Globalization and Tourism

Abstract

Globalization is a process that has reached an unrestrainable size over recent decades and has intensified its influence through various manifestations. Global changes, along with the technological, innovative, climatic and demographic ones, have completely transformed the world. The tourism sector, as one of the fastest growing in the world, has to adapt to these changes, developing in a way that increases sustainability and competitiveness of destinations. Tourism will have to adapt to the phenomena outside its sector, moving along a sustainability path, in order to contribute to achieving the global goals of sustainable development. In this way, it will be recognized as a sector that contributes to the creation of wealth and jobs, the preservation of cultural and natural values, the reduction of poverty, and to the strengthening of peace and intercultural understanding. Globalization changes the nature of international tourism, in such a way that new tourist destinations are emerging, changing tourist demand, behavior and expectations. Technical progress, primarily in the field of transport and telecommunications, contributes to this. In order to take advantage of all the positive aspects of globalization in the development of tourism, as well as to avoid the negative ones, serious strategic planning of the development of this sector is necessary