Tourism Introduction to When you think of tourism, what comes to mind? Tourism encompasses a lot more than what people might think. Tourism counts for more than 1.66 million jobs in Canada. It generates nearly one billion dollars for New Brunswick alone. It is one of the biggest and fastest growing industries. Tourism: The activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environments for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business or other purposes.

The Tourism Industry The tourism industry comprises a network of businesses, organizations and government agencies that provide transportation, goods and services, programs and other resources to tourists. Some, like tour guides for example, deal directly with tourists, while others, such as museum curators, do not. There are more than 400 different jobs connected to the tourism industry, and they require different skills, experience and education.

Not only does the tourism industry meet the needs of its customers, it also promotes businesses, local regions and even our country. Everyone can contribute to making tourists feel welcome, and help to ensure that they keep returning. Locals, just like tourism employees, become ambassadors. We all contribute to the positive impression that a visitor has of our beautiful surroundings. You can get involved in tourism from an early age—after all, two out of every five tourism workers are between 15 and 24 years of age.

WHO is travelling? When we think of a typical traveler, we think of the person who is going away on a vacation for leisure purposes. But, this image leaves out other types of travelers. For example, we often forget to include the business traveler or the professional traveler who travels for business and also needs various goods and services while away from home, and who will want to enjoy comforts, entertainment and other luxuries like any other traveler might.

Travelling for Vacation or Pleasure These travelers may travel for many reasons, such as to escape stress, to enjoy a specific tourist experience, to experience a different culture, to attend a religious retreat, to visit an old friend or to attend classes to improve their mind or a recreational skill. Whether a student, senior, vacationer or world traveler, these people all have one thing in common: they make a personal decision to travel for pleasure.

Visiting family and friends People who travel to visit family or friends may do so for pleasure, out of habit, of because of duty or obligation. Reasons for this type of travel can vary greatly. For example, a visit to join family or friends in a tourism experience can be a personal choice made for personal pleasure. Travelling to attend the funeral of a friend or relative is not likely done for personal pleasure and the traveler does not choose when the trip should happen.

Travelling for business or personal reasons The business or professional traveler travels for work, not for pleasure. He or she travels on a tight schedule and must get to and from the destination quickly and efficiently. Wasted time means wasted money. Examples of this type of traveler include sales representatives who are constantly on the road, physicians attending a weekend conference. IT specialists travelling to install or repair computer networks, and teachers travelling to another city for Professional Development training. Sometimes, a business or professional traveler combines a business trip with a travel for pleasure by extending his or her stay or by bringing family members to share a tourism experience.

Travel and Choice Travelers can also be defined according to how much choice they have about where they go and what they do. Choice, or discretion, can determine the type of experiences, services and products they look for when travelling.

Discretionary Travel Travellers who choose their own itinerary and have the freedom to change their plans as they wish are said to be discretionary travellers: They make the choices about where they go and what they do. Discretionary travellers generally travel for leisure and personal enjoyment. Examples of discretionary travel include tourists visiting the seashore to swim and enjoy the sun, tourists visiting museums and amusement parks, and people touring foreign countries. This is the type of traveller most people think of when they hear the word "tourist.“

Non-Discretionary Travel Travellers who must stick to someone else's schedule and whose reasons to travel are not for pleasure or relaxation are said to be non-discretionary travellers. They travel for business reasons or because a specific event or need demands that they travel for a particular purpose. A business person travelling to meet a client, or a person travelling to attend a family funeral are both non-discretionary travellers—their travel is not for entertainment or personal enjoyment, and they are not free to choose when, where or why they travel.

Discretionary or Non-Discretionary? Janet is going to Mexico during the March break. She plans on relaxing on the beach and reading a good book. She hopes to meet other student from other countries while she is there. Mrs. Brun travels from Fredericton to Moncton for a Distance Facilitators’ Meeting. She will stay at the Holiday Inn while she is there. Meetings start and end at 4:30 on both days. She will not have time to go to the mall. Marc’s aunt passed away on Monday. He will take the train with his mother from Moncton to Quebec so they can attend the funeral. Jonathan lives in Bathurst but is going to Saint John to visit his best friend for the weekend. They plan on going to a concert while he is there. Discretionary or Non-Discretionary?

Why do people travel? Why do people travel? What motivates them to travel? If you stop and think about it, you quickly realize there are many reasons. When people decide to leave the comfort of their home and go to another location for a while, there is always a reason.

If you decided to travel somewhere right now, where would you go? What would you want to do? What would you want to visit? Would you have the same reasons if you were 20 years older or 40 years older? Knowing your traveller type can help you plan the best experience. http://quiz.canada.travel/caen?partnerid=749&campaignid=&customerid=&mode=2 Remember your traveler type and bookmark the screen.