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.