Characteristics of modern tourism in China

Tourism is both a socio-economic phenomenon and a socio-cultural phenomenon. It will inevitably develop and change in content and form with the development and changes of social economy and culture. It is an advanced lifestyle of non-settlement travel for people to understand nature and society, enrich and improve themselves.

Modern tourism refers to the socialized mass tourism that has spread rapidly around the world after the Second World War, especially since the 1960s. Modern tourism types are divided by geographical area, including international tourism and domestic tourism; divided by organizational form, there are group tourism, individual travel, package tourism, self-guided tourism, etc.; divided by tourism mode, there are air tourism, railway tourism, automobile tourism , maritime cruises, etc.; divided by activity content, there are cultural tourism, ethnic tourism, sightseeing tourism, recuperation tourism, adventure tourism, etc.; divided by cost source, there are self-funded tourism, public tourism, social tourism, etc.

1. The nature of modern tourism

Looking at the evolution of human travel and tourism history, especially the rapid development trend of the world’s modern tourism industry and the changes in the development of world politics, economy, science and technology, and culture Closely related, we can summarize the essential attributes of modern tourism as follows: Modern tourism, as a reflection of modern social phenomena, is the product of human socioeconomic and cultural development to a certain stage, and is a form of consumption that exceeds human survival needs. .

1. Modern tourism is the product of modern social and economic development. Although tourism is an ancient social activity, in ancient times it could only be carried out by a few people and within a narrow scope. Tourism activities have truly become a common social phenomenon, which gradually developed and changed with the development of the world economy and the continuous improvement of productivity levels after the Second World War. Advanced transportation and communication equipment are constantly updated, making long-distance cross-border travel and intercontinental travel possible. At the same time, society has provided tourists with rich and unique tourism resources, safe and convenient transportation conditions, comfortable and complete tourism facilities, and due to the exponential growth of labor productivity, it has the conditions to separate more society from the material production sector. The labor force is engaged in the tourism industry and provides a series of full-service services to tourists. Due to the improvement of labor productivity, people's leisure time generally increases, the demand for tourism increases, and the popularization of tourism becomes possible. Only under the premise of economic development in the modern world can mass, international and sustainable tourism activities be carried out. The rise and rapid development of modern tourism shows that human tourism activities develop from low-level to high-level with the development of human society and economy. Only today with the development of the modern world economy, modern, international, and large-scale popular tourism activities may occur. Therefore, we believe that with the development of modern economy, it will inevitably bring about the rise and development of modern tourism.

2. Modern tourism is a product of the development of modern social culture. Broadly speaking, modern social culture is the sum of material wealth and spiritual wealth created by human beings in the historical development of modern society. In a narrow sense, it is the sum of spiritual wealth. Tourism is both a highly cultural economic industry and a highly economical cultural undertaking. All forms of human tourism activities can be summed up in two categories: material and spiritual activities, but the two cannot be completely separated. During the entire tourism process, tourists get spiritual enjoyment while enjoying material enjoyment, and get material enjoyment in spiritual pursuit. Spiritual activities and material activities are interdependent and condition each other. Therefore, all activities performed by tourists are actually social and cultural activities. The tourism objects provided by society for tourists, including various tourism resources and various facilities, equipment and services, are rich in profound social and cultural connotations and are closely related to social culture.

First of all, tourists are generated depending on a certain social and cultural background. Tourists must first have the ability to pay for tourism consumption and sufficient leisure time. Secondly, they must have the needs and motivations for tourism, that is, the cultural conditions that are sufficient to generate tourism motivations for tourists (including the cultural quality of the tourists themselves and the social and cultural environment of the tourist destination). wait).

Secondly, tourism resources are the material carrier of a certain social culture, including natural tourism resources and cultural tourism resources. The human resources of tourist destinations include social politics, economy, law, religion, history, science, art, folk customs and other factors. They are all social and cultural factors, which have the cultural color of the country, nation and region; while natural tourism resources are The natural geographical conditions are endowed with natural geographical conditions, but these natural geographical conditions must be developed and transformed through human labor, and the natural landscape is given the imprint of human wisdom. Pure natural scenery without cultural connotation is difficult to become a realistic tourism resource. Whether it is humanistic resources or natural resources, they all embody human spiritual culture and are the material carriers of social culture.

Thirdly, tourism facilities and tourism services are manifestations of a certain social culture. Whether they are modern facilities and equipment that serve tourism directly or indirectly, they are all backed by modern social productivity and science and technology, and are the material transformation of science and technology in tourism development. The tourist facilities and equipment of various countries, different ethnic groups and different regions have different historical, artistic and cultural connotations and have alien cultural characteristics. Therefore, tourist facilities can not only be provided to tourists as a tourism medium, but also can be appreciated by tourists as alien culture and art, thus increasing its charm.

3. Modern tourism is a new form of advanced consumption. First of all, travel motivation is a manifestation of people's higher-level needs. Engels once classified human life needs into three levels: first, survival needs, second, enjoyment needs, and third, development needs. According to the above classification, tourism is obviously closely related to the second and third level needs. American humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow proposed the famous five-level human needs theory: (1) Physiological needs: food, drinking water, oxygen, etc.; (2) Safety needs: security, stability, order and protection ; (3) Love needs: emotion, collective sense of honor, emotional connection; (4) Respect needs: self-esteem, prestige, success, achievement; (5) Self-actualization needs: self-actualization. The relationship between these needs can be structured into a pyramidal hierarchy, with physiological needs at the bottom and self-actualization needs at the top. Only after the lower needs are satisfied will the needs of the next higher level develop. People's decision to travel is closely related to the two higher levels of needs in Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory. Therefore, travel motivation is a manifestation of people's higher-level needs. Higher-level needs are transformed into consumption behaviors, which are generally expressed in the form of advanced consumption. So we say that modern tourism is a new form of advanced consumption.

Secondly, tourism is a kind of consumption that focuses on spiritual enjoyment. During the tourism process, tourists can freely appreciate the scenery in any space and time, so that the scenery during the tour can "arouse and fit their mood", thus obtaining special aesthetic effects. The spiritual enjoyment that tourism brings to tourists can be subdivided into arousing aspirations, venting worries, cultivating feelings, enlightenment, etc. From the perspective of development trends, spiritual enjoyment plays a more important role in tourism consumption.

Thirdly, tourism is a highly cultural consumption. We can understand this from the fact that modern tourism is a product of modern social culture. In other words, we must understand the cultural characteristics of the subject of tourism activities, the cultural characteristics of the objects of tourism activities, and the cultural characteristics of the medium of tourism activities. In a word, we must Understand that the three elements of tourism activities are closely related to a certain social culture. Without social culture, it is impossible to produce modern tourism, and of course highly cultural tourism consumption will not appear.

Finally, tourism is a very economical consumption. This is mainly reflected in the fact that, on the one hand, the development level of tourism consumption is restricted by the level of economic development; on the other hand, the development of tourism consumption is an important driving force for economic development.

4. Modern tourism is a comprehensive reflection of modern social phenomena. If we look at a tourism activity as a complete movement process, it is not difficult to find that its movement form consists of two parts. One part is online movement, that is, from the time the tourist leaves home to the time he returns after completing the trip, the tourist is always in Mobile status. Part of it is on-point movement, which refers to tourists’ stay activities at tourist destinations. Tourists' "online" and "on-site" movement processes occur and proceed in specific social environments. Since tourists have to contact and deal with many aspects of this social environment during the tourism process, almost all phenomena in this environment affect tourists' tourism activities to varying degrees, so tourism activities have become A comprehensive reflection of various phenomena in the social environment.

2. Characteristics of modern tourism

Modern tourism is closely integrated with socialized large-scale production. The high degree of socialization of modern production will inevitably make tourism have socialized characteristics that are suitable for it. . The main manifestations of this feature are:

1. The popularity of tourists. Modern tourism is first characterized by its popularity. The so-called popularization means that the scope of tourism participants has expanded to the ordinary working people, and tourism activities are widely carried out in all walks of life around the world. Second, more and more people are participating in tourism, and travel destinations are getting farther and farther away. Third, group and standardized tourism increased. Fourth, tourism, as a means of motivating employees, has been widely used by enterprises or various organizations.

2. Extensive development. The development of tourism depends on the improvement of social production level. Modern tourism first emerged in Western economically developed countries. More than 90% of the world's international tourists come from developed countries and regions. At the same time, they receive 80% of the world's international tourists. After the Second World War, the tourism industry continued to thrive despite the impact of multiple economic depressions around the world, showing that it is a very dynamic industry with promising development prospects. Tourism has also generally developed in developing countries. At present, more than 100 countries in the world operate domestic and international tourism, and more than 100 countries participate in the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Due to the general development of tourism in various countries and regions around the world, tourists can travel almost everywhere, and the limitations of tourism in regional and remote areas are gradually disappearing.

3. Geographical concentration. With the development of modern science and technology and the advancement of transportation tools, the spatial and temporal distances between places are constantly shrinking, and the travel span is increasing. However, modern tourists are not evenly distributed in various regions on the earth's surface. They tend to travel to certain regions or countries, and even to certain scenic spots to visit or engage in other tourism activities. The geographical concentration of modern tourism is not only reflected in the distribution pattern of international tourism around the world, but also shows this characteristic in a specific country.

4. Seasonality of tourism. According to the different nature of tourism resources and different tourism types, the seasonality of modern tourism is very prominent.

Generally speaking, countries and regions that mainly rely on natural tourism resources to attract tourists have relatively large seasonal fluctuations in tourism reception; countries and regions that mainly rely on cultural tourism resources to attract tourists have relatively small seasonal fluctuations in tourism reception. Recreational tourism is more subject to seasonal constraints, while business tourism is hardly affected by seasonality. Countries and regions with four distinct seasons have larger fluctuations in the number of tourists they receive during the four seasons; countries and regions with less distinct seasons have more stable tourist numbers throughout the four seasons.

5. Sustainability of growth. The development of the post-war world economy has experienced many twists and turns, ups and downs, and the economies of Western countries in particular have experienced the impact of multiple economic crises. Only the tourism industry is "outstanding" and is still in the ascendant. In the future historical development process, as long as there is no new world war or global economic crisis, the sustainability of world tourism growth will not change, and world tourism will continue to develop. As long as our country maintains social stability, adheres to reform and opening up, and ensures the healthy development of the national economy, the tourism industry will surely be able to sustain sustained development and rapid growth.

6. Integration of services. Due to the development of science and technology and the continuous improvement of people's travel needs, the integration of modern tourism services has become more and more obvious. The so-called service integration means to provide tourists with food, accommodation, travel, shopping, and entertainment system services; to provide tourists with full services from leaving home to returning home. This is not only the basic requirement for modern mass tourism group tourism, but also the basic condition for the smooth development of modern, international, large-scale group tourism activities.

3. The Causes of Modern Tourism

The causes of modern tourism refer to the main factors in the emergence and development of modern tourism. There are many factors responsible for the rapid development of world tourism after the war. When we examine the social motivations, we will inevitably find that modern tourism, as a socio-economic and cultural phenomenon that the public participates in, requires society to create conditions for its emergence and development. The main factor is that society has created a sustained peaceful environment. The fundamental reason is that society has created more productivity. The important reason is the promotion of government actions.

Why is the improvement of social productivity level the fundamental reason for the emergence and development of modern tourism?

First, the improvement of social productivity levels has brought objective social needs to the development of modern tourism. International economic statistics show that when a country's per capita GDP reaches US$300, residents will generally be motivated to travel domestically; when it reaches US$1,000, they will be motivated to travel internationally; when it exceeds US$3,000, residents will be motivated to travel internationally; when it exceeds US$3,000, residents will be motivated to travel internationally. motivation. The improvement of social productivity level means the increase of national income, the shortening of national working hours and the improvement of national life. The shortening of working hours and the increase of paid holidays worldwide is an important reason why modern tourism tends to be group-based. To increase the level of social productivity, we must increase the level of social consumption and improve the social consumption structure, which plays a decisive role in prospering the world tourism market and promoting the prosperity of the tourism industry. With the greater improvement of social productivity, people's travel needs and consumption levels will increase even more.

The second is the improvement of the level of social productivity, which provides material conditions for the rapid development of modern tourism. The biggest characteristics of post-war world tourism are group nature, scale and integration, which must be backed by advanced science and developed social productivity. The emergence of high-speed trains and the use of supersonic passenger aircraft have relatively narrowed the distance in the world's space and shortened the travel time for people to travel domestically and internationally. Modern tourism has a wider space than tourism in any era in history. The development of modern science and technology and the improvement of productivity levels not only provide people with convenient, fast and low-cost transportation conditions, but also provide tourists with comfortable and complete accommodation and various recreational facilities and equipment, thereby providing The prosperity of modern tourism has provided favorable material conditions.

The third is the improvement of social productivity level and the development of science and technology, which have improved the effectiveness of tourism information and the efficiency of tourism organization. After the Second World War, due to the rapid development of transportation and communication networks, the flow of tourism information accelerated, and people had more channels and conditions to understand the world. Tourism operators can promote and introduce the natural and cultural landscapes around the world through television, movies, radio and various books, magazines and other information transmission material carriers, stimulate people's motivation and interest in visiting, and continuously improve the effectiveness of tourism promotion and tourism information. At the same time, the invention and use of computer technology has greatly improved the efficiency of tourism organizations around the world. Some tourists have used computer technology to book rooms and tickets, and used advanced communication equipment to inquire about travel routes, travel packages, etc. In this way, modern and international large-scale group tourism activities can be organized and carried out in an orderly manner.

After we have analyzed the fundamental reasons for the emergence and development of modern tourism, we should also elaborate on the positive factors of government behavior in the development of modern tourism. With the rise of mass tourism, almost all countries and governments in the world have supported and encouraged the development of their own tourism industry to varying degrees. We believe that government support for tourism, especially support for the development of international tourism, is caused by the economic and social functions of tourism. The above two major functions of tourism are concentrated in: earning foreign exchange income and balancing the international balance of payments; increasing employment opportunities and promoting social stability; improving resource efficiency and promoting economic development; establishing an international image and improving international relations.

Because of these functions of tourism, the governments of many countries after the war put the promotion of tourism development in an important position. Almost all countries have established national tourism management organizations and adopted economic, legal, and political means to intervene in the development of tourism. Our government is paying more and more attention to the development of tourism, and has included tourism in the national economic development plan and developed it as a major industry; the development speed of the tourism industry has gradually accelerated, and the quality of tourism services has continued to improve; the reform of the tourism system has continued to deepen, and tourism The legal system is gradually established; tourism management is gradually standardized, and the status of tourism in my country's national economy continues to increase.