THC 11

TOURISM
- The term first appeared in 1811 in Oxford Dictionary and was believed to have originated
from the Greek word “tornos”, which is a tool used in describe a circle
- According to Berne University in Switzerland, it is “the sum of the phenomena and
relationships arising from the travel and stay of non-residents, in so far as they do not lead
to permanent resident and are not connected to any earning activity”
- While according to Tourism Society in Britain, It is “the temporary short-term movement
of people to destination outside the places where they normally live and work and their
activities during their stay at these destinations”
- To have a unified definition of the word the UN World Tourism Organization gave the
following definition “A social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the
movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or
business/professional purposes”

HOSPITALITY
- On the other hand, the term was believed to be from the French word “Hospice” meaning
to provide for the weary or take care of those traveling
- While other references says it is from the Latin word “hospes” meaning stranger or enemy
- The business of helping people to feel welcome and relaxed and to enjoy themselves”

Characteristics of Tourism and Hospitality Industry

Being a service industry, Tourism and Hospitality form of products consists of activities, benefits
or satisfactions offered for sale. The following are the reasons why tourism products are unique:
1. Intangibility
When thinking about the characteristics of services, intangibility may come to your mind
first. Service intangibility means that services cannot be seen, tasted, felt, heard or
smelled before they are bought. You cannot try them out, you cannot do a test drive the
products. For instance, airline passengers have nothing but a ticket and a promise that
they will arrive at a certain time at a certain destination. But there is nothing that can be
touched.
2. Inseparability
Characteristics of services include inseparability, which means that services are produced
and consumed at the same time. This entails that services cannot be separated from their
providers because guest participation is required to complete product purchase. Contrary
to services, physical goods are produced, then stored, later sold, and even later consumed.
Services are first sold, then produced and consumed at exactly the same time. A product

1|P ag e THC 11- Macro Perspective of Tourism and Hospitality

 can, after production, be taken away from the producer. However, a service is produced
at or near the point of purchase. For instance, when visiting a restaurant, you order your
meal, the waiting and delivery of the meal, the service provided by the waiter. All these
parts, including the providers, are part of the service and therefore inseparable.
3. Perishability
Perishability means that services cannot be stored for later sale or use. In other words,
services cannot be inventoried. This is one of the most significant characteristics of
services, since it may have a major impact on financial results. The value existed only at
that particular point and disappeared when the customer did not arrive. For example, in a
given Monday a hotel with 50 guestrooms only have 40 occupied rooms. The other 10
rooms that are not occupied cannot be stored to be used for the next day. The revenue that
was supposed to be earned for that 10 guestroom for Monday already expired on that day.
4. Dynamic
The industry is a dynamic and competitive industry that requires the ability to adapt
constantly to customers' changing needs, desires and attitudes. To be able to respond to
this the industry must always be prepared and willing to these changes. There is a fast
continuous change in the industry to meet the unending wants and needs of customers.
5. Variability
Variability refers to the fact that the quality of services can vary greatly, depending on
who provides them and when, where and how. Because of the labor-intensive nature of
services, there is a great deal of difference in the quality of service provided by various
providers, or even by the same providers at different times.
6. Seasonality
During vacation seasons, millions of tourists travel that result to the increase of revenues
for tourism and hospitality service providers which we call as peak season. A lean season
on the other hand, is when vacation period is over resulting to a decrease in earnings for
the industry.
7. People oriented
This industry is for the people, by the people. Its primary concern is with the people; to
meet other people, be able to mingle with them and live with them.
8. Multi-dimensional phenomenon
Tourism and hospitality is dependent yet separate with one another.

As you can see on the above diagram, both hospitality and tourism have their own
components: food service and lodging industries for hospitality, and transportation and
travel operators for tourism. That makes them separate entity. But there are dependent
with one another meaning when a guest makes use of one of the facility in one sector, the
other sector is affected. Let’s take you as an example. Imagine yourself given a chance to
go to your dream destination. Before you go to that place you need to seek the help of a
travel agency to look for the best deal. When you pick a plan suited to your budget and

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Hospitality
 liking different amenities like the place where you would stay will be provided, the list of
restaurant that you’ll dine in and the different recreational activities that you will be
trying. Before you reach your destination you obviously would need the service of
transportation segment. Then when you are at the end of your tour you would want to
take something home as a remembrance of the place and as a “pasalubong”. This
souvenir items will be provided by the merchandising industry, which technically is not
part of tourism and hospitality but is affected by it. They affect each other but exist
distinctly.
9. Labor-intensive
Since service is the main product of this industry, it requires more manpower than other
industries.
10. No Business Hours
In a typical workday, the usual working hours for an employee is eight in the morning
until five in the afternoon, five times in a week. Since this industry caters to the basic
needs of human being, such as food and rest, it is open twenty-four hours a day, seven
days a week and three hundred sixty-five days a year. The working schedule includes
working during holidays, since it is one of the peak season for the industry, and during
weekends.

ELEMENTS OF TRAVEL
The elements are used as criteria in defining a visitor travelling to a destination. They are:
1. Distance
Distance is the difference between local travel or the travel within a person’s home
community and nonlocal travel or the travel away from home. Meaning if you are from
Tuguegarao City and you will travel to Manila the distance will be four hundred eighty-
two kilometers, with Tuguegarao City as your home community and Manila as the
travel away from home.
2. Length of stay at the destination
This refers to the span of time a person stays in an area. this information is used as a
basis in defining the type of traveler.
3. Residence of the traveller
This is the point of origin of the traveler
4. Purpose of travel
People reason can fall in any of the following:
a. Visiting friends and relatives
b. Seminars, meetings and convention
c. Business
d. Recreation activity such as camping
e. Entertainment like attending concerts
f. Personal like attending wedding, funeral, etc.

3|P ag e THC 11- Macro Perspective of Tourism and

Hospitality