The History and Development of Tourism

Travelling is one of the ways to get to know countries, to learn more about people’s traditions, to see a lot of interesting places. Tourism can be recognized as long as people have travelled; the narrative of Marco Polo in the 13th century; the "grand tour" of the British aristocracy to Europe in the 18th century; and the journeys of David Livingstone through Africa in the 19th century are all examples of early tourism.
The earliest forms of leisure tourism can be traced as far back as the Babylonian and Egyptian empires. A museum of historic antiquities was open to the public in the sixth century BC in Babylon, while the Egyptians held many religious festivals attracting not only the devout, but many who came to see the famous buildings and works of art in the cities. The local towns accommodated tourists by providing services such as: vendors of food and drink, guides and hawkers of souvenirs.