Purposes of Tourism

Tourism is a multifaceted activity that serves various purposes, and knowing the most important purposes is essential to understanding tourism behavior. By realizing the diverse needs and motives of travelers, tourism practitioners can tailor their services to meet these specific needs and create products and communications that resonate with the market.

The purpose of travel may be divided into two basic categories. By most definitions, tourism includes people who travel either for business or for pleasure. Pleasure tourism includes all tourism that is not related to pursuing work or business interests. There are many ways of categorizing purposes of pleasure tourism, but in this section, you will learn about the seven most important types.

 

1. Visiting Friends or Relatives

Traveling to visit friends or relatives strengthens personal connections and allows us to experience different ways of life. It provides an opportunity to catch up with loved ones, celebrate special occasions, and create shared memories. In a world where family members are mobile and social media allows us to entertain large personal networks, it seems important to sometimes also meet up with these people in person.

 

2. Recreation

Recreational tourism is all about relaxation and fun. It could involve lounging on a beach, exploring a new city, or dining at a renowned restaurant. This type of travel allows us to escape from our daily routines and experience new sights, sounds, and tastes. Recreation is about recharging the batteries and just enjoying time off work or school.

 

3. Nature and Culture

Traveling for nature and culture allows us to appreciate the world's diversity. Nature tourism might involve hiking in a national park, birdwatching in a rainforest, or snorkeling at a coral reef. It is about connecting to nature either by being in the wilderness, enjoying a beautiful scenery, or engaging in outdoor activities. Cultural travel could include visiting museums, attending local festivals, or exploring historical sites. Both forms of tourism broaden our horizons and deepen our understanding of the world.

 

4. Sport

Sport-related tourism can involve participating in a sports event, such as a marathon or a surfing competition, or spectating at a major sporting event like the Olympics or the World Cup. It also includes engaging in sports for training or exercise. This type of travel allows us to pursue our passions, challenge ourselves, and connect with others who share our interests. Traveling to watch or participate in sports may sometimes be motivated by certain places being particularly suitable for the activity, such as surfing in Bali or skiing in the European Alps. Other times the motivation is just experiencing your favorite sport in different and exotic locations.

 

5. Spiritual

Spiritual tourism can be a journey towards self-discovery and enlightenment. It might involve a pilgrimage to a sacred site, a yoga retreat, or a visit to a spiritual leader. It may also include attending or witnessing a spiritual festival or event. All forms of religious travel are included in this category, such as visits to the St. Peters Basilica in Rome or trips to Mecca as is done by millions of Muslim pilgrims every year. This type of travel can provide a sense of peace, purpose, and connection to something greater than ourselves.

 

6. Health

Health tourism involves traveling to improve one's physical or mental well-being. This could include visiting a spa for relaxation and rejuvenation, a wellness retreat for holistic health practices, or a medical tourism destination for specific treatments. Sometimes health travel is just about traveling to a climate or altitude that is more auspicious for travelers with certain ailments. This type of travel can contribute to our overall health and well-being or in certain cases be necessary to recover from an illness or injury.

 

7. Study

Traveling for study allows us to learn in a different cultural context. This could involve a semester abroad, a language immersion program, or a field study in a specific discipline. Study tourism can enhance our educational experience, develop our intercultural skills, and open up new academic and career opportunities. What the tourist is learning may or may not be related to the destination that is visited.

 

Note that for some of these tourism purposes, study and health in particular, it may be questioned to what extent they can be called pleasure travel. In the dichotomy of business versus pleasure, this is nevertheless where they are commonly classified.

 

It should also be mentioned that many trips involve combinations of more than one purpose. A visit to a sports event may be combined with a couple of days of recreational activities, or a visit to a family member may include sightseeing for natural or cultural attractions. It is also common to add elements of pleasure tourism to trips that are done primarily for business purposes. A few days of business meetings can thus be followed by a weekend on the beach with a spouse or partner.

 

Tourism serves many purposes, each offering unique experiences and benefits. Whether we're visiting loved ones, seeking relaxation, exploring nature and culture, pursuing sports, seeking spiritual growth, improving our health, or expanding our education, tourism enriches our lives in various ways.

 

A deep understanding of the purposes of travel allows tourism practitioners to provide superior, personalized service, develop effective marketing strategies, innovate their offerings, improve customer satisfaction, and promote sustainability in the tourism industry.