Global Tourism (SQA National 5 Geography): Revision Note
Exam code: X833 75
What is Global Tourism?
Global tourism is when people travel to other countries for leisure, recreation or other purposes, and stay for at least 24 hours
Tourism is a huge global industry which is growing rapidly
In 2024:
There were an estimated 1.4 billion international tourists
The most visited countries were France, Spain and the USA
The industry contributed around 10% to global GDP ($10.9 trillion)
It supported over 350 million jobs worldwide
E.g. in hotels, transport and entertainment
Butler Model of Tourism
In 1980, Professor Richard Butler proposed the Butler Model
It describes the life cycle of a tourist resort and shows how it changes over time
Stages of the model
1.Exploration
Small numbers of adventurous tourists discover a location
There are limited tourist facilities and the impact is minimal
2.Involvement
Local people offer basic services like homestays and guiding
Interest grows through word of mouth
3.Development
Large companies start to invest in the area
Significant tourism infrastructure develops (e.g. hotels and transport links)
The number of tourists increases rapidly
4.Consolidation
Tourism becomes the dominant economic activity
The destination gains a strong reputation; however, negative impacts such as pollution and congestion begin to emerge
5.Stagnation
Visitor numbers peak
The environment and local culture may suffer
The resort loses appeal due to overcrowding and loss of authenticity
6.Rejuvenation, continued stagnation or decline
Rejuvenation: the destination reinvents itself by promoting eco-tourism and heritage tourism, attracting new visitors
Continued stagnation: the destination invests the minimum amount in infrastructure and services and fails to adapt to changing preferences
Decline: Tourists go elsewhere, businesses close and the area deteriorates
Worked Example
Study Diagram Q16A
Describe, in detail, the number of international tourist arrivals in 2022
Answer
The United States, China, and Canada have between 200-300 million tourist arrivals [1]. Many countries in Africa have the lowest number of tourist arrivals [1]. Peru and Australia have between 2-10 million tourist arrivals [1]. Countries like Argentina and South Africa have 11-199 million tourist arrivals [1].
Award 1 mark for each valid point
Award 1 mark for a list of countries with the same number of tourist arrivals
Examiner Tips and Tricks
It is a good idea to use the key as a structure when you are asked to describe the data from a map. This ensures you cover a broad range of data. You need to be able to recognise countries from the map to refer to them in your answer, so practise learning country names before the exam. It can help to focus on one region at a time, like Europe or Southeast Asia. For each region, learn key countries that are easy to recognise, like the USA, China or Japan.
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