1. B Y : Y A S E E N K H A L E E L & M A D H U R I
Major Areas of Research in
Tourism

2. Market Research
 Understanding the characteristics, preferences, attitudes
and opinions of visitors and the travel trade is an
important starting point for any tourism destination.
Market Research can also assist in identifying new
markets and in monitoring the performance of your
tourism sector.
 In view of the importance attached to market research by
the company, Tourism Development International has
established a dedicated TDI Research Unit. The TDI
Research Unit is responsible for the primary and
secondary research which underpins all consultancy
assignments undertaken by Tourism Development
International.

3.  Using on-line research techniques, Tourism
Development International has developed a number
of dedicated research services. These include:
 Tourism Barometer ©
 Visitor Attractions Survey ©
 Business Travel Monitor ©
 Travel Trade Survey ©

4.  In addition to the above, the TDI Research Unit also
carries out the following research assignments on a
regular basis
 Visitor surveys
 Occupancy surveys
 Airline and ferry passenger surveys
 Rural tourism research
 Tourism industry research
 Special interest/activity tourism research
 Market share estimations
 Economic impact analyses
 Employment surveys

5. Ecotourism
 Ecotourism is a form of tourism that grabs the
attention of those interested in ecological and social
concerns. It is also known as ecological tourism. In
general, ecotourism focuses on the way tourists can
live harmoniously with the planet. It involves
travelling and visiting destinations where cultural
heritage, flora and fauna are the main attractions.
Ecotourism is also the promotion of economical and
social opportunities for local communities.

6. Dark Tourism
 Dark tourism is also known as grief tourism and
black tourism. Dark tourism involves travelling to
sites associated with suffering and death, such as
castles and battlefields, such as Scotland and
Culloden. Visiting sites of disaster, either natural or
man-made sites like the Tsunami site in Phuket in
Thailand and Ground Zero in New York.

7. Hospitality
 Generally, hospitality refers to jobs in the hospitality
industry, such as hotels, restaurants, catering,
resorts and casinos as well as other hospitality
positions that deal with tourists. Hospitality involves
the relationship process between the hotel and a
guest. It also involves the act of being hospitable,
such as guest reception and entertainment with
friendliness, goodwill and liberality. Hospitality is
also known as the act of munificently giving care and
kind-heartedness to whoever is in need. Hospitality
is important to modern day businesses.

8. Tourism Management
 Tourism management relates to tourists who travel for
recreation or leisure purposes. Tourists are people who
travel to a location or a destination outside their usual
environment for less than one consecutive year for the
purpose of leisure. In recent years, tourism has become a
popular global leisure activity among worldwide
customers. For some countries tourism is vital to the
national economy, such as Thailand and many island
countries like the Maldives and Fiji. For these nations
tourism generates a large intake of money for businesses
as well as opportunities for employment in hospitality
and service industries, such as taxis, cruise ships, hotels
and entertainment venues.

9. Medical Tourism
 Medical tourism is a new chapter for the tourism
industry. There is a huge difference in price between
developed and developing nations, especially those
in South East Asia and Eastern Europe, and more
people are travelling to take advantage of particular
medical procedures because of the price or
regulatory differences.

10. Educational Tourism
 Educational tourism involves gaining new knowledge
and technical competency outside the classroom
environment. The main focus of educational tourism
includes travelling to another country to learn about
the culture of the visited nations. A good example of
this is the exchange student programme and work
and travel programme. Travelling to another country
to work and apply learning skills inside the
classroom in different environment, such as the
International Placement & Training Program, can
also be considered as educational tourism.

11. Thank you