During the second half of the twentieth century leisure became more widely available to many people for the first time. One significant use of this increased leisure time was international tourism. 

The sheer numbers of people travelling overseas for holidays has increased spectacularly. In 1950, 20 million people took holidays abroad, but by the year 2000 this figure had increased 30 times to 600 million people. These people spent an estimated US $423 billion on their travels (not including airfares). 

Tourism is now big business. It has become the world’s largest  single industry, overtaking oil and vehicle production. Tourism is international. It involves virtually every country in the world. 

Key words:

Significantly: very important 

Virtually: used for emphasizing that a statement is almost completely true 

By definition this international travel involves huge numbers of people engaging in direct social exchanges with people from different places with different cultures and backgrounds. The overlapping and mingling of cultures leads directly to a heightened awareness of what all humans  have in common. International tourism is therefore a major agent of globalization.

Key Words:

Engage in: to take part in a particular activity, especially something that takes a lot of time or effort

Overlapping：when some aspects are shared by more than one subject

Mingling：combining or mixing

There are many reasons for the rapid growth in tourist numbers. Improved standards of living throughout much of the world have meant an increased demand for holidays as a key element of leisure time. Cheap cruise ships in the 1950s and 1960s were followed by long-haul jet travel from the 1970s onwards. At the same time, the invention of the low-cost package holiday (where your transport, hotel and itinerary are prearranged for you) made overseas travel affordable to the masses.

Key Words:

Long-haul: travelling a long distance, especially by air

The rich Western countries remain the most popular destination for visitors, but the developing countries of East Asia have become successful in attracting an increasing number of tourists. For example in the 1990s, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and  Indonesia all saw the number of visitors to their countries double. At the end of the 1990s, China was the fastest growing tourist destination in the world.

International tourists are “sightseers”. They wish to see a different part of the world and experience a different way of life —  but  for a limited time. What to see is often predetermined by the travel tour operator. This means that no trip to China is seen as complete without a walk on the Great Wall; no visit to London is satisfactory without seeing Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. 

Background Information: 

Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. 

Big Ben is the bell in the landmark clock tower in London which is part of Westminster Palace which houses the Houses of Parliament (i.e. the  House of Commons  and  the  House of Lords). The famous  bell, installed in 1856,  was heard for many years on the radio and  television just before  the  news  programmes. Across the road is Westminster  Abbey, where  the  kings and queens  of England have  been  crowned  for 900  years and  where  many are  buried,  alongside statesmen, writers and  poets.  Buckingham  Palace is not  far away; it was built in 1703  by the Duke of Buckingham. It has nearly 600 rooms and has been the official London residence of the monarch  since 1837.  Many tourists go there to see the ceremony of the “Changing of the Guard”. 

Key Words:

Predetermine: happening or developing in a particular way because of things that have existed, happened, or been decided before

However, there is a distinction to be made between mass charter  

tourism and individual or small group travel. The mass tourists get off their 747 aeroplane, are met by their tour guide and are driven by bus to their resort hotel. They wear name tags and are reminded always to stay in their group. The food and drinks are carefully designed to make

the Western, (or Japanese, or Korean) traveller feel “at home”. Maybe 

they do not even notice that they are in a foreign place. They are happy to be in the same place as lots of other people. But large crowds cause congestion and environmental  pollution, an increased demand  for car parks, souvenir shops, restaurants  and ice cream parlours. The mass tourist feels very happy in an entirely commercialized world.

Key Words:

Distinction: a difference between two things

Congestion: a situation in which a place is crowded  with people or vehicles

In contrast, the solo traveller often chooses to stay in local accommodation,  eat local food, and learn from, and adapt to, local cultures. They see themselves as “explorers” in search of new experiences and unspoilt places. They are often in search of contact with nature and to renew their dimmed feelings of spirituality. 

Key Words:

Solo: done by one person alone, without any help 

Dimmed: when feelings, beliefs or hopes become weaker

This distinction between the “mass” and the “alternative” tourist may not be so clear-cut, however. Many travellers are insensitive to local customs and are rude or offensive without knowing it. For many others there is still room to expand their multicultural understanding and awareness.

Key Words:

Intensive: not  noticing or caring about other people’s feelings or needs and not worrying that things you say or do may upset them

In order to attract tourists, governments all over the world have been keen to advertise and promote their region’s special features. A Caribbean island is shown to be an untouched tropical paradise, while Thailand is marketed as an amazing place full of temples, culture and beautiful people forever smiling.

This governmental promotion of the unique culture of its offering for the international traveller involves the construction of artificial “representations” of what was once locally important. The“traditional dance” held on beaches in Pacific island resorts has next to nothing to do with authentic tribal activities. They are simply shows for tourists which are often performed by people who are not even from the local culture. This is a reinvention of tradition.

Key Words:

Untouched: not harmed or spoiled

Artificial: caused or created as a result of human influence or action  — not naturally produced

Authentic: real, not false or copied

But international tourism also exposes the host society to the outside world through the tourist gaze. Local people cannot escape from tourists and begin to see themselves as dependent on tourists for their own identity. Of course, tourism is a major source of employment for local people and they may see that welcoming foreign visitors is the only way to maintain their own identities.

Key Words:

Dependent: relying on someone or something in order to live or succeed

Expose：to allow something that is usually covered or hidden to be seen

Tourism is an unstoppable force in the shrinking world of globalization. How to reconcile the demands of international visitors to see the “sights” with the preservation of what is important and real about the local society is a challenge for all governments in the 21st century.

Key Words:

Reconcile: to become friendly again after a disagreement

20世纪后半叶，休闲第一次更广泛地为许多人所享有。而消磨增加的休闲时间的一个重要方式就是国际旅游。 

到海外旅行度假的纯人数增长令人瞩目。1950年，有2000万人到海外度假，而到了2000年，这一数字增长了30倍，达到了6亿。这些人的旅游消费估计为4230亿美元(不包括机票)。 

旅游业是当今一大产业。它已超过石油和汽车制造，成为世界上最大的产业。旅游是国际性的。实质上它涉及世界上每一个国家。

从定义上来看，国际旅游涉及大量的人与人之间的社会交往，这些人来自不同地区，有着不同的文化和背景。文化间的重叠与混合直接导致了人们对于人类共同点的认识提高。因此， 国际旅游是全球化的主要媒介。

游客数量的快速增长有很多原因。全世界大多数地区生活水平提高了，这就意味着将度假作为休闲的主要手段的需求增长了。20世纪50和60年代是廉价的游船，随后是始于70年代并延续至今的远程飞机旅行。同时，低价的包办旅游(即事先为你安排好交通、宾馆和日程的旅游) 使海外旅行成为了大众消费。

虽然富有的西方国家仍然是最受旅游者欢迎的目的地，但东亚发展中国家成功地吸引了越来越多的游客。如20世纪90年代，到新加坡、泰国、菲律宾、马来西亚和印度尼西亚的游客数量翻了一番。20世纪90年代末，中国是世界上增长最快的旅游目的地。

国际旅行者是“观光者”。他们希望见识世界上不同的地区，体验不同的生活方式——但时间有限。他们所能看见的往往是旅游经营者事先决定的。这就是说如果去了中国，就得到长城走走，否则旅行就不完整；去了英国，就要去看看大本钟和白金汉宫，否则参观就不令人满意。 

但是，集体包机旅行和个人或小组旅行是有区别的。集体旅行者下了747客机就由导游接待，然后乘巴士去他们度假地的宾馆。他们佩带名牌，被提醒不要离队。食物和饮料都有人仔细安排，以使西方的(或日本、韩国的)游客感到“宾至如归”。也许他们甚至没发现自己身处异乡。与其他很多人聚在一个地方使他们很高兴。但大批人群造成堵塞和环境污染，以及对停车场、纪念品商店、餐馆和冷饮店需求的增加。集体旅行者在全商业化的环境中感受着快乐。

相比之下，个人旅游者通常选择待在当地的旅馆里，吃当地食物，学习并适应当地的文化。他们想把自己看作是探索新经历和未开发地区的“探索者”。他们总是寻找与自然的联系，以恢复他们暗淡的精神世界。

“集体”旅行者和“选择性”旅行者之间的区别并不是一清二楚的。很多旅游者对当地的习俗并不敏感，这使他们显得粗鲁而令人讨厌。其他很多游客则可以拓展他们对于多元文化的理解和认识。

为了吸引游客，全世界各国政府都热衷于宣传和推销其地区特色。加勒比海的一个岛屿被展示成保存完好的热带天堂，而泰国则被展示成到处是庙宇、有着丰富的文化和永远面带微笑的美丽人民的奇妙国度。

政府向国际游客推广特色文化，其中包括人为 “再现”曾经在当地有重要地位的活动。在太平洋岛屿度假地的海滩举行的“传统舞蹈”与真正的部落活动几乎毫无关系。它们只是为游客表演的节目，表演者甚至常常不是来自当地文化的人。这是对于传统的再创造。

但国际旅游也通过游客的观察，把东道国社会暴露给了外面的世界。当地居民无法回避游客，便开始依靠游客来确定自己的身份。当然，旅游业是当地人主要的就业渠道，人们可能会发现，欢迎外来游客是维持自身身份的惟一途径。

旅游业是因全球化不断缩小的世界中无法阻挡的力量。怎样在国际旅游者的“观光”需求和保存当地社会重要和真实的特点之间保持和谐将是21世纪各国政府所面临的挑战。