How has tourism grown?

The tourist industry in MEDCs has grown significantly over the last 50 years. People are taking longer holidays, are travelling more frequently and travelling to destinations further away. There are a number of reasons for this. These include:

increase in income
the introduction of holiday pay
developments in transport (e.g. people have more holiday time from work)
cheap flights from budget airlines
the growth of tourism has had a positive effect on income and development in many countries therefore tourism is actively encouraged
changes in lifestyle and interests mean people are more interested in travelling to more exotic and unusual destinations.