touris Unit 2 be Prepared tourists [theory] We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us. Anonymous Push factors internal factors Reasons for tourism MOTIVATIONS FOR TOURISM Relaxation Stimulation Social needs Self-esteem Self-realisation PURPOSES OF TOURISM Pull factors external factors adventure tourism advertising cultural tourism ecotourism environmental tourism exhibition leisure tourism medical tourism motivation promotion pull factor push factor religious tourism sport tourism trade fair Business Visiting friends and relatives Leisure T he forces that can influence the choice of a certain destination are known as push and pull factors. Push factors are personal preferences and desires that 14 give motivation to tourists (for example, tiredness or the willingness to prove oneself); pull factors, instead, are the incentives tourism experts attempt to create through promotion and advertising that will transform these desires into needs. There are five main reasons that bring about tourism: relaxation, stimulation, social needs, self-esteem and self-realisation, and, depending on its main purpose, it is possible to identify three main kinds of tourism: 1. L eisure or Recreational Tourism, holiday mainly dedicated to relaxation and to experience pleasant activities. It includes: Cultural Tourism, whose main objective is visiting cultural facilities Religious Tourism, which fulfils the religious needs of people Sport Tourism, which consists in viewing or participating in sporting events Environmental Tourism, which consists of travelling to experience living with nature (ecotourism is its most known form) Adventure Tourism, which involves physical activity in a remote or wild area Medical Tourism, whose aim is that of receiving treatment or surgical procedure. 2. B usiness Tourism Business tourism can be defined as travel for the purpose of doing business . It normally involves visiting a customer to present products or services and to negotiate a possible cooperation, or attending a trade fair, an exhibition or other commercial event. 3. V isiting friends and relatives This type of tourism occurs when people travel to see relatives and friends who live in a different location as their main objective. It can be done for special reasons, like attending a wedding or a funeral, or just to keep contacts. 34 The evolution of the development of tourism In the course of history tourism motivations and purposes have gone through a constant evolution, though the main forces that pushed people to travel centuries ago are fundamentally still the same. Modern tourism is characterised by diverse reasons to travel and by the dramatic increase in the need for travel, which makes modern tourists no longer passive subjects but active seekers in the choice of their destination.