What this lesson teaches
I can describe recent trends in tourism, including globalisation and the growing variety of demand and supply.
Syllabus K226, Topic 2.2, Key Question 1. What are the trends in tourism?
Make a guess
International tourism has grown over the long term. What does that tell you about every single year?
- Arrivals rose year after year in each region.
- Most tourists now want the same package holiday.
- Big firms took the gains from the growth.
- Not much. Some years fall sharply, as in 2020.
Show the answer
Not much. Some years fall sharply, as in 2020.
Long-term growth hides falls. Border closures during COVID-19 cut world arrivals by about 70% in 2020, and regions recovered at different speeds.
Better connections make travel easier, and people's varied interests create demand for new destinations and services.
Globalisation links places through transport, information, trade and money. Over the long term, this has helped international tourism grow. Tourists now come from more places and visit more places. Growth is not steady. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a sharp fall, and regions recovered at different speeds.
Demand is what visitors want. Some choose popular package holidays. Others seek lesser-known or newly reachable places. Adventure tourism involves challenges. Heritage tourism visits historic places. Sports tourism involves watching or playing sport. Health tourism involves medical care or well-being. One trip can combine several of these.
Supply is what businesses offer. Small specialist firms run wildlife or history tours, alongside big firms selling mass-market packages.
Marketing has moved from print and TV towards websites, booking apps, reviews and social media. This helps small firms reach distant customers, but competition grows and firms come to depend on the platforms. Publicity can also bring more visitors than a place is ready to manage.
- Demand
- What visitors want.
- Supply
- What businesses offer: specialist and mass-market.
- Niche tourism
- Adventure, heritage, sports and health.
Step by step
Demand
Who wants which experience, and why?
Supply
Which businesses respond?
Connection
How do transport and marketing link them?
Real examples to use
COVID-19
Border closures in 2020 cut international tourist arrivals worldwide by about 70%. Singapore's visitor arrivals fell by 85.7%.
Home-sharing and budget airlines
Platforms such as Airbnb and low-cost airlines such as Scoot made travel and places to stay cheaper and easier to find.
Worked example: An arrival is not a person
Tourism statistics usually count arrivals. Someone who makes two trips is counted twice. So arrivals are not always different people.
Watch out for this
Long-term growth means arrivals rise every year everywhere.
Growth can include sharp falls, like the pandemic, and different regional patterns.
Check your understanding
Which statement best describes the practice arrivals graph?
- An overall rise, with a sharp fall and then a recovery.
- Exactly 85,000 different people travelled in Year 6.
- A steady rise in arrivals from Year 1 to Year 6.
Show the answer
An overall rise, with a sharp fall and then a recovery.
Yes. Arrivals rose from 40,000 to 85,000 but dropped between Years 3 and 4.
Check your understanding
In 2020, international tourist arrivals worldwide fell by about 70%. What mainly caused this?
- A lasting fall in people's interest in travelling abroad.
- Border closures and travel limits during COVID-19.
- The collapse of budget airlines across the world.
Show the answer
Border closures and travel limits during COVID-19.
It shows tourism growth is not steady.