Historical development of tourism: by A.J. Burkart and S. Medik Centre des Hautes Études Touristiques, Aix-en-Provence, 1990, 54 pages

provided an industry perspective on higher tourism education, while Jane Westwood of KPMG Peat Marwick and Michael Pearlman of Ballarat University College, Australia, re- viewed a study which showed a clear employer preference for business- skilled graduates in tourism. Curriculum issues were considered by several papers. Peter Brown of the University of Newcastle, Australia, asserted that leisure, recreation, and tourism were ‘three sides of the same coin’, drawing largely on the social sciences for their discipline bases. More could be done to promote the exchange of ideas between researchers and curriculum planners in the three areas. Betty Weiler of the University of New England - Northern Rivers and Sue Muloin of the University of ’ Newcastle drew attention in a rather dramatic fashion to the number of disabled persons in society, and prop- osed strategies for the inclusion of ‘special’ population$in tourism educa- tional curricula. Bob McKercher and Andrea Wil- liams of Charles Sturt University out- lined a number of problems and their possible solutions in regional tourism courses. Isolation was a major prob- lem, but the small scale of the local tourism industry was crucial in deter- mining the feasibility of intern prog- Books rammes. The introduction of exten- sive communication programmes with major tourism centres was seen as going part way to overcoming some of the inherent weaknesses. Bob Kin- naird stressed the importance of the Asian market to Australia, and Peter Nichols of Arthur Andersen noted the numerous hurdles to Australians attempting to make careers as Japanese speakers. Michael Simons of the University of New South Wales outlined the critical success factors for his new degree programme and Mike Watkins of Griffith University suggested that programmes directed toward the pub- lic sector should receive more atten- tion. Ian Whyte of Regency College urged a greater international focus in tourism programmes, and Julius Mukhwana of the University of Tas- mania gave a provocative overview of some African initiatives in tourism education. Stephen Craig-Smith of the Uni- versity of Queensland commented on some recent Australian government actions impinging on tourism educa- tion, and Betty Weiler, Bill Faulkner of the Bureau of Tourism Research, and Robin Shaw of Griffith Universi- ty, encouraged increased emphasis on research in the tourism curriculum. Industry requirements from the Reports/Books tourism education system were addressed by a number of speakers, including Geoffrey Buckley of the Au- stralian Tourism Industry Association, Alan Swift of Qantas, Gary Smith of American Express, Gregory Bondar of Deloitte Ross Tohmatsu, Brian King of Victoria University of Tech- nology - Footscray, Stephen De Lapp of Horwath & Horwath Services, and Julie Cronin of the Department of Tourism. Certain skills and attitudes were identified as desirable, and vehi- cles such as industry-based projects were seen to be useful. Several workshops concluded the conference, conducted by group lead- ers including Harold Richins of the University of Newcastle, and Georgia Young of the University of Canberra. Topics considered covered many of the issues raised at the conference. Copies of the conference proceed- ings can be ordered from the Bureau of Tourism Research, GPO Box 787, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia. Robin N. Shaw Professor of Marketing Division of Commerce and Administration Griffith University, Nathan Queensland 4 111, Australia The tale of tourism - so far HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM by A. J. Burkart and S. Medlik Centre des Hautes itudes Touristiques, Aix-en-Provence, 1990, 54 pages This is a good, short read. It will interest historians and tourism special- ists alike. Within a mere 50 pages of main text the authors complete a review of the main developments in tourism over the past 200 or 300 years. In doing so, they avoid overloading their work with detail. For example, there are only a dozen or so specific dates in the text. Making up for little detail, are large vistas of historical change aptly identified and described. Thus, the authors show how our attitude to na- ture has reversed over the centuries - ‘the environment today is regarded as a source to be carefully conserved and that so far from the eighteenth century concept of nature as a brute force to be tamed, nature seems to be a very delicate flower, vulnerable to man’s best intentions’ (p 36). That change, arising from a complex interaction of population growth and industrializa- tion, has had a profound effect on tourism. The authors’ general theme is that tourism is basically supply-led - the means of travel has to be available for the journey to be made by any but the most hardened traveller for the most compelling reason. But given the means, people will be on the move. That has never been more obvious than in this day and age, with the motorway and motor car in part- nership. The authors clearly show us how that has always been so. On the subject of partnership, it is right to acknowledge the long- TOURISM MANAGEMENT June 1991 161 Books standing contribution of the two au- thors, John Burkart and Rik Medlik, to the learning and literature of tour- ism. This text is, as they make clear, a development of their early work first published in 1974, in Tourism: Past, Present and Future. Of course, it has been changed and up-dated. Another matter of note is the publisher. Based at Aix-en-Provence and master- minded by its founder, RenC Baretje, the Centre des Hautes Etudes Touristi- ques (CHET) has a remarkable collec- tion of tourism publications. All are extensively cross-referenced and keyword coded, and available by computer-based retrieval. Such store- houses of knowledge will make it easier for future historians - perhaps in 2090 - to look back on our present tourism with the wisdom of hindsight. Meanwhile, we can be content with this history. The first section, called ‘The beginnings of tourism’ is neatly and clearly subdivided, like the other sections, into ei&ht parts. After brief references to the Romans, the authors really begin in the 18th century and take us up to the start of the industrial revolution. This is the age of the grand tour, the mail or stage coach, and the landed gentry. How’s this for nice description? Leisure in the eighteenth century was an attribute of social class, not a division of the working day or of one’s lifetime. Either a man belonged to a stratum of society where he had to labour all day and every day, though not without rest, or he . . was at liberty to order his life as he wished. (p. 5). Often the authors do make the reader stop and think with their perceptive ideas, as when they remind that indi- vidual transport based on the horse used to be the norm - just as indi- vidual transport in our cars is now. ‘What needs explaining’ they write ‘is not the private car, but the train, the coach, and the aircraft’ (p 10). In their next section, ‘The age of steam’, the very explanations referred to are given. For steam trains could provide the group travel that the growing population, with its growing wealth, could now afford. The section covers the period up to the outbreak of the 1939-45 war. Many of the 162 famous originators of tourism appear - Pullman in the USA, Cunard of the Atlantic, Michelin in France, Cook and his countryman Lunn in England, Baedeker, Wells and Fargo. Another named is Sir John Lubbock, who de- serves recognition for giving the Brit- ish the August ‘bank’ holiday since 1871. It has to be said that, in places, the text does have a rather British slant. To be sure, there are many references to developments elsewhere in Europe and in the USA, but the authors’ main framework is perhaps inevitably de- rived from an English social structure, the railway development that began in the Midlands of Britain and the princi- ple of mass-marketed group tourism that was pioneered by Thomas Cook. The authors’ third section, with its well-chosen subsections is indeed enti- tled ‘The age of mass tourism’. It takes the reader in giant strides - just 14 pages - through the rapid develop- ment of tourism based on car own- ership, good roads, mastery of the air, the rise and fall of the great ocean liners and so much more. Other fac- tors, eg government interest (national and international), tour organization, hotel chains, repeated but localized warfare etc are all covered and oh! so briefly. And like all historians, Burkart and Medlik have the problem of deciding when or where to stop. As alway history is in the making. These autho boldly bring us up-to-date with a refe ence to the ‘Gulf War between Ir: and Iran’ (p 45). Of course, they cou not have foreseen the new meaning ‘the Gulf War’ now, in 1991. A relatively mundane postscri rounds off the work. Deftly handlil key statistics, and major economic fa tors, the authors review the more r cent trends and influences on tourisr They go even further - they dare look ahead to the beginnings of tl next century. Not many historians a so bold. For Burkart and Medlik, i creasing wealth in both developed al developing nations will be the mc important economic determinar And politically, they cite the potent for growth of East-West tourism Europe. I believe they are right, lo would add the enormous importan of other ‘eastern’ influences in Inc and China. This work succeeds because makes history easy to understand 1 the non-historian, and it tells an teresting story of tourism for the nc tourism specialist. Tyrrell Mat Consult< 50 Broom Cl0 Teddingfon NV7 7 9RL, 1 FESTIVALS, SPECIAL EVENTS, AND TOURISM by Donald Getz Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1991, 374 pages, Canadian $52.95 Festivals and public celebrations have been held since ancient times. How- ever, only more recently have festivals and special events been linked with tourism. The first major work in the English language to emphasize the significance of festivals and public celebrations and their connection to tourism in a societal context is Getz’s Festivals, Special Events, and Tour- ism. Festivals and special events are Event tourism here to stay among the fastest growing forms visitor activity and therefore clear1 topic whose time has come.’ Rat1 than pretending that the book cov all details related to event touri! Getz is quick to point out that his t focuses on the tourism connection. In 11 chapters Getz combines a n ture of analysis, models and theore al construct with pragmatic appll tions in the form of case histories i examples to demonstrate for insta how to develop the attractiveness an event to tourists and how to tourism potentially to improve sta events. The text includes exten! references (17 pages), a compreh sive glossary (pp 335-343) relativr TOURISM MANAGEMENT June 1