A STUDY OF THE FACTORS OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR ...

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technical definitions were developed to provide instruments for
particular statistical, legislative and industrial purposes.
Each of the different technical definitions is seen to be
appropriate for different purposes.
This view of evolutionary definitions grounded in practical
application would seem to hold. In 1979 the British Tourism
Society adopted a definition of tourism based upon the work of
Burkart and Medlik, which in turn was drawn from earlier widely
accepted definitions:
'Tourism is deemed to include any activity concerned with
the temporary short-term movement of people to destinations
outside the places where they normally live and work, and
their activities during the stay at these destinations'.
Within this definition we can identify the inclusion of those
activities which are involved in the stay or visit to the
destination. There is also no insistence on overnight stays or
foreign visits, and it allows for domestic as well as day visits.
Burkart and Medlik's definition stands in sharp contrast to
definitions adopted by others. For example, in certain countries
researchers were more concerned about distance travelled away
from home than tourist activities. In order to compile figures
for day visitors some found it necessary to provide guidelines
as to how far 'outside the places where they normally live and
work' would constitute the spatial distance of particular types
of tourism. In 1979 the Australian Bureau of Industry Economics
placed constraints of length of stay and distance travelled on
its definition of a tourist:
'A person visiting a location at least 40 kilometres from
his usual place of residence, for a period of at least 24
hours and not exceeding twelve months'.