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You already know from your own experience that people travel outside the place where they live to see new things that cannot be found in their immediate surroundings. Some of them go on vacation to regain their strength, whereas others want to use their skills and special equipment during their trip or on a hiking trail. All these people are tourists. There are many definitions of the term tourism, but they all have one element in common: travel outside the place of residence for reasons other than earning money.

Tourism flows in Europe

Tourism travel has been steadily growing since the 1960s, including travel for leisure, sightseeing, entertainment, sport and other reasons. Such trips, known as tourism flows, are a worldwide phenomenon with the continent of Europe being the destination of more than 50% of all international tourist trips in the world. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), 1,133 million international tourists travelled the world in 2014, including 582 million that visited Europe. And let’s not forget domestic tourists, whose numbers were estimated by the UNTWO to be 5 to 6 billion in 2014. Tourist services have become a vital part of global economy. It is estimated that 75% of all tourists in the world come from the twenty richest countries. The number of tourists is constantly growing as a result of several factors:

Motivations for tourist travel

Tourists are driven by various motivations when they chose their travel destinations. If a place is frequented by tourists, it means that it has certain tourist attractions. There are three types of such attractions:

• leisure attractions – help regain physical and mental strength;

• sightseeing attractions – natural or man‑made sites or objects (e.g. monuments) that attract tourists;

• special interest attractions – amenities for those types of tourism that require special equipment or training, e.g. canoeing, mountain climbing, angling.

The time of the year is an important factor determining the timing of a tourist trip. Tourism in Europe has a markedly seasonal character: about 50% to 60% of all tourists travel in summer. Other factor include: the attractiveness of a destination for tourists, the available tourism infrastructure, trends that influence the choice of destination, price of tourist services, tradition. Selected sites or areas of great importance and value can be now inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. When a country wants to put a site located within its boundaries on the list, it needs to submit a special application and provide a justification. Then, the World Heritage Committee verifies the application and either approves or rejects it. To be inscribed on the UNESCO list, a site must be characterised by outstanding cultural, natural or historic value. Such sites are subject to special protection under international law. UNESCO World Heritage sites are usually visited by more tourists than places that are not on the list.

Summary

• Europe is the continent most visited by tourists (over 50% of all tourist traffic in the world). Numerous touristic and recreational values encourage the cultivation of various forms of tourism.

• Factors conducive to the development of tourism in Europe are: the introduction of visa‑free travel in the territory of European Union countries and some non‑EU countries and the common currency in most EU countries.

• When planning a tourist trip, always prepare a detailed tour program. Follow the safety rules and the regulations in force in your area.

Keywords

Tourism flows, List of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage of UNESCO, European Union

Glossary