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Unlock This CourseTheme 5 is all about the big picture. It looks at how tourism fits into our increasingly connected world where a family in Beijing can book a villa in Portugal in seconds and a single airline can fly millions of passengers across dozens of countries. This is globalisation at work and tourism is right at the heart of it.
For your iGCSE exam, Theme 5 tests whether you understand how global forces technology, big business, politics and economics shape where people travel, how they travel and what happens when they get there.
Key Definitions:
Before COVID-19, international tourist arrivals reached 1.5 billion per year (UNWTO, 2019). Tourism accounted for around 10% of global GDP and 1 in 10 jobs worldwide. By 2023, numbers had largely recovered, showing just how resilient and important global tourism is.
Globalisation has made travel cheaper, faster and more accessible. Open skies agreements allow airlines to fly new routes. Free trade zones reduce costs. The internet lets travellers compare and book instantly. All of this has fuelled explosive growth in international tourism.
One of the biggest forces reshaping tourism is technology. The internet didn't just make booking easier it completely changed who has power in the tourism industry. Travellers can now research, compare, book and review without ever speaking to a travel agent.
Think about how your family books a holiday. Chances are, it involves a smartphone, a comparison website and maybe a YouTube video of the destination. That's a massive shift from 30 years ago when most people relied on high street travel agents and printed brochures.
Sites like TripAdvisor, Google Maps and travel blogs let tourists read real reviews and see photos before they book. This gives travellers far more power and information than ever before.
Platforms like Booking.com, Expedia and Skyscanner allow instant price comparison and booking. Traditional travel agents have declined sharply as a result many high street agencies have closed.
Instagram, TikTok and YouTube now heavily influence where people want to go. A single viral post can put a previously unknown destination on the map for better or worse (overtourism risk!).
Founded: 2008, San Francisco, USA
Airbnb is a brilliant example of how technology created an entirely new type of tourism accommodation. Instead of booking a hotel, tourists can rent a spare room or entire home from a local person. By 2023, Airbnb had over 7 million listings in more than 220 countries.
Positives: Gives tourists a more authentic, local experience. Provides extra income for homeowners. Opens up accommodation in areas without hotels.
Negatives: In cities like Barcelona and Amsterdam, Airbnb has been blamed for pushing up rents for local residents, reducing housing supply and increasing overtourism in residential areas. Some cities have introduced strict regulations or outright bans on short-term lets.
Exam link: Airbnb is a great example of the sharing economy and the uneven impacts of tourism technology use it to discuss both economic benefits and social costs.
TNCs are giant companies that operate across many countries. In tourism, they include hotel chains, airlines, cruise companies and tour operators. They are incredibly powerful and their influence on destinations can be both positive and negative.
Examples of Tourism TNCs:
Founded: 1841 | Collapsed: September 2019
Thomas Cook was one of the oldest and most famous travel companies in the world it practically invented package tourism. At its peak, it carried 19 million passengers a year and employed 22,000 people in the UK alone.
In September 2019, Thomas Cook collapsed overnight, stranding 600,000 tourists abroad. The UK government had to launch the biggest peacetime repatriation operation in history to bring British tourists home.
Why did it collapse?
Impact on destinations: Hotels in Spain, Greece and Turkey were left unpaid. Some small resorts lost their main source of tourists overnight. This shows how over-dependence on a single TNC can be devastating for a destination.
Exam link: Use Thomas Cook to discuss the vulnerability of destinations dependent on TNCs, the impact of technology on traditional tourism businesses and economic leakage.
One of the most significant changes in global tourism has been the rise of low-cost carriers (LCCs) airlines like Ryanair, easyJet and AirAsia. By stripping out extras (no free meals, no allocated seats, charges for luggage), they dramatically cut the price of flying.
If asked about factors that have increased tourism, always mention low-cost airlines and be ready to discuss the environmental trade-off. Cheap flights = more tourists = more carbon emissions. The examiner loves to see you consider both sides.
As tourism has grown, so have its problems. Theme 5 also looks at how the industry is trying to become more sustainable balancing the needs of tourists, local communities and the environment for the long term.
Ecotourism is small-scale, low-impact tourism that benefits local communities and protects the environment. It's the opposite of mass tourism. Countries like Costa Rica have built their entire tourism brand around ecotourism rainforests, wildlife and sustainability.
Small-scale tourism focused on nature. Visitors pay to see wildlife and habitats, with money going directly to conservation and local communities. Example: gorilla trekking in Rwanda.
Tourism managed and owned by local communities. Profits stay local. Tourists get an authentic experience. Example: homestay programmes in rural Nepal or Tanzania.
Airlines and tourists can pay to offset their carbon emissions for example, by funding tree planting. Critics say it's not a real solution, but it raises awareness of tourism's environmental footprint.
The tourism industry never stands still. Here are the key trends you need to know for your exam these show you understand where tourism is heading, not just where it's been.
Dubai is one of the most remarkable tourism success stories of the 21st century. With almost no natural tourist attractions, the UAE invested massively in artificial attractions the Burj Khalifa (world's tallest building), Palm Jumeirah (artificial island) and world-class shopping malls.
Dubai welcomed 17 million international tourists in 2023, making it one of the most visited cities on Earth. It has positioned itself as a global hub Emirates Airlines connects it to virtually every major city.
Key issues: Dubai's tourism is heavily dependent on cheap migrant labour (often poorly treated). Its carbon footprint is enormous. And it relies on oil wealth to subsidise tourism infrastructure raising questions about long-term sustainability.
Exam link: Use Dubai to discuss manufactured tourism destinations, the role of TNCs and government investment and the tension between economic growth and sustainability.
You've covered all five themes that's the whole course! Theme 5 ties everything together by showing how tourism operates as a global system. In your exam, the best answers will connect ideas across themes for example, linking globalisation (Theme 5) to sustainable management (Theme 2) or impacts on local communities (Theme 4). You've got this. Good luck! 🎉