Thesis argues that popularity of combined holidays is increasing
Sun and sand vacations still hold an allure
In a recent dissertation, M.Sc. Antti Honkanen has studied the leisure travelling habits of Europeans during their free time in 1985 and 1997. His thesis is based on two comprehensive questionnaire surveys conducted in twelve European countries.
According to the thesis, the popularity of beach tourism has not declined within the European Union in the course of the last two decades. At the same time, so called "combined holidays" have become more popular, offering several types of destinations in a single package.
In addition to a beach trip, combined holiday packages can offer for example instance nature sites, culture, and city attractions. Examples might include Bangkok and a Thai beach resort, or Athens and one of the Greek islands.
At the turn of the 1990s it was a commonly-held belief that tourism was undergoing a profound change. Mass tourism based on traditional beach resorts was believed to be going to be replaced by so-called "new tourism" that would focus on environmental awareness, a desire to get acquainted with new cultures, and a need to learn about the resort, explains Honkanen.
Honkanen’s doctoral thesis reveals, however, that the changes have not been so profound after all.
On the basis of the survey results of 1985 and 1997, the greatest changes included the decreased number of domestic travellers and the increased number of tourists who travelled abroad.
On the other hand, the numbers of visitors to both domestic beaches and to the beach resorts abroad appear to have remained much the same.
Consequently, Honkanen’s thesis shows that the popularity of combined holidays has increased, while also beach resorts have continued to be popular. Already in 1985 there had been a trend indicating that the most educated of respondents were about to abandon "sun and sand" holidays in favour of something more cerebral, but in the decade thereafter this manifested itself only in an increase in the popularity of vacations where one could "do both at once".
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 25.10.2004 - TODAY |
 Thesis argues that popularity of combined holidays is increasing |
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