ABSTRACT
This chapter defines the marketing concept and the difference between marketing, promoting and selling. It indicates that people travel either by obligation or for pleasure. The pleasure category of leisure, recreation and holidays is then explored, breaking it down into mainstream tourism, special interest tourism and alternative tourism. The chapter goes on to discuss whether tourism is supply or demand led. It then explains different levels of demand, and the concept of price elasticity of demand. Structuring the demand for tourism is discussed, and the chapter moves on to explain various approaches to market segmentation. The chapter concludes with visitor surveys and market information systems.
