Language Points | Translation | Comprehension Questions
Text A    Why People Travel?
 

      The growth of tourism has become a contemporary phenomenon experienced by all countries in the world. International tourist arrivals alone reached as high as 546 million in 1994 and is forecasted to rise to 937 million in 2010, according to WTO. But why do people like traveling so much?
      In Maslow's opinion, there is a hierarchy of universal wants and needs found in every human being. Ultimately at the top of the hierarchy there are the needs for self-actualization of self- realization, that is, the need to develop one’s own potential, the need for aesthetic stimulation, the need to create or to build one’s own personality and character, etc.. Then tourism turns out to be a good solution, since it provides ample chances to satisfy most of the needs, and the needs, in turn, constitute major motivational factors for people to travel and go on vacation. Even “self-actualization” may be achieved when a long-held dream comes true on a certain trip.
     Probably the most common reason for travel is associated with our physical well-being. Actually, travel for sports is one of the fastest growing generators of travel. The motivational force of spectator sports is, however, more complex. There is the desire to get away from routine, to identify with teams and individuals, which gives people a sense of belonging, and to dream of the role one would fulfill if he were playing. Here, the effect may be felt more mentally than physically. In the fast-moving modern society where strain and stress have become part of an individual’s life, people tend to have a change in environment and activities in order to rest and relax.

 
<1> <2> <3> <4>
 
sp;