage the development of
social tourism on an international scale.