The Concept of Tourism and Its Importance

By: Sabaa Saed Fadhil

Lect. Dr. Dhiaa Radhi Al-Safi

First / The concept of tourism: –

Tourism is defined as: recreation, and requires a person to move from one place to another, provided that the movement process is temporary, not less than (24) hours and less than a year, and tourism is a process of cultural and civilizational communication between peoples, not for the purpose of work or permanent residence, as it is a short-term seasonal movement (Al-Masoudi, 2015: p. 15).

One of the most important definitions that gained the greatest possible acceptance in the world is the definition of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) in 1992 AD, as this definition focused on the fact that tourism is the activities of people traveling and residing in places outside their usual environment for a period of less than a year for the purpose of rest or work, or other purposes, and this definition focused on three main elements, which are as follows (Middleton, 2009: p. 9).

The distance of tourism activity for individuals from aspects of their normal lives, their social obligations and their permanent locations.
The association of tourism activity with travel, which can take various forms depending on the nature of the means used in it.

Tourist destinations depend on a set of diverse activities and facilities, which would support the success of the tourism process in it.

In any case, many tourism scholars agree to classify travel motives into main groups as follows: (Abdul Aziz, 2013: p. 5049).

A – Cultural, historical, educational motives:

Watching the history of ancient civilizations and archaeological sites such as visiting the pyramids
Following some important events in the world or attending festivals, cultural forums or exhibitions…etc.
Learning about the lives of people in other countries and learning about their social, civilizational and cultural lifestyle
Visiting important civilizational sites famous in the world such as visiting France to see the Eiffel Tower.

B – Religious motives:-

Many people of different faiths and followers of different religions travel to visit religious holy places or travel for the motive of pilgrimage to Mecca, Jerusalem, the Vatican, and visiting famous religious places such as shrines.

C- Motives for rest, recreation and entertainment: –

Such as escaping the daily routine of work and getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city, especially in large industrial and commercial cities that are crowded with people, in addition to the love of enjoying leisure time in quiet places or on the beaches or in mountainous areas, in addition to entertaining oneself when time and money are available.

Second: The importance of tourism (Nasiba, 2014: pp. 90-91).

1- From the economic point of view: creating job opportunities and the influx of foreign capital and helping it in investments in the tourism sector.

2- From a social perspective: Tourism is an important social and psychological requirement for a person to regain his activity and return to work efficiently again and contributes to reducing the phenomenon of unemployment and improving the standard of living of the citizen.

3- From a cultural perspective: Tourism is a tool for intellectual communication and the exchange of cultures, customs and traditions between peoples. Tourism works to spread the cultures of peoples and the civilizations of nations among the different regions of the world.

4- From a political perspective: Tourism leads to improving security relations between countries, in addition to improving the economic and social level and contributes to solving many political problems.