A Brief History of Tourism

The Romans probably started it with their holiday villas in the Bay of Naples.

In the 19th century, the education of the rich and privileged few was not complete without a Grand Tour of Europe’s cultural sites.

Things started to change for ordinary people in 1845 when Thomas Cook, of Leicester, England, organised the first package tour.

By 1939, an estimated one million people were travelling abroad for holidays each year.

It is in the last three decades of the 20th century that tourism has really taken off. Tourism has been industrialised: landscapes, cultures, cuisines, and religions are consumer goods displayed in travel brochures.