ABSTRACT
Since World War II tourism has developed rapidly into one of the largest industries in the world. According to Schulman and Greenberg (1993, p. 57) travel and tourism form a complex global activity involving millions of people. Hudman (1981) and Waters (1976) elaborate by emphasising that it is a significant global socio-economic phenomenon. This phenomenon is brought about by changes in lifestyle, higher incomes, higher levels of education and greatly enhanced mobility (Ritchie & Goeldner, 1987; Mill & Morrison, 1985; Mieczkowski, 1990). According to Hall (1991, p. 3) domestic and international travel expenditures had by 1991 reached a level larger than the gross national product of all but three countries, while a report of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) indicates that tourist arrivals grew by 2.4% in 1998 (WTO, 1998). There can, therefore, be no denying the success of the tourism industry in the last three decades. This tremendous growth of the industry has not been achieved without effort, as tourism has had to meet the challenges of economic uncertainties, political upheavals, deregulation and shifts in the levels of consumer confidence with a remarkable degree of ingenuity, management flexibility, marketing skills, commitment to service quality and a responsibility towards the travelling public. In spite of these challenges tourism will continue to be a growth industry because the factors that have been responsible for its growth during the past decade will continue (Harrison & Husbands, 1996, p. 2; World Bank, 1998; WTO, 1998).
