Consumer behaviour in tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Consumer behaviour in tourism - Essay Example The tourism industry mediated by tour operators traditionally came in vogue as a pillaring economic institution during mid nineteenth century with the inception of Thomas Cook, set up by a British entrepreneur. However, the industry underwent a rapid development with the progress of the travel industry spurred by the expansion of airlines between 1950s and 1960s. But it attained popularity only in developed markets of Europe given the heavy expenditure associated with foreign and even domestic tours. Eventually, the travel industry realised the opportunity cost of flying expensive crafts and hence decided to invest in inexpensive ones which were linked with reasonably priced tickets and hence were affordable (Middleton & Hawkins, 1998, p. 184). According to Rostow’s model of economic growth and development, evolution of the traditional tourism industry could be categorised under four phases, namely, the stage of take-off, maturity and finally that of mass consumption (Cavlek, 2005, p. 177). Development of the tourism sector primarily had been initiated by war stricken nations to recuperate their respective economies out of the impending financial crunch during the post World War II era. Such a development could actually assist in foreign exchange income which could help in propping up the dwindling treasury position of the recipient nation. The World Trade Organisation recognises the importance of tourism for the developing economies in order to abolish wide spread poverty.