Sociology of Tourism

Khong Yen Giang, MBA

Learning Objectives
• Appreciate social impact that travel experiences
make on the individual, the family or group, and
society
• Recognize that a country’s indigenous population
may resent the presence of visitors
• Discover that travel patterns change with changing
life characteristics and social class
• Become familiar with the concept of social tourism
• Perceive that there are four extremes relating to the
travel preferences of international tourists.
• Understand barriers to travel.
Sociology
 The science of society, social institutions, and

social relationships

 Visitors to a community or area create social

relationships that typically differ greatly from the

affiliations among the indigenous population

Tourism Effects
 Individual
 People find unfamiliar environment
(geographically, personally, socially and culturally)
 Idea of “cultural distance” (e.g. Life-seeing tourism
is for who immerse in local ways of life)
 People travel for experiences as they are among
the most outstanding memories in the travelers’
life
Tourism Effects
 Family/ Group

 Memorable occasions for family

 Educational purposes

 Maximization of the trip’s benefits by

studying before taking the trip or expert
travel counseling
Tourism Effects
 Society
 Mass tourism (The sum of the industrial and
commercial activities that produce goods and
services wholly or mainly for tourist consumption)
 Influence on national understanding and
appreciation of other people
 Affects the living patterns of indigenous people
(mode of life and attitudes)
 Increase qualities of life and respect between
tourists and residents
Tourism Effects
Tourism effects
 Tourism security and crime
 Tourists become easy marks for robbers and
other offenders
 Results in bad publicity and create a negative
image in the minds of prospective visitors
 Resentments
 Conflict of interests between tourists and locals
 increase prices and cause bad feeling
 Feeling of inferiority (better paid for people
working in service industry)
 Financial dislocations
 Negative Social Effects of Tourism
on a Host Society

1. Introduction of undesirable activities such as

gambling, prostitution, drunkenness & crime

2. Demonstration effect (local people wanting the

same luxuries and imported goods)

3. Racial tension
Negative Social Effects of Tourism
on a Host Society

4. Development of a servile attitude on the

part of tourist business employees
5. Trinketization of arts and crafts

6. Standardization of employees roles

Negative Social Effects of Tourism
on a Host Society
7. Loss of cultural pride (tourists see it as
an entertainment activity)
8. Too rapid change in local ways of life
9. Disproportionate numbers of worker in
low-paid, menial jobs.

These effects can be moderated or eliminated by

intelligent planning and progressive management
methods.
Doxey’s irridex model
 Describe the evolution of local attitudes in
response to accelerating tourism development

 5 steps, including:

Euphoria Apathy Annoyance Antagonism

Resignation
Doxey’s irridex model
 Euphoria: tourists as “honour guests” (as they
provide good company and monetary returns for
the local community)
 Apathy: visiting tourists become more frequent,
residents are happy with them
 Annoyance: full of tourists, residents feel
“annoyed” and start to conflict with tourists
 Antagonism: carrying capacity exceed, residents
ignore the tourists
 Resignation: quiet acceptance of the tourist
incentive destination or choose to leave the
destination altogether
Life Characteristic and Travel
• Age/ Senior citizen market
• Income
• Education
• Gay and lesbian tourism (Pink tourism)
• Travel for people with disabilities
• Emergence of group travel patterns
Travel clubs
Low-priced group travel
Public carrier group rates and arrangements
Incentive tours
Special interest groups
Social Tourism
• Social (subsidized) travel
• A national system in which some
organizations such as national government,
a labor union, trade association,
cooperative or similar group subsidizes
vacation expenses for those low incomes.
Four Extremes Relating to the Behavior
Preferences of the International Tourist

1. Relaxation versus activity

2. Familiarity versus novelty
3. Dependence versus autonomy
4. Order versus disorder.
Barriers to Travel
1. Cost
2. Lack of time
3. Health limitations
4. Family stage
5. Lack of interest
6. Fear and safety.
End of Presentation

Thank you
for joining us!
Topic for presentation

What might be the results of mass tourism in

developing nations? Provide both positive
and negative effects, taking Vietnam as the
example.