Comments on: “Five-star tourism is a blip”

By: Walking the line « Quite Alone

Walking the line « Quite Alone — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 07:51:37 +0000

[...] and I just wanted to write a short post, to follow up my previous posts on walking in Jordan and Turkey, to talk about the Jesus Trail, a linked series of walks through northern [...]

By: Matthew Teller

Matthew Teller — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 07:33:30 +0000

Hi Jenny – fair points. However, just to clarify, my words were: “’Going on holiday’ – the idea of travel as mass relaxation – was unknown a century ago”.

As you say there were plenty of wealthy people travelling at that time (and before), but I think that’s rather different from the idea of “going on holiday”, where everybody takes time out from the working year to relax somewhere away from home. Strikes me that that’s a very 20th-century phenomenon!

My point – following up on Kate Clow’s insight – is that tourism is the product of a specific set of economic conditions – and those conditions may change…

By: Jenny Woolf

Jenny Woolf — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 19:02:08 +0000

Kate sounds a marvellous person and walking the Lycian Way sounds great. But I might take issue with the idea of going on holiday just for the sake of having a nice time was unknown a century ago. I sort of know what you mean, but perhaps what you are really saying is that the average person couldn’t afford the level of luxury we can afford now? There were certainly luxury hotels where people hung out for – well, for months sometimes – a hundred years ago/

Society was organised differently then and there was more of a gap between the rich and the poor. But people have always liked to get away on holiday if possible.

As for the future – I don’t know. I suspect there will always be rich people who want luxury this and that. But perhaps for the man in the street it’s going to be back to the British seaside and the boarding house, or the camping holiday (or, whatever is the late 21st century equivalent )

By: Matthew Teller

Matthew Teller — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 22:38:48 +0000

Thank you both for coming by!

@wealth – interesting thought. Migration, I think, is going to be one of the defining issues of the next few decades: the patterns, the legalities (and illegalities), the motivations… another reason why travel and tourism may look very different in a generation’s time!

@alastair – great to hear from you! I agree: these long-distance trails sound very enticing…

By: Alastair Humphreys

Alastair Humphreys — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:22:40 +0000

I’ve always wanted to walk the Lycian way – this has got me thinking about it again…
Al

By: wealthandliving

wealthandliving — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 11:45:34 +0000

I agree that with climate change will come a shift in holiday patterns. However, at the same time it will be interesting to see migration patterns if it becomes the norm to holiday in your own country. Will people then move abroad in order to explore that country?