LECTURE TWO

TYPES OF TRAVEL, TRAVELERS, TOURISM, AND TOURISTS

Lecture 2 Outline

2.1 Introduction
2.2 Objectives
2.3 Types of Travelers
2.3.1 Traveler
2.3.2 Visitor
2.3.3 Tourist
2.3.4 Excursionist/Day Tripper
2.4 Tourism Types on Basis of Nationality & Geographical Location
2.4.1 Domestic Tourism, Inbound Tourism and Outbound Tourism
2.4.3 Internal Tourism, National Tourism and International Tourism
2.4.3 Difference between International Tourism and Domestic Tourism
2.5 Traveler Categories on Basis of Purpose of Visit
2.5.1 Leisure Travel
2.5.2 Business Travel
2.5.3 Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR)
2.6 The Factors Influencing Tourism Demand
2.6.1 Motivating Factors
2.6.2 Facilitators (enablers) and Inhibitors
2.7 Summary
2.8 References
2.9 Terminal Questions

2.1 Introduction

Having been introduced to the meaning and definitions of the main terms “travel” and “tourism” in the
previous lecture, our attention in this lecture turns to the categories of travel and tourism. The aim of
this lecture is to distinguish between types of travelers, types of tourism, traveler categories based on
purpose of their visit, and factors influencing tourism demand.

In order to attain our goal, in the lecture we ponder over various pertinent questions that can help
better understand the main key terms “travel” and “tourism” introduced to you in the previous lecture.
These questions include: what are the technical differences between the various types of travelers; what
kind of visits are made in travel and tourism, and to where; how can the purpose of visit be used to
classify tourists; why do people leave their homes and travel to other places; and what might facilitate or
inhibit their travel? In the next lecture, our focus will turn to the supply-side definitions – those relating
to the travel and tourism industry.

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2.2 Objectives By the end of this lecture, you should be able to:

1 Differentiate between the various types of travelers as per technical

definitions.
2 Distinguish international tourism from other types of tourism based on
nationality and geographical location.
3 Describe the three main categories of tourists based on the purpose of
their visit.
4 Discuss the factors influencing the behavior and decision-making of
tourists as they relate to tourism demand.

2.3 Various Types of Travelers

The following definitions differentiating between the various categories of visitors are based on the WTO
definitions and classifications and explain the various types of visitors.

2.3.1 Traveler

A traveler is any person on a trip between two or more locations (WTO, 1995, p.17). Hence, technically
speaking, a traveler is an all-inclusive group that comprises:

● Direct Transit Travelers (DT., e.g., at an airport, between two nearby ports);
● Commuters – those on routine travel for work, study, shopping, etc.;
● Other Non-commuting Travelers (ONT), e.g., those on occasional local travel, transport crew or
commercial traveler (to various destinations), migrants (including temporary work), diplomats
(to/from their duty station).
● Visitors

Take Note

The travelers at the center of tourism are VISITORS (excursionists and

tourists).

2.3.2 Visitor

A visitor is any person traveling to a place other than his/her usual environment for less than 12
consecutive months and whose main purpose of the travel (trip) is and not to work for pay in the place
visited but for leisure, business, pilgrimage, health, etc.

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According to Theabald (2005, p. 17) Transport Crew and Commercial Travellers (even those travelling to
different destinations over the year) may be regarded as travelling in their usual environment and,
hence, excluded from visitors (Transport Crew are usually excluded from Frontier Control), also those
travelling year round (or most the year) between two places of residence (e.g., weekend homes,
residential study).

Take Note

Visitors fall into two categories: Tourists and Excursionists (Day Trippers)

2.3.3 Tourist

A tourist (also called stay-over/overnight visitor) is a visitor who stays at least one night in the place
visited (not necessarily in paid accommodation). Technically, tourists differ from Excursionists/Day
Trippers.

2.3.4 Excursionist/Day Tripper

An Excursionist, also called A Day Tripper (DT), Same-day visitor (SDV) or Day-visitor, is a visitor who does
not stay overnight in a collective or private accommodation in the place visited, e.g.:

● Cruise Visitor (CV) – who may tour for one or more days, staying overnight on the ship (includes
foreign naval personnel off duty).
● Border Shopper (BS), who may have high expenditures on purchases of food, drink, tobacco,
petrol, etc.; excluding border workers.

Take Note

Although Day Trippers are technically not tourists, due to the fact that they
spend money in the tourism sector and boost the economy, it is important to
measure the value of their spending.

2.4 Tourism Types on Basis of Nationality & Geographical Location

It is important for you to be able to distinguish between international tourism and the other main types
of tourism based on nationality and geographical location. To do so, we first differentiate between
domestic tourism, inbound tourism and outbound tourism and then, also between internal tourism,
national tourism and international tourism.

2.4.1 Domestic Tourism, Inbound Tourism and Outbound Tourism

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In 1994 the United Nations (UN) classified three forms of tourism in its recommendations on Tourism
Statistics; domestic tourism, inbound tourism and outbound tourism.

Domestic tourism

Domestic tourism involves residents of the given country traveling only within their country, e.g.,
residents of Kenya traveling within Kenya. It is entirely local and does not involve foreign visitors. This
occurs when people take holidays, short breaks and day breaks in their own country. Good examples of
domestic tourism include:

- A couple taking a weekend break in their own country

- Supporters of a football team going to an away game featuring their local team
- A family visiting relatives in another part of the country, even if they live only a few kilometers
away

Inbound/Incoming Tourism

Inbound tourism (invariably incoming tourism) involves non-residents or foreigners traveling within a
given destination country.

Rather, inbound tourists or Incoming tourists are those who visit a country which is not their country of
residence for the purposes of tourism. Thus, it describes people entering the country in question from
their home country, which means it is a type of international tourism. Examples include:

- A party of Korean visitors coming to Kenya on a trip

- Teams from different countries entering a country for an international event, such as, the
Olympic Games or the Football World Cup
- Families from the US entering Kenya to visit relatives

Outbound tourism/Outgoing tourism

Outbound tourism/outgoing tourism involves residents traveling to a country other than theirs –
traveling from one’s home country to another country for tour purposes. Outgoing tourists are those
who leave their own country, in this case Kenya, to visit another country. Thus, if you go on holiday to
Canada or Jamaica, you are an outgoing tourist. Thus, this term applies when people travel away from
their home country to visit other international countries for leisure or business, which means it is also a
type of international tourism. Some examples include:

- A family from Kenya going to the UK for a holiday

- A day tripper from Kenya visiting Zanzibar in Tanzania.

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 Activity
Contact the National Tourism Board to get the figures for domestic tourism,
inbound tourism and outbound tourism over the past few years. These figures
will be relevant in our topic on the contribution of tourism to the global
economy. Discuss the reasons for any possible changes and consider the
effects on the economy of Kenya if tourism is increasing or decreasing.

To demonstrate the difference between outbound tourism and inbound/incoming tourism is the
example whereby if the tourist travels from the US and comes to Kenya then they are outbound from the
US and inbound/incoming to Kenya.

2.4.2 Internal Tourism, National Tourism and International Tourism

The UN also derived different categories of tourism by combining the three basic forms of tourism in
section 1.4.1 to come up with three other types of tourism, namely, internal tourism, national tourism
and international tourism:

● Internal tourism
Constitutes travel activities within a given country whether by non-residents or residents. Thus, internal
tourism comprises inbound tourism and domestic tourism.

● National tourism
Is travel by residents of a given country or nation be it in that country or outside that country. Thus,
national tourism consists of domestic tourism and outbound tourism.

● International tourism
International tourism comprises inbound tourism and outbound tourism – travel that involves crossing a
country’s border.

Intext Question

How does international tourism differ from domestic tourism?

2.4.3 Difference between International Tourism and Domestic Tourism

According to the World Tourism Organization (WTO), international tourism differs from domestic
tourism. Whereas tourism is classified as domestic when the trip or holiday takes place within a person’s
home country, it becomes international tourism when the traveller crosses one or more national
borders, and the tourists will be classified as an international upon arrival in their destination country.
For instance, an American citizen flying from Los Angeles (LAX) to Auckland (AKL) would be an outbound
tourist from the USA and an inbound tourist to New Zealand (Steward, et al. 2017).

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Thus, whereas tourism is a broad term that generally focuses on travelers away from home and on all
services they offer, international tourism occurs only when a tourist leaves his/her own country and s
crosses a national boundary. Border crossing by international tourists may happen by land, sea or air. It
also necessarily involves some form of internal arrangements in private trade (mainly distribution
systems) and in public institutions (mainly through tourism bodies).

Technically, therefore, international tourism encompasses the activities of tourists who cross a country’s
border and spend at least one night in a foreign country, but not more than 12 consecutive months.
Using Kenya as an example, it applies when somebody leaves the boundaries of this country and travels
to another country as a tourist, or invariably, if a foreign tourist crosses the boundary and enters Kenya,
the he or she is getting involved in international tourism.

International tourist arrivals and international tourist receipts are the most commonly accepted
measures of a country’s international tourism industry.

2.5 Traveler Categories on Basis of Purpose of Visit

People travel for a variety of reasons and, according to Sue Steward and her colleagues the most
commonly used sub-divisions are: Leisure Travel; Business Travel and Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR)
(Steward, et al. 2017, p. 6).

2.5.1 Leisure Travel

Leisure travel simply refers to travel for pleasure and enjoyment. The reason why leisure tourists visit a
destination, according to Steward, et al. (2017) is in order to see an attraction, to take part in activities
and to experience a break from one’s usual daily routines. The important point about leisure travel is
that people are travelling in order to engage in some leisure-related activity during their free time and
that they are using their own money in order to do so. Their travel plans are not work-related (although
it is common for some individuals to combine business with pleasure) and to all intents and purposes
such travellers are on holiday.

Take Note

Leisure travellers can further be sub-divided into groups, i.e., day trippers,
overnight visitors or those on a particular type of holiday, e.g., a short break.

2.5.2 Business Travel

Business travel is an important part of the global travel and tourism industry and it is frequently referred
to as MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) (Steward, et al. (2017, p. 6). People who
travel for work-related purposes are referred to as business tourists. Examples of particular business
travelers may include those going to meet with colleagues, they might be a delegate at a conference or
an attendee at an exhibition or they might be travelling as a reward for past job performance. The main

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characteristic feature of business travel is the fact that the employer will meet a significant proportion of
the cost of travel. Because of this reason, business travelers tend to spend more than leisure travelers
both in terms of transport and accommodation.

2.6.3 Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR)

Steward and her colleagues also state there is a trend for international travel for the purpose of visiting
friends and relatives (Steward, et al. (2017, p. 6). In many cases, migration has resulted in large numbers
of people working overseas while their families remain at home. This means that there will be a regular
flow of expatriate workers travelling for home visits throughout the year, but particularly at holiday and
festival times. A characteristic feature of VFR tourists is that they usually spend money on transport and
activities, but not on accommodation.

2.6 Factors Influencing Tourism Demand

An important question here is: what factors influence the behavior and decision-making of tourists as
they relate to tourism demand?

Demand for tourism products depends on two things:

● Whether the potential traveler has, in the first place, the desire to travel (i.e., travel motivators),
and/or
● The ability to travel (i.e., travel facilitators/enablers).

In short, factors influencing the behavior and decision-making of tourists as they relate to tourism
demand fall into two main categories: motivating factors (travel motivators) and
facilitating/enabling/limiting factors (travel facilitators/enablers/limiters).

2.6.1 Motivating Factors

Various scholars have attempted to deal with motivational proposition – to answer the question – why
people leave their homes and travel to other places. Although no common answer is yet to be agreed
upon, various theories have been forwarded different theories to address the issue. These include:
quasi-psychological theories proposed by Gray (1970); push and Pull factors theories suggested by Dann
(1977); and socio/psychological theories forwarded by Middleton and Clarke (2002).

According to Gray (1970), one can ascribe two vital and well-defined purposes for pleasure travel:
Wanderlust and Sunlust. He defines wanderlust as: “that basic trait in human nature which causes some
individuals to want to leave things with which they are familiar and to go and see at first hand different
existing cultures and places, or the relics of past cultures in places famous for their historical associations,
ruins and monuments. The desire to travel may not be a permanent one, but merely a desire to exchange
temporarily the known, work-a-day things of home for something which is exotic”.

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In contrast to Wanderlust is Sunlust, which largely focuses on the attractiveness and pull of the sun, sand
and sea. According to Gray (1970) Sunlust, “generates a special type of travel which depends upon the
existence elsewhere of different or better amenities for a specific purpose than are available locally”.

Activity
Can you think of the differences that can exist between Wanderlust and
Sunlust travellers?

These two types of travel differ critically in terms of the degree to which they are likely to be
international (as opposed to domestic), and the nature of travel facilities needed by the destination.

Gray further elaborates that wanderlust may be expected to be primarily international in character than
sunlust travel. Of course, there are some possibilities of domestic wanderlust travel in case of a large
country with widely different geographic characteristics in different parts of the country, distinct kinds of
lives arid the convenience of cultural diversity, for example India or the US. Sunlust travel can,
nevertheless, be comparably more international when the country of domicile is fairly small, for
instance, Jamaica.

The characteristic features of wanderlust and sunlust travel are quite dissimilar which may be outlined as
follows:

On one hand, wanderlust visit is meant to be neither relaxing nor lively but seemingly enlightening. It is
generally multi-country and for the travellers, these are mainly the physical and man-made attractions
that are of high import rather than the natural attractions like climate. Wanderlust travellers are also
ever looking for something unfamiliar, i.e., different cultures, institutions, cuisine, etc. In addition,
wanderlust results in relatively more international travel and tourist business.

On the other hand, in sunlust travel, the travel pattern is single destination pattern. Such a travel is
intended to be both relaxing and restful or very active. The major consideration in sunlust travel is
climate with the sunlust travelers largely seeking familiar environment (domestic amenities and
accommodations). In sunlust visit, once at the destination, travel is of little weight unlike the case with
wanderlust visit. Additionally, contrary to wanderlust, sunlust relates to somewhat more domestic travel
and holiday resort business.

According to tourism scholar Dann (1977) the decision for travel is influenced by two basic factors: Push
and Pull factors:

PUSH FACTORS PULL FACTORS

- Poverty Here would include those factors that influence

- Insecurity destination choice process, once the initial desire
- Political Persecution of traveling has been given. Pull factors then

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 incline individuals to go to a certain destination
after they have been pushed into wanting to travel.

According to Dann (1977) the question of why people travel can only be answered by pull factors.

Push factors:

Internal motivation: -

● Escape (from poverty, insecurity, political persecution, etc.)

● Rest and relaxation
● Prestige
● Health and fitness
● Adventure and social interaction
● Family and excitements

Pull factors:

● Destinations attractiveness
● Attractions
● Facilities amenities
● Services

Middleton and Clarke (2002), on their part, gave a simple and general motivational theory, in which they
laid out six motives for traveling outlined below:

● Business Related motives, e.g., taking goods to markets, e.g., flowers to Europe, launching
and/or promoting products, i.e. Nokia Face of Africa, etc.
● Physical and physiological motives, e.g., participation in indoor sports activities and outdoor
recreation, undertaking activities in pursuit of health, fitness and recuperation, finding warmth/
sunshine/ relaxation on the beach, etc.
● Cultural/ physiological/ personal/ educational motives, e.g., participation in festivals, theatre,
music, and museums as spectator, player or volunteer, participation in personal interests, visiting
destinations for the sake of their cultural and/or natural heritage, etc.
● Social/ interpersonal and ethnic motives, e.g., enjoying the company of and visiting friends and
relatives, traveling for social duty occasions (weddings, birthdays, etc.), accompanying partners
traveling for their own reasons, visiting the place of one's birth and exploring historical roots,
etc.
● Entertainment/ amusement/ pleasure/ pastime motive, e.g., watching sports, visiting theme
parks/ amusement parks, undertaking non-routine leisure shopping, etc.
● Religious motives, e.g., participating in pilgrimages, undertaking retreats for meditation,
international crusades and study, etc.

2.6.2 Facilitators (enablers) and Inhibitors

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You might have motivators for wanting to go on holiday, but there may be reasons why you cannot go.
Two of the most important travel enablers/facilitators in tourism are leisure time and money (called
disposable income in tourism). According to Camilleri (2018, p.4) these are called facilitators or enablers
because they are factors that may actually facilitate or enable individuals to travel. The significance of
travel facilitators or enablers is that they allow those wishing to travel to act on their motivators.

What factors may inhibit travel and tourism?

Besides time and money, there are other factors that may also affect the persons’ ability to travel.
Alternatively, these may also limit the ability to travel. According to Camilleri (2018, p.4) these factors
include:

● Age: Can affect the ability to travel either through health restrictions, or through financial
limitations;
● Stage in the family life cycle: Travelers may have the money and the time at their disposal, but
family commitment may preclude travelling;
● Political stability and peace: Although this issue may not prevent travelling; it may limit the
tourists’ choice of destinations. There may be restrictions that may be imposed on nationals of
some countries for political reasons, including; conflicts, wars or acts of terrorism.
● Availability of means of travel – e.g., flights to different locations, the Channel Tunnel, low-cost
flights
● Suitable products – e.g. a range of different holidays
● Owning a car – to travel more easily. Mobility enables travel farther, use their cars more often
and as a result have a higher level of access to economic opportunities. (In Italy, tourist mobility
is largely characterized by the dominance of car use)
● Marketing of a destination – bringing it to your attention
● Ease of booking.

2.7 Summary According to the WTTC (1995) travellers are classified into four main
categories, i.e., travelers (persons on a trip between two or more locations);
visitors (persons traveling any to a place other than their usual environment
for less than 12 consecutive months and whose main purpose of the travel
(trip) is not to work for pay in the place visited but for leisure, business,
pilgrimage, health, etc.), tourists (visitors who stay-over/overnight visitors) and
excursionists (day visitors).

According to the UNWTO there are six main types of tourism: domestic
tourism, inbound tourism outbound tourism, and also, internal tourism,
national tourism and international tourism. International tourism, the focus of
this course, differs from domestic tourism. Whereas tourism is classified as
domestic when the trip or holiday takes place within a person’s home country,

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 it becomes international tourism when the traveller crosses one or more
national borders, and the tourists will be classified as an international upon
arrival in their destination country. Thus, international tourism comprises
inbound/incoming and outbound/outgoing tourism.

One of the main ways of categorizing tourists is on the basis of the purpose of
their visit. These purposes or reasons for tourism are what make tourism huge
and wide and these can be leisure, holidaying, friends and family, health or
wellness, culture or even religion, and many others like these. The three main
travel categories that are usually recognized are: Leisure travel, business travel
and Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR).

Factors which influence the behavior and decision-making of tourists as they

relate to tourism demand fall into two main categories: motivating factors
(which try to explain why people leave their homes and travel to other places)
and travel facilitators or enablers (factors that may actually facilitate or enable
individuals to travel). The significance of travel facilitators or enablers is that
they allow those wishing to travel to act on their motivators. Besides time and
money that may facilitate or enable travel, there are other factors, which may
also limit travel, e.g., age, stage in the family life cycle, political stability and
peace, availability of means of travel, car ownership, etc.

JUST REMEMBER TO BE SURE TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING

QUESTIONS:

(a) What are the technical differences between the various types of
travelers?
(b) What kinds of visits are made in travel and tourism, and to where?
(c) How can the purpose of visit be used to classify tourists?
(d) Why do people leave their homes and travel to other places?
(e) What might facilitate or inhibit the travel of people from their homes
to other places?

2.8 Terminal Question 1

Questions (a) Using clear examples, distinguish the types of travelers, tourism, and
the traveler categories based on purpose of visit.
(b) Identify and discuss the diverse factors influencing tourism demand.

Question 2
(a) Define and differentiate between the various types of travelers as per
technical definitions.
(b) Using clear examples bring out the main differences between
international tourism and domestic tourism.

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 (c) Describe the three main categories of tourists on the basis of the
purpose of their visit.

2.9 References ● Camilleri, M. A. (2018) “The Tourism Industry: An Overview”, in Travel Marketing,
Tourism Economics and the Airline Product: An Introduction to Theory and Practice.
Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature. (Chapter 1, pp. 3-27). SpringerNature [Online].
Available at: https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319498485 (Accessed: 07.05.19).
● Dann, G.M.S. (1977) “Anomie, ego-enhancement tourism”, Annals of Tourism Research,
4 (4), pp. 187-194.
● Dann, G.M.S. (1981) “Tourist Motivation: An Appraisal”, Annals of Tourism Research,
8(2), 187-219.
● Cooper, C. (2016) Essentials of Tourism. 2nd edn. Harlow, UK: Person.
● Gee, C.Y., Makens, J.C. and Choy, D.J.L. (1997) The Travel Industry. 3rd edn. New York:
Van Nostrand Reinhold.
● Ghanem, J. (2017) Conceptualizing “the Tourist”: A critical review of UNWTO definition.
Unpublished Master thesis. Universitat de Girona.
● Goeldner, C.R. and Ritchie, J.R.B. (2009) Tourism Principles Practices, Philosophies. 11th
edn. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons.
● Gray, H.P. (1970) International Travel – International Trade. Lexington, Ma: Heath
Lexington Books.
● Jafari, J. (1977) “Editor’s Page”, Annals of Tourism Research. V (Special Number
October/December): 8.
● Middleton, V. T. C. and Clarke, J. (2002) Marketing in Travel and Tourism. 3rd edn.
Woburn, MA: Butterworth Heinemann.
● Leiper, N. (1979) “The Framework for Tourism: Towards a definition of tourism, tourist
and the tourism industry”, Annals of Tourism Research, 1(4), pp. 390-407.
● Pawaskar, P. (2016) Consumer Behavior Analysis in Tourism: Opportunities and
Challenges for Goa. Unpublished PhD thesis. Birla Institute of Technology and Science,
Pilani, India.
● Sharply, R. (2006) Travel and Tourism. London: SAGE Publications.
● Steward, S., Warburton, F. and Smith, J.D. (2017) Cambridge International AS and A
Level Travel and Tourism Coursebook. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
● Theobald, W.F. (2005) “The Meaning, Scope, and Measurement of Travel and Tourism”,
in Theobald, W.F. (ed.) Global Tourism. 3rd edn. Amsterdam: Butterworth-Heinemann,
pp. 5-24.
● WTTC (1995) Travel and Tourism’s Economic Perspective 1995, 2005, WTTC: Brussels.
Source: Based on UNSTAT, Recommendations on Tourism Statistics, op cit.

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