Evolution & Determinants of Tourist Demand: A Comprehensive Guide

The Tourist Demand

Evolution of Tourist Demand

1948: The U.N.'s Universal Declaration of Human Rights declared travel as a human right. This has led to the concept of Responsible Tourism we see today.

History: Tourist demand has consistently increased over time. Leiper's Outbound Region model highlights that tourist demand is the outcome of activities and decisions made by individuals in the generating region.

Studies on the Evolution of Tourist Demand

UN (1948): Declared everyone has the right to "relief and leisure, including (...) some periodic paid holidays".

UNWTO (1980): The Declaration of Manila stated the ultimate aim of tourism is "the improvement of the quality of life and the creation of better life standards for all nations." This marked a shift in emphasis from the "right" to tourism to the quality and shape of the demand and experiences.

UNWTO (1990s): Focused on responsibility towards the environment and society.

UNWTO (1994): Stated that "Tourists share the responsibility of conserving the environment and cultural heritage".

UNWTO (1999): The "World Ethic Code for Tourism" provided guidelines to educate the tourism industry. Tourism is now seen as the exercise of a right in a responsible and ethical way.

Definition of Demand

Different disciplines define tourist demand in various ways:

• Economist: The amount of any product or service that people are willing and able to buy at each specific price in a set of possible prices during a specified period of time.
• Psychologist: Focuses on motivation and behavior, studying the interaction between personality, environment, and demand for tourism.
• Geographer: The number of persons that travel or wish to travel to make use of the tourist facilities and services in places away from their usual working or residential places.

Different Perspectives on Demand

• Economists: Study the elasticity of demand, which is the relationship between demand and other variables like price.
• Geographers: Recognize that demand is not only affected by prices, but also by potential demanders (suppressed demand).
• Psychologists: Investigate the relationship between tourist demand, personality types, and the environment.

Understanding Demand in Tourism

There are two different concepts studied within tourist demand:

Determinants of Tourist Demand:

Factors in any society that drive and set the limits to the volume of the population that demands travel and holidays (MACRO).