The History of Tourism
Early Tourism
 Tourism is derived from the Hebrew word torah
which means studying, learning, searching.
 Early tourism has two forms:
 Travel for business
 Religious travel
 The invention of money, writing and wheel by the
Sumerians facilitated travel and exchange of goods.
 The early Phoenicians toured the Mediterranean as
traders.
 Both the Greeks and the Romans were well-known
traders and as their respective empires increased,
travel became necessary. At this time, there was also
travel for private purposes.
 Travel for religious reason took the form of
pilgrimages to places of worship .
 Pilgrimages were made to fulfill a vow as in case of
illness or of great danger or as penance for sins.
 Beside Rome and Jerusalem, St. James of Galicia
was the foremost destination of English pilgrims in
the 14th century.
 Beginning in 1388, English pilgrims were required to
obtain and carry permits, the forerunner of the
modern passport.
Tourism in the Medieval Period
 During the medieval period, travel declined.
 Travel, derived from the word travail, became
burdensome, dangerous and demanding during this
time.
 After the decline of the Roman Empire in the 5th
century, roads were not maintained and they became
unsafe.
 Thieves infected harm on those who dared to travel.
 No one during this time travelled for pleasure.
 Crusaders and pilgrims were the only ones who
traveled.
Tourism During the Renaissance and Elizabethan Eras
 Because few renowned universities developed, traveling for
education was introduced by the British in the 16th century.
 Under Elizabeth I, young men seeking positions in court
were encouraged to travel to the Continent to widen their
education.
 This practice was gradually adopted by others in the lower
social scale. In time it became recognized that the
education of a gentleman should be completed by a “Grand
Tour” of the cultural centers of the Continent which lasted
for three years.
Typical Grand Tourist
Map of Grand Tour
 Grand Tour was used as early as 1670. While
apparently educational, the appeal became social.
 Pleasure-seeking young men of leisure travelled
predominantly through France and Italy .
 By the end of the 18th century, the practice had
become institutionalized for the upper class of
society.
 As young men sought intellectual improvement in
the Continent, the sick sought a remedy for their
illnesses in “spas” or medicinal baths.
 The term “spa” is derived from the word Waloon
word “espa” meaning fountain.
 Travelers immersed themselves in healing waters,
soon, entertainment was added, and dozens of
watering places became resort hotels.
Tourism during the Industrial Revolution
 The Industrial Revolution brought about major
changes in the scale and type of tourism
development.
 It brought about not only technological changes but
also essential social changes that made travel
desirable as a recreational activity.
 The increase in productivity, regular employment,
and growing urbanization gave more people the
motivation and opportunity to go on holiday .
 The emerging middle class combined higher incomes
and growing education into annual holidays.
 To escape from their responsibilities and the
crowded city environment, they traveled to the
countryside or seashore for their holidays.
 This led to the creation of working class resorts near
major industrial centers.
Tourism in the 19th Century
 Two technological developments in the early part of
the 19th century had a great effect on the growth of
tourism.
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
Introduction of the railway
Development of steam power
 The railways created not only more business by
proving reliable and cheap transportation, but also
more competition as various private companies
invested heavily in hotels, resorts and entertainment
facilities.
 Thus, tourism was transformed from a small business
catering to the elite into the start of a mass market, that is,
travel by a large number of individuals.
 The use of steam power provided the increased mobility
needed by the tourism business.
 Steamers on the major rivers provided reliable and
inexpensive transportation that led to the popular day-trip
cruises and the growth of coastal resorts near large
industrial towns.
 As tourism became organized in the later years of the
19th century, the organization of travel became an
established institution.
 Travel organizers emerged. The first and most
famous of these was Thomas Cook.
 His first excursion train trip was between Leicester
and Loughborough in 1841 with 570 passengers at a
round-trip fare of one shilling.
 The success of this venture encouraged him to
arrange similar excursions using chartered trains.
 In 1866 he organized his first American tour.
 In 1874, he introduced “circular notes” which were
accepted by banks, hotels, shops, and restaurants.
These in effect the first traveler’s checks.
 Other tour companies in Britain:
 Dean and Dawson in 1871
 Polytechnic Touring Association in 1872
 Frames in 1881
 In the United States, American Express was founded
by Henry Wells and William Fargo
 As the 19th century drew to a close, photography and
guide-books became popular.
 A huge variety of guide-books which dealt with both
local and overseas travel were sold to tourists.
 The most popular of these was Baedecker, first
published in 1839, which became the leading guide
for European countries at the end of the century.