Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt
International Tourism Management

 

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Introduction: Historical Development of Tourism

 

 

 INTRODUCTION: HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM

 

Global development of tourism
 pre-modern, modern, post-modern:
 Discovery - Acquisition - Invention

 

 Tourism is connected to movement ("tour" - moving in a circle):

 

 

  Basically, the touristical product is immobile, the consumer has to travel to the product
    (but: post-modern development - see below)

 

 

 

  Like art, the touristical product only comes into existence when it is consumed, exceeding the uno-actu principle for all services, the tourist is also a producer

 

 

 

 

  Location of destinations influences Tourism, but Tourism also influences destinations

 

  Physically by

  building infrastructure

  changing land-use patterns

  changing remote areas into resorts

  keeping historic sites alive and threatening their destruction at the same time

  supporting ecological systems and polluting them at the same time

  creating totally man-made landscapes

 

  Psychologically by

  putting specific labels on places

  changing the idea and experience of distance

  dividing the world in sights and non-sights ("Sehens-würdig")

  defining a specific status quo as "traditional", "authentic", "Heritage"
 and trying  to preserve its appearance

 

 

 Tourism is changing the geography of our planet in two ways: physically in our spatial use of the world and mentally in our way of seeing and experiencing the world 

 

 

 Tourism is selling a physically and psychologically man-made product.

 

 

 

 

The "touristisation" of a destination, the adjustment of the

- material,

- social and

- semiotic appearance

of a place towards to consumption by strangers is visible or invisible in different degrees
to the tourist/customer,

for instance in

a "traditional" village

a skiing resort

an old city center

a Robinson club

a "remote" place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Contact: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt, arlt@fh-westkueste.de, Tel. 0481 8555-513

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