Introduction to the Development of Travel + Tourism

1. Changing Socio-Economic Circumstances:-

The first changes in socio-economic circumstances were when the industrial revolution took place. People were moving from the rural countryside into the bigger towns and cities to find regular employment in the factories, mills and mines. All over England work places were shutting down for a week (wakes week this was called). They were taking a paid holiday which was the first big break for most of the working population.

People suddenly had an increase in leisure time to do more things with their family and friends; this is because the working hours in a week were dramatically cut from around 45+ to sometimes below 40. The raise in wages meant that more people could do things and go places further a field. They took weekend breaks and short holidays more often as well and also they had budgeting for a week's holiday which they could plan ahead for and get the time off through their employers.

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By the 1960's there was a huge rise in teen holidays, these holidays were very popular with people between the ages of 18-30. It became part of culture for young people to go off abroad on new package deal holidays. They would go out drinking and after a night in a pub or bar they would go back to their hotel rooms with a young girl and have 'no-strings attached' sex. They would usually go on holiday for the sole reason of drinking and having sex all week.

2. Technological Developments

Public transport was vital part in how and where people took their holidays. Mainly in the 1940's and early 50's, people used the railway to get to holiday resorts like Blackpool, they would travel mainly from places of work like Manchester, Liverpool, Blackburn etc.

By the mid 1950's the car was becoming more of a major role in public transport and many people took to driving further away than the original holiday resorts of Blackpool, Scarborough, Brighton etc. They travelled to places like Cornwall and Dorset. Some people even braved going abroad to places like Belgium, Holland and France which was unheard of in those days. They drove to big ports like Dover or Ramsgate and caught a ferry across to Europe.

The invention of the jet engine then came along and people discovered holidays in the Mediterranean where the weather was always guaranteed to be hot and sunny. People took to going abroad a lot more because of the jet engine and its power to travel further than anything before that.

Lastly and most recently became the use of electronic booking and air traffic control so more planes can come and go from an airport more frequently than ever before. The internet is now the easiest, fastest and sometimes cheapest place to book holidays from. It can be done in a matter of minutes.

3. Product Development and Innovation

People in Britain only started going on holiday in the 1860's. The only place they could go to was holiday resorts by the sea like Blackpool, Scarborough etc. If it rained they had to try and entertain their children outside somewhere because they weren't allowed back to there holiday flats until the evening.

A great innovation was brought into light in the 1950's by a man called Billy Butlin. It was a holiday camp where there was entertainment all week whether indoors because of the rain or outdoors in the sun. Everyone went there year in year out and thousands of people enjoyed a great time every week it was open.

Package holidays were the next big thing to come along. Holidays abroad were all fully paid for including flights. When you got there you didn't have to do anything but relax and enjoy the weather. The hotel cooked food and laid on meals for you and did everything. This was why it's called a 'package holiday'.

4. Changing Needs, Expectation and Fashions

Annual holidays became fashion throughout Briton. Everyone had to take a holiday as the holiday pay act came into use it was far more acceptable for people to go away.

It became a culture and it still is a culture for most people in Britain.

People often go on more than one holiday a year now, to places further abroad than the Mediterranean. Some people enjoy actually taking a year out of work or education to go and explore the traditions of places in Europe. Whereas most people like just relaxing, enjoying the sunshine and having a good time.

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