This document provides a history of the tourism industry from ancient times to the present. It discusses how tourism began as travel for trade and religious pilgrimages in ancient India, Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece. In the 19th century, the industrial revolution and new transportation infrastructure helped launch modern tourism with the first travel agencies and package tours. Major figures like Thomas Cook and Cesar Ritz helped professionalize and grow the tourism industry by popularizing packaged tours and improving hotel standards and services. Today tourism is a global industry with major hotel brands operating worldwide.
3. Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business
purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists
as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their
usual environment for not more than one consecutive year
for leisure, business and other purposes"
4. Tourism itself, was born in the nineteenth century as a
consequence of the Industrial Revolution, with movements
whose primary intention is recreation, leisure, culture, health,
business or family relationships. These movements are
characterized by their purpose of travel other motivated by
war, migration,
conquest, trade, among others.
However tourism has
clear historical backgrounds.
5. 2000 years Before Christ, in India and
Mesopotamia
Travel for trade was an important feature since the
beginning of civilization. The port at Lothal was an
important centre of trade between the Indus valley
civilization and the Sumerian civilization.
6. 600 BC and thereafter
The earliest form of leisure tourism can be traced as far back as the
Babylonian and Egyptian empires. A museum of historic antiquities
was open to the public in Babylon.
The Egyptians held many religious
festivals that attracted the devout
and many people who thronged to
cities to see famous works of arts
and buildings.
In India, as elsewhere, kings
travelled for empire building.
The Brahmins and the common
people travelled for religious
purposes.
7. Old Age
In classical Greece attached great importance to leisure and free
time is devoted to culture, entertainment, religion and sport. The
most prominent movements were those who did attend the
occasion of the Olympic Games of antiquity (the Olympics are the
4 years between two consecutive games) in the city of Olympia),
which came thousands of people and where mixed religion and
sport. There were also religious pilgrimages
9. During the Roman Empire the Romans frequented hot springs (Baths
of Caracalla), were regulars in major events, such as theaters, and
performing regular trips to the coast (well known in the case of a
holiday villa by the sea). These leisure trips were made possible by
three key factors:
Roman Peace, development
major roads
communication and prosperity
that enabled economically
some citizens economic and leisure issues.
11. Middle Age
During the Middle Ages is at first a setback due to the greater
conflict and economic recession accordingly. At this time there is a
new type of travel, religious pilgrimages. They had already existed
in ancient and classical but both Christianity and Islam would
spread to the greater number of believers and displacement
would be greater.
13. They are famous expeditions from Venice to the Holy Land and
pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago (from 814 in the discovery of
the tomb of the saint), were continuous pilgrimages across Europe,
creating maps, counters and all kinds of services walkers).
In the Islamic world the Hajj (( ḥaǧǧ or ḥiǧǧa,) or pilgrimage to
Mecca is one of the five Pillars of Islam forcing all believers to this
pilgrimage at least once in life.
14. In 1985 the city's Old Town was designated a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
16. MODERN AGE
The pilgrimage continues during the
Modern Age. In 1500 in Rome
Some pilgrims died because of a the bubonic plague. This is the moment when the
first accommodation hotel name (French word designating urban palaces). As the
great personalities traveling with his entourage (increasingly numerous) it was
impossible to accommodate everyone in the palace, so these constructs were
created.
This is also the time of the great maritime expeditions of Spanish, British and
Portuguese spark curiosity and interest in travel.
17. In the late sixteenth century the custom of sending arises young English
aristocrats making the grand-tour after completing their studies in order to
supplement their training and some experience. It was a long trip (3 to 5 years) to
be made by different European countries and then come the words: tourism,
tourist, and so on.
The Grand Tour is a journey motivated by the need for training of these young
aristocrats in the future will run their country. Knowledge "in situ" from the
greatness of Rome, Paris and Athens as well as discussions in the cafes of the great
spas, travelers should learn how to take the reins of an empire like the British.
Also at this time there is a resurgence of the baths, which had declined during the
Middle Ages. Not only did they attend medical advice, but also makes fun fashion
and entertainment centers such as hot springs in Bath (England). Also in this
period dates the discovery of mud baths as a therapeutic remedy, cold beaches
(Nice, Provence) where the bathrooms were to be taken by prescription.
19. CONTEMPORARY AGE
Arguably, pleasure trips had their beginnings in the last years of this century
and early nineteenth centuries. Major changes in society, lifestyles, industry
and technology alter the morphology of the community. There are moments
in the history of exceptional change and rapidly growing. The nineteenth
century witnessed a great economic expansion, followed by industrial and
scientific revolution even greater in the second half of the twentieth century.
Tourism was one of the main beneficiaries, to become the late twentieth
century the world's largest industry.
20. Begins to emerge mountain tourism or health: are built famous private
hospitals and clinics in Europe, many of them come down to us like small
boutique hotels.
It is also the time of the cold beaches (Costa Azul, Canal de la mancha, etc ...).
24. In 1841 Thomas Cook organized
the first package tour in history.
Although it was an economic
failure is considered a resounding
success in terms of precedent of
package tour, then realized the
enormous economic opportunities
that could come to have this
activity, thus creating in 1851 the
first travel agency in the world
"Thomas Cook and son”
28. In 1867 he invented the voucher, document that allows the use of certain
hotels and prepaid services
contracted through a travel agency.
Henry Wells and William Fargo founded the travel agency "American
Express" which was initially dedicated to freight and later becomes one of
the largest agencies in the world. Introduced funding schemes and issuing
travelers checks, such as travel-check (personal money exchanged for paper
currency in general use to protect the traveler from theft or loss).
29. Cesar Ritz is considered the father of modern
hospitality. From an early age occupied all
possible positions of a hotel to become the
manager of one of the best hotels of its time.
Improved all services
hotel, created the position of
sommelier *
Introduced the bathroom
*sommelier (French
sommelier) is the wine in rooms revolutionized
expert suggests to clients
of the great restaurants
the appropriate wine for the management.
the occasion.
31. The Ritz-Carlton is a brand of luxury hotels and resorts with 70 properties
located in many major cities in 23 countries around the world.
The name of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel dates back to the Ritz Carlton Hotel Paris
and London, the current name of Ritz-Carlton was created when a team of
four developers, led by hotelier Horst Schulze.
The name Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company LLC is now a wholly owned subsidiary of
Marriott International. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company currently has 32,000
employees.