Socio-Cultural Influences
Social influences
Participation in tourism, for whatever reason, is affected by a number of demographic and social factors, such as age distribution, family life cycle, level of education, occupation structure and population concentration.
- Ageing population - Superannuation has increased retirement incomes.
- Growing middle class
- Smaller families
- DINKS (particularly gay and lesbian couples - Pink Tourism)
- Changes in working conditions, e.g. leave entitlements
- Increased participation of women in the workforce (two income families - more expendable income)
- The holiday home is making a comeback. Many retirees will opt for vacation homes in scenic areas.
- Demographic changes such as the increased number in the 55+ age group (baby boomers). These people are more likely to be retired, have disposable income, financial assets (e.g. shares, investment properties, etc), and so are able to travel often.
- Increased life expectancy
Cultural Influences
Tourists are often attracted by features of historical or cultural interest. These may include buildings and monuments, cultural festivals or re-enactments of historical events, or observations of a foreign culture in their usual social, economic and leisure activities.
- Cultural heritage - immigrants attracted to their ancestral homeland. Inheritance of property, especially in Greece and Itlay - seasonal migrations
- Cultural heritage - e.g. Venice, Versailles, Machu Picchu, Taj Mahal, Angkor Wat.
- Negative impacts on host cultures
- Popular culture - eg. Disney theme parks attract more than 80 million visitors a year.
Medical tourism
Can Florida become the next big Medical Tourism Hot Spot?
Ontario's health care system should serve need, not greed.
Canada's Indigenous tourism boom and what we can learn from it.
Multicultural tourists
Goa tourism to have website in 5-6 languages
The Future of American Tourism is Written in Chinese
"Slum" tourism
Favela tourism in Rio de Janeiro
Tourism concern - Slum/Poverty/Favela Tourism
"Grisly tourism"
Dark tourism: Cambodia tries to turn its bloody history into a sight seeing boom
Dark tourism: why murder sites and disaster zones are proving popular
Popular culture and tourism
Game of Thrones brings its magic to Northern Ireland
George Constanza Ate Here: How Pop Culture Sites become Tourist Sites
Hobbit tourism scatters more Tolkein's magic across New Zealand
Socio-Cultural factors discouraging tourists
India tourists down 25% following fatal Delhi gang rape
Volunteer tourism
Nepal's bogus orphan trade fuelled by rise in 'voluntourism'
Pink Tourism
Pink tourism in South Africa
Shopping tourism
Spain Named No. 2 Destination in World for Shopping Tourism
Explore more infographics like this one on the web's largest information design community - Visually.
Explore more infographics like this one on the web's largest information design community - Visually.
Participation in tourism, for whatever reason, is affected by a number of demographic and social factors, such as age distribution, family life cycle, level of education, occupation structure and population concentration.
- Ageing population - Superannuation has increased retirement incomes.
- Growing middle class
- Smaller families
- DINKS (particularly gay and lesbian couples - Pink Tourism)
- Changes in working conditions, e.g. leave entitlements
- Increased participation of women in the workforce (two income families - more expendable income)
- The holiday home is making a comeback. Many retirees will opt for vacation homes in scenic areas.
- Demographic changes such as the increased number in the 55+ age group (baby boomers). These people are more likely to be retired, have disposable income, financial assets (e.g. shares, investment properties, etc), and so are able to travel often.
- Increased life expectancy
Cultural Influences
Tourists are often attracted by features of historical or cultural interest. These may include buildings and monuments, cultural festivals or re-enactments of historical events, or observations of a foreign culture in their usual social, economic and leisure activities.
- Cultural heritage - immigrants attracted to their ancestral homeland. Inheritance of property, especially in Greece and Itlay - seasonal migrations
- Cultural heritage - e.g. Venice, Versailles, Machu Picchu, Taj Mahal, Angkor Wat.
- Negative impacts on host cultures
- Popular culture - eg. Disney theme parks attract more than 80 million visitors a year.
Medical tourism
Can Florida become the next big Medical Tourism Hot Spot?
Ontario's health care system should serve need, not greed.
Canada's Indigenous tourism boom and what we can learn from it.
Multicultural tourists
Goa tourism to have website in 5-6 languages
The Future of American Tourism is Written in Chinese
"Slum" tourism
Favela tourism in Rio de Janeiro
Tourism concern - Slum/Poverty/Favela Tourism
"Grisly tourism"
Dark tourism: Cambodia tries to turn its bloody history into a sight seeing boom
Dark tourism: why murder sites and disaster zones are proving popular
Popular culture and tourism
Game of Thrones brings its magic to Northern Ireland
George Constanza Ate Here: How Pop Culture Sites become Tourist Sites
Hobbit tourism scatters more Tolkein's magic across New Zealand
Socio-Cultural factors discouraging tourists
India tourists down 25% following fatal Delhi gang rape
Volunteer tourism
Nepal's bogus orphan trade fuelled by rise in 'voluntourism'
Pink Tourism
Pink tourism in South Africa
Shopping tourism
Spain Named No. 2 Destination in World for Shopping Tourism
Explore more infographics like this one on the web's largest information design community - Visually.
Explore more infographics like this one on the web's largest information design community - Visually.
