Leisure and Tourism Opportunities, 1918-1979

Question 1

1918-1945

Nineteenth Century

Answer 1

Tourism (especially foreign travel) was a luxury reserved for aristocracy and upper middle classes
Sailing popular off the coast + inland (Norfolk Broads)
Priviledged few took holidays abroad e.g French Riviera, Italy, or Greece

Question 2

1918-1945

Inter-War Expansion

Answer 2

Leisure ceased to be symbol of social dominance
Extended to masses, but limitations remained
1935 - 1.5 mil of 19 mil workers had access to paid holiday leave
1938 -** less than half** left home for a single night

Question 3

1918-1945

Holidays and Pay Act

Answer 3

1938
Made paid holidays a right, not a priviledge
Employers advised to give 3 consecutive days of paid leave a year
1938 - 40% of workers had this benefit, a third took a full week of paid leave

Question 4

1918-1945

Holidaymaking Habits in the Wake of Holidays and Pay Act

Answer 4

Generally unchanged
Uncommon to do more than take a short break to a local seaside resort
Holiday destinations ‘class based’ - wealthy visited Tynmouth not Whitley Bay, Llandudno not Rhyl, Bournemouth not Margate
Holiday industry grew in 1930s, Blackpool drew 7 mil visitors a year

Question 5

1918-1945

Countryside

Answer 5

Youth Hostel Association (1929) and Ramblers Association (1935) increased membership in 1930s
Cheap hostels flourished

Question 6

1918-1945

Increased Travel to Countryised Allowed By…

Answer 6

Affordability of cars + coach travel
1936 - coaches transported 82 mil passengers to rural areas
1939 - 2 mil cars on the road
Scotland, north Wales, and Lake District more accessible and popular
Lake District, over 700,000 visitors yearly in 1930s

Question 7

1918-1945

Commerical Holiday Camp

Answer 7

William Butlin launched first camp in Skegness (1937)
‘A week’s holiday for a week’s wage’
1939 - 200 holiday camps in Britain, over 100,000 visitors a year

Question 8

1950-1979

Leisure Time Increasing

Answer 8

Increased for average worker in 1960s and 1970s
Two weeks paid holiday in 1960, three weeks in 1975, four by 1979
People taking full week of holiday away from home doubled 1950-1979

Question 9

1950-1979

Increased Holidays

Answer 9

1951 - 25 mil went on holiday, 2 mil abroad
1979 - 34 mil and 7 mil

Question 10

1950-1979

Increased Foreign Holidays

Answer 10

Passengers on international flights increased from **887,000 (1951) **to just under 15 mil (1979)
60% taking foreign holoidays used travel agents e.g Thomas Cook
Lifting of currenct restrictions (only £50 1966-1970) contributed to rise

Question 11

1950-1979

Foreign Resorts

Answer 11

Cheap resorts e.g in Benidorm and Torremolinos in Spain allowed travel
Provided ‘home from home’ with English-speaking staff + British food
1971 - 8% of all holidays in Mediterranean resorts, over 4 mil abroad
1979 - 13 mil foreign holidays

Question 12

1950-1979

Alternative Destinations

Answer 12

Young professionals and uni graduates rejected materialism and sought out ‘exotic, cultural’ destinations in Nepal + India on the ‘Hippy Trail’
Actual numbers tiny compared to Majorca and Ibiza, but attitudes diverse

Question 13

1950-1979

Caravan Holidays

Answer 13

Remained popular
1979 - Almost half of population had been on caravan holiday, over 20% of holidays taken in 1970s
Affordable
Expansion of tourist industry, particularly in Devon, Cornwall, and Carmarthenshire

Question 14

1950-1979

Decline of Seaside Resorts

Answer 14

Suffered in 1960s
1970s - Butlin’s Empire all but collapsed
1971 - one-third of population been on foreign holiday
1979 one-third had not

Question 15

1950-1979

Class Divisions

Answer 15

One-third of middle class took regular foreign holidays in 1970s, only one-fifth of working class had same luxury