ABSTRACT
Empire at its zenith. Even with the enormity of travel taking place, much of it was disorganized, and we would be hard put to suggest that tourism policies were involved (Figure 2.2). Travel by boat was advancing at different stages and for differing
reasons throughout the world. The travel by the Vikings, even though much of it had to do with their ruthless marauding along the coastlines, nevertheless added to the travel lore. Records of their travel and explorations were by word of mouth and therefore not always easy to follow. However, it is clear they made many new discoveries but certainly left no tourism guidelines or planning documents. We have to wait for Marco Polo (1254-1324), one of the early Europeans
known to have crossed the continent of Asia, recording what he saw and heard, to give us some (possible) ‘policy’ direction in tourism. His vivid accounts of travel, written in his book The Travels of Marco Polo (also
referred to as Marco Polo’s Description of the World), allow us to begin to understand the early, broad ramifications of tourism development and some possible policies governing tourism at that time. We do know that travel in the world of 700 years ago represented anything but rational order. For example, a foreign traveller was beset with strange customs, chaotic travel conditions, and dependent on the chosen destination and culture for varying degrees of hospitality. To pursue the wonders of the world at that particular moment in time, Marco Polo was willing to travel by foot, horseback, camel, carriage and boat under some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable. This famous traveller endured enormous hardships in his quest to arrive at his destinations. However, Marco Polo brought back with him copious amounts of information revealing new inventions, different customs, interesting products and nuances of other cultures. His interactions with the great ruler Kublai Khan of China and his ability to learn and to transfer knowledge are aptly chronicled in his writings. Educated Europeans read Marco Polo’s book, which further stimulated
Europe’s interest to obtain spices, silks and other products from the East. Indirectly it was Polo’s book, read many times and in detail by Christopher Columbus that stimulated Columbus’ interest in travel and explorations. This was also true of another explorer, Ferdinand Magellan, who (reportedly) read Marco Polo’s book before and during his circumnavigation of the globe. Marco Polo, then, is the best early ‘cornerstone’ person to provide
information which made rational sense out of travel, gave it some direction and helped us to understand how travel impacts world culture. He identified socio-cultural aspects of travel, environmental conditions at a number of locations, and the complications of travelling in sparsely populated areas. His writings aroused curiosity in others, thus stimulating world travel, which continues to grow to this day. He most likely deserves partial recognition as the ‘father of early tourism policy’. Many great travellers followed Marco Polo, including Ibn Battuta
(1304-1374), the great Muslim traveller of the Middle Ages. Often referred to as the ‘Muslim Marco Polo’, he was a man of enormous curiosity and energy, but his writings were confined to matters mainly of interest to Muslims. Battuta’s travels changed the outlook for Muslim travel and, while he added greatly to the knowledge of important destinations of that time, tourism policy was beyond his scope. Another great traveller following Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta was
Cheng Ho (1405-1433) of China. Emperor Yung Lo chose Cheng Ho to organize the largest armada of boats to announce to the world his great accomplishments in China, sparing no costs. Cheng Ho had more than 300 vessels with approximately 37,000 men in the crew. At that time, the world had never seen such an extravagant expedition nor ships as large (the
largest was 444-feet long). Cheng Ho visited nearly every inhabited land bordering the China Sea and the Indian Ocean. His travel set the stage for future travel and explorations. While highly organized and exceedingly well planned, the ‘policy’ was to let the world know of the great Chinese empire and not necessarily to increase tourism. While others would follow these great travellers and explorers, tourism
policy as we know it today did not become a reality until the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. In searching for a place to begin the discussion of tourism policy, the authors focus on the history of the most important global tourism policy body, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
