TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY
Simple yet interesting facts you need to know
TYPES OF TOURIST
We have been traveling locally and internationally for different reasons. Some are classified as "Business tourists" as they travel for meetings, conferences, conventions, or any occasions or events related to business or work while some are known to be "Leisure tourists" as they travel for pleasure which includes travel for vacation, family, sports, education, and health. But how can we classify ourselves based on what type of tourist we are?
THE EXPLORER
This type of tourist arranges their trips alone, trying to go somewhere unusual but still looks for comfortable accommodation and a reliable means of transportation. Trips are organized independently and try to get off the beaten track. Individuals who try to explore a new destination and associate with the people they visit and try to speak their language.
THE DRIFTER
This type of tourist goes further away from the accustomed ways of life of his own country. They have no fixed itinerary as they arrange their own trip and do not seek the help of a tour agency. They are happy to live with locals and try to love the way the people he visits live and engage with them. He is almost totally immersed in his host culture and retains only the most basic of his native customs.
THE ORGANIZED MASS TOURIST
This type of tourist is the least adventurous and prefers a familiar environment rather than a new environment. Buys package tour in which the itinerary of their trip is fixed in advance and their stops are well-prepared and guided. They seldom make decisions for themselves.
THE INDIVIDUAL MASS TOURIST
This type of tourist is similar to the organized mass tourist except that the individual mass tourist has a certain degree of control over his time and itinerary and is not bound to a group. Familiarity is still dominant but less than the organized mass tourist. The desire for novelty is greater for the individual mass tourist.
THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL EFFECTS OF TOURISM
Nowadays, people are influenced to travel with the culture and traditions of different countries. The social effects which are often referred to as socio-cultural impacts tackle the effects of tourism to the host communities after tourists or guests interaction. As always there are positive and negative impacts but let's tackle the good ones first.
PRESERVING LOCAL CULTURE AND HERITAGE
The presence of one's culture is the epitome of tourism. People don't simply travel because of the location sceneries but to experience one's culture.
STRENGTHENS THE COMMUNITIES
How? By events and festivals where the residents are the primary participants alongside the spectators. The jobs provided by blooming tourism also give way for enhanced employment prospects.
COMMERCIALIZATION AND REVITALIZATION OF CULTURE AND ART
Businesses often promote one's tradition to provide much intimate experience to travellers. Museums and galleries becoming must-visit destinations nowadays.
Now let's point out the negative impacts.
SOCIAL CHANGE
It refers to changes in the way society acts or behaves. Example? The way they speak or dress. With the interaction of people from different geographical locations, cultural clashes can occur. The attitude of local residents towards tourism development may unfold through Doxey's Irritation index. Stages of euphoria, where tourists are very much welcome to apathy, irritation, and possibly antagonism when anti-tourists attitude take place.
GLOBALIZATION
It is an interaction making each race more alike. It is inevitable in tourism. And it opens a way for the destruction of one's preserved heritage. It may be considered a bad thing but seriously, there is also a positive thing about it. As a traveler, we often wanted to mostly have a convenient experience and a sense of 'familiarity' and globalization provides that. Not everyone is comfortable with a 'squat' toilet for example and having a western toilet as an option is much easier. In terms of food, not all people will enjoy the local food present, and having international cuisine all along is a lifesaver.
REF:
Gupta, D. D. (2014, April 26). ITFT-Types of Tourist. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/DIkshitGupta/types-of-tourist-33968140
Social impacts of tourism. (2020, October 23). Retrieved November 29, 2020, from https://tourismteacher.com/social-impacts-of-tourism/