Before further discussing the function of advertising in tourism, its definition should be better understood. Advertising is any paid form of non-personal promotional presentation of ideas or products by a sponsor whose identity is known. It is transmitted in mass communication media, mot by individual salespeople. Advertising media surround us nearly every moment of our lives. We are all familiar with most popular ones: magazines, newspapers supplement, network radio, network TV, pot TV, cable TV, and transportation vehicles like buses and subways. The trend today is toward creating even more advertising media. Movie theaters mow show a few minutes of ads before the feature. Cars are painted and transformed into traveling billboards. And to the marketing manager each advertising medium is a means for conveying a message to the target audience.
      Firms advertise for a purpose, and each advertisement has a specific objective. The purpose of most advertising is to sell a product, a service, a company, even an idea. It is to inform, persuade, and remind; to affect attitudes and behavior, it is to help the seller realize a greater profit than if it had not advertised.