Tourism through history

By elsarivero

  • Terms

    The terms tour and tourist were introduced.

  • Sea cruises

    The first tourist trip by steamship Great Western was the starting point for the development of sea cruises.

  • Thomas Cook & Son

    Thomas Cook & Son
    The oldest travel company in the world was founded by Thomas Cook.

  • First group tour

    Thomas Cook organized the first group tour by train.

  • First international exhibition

    Thomas Cook arranged a visit for 150.000 people to the Great Exhibition in London.

  • Exhibition in Paris

    Thomas Cook planned his first excursion aboard, to Belgium, Germany and France.

  • First successful flight

    First successful flight
    The Wright Brothers created the first successful powered airplane

  • International passports

    In 1920 international passports were introduced.

  • The Hague

    The first international congress of tourist organizations met at the Hague in 1927

  • IUOTO

    IUOTO
    The congress evolved to become the International Union of Official Travel Organisations.

  • International tourist arrivals

    The number of international tourist arrivals was 25 million in 1951, then growing to 166 million in 1971.

  • International Tourist Year

    The United Nations declared 1967 the International Tourist Year.

  • The World Tourism Organization

    The first meeting of the World Tourism Organization (WTO).

  • WTO in Madrid

    The World Tourism Organization was established in Madrid.

  • Tripadvisor

    The travel research platform Tripadvisor was founded.

  • The Euro

    The euro was introduced, which made traveling across Europe easier.

  • The United Nations World Tourism Organization

    The United Nations World Tourism Organization
    The United Nations General Assembly welcomed the organization as a special agency in its own right.

  • UNWTO

    The UNWTO name and branding were launched.

  • Airbnb

    Airbnb
    Airbnb was launched. It is an online marketplace that connects people who want to rent out their homes with people looking for accommodations in specific locations.

  • Google Flights

    Google provides an online flight-booking service.

  • 1 billion international arrivals

    International tourist arrivals passed the 1 billion mark.

  • International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development

    The UN designated 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.

  • 1.5 billion record

    In 2019 the number of international tourists reached the record of 1.5 billion.