In the recent past, the tourism industry has reached its maturity stage which is characterized by saturation of its products and services in the market.
Such has resulted in a very strong competition among the tourism industry, where competition largely drives the marketers to tap into the markets that were previously overlooked. Most studies in the recent past, have highlighted the travel motivation as a key market segment in the tourism market (Veal, Darcy & Lynch, 2015). The travel motivation is essential in tourism development since it involves an analysis of the tourists' behaviors, their personal goals, and destination choices. The analysis is of importance to the tourism planners, operators among other tourism-related sectors as it helps to provide a better understanding of the needs, expectations, and goals of the different tourists (Veal, Darcy & Lynch, 2015). Overall, travel motivations are created by the activities that tourists find potentially satisfying and studying of these motivations is useful in developing products and creating marketing and promotion strategies. A close analysis of the travel motivations has shown a significant difference between tourism and leisure (Veal, Darcy & Lynch, 2015). Although the two terms are often used interchangeably in the tourism industry, there exists a significant difference between the two that underlies in wants and necessity as is evidenced in the essay below. The essay is significant as it aims to illustrate the difference between tourism and leisure and the influence of the two in the tourism industry.
Difference between Leisure and Tourism
Leisure and tourism are in most cases used interchangeably since the two focus on people, customer service and hospitality; however, the two are often dictated by different wants, needs and travel patterns. At the start of the semester, I knew very little about leisure, where I associated leisure with any free time spent away from work or any other formal responsibilities. In regards to the leisure industry. However, following a close analysis and understanding of the class materials, my knowledge of leisure and tourism has been broadened. So far, I have learned several different things in regards to leisure among them; the difference between leisure and tourism, the definition and scope of deviant leisure and the role of government in leisure. Unlike the tourism industry, the leisure industry as a business segment is focused entirely on recreation, entertainment, and sports. Leisure travelers display a number of characteristics that vary considerably from those of the tourists. One, leisure travelers are often on the lookout for ways to enhance their traveling experience and hence are attracted to the travel experience and hotel packages as opposed to effective working conditions (Williams & Buswell, 2003). Two, leisure travelers are more drawn towards facilities like pools, evening entertainments, and kids' clubs to ensure that they are fully engaged during their vacation. Three, leisure travelers are often price sensitive where they tend to be on the lookout for the best deals to get the best value for their money. On the same note, therefore, leisure travelers are often on the lookout for online reviews and recommendations for the choice of hotel destinations, and thus any negative review serves as a huge detriment to their choices (Williams & Buswell, 2003). In this case, leisure is dominated by wants and not necessity where choices may be easily made and changed depending on the individuals wants attitudes and source of satisfaction. On the other hand, tourism is largely dominated by necessity and not wants. Tourism involves traveling or sightseeing away from home, or rather exploring the world either alone or in the company of friends. Although tourism is largely drawn by necessity, it encompasses leisure, since it is done during one's leisure time depending on an individual's choices and preferences. All in all, tourism is largely enhanced by an individual's attraction to a particular country, for example, one may be drawn to Africa as a result of its beautiful nature and wildlife (Williams & Buswell, 2003). Tourism is thus often driven by an urge to learn or to increase knowledge in regards to different settings, unlike leisure which is entirely rooted in resting and having fun. Tourism thus focuses on the recreational potential of different settings whereas leisure is largely defined by the types of recreational activities that exist in the settings (Williams & Buswell, 2003).
"Deviant" Leisure
Although leisure occurs for the sole purpose of recreation, there exists deviant leisure which is typically viewed as any type of behavior that violates criminal and non-criminal moral norms. Unlike leisure which is freely chosen, and includes personal engagement, happiness, and peace of mind; deviant leisure is different as it involves behaviours that are different from the accepted norms (Veal, Darcy & Lynch, 2015). Deviant leisure generally involves behaviours that are perceived to be different from the accepted norms or rather activities that are perceived to be extremely risky and unacceptable in the society. Furthermore, deviant leisure involves behaviours that are typically banned or controlled by society and are thus likely to attract punishments or disapprovals from society. A full understanding of deviant leisure is crucial as it helps to offer reasonable explanations on why people are motivated to take part in unusual practices while on vacation or during their leisure (Veal, Darcy & Lynch, 2015). Besides, deviant leisure is an integral part of criminology, which helps to resolve crucial social problems since when people are on vacation, they love to take part in criminal activities such as taking drugs and alcohol for personal pleasure (Veal, Darcy & Lynch, 2015). Hence, the use of leisure activities in gang prevention, rehabilitation and intervention are vital in developing practical solutions for gang-related crimes. Deviant leisure thus illustrates how individual, social, economic and environmental effects are embedded within the different normalized and accepted forms of leisure in the society (Veal, Darcy & Lynch, 2015).
The Role of the Government in Leisure
The government plays a crucial role in leisure, as it regulates all activities while putting to light the deviant leisure activities that people need to refrain from engaging to avoid harming themselves and others in society. The government is primarily intertwined with leisure and recreation, where it largely creates limited liability for different corporations to invest in leisure capitals such as television, radio, theatres, and motion pictures (Tribe, 2011). Besides, the government plays a key role in regulations where it affects working conditions and labour hours (Tribe, 2011). Such is to mean that government policies play a major role in affecting the availability of patents which help to either grow or limit the leisure's industry concentration. For example, in the 1930's, the government helped to boost the industry's concentration by offering recreational goods and services like playgrounds, swimming pools, and national parks to help facilitate the existence of leisure activities to the public (Tribe, 2011).Therefore, the government's significant engagement in leisure and recreation offers immense benefits where it helps to increase the accessibility of available activities, however, on the downside, the government's involvement in leisure may pose a number of drawbacks such as offering activities which work to benefit the middle and upper-class Americans as opposed to the low-income citizens (Tribe, 2011).
Critical Reflection
Therefore, the class and the assigned class readings have played a key role in impacting on my knowledge of leisure and tourism. From the three key findings outlined above, I have learned a couple of things about myself that are in line with the course. One is that I have actively taken part in both leisure and tourism, where I have taken part in leisure to help me relax and to have fun, while I have taken part in tourism by visiting different parts of the world to help broaden my knowledge on the cultures and experiences of people in other countries. Often while on leisure my sole aim has been to enjoy the hotel's facilities and to take a break from all the demanding roles in life. On the other hand, as a tourist, my role has been for me to explore and learn the experiences of other people. Therefore, the knowledge acquired from the course will play a crucial role in my future, as it will help me to serve my clients' better depending on their travel motivations. Additionally, the course has helped me to learn that the differences in travel motivations play a key role in the types of recreational facilities presented to potential travelling clients.
Conclusion
In conclusion, as is evidenced above, although the terms leisure and tourism are often used interchangeably in the tourism industry, there exists a significant difference between the two that underlies in wants and necessity. Leisure is primarily dominated by want where an individual dictates everything about their holiday/vacation. On the other hand, tourism is largely dominated by necessity, where the desire to either learn, research or collect any other crucial information dictates where an individual may end up vacationing. In regards to deviance, it is also important to note that deviance leisure plays a key role in the tourism industry. Deviant leisure involves behaviours that are typically banned or controlled by society and are thus likely to attract punishments or disapprovals from society. A full understanding of deviant leisure is crucial as it helps to offer reasonable explanations on why people are motivated to take part in unusual practices while on vacation or during their leisure. Lastly, the government plays a crucial role in leisure, as it regulates all activities while putting to light the deviant leisure activities that people need to refrain from engaging to avoid harming themselves and others in the society.
References
Tribe, J. (2011). The economics of recreation, leisure and tourism. New York: Routledge.
Veal, A. J., Darcy, S., " Lynch, R. (2015). Australian leisure. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Higher Education.
Williams, C., " Buswell, J. (2003). Concepts of quality in leisure and tourism (pp. 38-58). Wallingford: CABI publishing.
