British Tourism: the Remarkable Story of Growth 0750633743X-Prelims.Qxd 05/16/05 9:46 AM Page Ii
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0750633743x-Prelims.qxd 05/16/05 9:46 AM Page i British Tourism: The remarkable story of growth 0750633743x-Prelims.qxd 05/16/05 9:46 AM Page ii This page intentionally left blank 0750633743x-Prelims.qxd 05/16/05 9:46 AM Page iii British Tourism: The remarkable story of growth Victor T.C. Middleton with the late L. J. Lickorish AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON • NEW YORK • OXFORD PARIS • SAN DIEGO • SAN FRANCISCO • SINGAPORE • SYDNEY • TOKYO Butterworth-Heinemann is an imprint of Elsevier 0750633743x-Prelims.qxd 05/16/05 9:46 AM Page iv Butterworth-Heinemann is an imprint of Elsevier Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP, UK 30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803, USA First edition 2005 Re-issued in paperback 2007 Copyright © 2005, 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier’s Science & Technology Rights Department in Oxford, UK: phone (ϩ44) (0) 1865 843830; fax (ϩ44) (0) 1865 853333; email: [email protected]. Alternatively you can submit your request online by visiting the Elsevier web site at http://elsevier.com/locate/permissions, and selecting Obtaining permission to use Elsevier material Notice No responsibility is assumed by the publisher for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress ISBN–13: 978-0-7506-8411-8 ISBN–10: 0-7506-8411-9 For information on all Butterworth-Heinemann publications visit our web site at http://books.elsevier.com Printed and bound in The Netherlands 07 08 09 10 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0750633743x-Prelims.qxd 05/16/05 9:46 AM Page v Contents Foreword ix Preface xi Acknowledgements xvii Eras in the story of British tourism xix 1 The inter-war years 1919 to 1939 and the impact of the Second World War (1939–45) 1 A changing society and new mobility 2 New ways of thinking 4 The volume and patterns of pre-war tourism 6 Government interest in pre-war tourism 8 Role of local authorities 10 Transport 12 Hotels and catering 13 1939 – the impact of war 15 Main messages of the inter-war years which resonate into the post-war period 15 2 Overview of growth and change – 1945 to 1995 17 1945 to 1955 Post-war recovery 18 1956 to 1969 Liberalization of travel – and of British Society 22 1970 to 1989 Approaching maturity 26 1990 to 1995 A mature market and the emergence of a new era of globalization and growing world competition 29 Chronology of events affecting British travel and tourism from 1945 to 1995 32 0750633743x-Prelims.qxd 05/16/05 9:46 AM Page vi vi Contents 3 Comparing tourism in 1950 with today 50 Holidaymakers of the 1940s and 1950s 51 A collectivist, conformist era that was reflected in the holidays on offer 52 The late 1940s – the annual holiday focus 53 Tourism today – peripatetic society 58 Tourists at the end of the twentieth century 60 Modern tourism summarized 65 4 Developments in accommodation and attractions 67 1945 to 1955 Domestic holidays by the seaside dominate British tourism 67 1955 to 1969 Changing times – the origins of modern tourism 75 1969 to 1989 Major changes in UK tourism – modern tourism emerges 80 1989 to 1995 Global tourism emerges 86 Summary 89 5 Developments in transport 90 A regulatory morass? 91 Reasons for transport regulation – why it is important 92 1945 to 1955 94 1955 to 1969 98 1969 to 1989 100 1989 to 1995 105 Summary 109 6 Marketing developments and trends – entrepreneurs and changing business models in British tourism 111 Piet Dirksen – Center Parcs 112 Charles Forte (Lord Forte) 114 Sydney de Haan – SAGA Group 116 Hoseasons Holidays 118 Sir Freddie Laker 119 Sir Fred Pontin 121 Vladimir Raitz 122 Resort Condominiums International 124 Ryanair and Easyjet 126 Captain Stuart Townsend 128 7 National organization for tourism in Britain 130 Government is the principal beneficiary of tourism activity 131 Government role interpreted as an organizational issue 134 1979 to 1995 The review years 142 Government management of tourism 147 Summary 149 0750633743x-Prelims.qxd 05/16/05 9:46 AM Page vii Contents vii 8 The Scottish and Wales Tourist Boards 151 The history and development of the Scottish Tourist Board 151 The history and development of the Wales Tourist Board 159 9 The story looking ahead in the twenty-first century 167 12 trends, which are discussed in this chapter 168 Appendix 1 The contribution of the late L. J. Lickorish CBE, 1922 to 2002 188 Appendix II The British Travel Educational Trust, 1970 to 2004 192 Appendix III Defining and measuring tourism and the tourism industry 194 Appendix IV Chronology of general events affecting the UK and influencing tourism patterns between 1945 and 1995 201 Appendix V Selected statistics of UK tourism – with a health warning...204 Appendix VI National tourist boards in Britain – What’s in a name? 216 Selected bibliography 218 Index 222 0750633743x-Prelims.qxd 05/16/05 9:46 AM Page viii This page intentionally left blank 0750633743x-Prelims.qxd 05/16/05 9:46 AM Page ix Foreword It is over 50 years since I first opened my home at Beaulieu to visitors. At the time, although of course we did not look very far ahead in the post-war years, I joined the vanguard of those who foresaw opportunities in the expected growth of interest in tourism and heritage. I have, therefore, taken an active role in the decades covered in this book. I have been privileged to witness many of the events and known many of the people at first hand. The late Leonard Lickorish first mooted the idea for this book in the mid- 1990s and the Board of the British Travel Educational Trust1 was asked to support it. The Trust gladly endorsed the proposal and Butterworth- Heinemann agreed to publish the book when it was completed. Unfortunately a range of delays and difficulties ensued and through Len’s illness and death in 2002 the project stalled. Victor Middleton, a former Chairman of the Tourism Society, whose many publications in tourism are well known, agreed to complete the work. I believe he has done an excellent job of pulling the various drafts and other papers together, adding his own interpretation of key events and developing the chapters for publication. There cannot be a definitive version of events that are still quite close in time. There are too many pieces in the story and many are not well chroni- cled. But it is certainly a story of remarkable growth. It gives me pleasure to commend this book to all with an interest in how tourism grew from sum- mer seasonal holidays, using mainly Victorian infrastructure in the 1950s, to a thriving year round modern sector of the UK economy that is relevant 1 The story of the British Travel Educational Trust is covered in Appendix II ix 0750633743x-Prelims.qxd 05/16/05 9:46 AM Page x x Foreword to just about every community in the land. Although the full economic impact of the sector is still not known with any certainty, it is now estimated to employ up to 2 million people and generate some 5 per cent of the UK economy – a percentage which rises steeply in many areas of the country with few alternative forms of economic growth and employment. This book is also a tribute to the outstanding work of Len Lickorish and the countless others who have contributed in this story of remarkable growth. From the most unpropitious origins after the war, tourism has grown from what was derisively dubbed a ‘candy floss industry’ to what many consider to be the fastest growing sector of the economy. Linked as it now is with leisure, recreation and many forms of business travel, tourism has become one of the largest growth opportunities facing us in the twenty- first century. Lord Montagu of Beaulieu 0750633743x-Prelims.qxd 05/16/05 9:46 AM Page xi Preface I am a discerning traveller; you are visitors; they are tourists. (Anon) Tourism is a reflection of our society and civilisation. (Pimlott, 1947) Introduction to the paperback edition This book, first published in hardback in 2005 and very favourably reviewed, quickly sold through its first print run. It was decided within a year to produce a paperback version and the opportunity was taken to make a number of minor corrections and improvements to the text. The biggest change is the inclusion of a new chapter (Chapter 8) on the development of tourism in Scotland and Wales, contributed by authors with long experience in each country. Demand for domestic and international travel has been increasing rapidly among the British population over the last half-century. From the summer season attractions ofseaside resorts in the 1950s to modern gap year trav-ellers, silver surfers and every conceivable business, leisure, recreational and social pursuit, Britons are on the move, around the world, 365 days a year.