International tourism in the world

The history of international tourism the last fifty years can be divided into three stages: 1 / the decades from 1950 to 1980, characterized by a progressive democratization of tourism supported by an unparalleled economic growth

; 2 / the last decade of the twentieth century, the euphoria of a tourist who sees the borders open. The end of a bipolar world announcement many hopes naive. The scope of territories open to tourism continues to widen. 3 / The end of the century announces the age of maturity of tourism. After the euphoria, illusions and disillusions of a space tourist world without borders, facts, often dramatic raised awareness tourists to the complexity of a world where wars have never stopped. The global space tourism is articulated around three regional basins: more than 75% of international tourist flows, driven by the rich European cities, North American and Asian, are confined in their original regional space. The distribution of tourist flows draws an organization into three distinct basins: in order of importance, 1 / the Euro-Mediterranean region, centered on the Mediterranean Sea, 2 / the East Asia and Pacific basin around the South China Sea shores 3 / the North America-Caribbean basin, organized around the "American Mediterranean". The discontinuities between assertive poorly stabilized peripheries, highly selective extensions, margins forgotten or excluded. The climate of insecurity affecting some tourist areas are aimed at weakening the outskirts most sensitive and oblige the international space tourist to retract.