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`discover' or connect to the essential character of
one's home country. Even some forms of domestic
tourism have been likened to pilgrimages, where
residents come to pay homage to the historical or
cultural symbols that have defined their collective
conscience.
The number and size of geopolitical divisions
within a country will have an influence on the
amount of domestic tourism that occurs, especially
if each of the regions has its own distinctive identity.
Many Americans, Canadians and Australians, for
example, are as interested in visiting their internal
states or provinces as they are in going abroad.
Finally, barriers to exiting a country may restrict
outbound tourism, diverting people to domestic
tourism. Such barriers can come in the form of
high travel costs, high departure taxes, restrictions
placed on the authorisation of travel visas, an
increase in value of foreign exchange, or the
generating country's unfavourable international
reputation.
Further reading
Jafari, J. �1986) `On domestic tourism', Annals of
Tourism Research 13: 491±6. �Offers an overview of
domestic tourism issues.)
Morrison, A.M., Hsieh, S. and O'Leary, J.T. �1994)
`Segmenting the Australian domestic travel
market by holiday activity participation', The
Journal of Tourism Studies 5�1): 39±56. �Identifies
six distinct domestic market segments with
unique sets of activity participation and other
characteristics.)
Sindiga, I. �1996) `Domestic tourism in Kenya',
Annals of Tourism Research 23�1): 19±31. �Examines
emergence of domestic tourism in a developing
country.)
Dominican Republic
BOB McKERCHER, CHINA
The Dominican Republic shares with Haiti the
Island of la Hispaniola, the second largest in the
Caribbean, where Christopher Colombus first set
foot in America. Its 1,600 kilometres of coast,
green hills and tropical climate are promoted as a
complete holiday destination. In the 1970s, the
World Bank promoted the Puerto Plata tourism
project on the North Coast. After its success,
private investors, mostly European, have increased
the number of rooms to more than 34,000, with
tourist arrivals reaching 2,000,000 in 1996.
drinking
drinking 159
LLUIS MESALLES, SPAIN
The consumption of alcoholic beverages is common
in various tourism settings. A drink, a glass of
wine or a pint of beer is often regarded as a symbol
of leisure or breaking away from the everyday
routine. Holidays in destinations with few regulations
regarding alcohol consumption may result in
excessive drinking by tourists, especially those
coming from more regulated environments or
countries.
TOM SELANNIEMI, FINLAND