Question

Read the following passage carefully:

Why do people travel?

(1)	There are many reasons for travel. Most tourist trips can be placed under the following categories.
(2)	Leisure tourism trips make up 42% of travel. The main purpose is relaxation, rest and enjoyment. Most holidays are taken in family groups, couples or with groups of friends. Sometimes, people may choose to go on holiday by themselves to be on their own, or perhaps to meet new friends. Short breaks of less than one week are also becoming increasingly popular as second holidays. People choose to spend 2 or 3 nights away from home on a short break over a weekend or mid-week to relax and destress. These holiday choices are driven by what memorable experiences we hope to create and what we class as our definition of spending quality time together.
(3)	Health and fitness tourism, such as a cycling tour, trekking, or a walking holiday (5%), is growing in popularity amongst the youth today. Also, sports tourism (3%) wherein sports tours are taken as a spectator, such as a visit to a major sporting event like the Olympics or a World Cup in another city or country.
(4)	Health tourism (10%) implies going to a different country to have an operation or medical treatment not available or too expensive in the country where the person usually lives. This is making India a popular destination because of the excellent medical facilities it has to offer.
(5)	Educational tourism (3%) covers school and college visits and foreign language exchanges linked directly to study experiences and are short visits made by high school students as they prepare for further studies.
(6)	Spiritual tourism (2%) is where people travel both inbound and outbound to places of worship according to their beliefs.
(7)	Business tourism (35%)-Many people have to travel in the course of their business life apart from making a regular journey to and from where they normally work. It may involve driving to a meeting or flying to another country for conferences or corporate events. Business tourism is very important to the travel and tourism industry as it takes place all through the year and some travel and tourism businesses, such as budget hotel chains, rely heavily on income from business travellers.

Answer the following questions based on the above passage:

1. Complete with a suitable reason.     [1]
   People go on holidays together to ______.
2. Fill in the blank with an appropriate word/phrase.     [1]
   The phrase ‘driven by’ in paragraph (2) suggests that the choice of holiday destination ______ people’s experiences.
3. Short holidays of 2-3 days are becoming popular:     [1]
   1. because people have limited holidays.
   2. because people have increased their holiday budgets.
   3. to take a break from the stress of daily life.
   4. to visit historical places.
4. Why do tourists travel abroad for sports tourism?     [1]
   1. It is more economical.
   2. To watch family members play.
   3. To be spectators at world events.
   4. It doubles up for both sports and leisure.
   5. To train for sporting events.
      Select the correct option:
      
      1. Only I
      2. II and V
      3. II, III and IV
      4. Only III
5. Why is India a popular destination for health tourism?     [1]
6. Which is the most popular form of tourism and why?     [2]
7. Explain why business tourism is important for the travel industry.     [2]
8. According to the above statistics, which form of tourism is the least popular at the present moment?     [1]

Answer 1

i. People go on holidays together to relax, rest, enjoy themselves and spend quality time together.

ii. The phrase ‘driven by’ in paragraph (2) suggests that the choice of holiday destination is influenced by people’s experiences.

iii. C. to take a break from the stress of daily life.

iv. C. II, III and IV

v. India is a popular destination for health tourism because of the excellent medical facilities it has to offer, which are also more affordable than those in the person’s home country.

vi. The most popular form of tourism is leisure tourism (42%) because the main purpose is relaxation, rest, and enjoyment, and it often involves family groups, couples, or groups of friends.

vii. Business tourism is important for the travel industry because it takes place throughout the year, offering stable income to travel and tourism companies. Budget hotels, in particular, depend on income from business travellers.

viii. The least popular form of tourism at present is spiritual tourism, with only 2% of tourists visiting such destinations.