Inbound and Outbound International Tourism

Tourism is the art and science of bringing, arranging, accommodating, entertaining, and generally attracting tourists to a place. It can be categorized in several ways. Cultural tourism comprises the aesthetic or cultural tourism, which includes the history and architecture of a country, its literature and arts, its traditional industries, and its contributions to science. Technological tourism consists of the visit to technical centers of a country, their artifacts, inventions, and technological advances, which contribute to the progress and development of a country.

The business of tourism has evolved over the years. Initially, the tour operators, the travel agencies, and others involved in the tourism sector were operators from the country itself. They would advertise the country, its landmarks and tourist sites, and would arrange trips and excursions to tourist destinations around the world. In later years, the practice of private home travel became more popular. People who could afford it and who were interested in trying out a new vacation spot were able to go on a vacation that consisted of a stay at a typical residence, rather than a hotel or other lodging establishment. Tourists were then encouraged to stay in the same residence as well, thereby creating a hybrid tourism/employment model.

Today, many parts of the world are experiencing a surge in tourism growth. The most popular destinations for international tourism trips include European countries, Asia, South America, Central America, Caribbean, Russia, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan. Economically, most of these nations are experiencing growth because of infrastructural development, improved infrastructure, increases in employment rates, and an increase in the number of resident families seeking employment abroad.

Domestic tourism, on the other hand, has grown tremendously during recent years. This type of tourism involves resident families spending their vacation times at home. Economically, a domestic visitor will generally spend more money at home than an international visitor. For instance, a domestic tourist might purchase household goods at home, eat at home, and use furniture and appliances at home. Whereas, an international visitor will usually visit a hotel, reserve a room, rent a car, shop at a retail outlet, eat in a restaurant, and so forth. Because an international visitor will not be purchasing household products, clothing, furniture, and so forth, there will not be a significant increase in household income.

On the other hand, the tourism industry is not completely dependent on tourism alone. A good portion of the world’s people travel internationally for business purposes. Therefore, there is still a tremendous need for goods and services. Economically, tourism does not directly affect the countries that host the tourism events, but indirectly affects the country that attracts the tourists. If, for instance, more tourists from overseas come to a smaller country that lacks tourism attractions, then there will be a reduction in the income of that smaller country.

As you can see, both inbound tourism and outbound tourism have their own effects on the tourism industry. However, most experts believe that inbound tourism leads to national growth while outbound tourism has an adverse effect on a country’s economy. That is why many governments, companies, and individuals have put a great deal of effort into promoting internal tourism. Inbound tourism is not very problematic for a country if it is promoting internal tourism. However, outbound tourism can be harmful if a country resorts to wasteful practices such as inbound tourism when it is not needed.