Tourism Globalisation in Todays European Context

Abstract

Modern society is in a transition process towards a global civilization. Economic and social phenomena such as internationalization of production, unprecedented intensification of international trade, forming global markets for finance capital, polarization of the population in rich and poor, exhaustion of the resources and degradation of the environment are a few main topics of the globalization. This should be seen as a natural process (primarily determined by modern technology), affecting the whole society, from organizations to state entities or to transnational interest groups. Thus, the globalization phenomena represents "... the integration of global markets (goods, services and capital) and technologies, increasing interdependent relationships at transcontinental scale ..." One of the most important objectives of this European "force" is creating a common market, an objective enshrined in the Treaty of Rome, since 1958, aiming to increase the economic prosperity of the Member States by at least two levers: free trade and free competition. Thus, EU rules cover all aspects of such a market, such as competition, taxation, industrial policies, transport, agriculture, etc.., and of course tourism. In this context, privatization, deregulation and liberalization of the service sector and the prices and international trade services, have created the way to achieve the globalization process in the tourism sector, which began with the cooperation of major hotel chains and airlines booking international locations the transport and accommodation.