BSHM 65 - Chap 2 - Sociology of Tourism

• Travel


  Brought about by the social nature of man
• In some subcultures, travel is the accepted way of spending one's vacation
• Tourism evolves a mutual trust and respect for one another and the dignity of life on earth
• Social effect of tourism


  • Social relations between people who would not normally meet
  • Confrontation of different cultures, ethnic group, lifestyles, language, levels of prosperity
  • Behaviour of people released from many of the social and economic constraints of everyday life
  • Behaviour of the host population, which has to reconcile economic gain and benefits with the costs of living with strangers
• Socioeconomic variables affecting travel


  • Age
  • Income and Social Status
  • Education
  • Life Stage of the Family
• Travel Clubs


  A club member enjoys travel opportunities and vacation destinations facilities at a much cheaper price than that paid by a non-member
• Airline Group and Arrangements


  1. Groups of 15 or more are given reduced fares

  2. Charter service is given by some airlines to affinity group tours

  3. Public service - entire airplane is made available to a group of persons who travel to the same destination

  4. Incentive tours
• Special Interest Tours


  Tours arranged for those who are interested in a particular activity e.g. bird watching, fishing, hunting, scuba diving, photography, golf, skiing, mountain climbing
• Preferences of the international tourist

  • Relaxation vs Activity
  • Familiarity vs Novelty
  • Dependence vs Autonomy
  • Order vs Disorder
• Types of Tourist Roles

  • Organized Mass Tourist
  • Individual Mass Tourist
  • The Explorer
  • The Drifter
• Social Tourism


  A subsidized system of travel through the intervention of the government, employer, or labour union to achieve social goals
• International Bureau of Social Tourism (BITS)


  • Organized in 1963 to encourage the development of social tourism on an international scale
  • Promotes social tourism by building and financing tourist facilities and preserving local culture and environment
• Airline Groups and Arrangements


  types of tour fares
• 2 types of Tourist

  • Institutionalized Tourist
  • Non-Institutionalized Tourist
• Types of Institutionalized Tourist

  • Organized Mass Tourist
  • Individual Mass Tourist
• Types of Non-Institutionalized Tourists

  • The Explorer
  • The Drifter
• Organized Mass Tourist


  Less adventurous type of tourist. Buys a package tour and the itinerary of his trip is fixed in advance and his stops are well-prepared and guided. Prefers a familiar environment.
• Individual Mass Tourist


  Has control over his time and itinerary and is not bound to a group. All arrangements for his tour is done my a travel agency. The desire for novelty is greater.
• The Explorer

  • Arranges his trip by himself and looks for comfortable accommodations and reliable means of transportation.
  • Tries to associate with the people he visits and to speak their language.
  • Dares to leave his country but goes back to it when the experience becomes too rough.
  • Novelty dominates but the explorer does not adopt completely the lifestyle of the host country.
• The Drifter

  • Goes farthest away from the accustomed ways of life of his own country.
  • Tries to live the way the people he visits live and to share their shelter, food and habits.
  • He retains only the most basic of this native customs.
  • Arranges his own trip and does not seek the help of a tour agency and does not have a fixed itinerary.
  • Novelty is the highest and familiarity disappears almost completely.