Page 16 - All About History - Issue 27-15

Tourism

Tourism & holidays across history

LET THE

GAMES BEGIN
ANCIENT GREECE 776 BCE
Sports tourism kicked
off in Ancient Greece,
where people from all
over the world would
travel to watch the
Olympic Games. They
were held every four
years in Olympia as part The site of Troy in Turkey was a tourist
attraction for the Ancient Romans
of a religious festival to Roman package holidays
honour the god Zeus. ROME 27 BCE-476
Spectators would have to Ancient Romans were some of the first people in history to enjoy safe,
bear scorching heat and a convenient travel across the world. The Mediterranean was purged of pirates
limited water supply, and and Roman coinage was acceptable everywhere, so international tourism
only important people or became a popular pastime of the wealthy. Aristocrats would visit Greece to
athletes were allowed to meet the philosophers, Egypt to see the pyramids and the ruins of Troy – all in
stay in hotel rooms. The earliest Games only the spirit of education and culture.
featured a simple foot-race

Tourism timeline O Lord Byron goes O Going wild O Thomas Cook’s
on tour
on safari
first commercial
The famous English English military venture
O Ancient travel O The start of poet goes on the engineer William Cook organises his
The Sumerians spa breaks Grand Tour – a Cornwallis first commercial
(Babylonia) invent Ancient Roman baths customary trip of Harris leads an trip, publishing
money, developing grow in popularity and Europe for young expedition to a handbook
trade, commerce size, as each emperor noblemen in search observe wildlife, of the journey
and travel. tries to outdo his of art and culture. establishing to Liverpool – a
4000 BCE predecessor. 1809-11 the safari-style forerunner to the
2nd century holiday. 1836 holiday brochure. Thomas Cook is now a
The Great Bath in the UK is still 1845 household name, providing
a popular attraction, receiving holidays around the world
about 1 million visitors a year
4000 BCE 100 CE 1600 1800 1850
O Peace and tourism O Journey to the O Maypoles are O The battlefield O Wish you
Egypt’s first female Holy Land banned becomes a tourist were here!
pharaoh, Queen Christians make Parliament bans attraction The earliest
Hatshepsut, travels to pilgrimage to the Holy maypoles, as May Soon after Napoleon’s souvenir picture
the lands of Punt – a Land and Jerusalem. Day celebrations defeat at the Battle of postcard is posted
place rich in myrrh, Travel for religious are seen as immoral Waterloo, tourists invaded from Vienna.
gold and spices – for reasons is one of the affairs filled with the battlefield in search of 1871
peace and tourism. Christian pilgrims first travelled earliest forms of tourism. drinking, dancing souvenirs from the fallen Tourists took anything they
1480 BCE to sites connected with the life 4th century and debauchery. soldiers. 1815 could find on the battlefield,
and death of Jesus 1644 including soldiers’ teeth
Ryde was the first of the pleasure piers
Passport to safety that took British seaside resorts by storm Promenade on the pier
ENGLAND 1414 ENGLAND 1814
Passports first appeared in Medieval The easiest way to travel to the coast
times during the reign of King was by sea, but passengers often
Henry V. When travelling to another then had to wade through miles of
country, people had to carry ‘safe squelchy wet sand to reach the town.
conduct’ documents. These could In a bid to lure wealthy visitors to
be handed out to anyone, regardless the seaside resort, the town of Ryde
of whether they were English or not. on the Isle of Wight built a wooden
By 1540, it was the duty of the Privy structure that still stands to this day.
Council to grant these travel papers It was the first so-called pleasure pier
– now called passports – but since and many more followed, including
1794 they have been issued by the Brighton’s Old Chain Pier, which was
The passport of US marine Joseph John secretary of state. There’s a record of used as a landing stage for passenger
Franklin from World War I. Photos had just every passport since this date. ships from Dieppe, France.
started to be used as proof of identity

16