The term ‘destination’ used in relation to travel and tourism refers to a place to which a tourist travels, generally with the intention of “staying” (that is, making use of accommodation) for some time. Some tourist destinations are ‘transitory’ ones; perhaps on the way to another destination. For example, a tourist might visit a number of islands in a “group”, staying at each one for two or three days. Many tourists, on the other hand, travel direct to their ‘final destinations’, where they propose to stay - or to be “based” - for the duration of their tours.
Some tours might provide a “combination”. For instance, a tourist might travel to - and stay for one or two days at - one or more transitory destinations on the way to the final destination, where he or she will stay for the remainder of the tour.
Of course, in some cases - such as fly-drive tours - there might be no “final destination” as such, because the tourists decide where they want to stay, and for how long they want to stay there. Also, some fly-drive and coach tours and cruises start and eventually finish at the same seaport or airport, etc.
The foregoing examples (and there are other variations, too!) illustrate just how wide is the range of types of tour available to tourists today.
The range of destinations available to tourists from many countries is also very wide - and is continually increasing.
Although some people are content to take the “same” holiday over and over again, in the same resort (sometimes staying at the same hotel, guest-house, camp site, etc) many other people seek variety - “something different”, new or exciting. Indeed, in some countries the “traditional” type of holiday - to a national seaside resort, for example - has declined considerably in popularity.
International travel has blossomed in recent years (although economic restraints and transport problems - such as airline and air traffic controllers’ strikes and terrorist activity - tend to reverse the trend to some degree) and peoples’ “horizons” have widened. Low-fare airlines and tour operators offering modestly priced package tours, together with ready access to holiday and travel websites, have been responsible to a large degree for this change in attitudes, but tour operators and related businesses must be constantly on the lookout for new destinations (as well as new types of tours) because tourists’ demands and expectations change.
