History of Tourism
People have been travelling from place to place since ancient times. Nomadic people moved about to graze their livestock. Later people travelled to trade or to seek their fortunes in gold rushes, and million emigrated to other countries to escape persecutive or to seek better lives. Apart from a few historical examples, tourism - travelling for pleasure - is a relatively modern idea. Today, people spend nearly $500 billion a year on tourism.
Talking the water
The Romans placed great value on bathing. They settled in many places with natural springs and developed cities as spas ( the name comes from Spa in Belgium). In the 18th century, it became fashionable to visit these spas to "take the water" - drinking and bathing as cures for various illness. Bath in England is a well-known Roman spa.
The Grand Tour
From the 18th century onwards. taking a Grand Tour of historic European cities was a part of the education of wealthy young men. The idea of sightseeing holidays - visiting the great building and art treasure in museums and galleries, battlefield and other historical sites - is a modern version of this.
Package tours
On 5 July 1841, British travel pioneer Thomas Cook took 570 members of the Temperance Society (an organization opposed to drinking alcohol) on the newly-opened railway from Leicester to Loughborough. This journey was the first package tour and the beginning of what was to become the world's best-known travel company. When the Paris Exhibition opened in 1851, Cook took "excursionists" abroad for the Time
Exhibition
During the 19th centuries, a major exhibition in Europe and the USA brought million and the USA brought millions of people to the big cities of the world. Many had never travelled before. The Great Exhibition in London in 1851 had more than 6 million visitors. A century later, the 1951 Festival of Britain attracted 8.5 million, The Paris Exposition of 1889, for which the Eiffel Tower was built, had 28 million visitors, and more than 51 million visited the New York World's Fair of 1964-65
Festivals
The World's major arts and music festivals receive a large number of visitors. The annual Texas State Fair in the USA can attract as many as three million, and many other North America fair receive one million or more Festivals such as the carnival held in Rio De Janerio, Brazil and Mardi Gras in New Orleans, USA are attended by large crowds.
Sport Tourism
Winter sports such as skilling water sport ( sailing, surfing, diving) and adventure sports such as white-water rafting have become very popular, When the Olympic Games is held, the host country can expect a huge boost to its tourist industry.
Amusement parks
Space Tourism
