Untitled

margins and causing some high-profile bankruptcies.
Four of the five biggest tour operators in
Europe are German, and these `big four' ± TUI,
NUR, LTU and DER ± are steadily increasing
their market share.
Until reunification, government attitudes in
West and East Germany diverged: the former
allowed a relatively free market economy, whereas
the latter pursued a policy of directing and
restricting tourism and leisure. Since reunification
the Western laissez-faire approach has prevailed
with a minimum of government interference. In
the federal government, the interests of the
tourism sector are scattered throughout almost
every ministry with a consequent shortfall in
overall coordination. At federal level the government
merely attempts to set out basic parameters
which will promote and protect tourism, although
reunification provided a stimulus to massive
investment in the former East Germany, much
of which was consciously aimed at improving
infrastructures with tourism in mind. At state
�Land) level, each government holds responsibility
for regional economic measures to develop the
tourism infrastructures, health and spa resorts
�which are municipal operations), social tourism,
and support for tourism marketing and
research projects. At local level, each municipality
conceives and pursues its own policy through a
local municipal tourism association. The trade
works closely with government and local authorities
on all three levels, but the diversity of
interests has often led to disparate and even
conflicting policies. The main trade associations
are the DTV �German Travel Association),
the DBV �German Spa Association), the DE-
HOGA �German Hotel and Restaurant Association)
and the DRV �German Travel Agencies
Association), and they have formed the DZT
Standing Committee to coordinate policy with the
German NTO. The DZT has been responsible
for marketing Germany abroad, but from 1997 it
has also been responsible for coordinating internal
marketing. The lion's share of its funding
comes from a federal government subvention, but
there are plans to reduce this progressively from
$22.5 million in 1996 to $15 million in 2000.
Hard times lie ahead.
Further reading
British-American Tobacco/Freizeit-Forschungs institut
�1997) 7. Gesamtdeutsche Tourismusanalyse
Hamburg, BAT. �An analysis of tourism motivation
and intentions.)
Forschungsgemeinschaft Urlaub ‡ Reisen, Urlaub
Reisen, Hamburg: Gruner & Jahr. �Reports
providing the basis for statistical information.)
Freyer, W. �1995) Tourismus, Munich: Oldenbourg.
�A systematic reference work on tourism with
constant references to the German market.)
Hill, R. �1993) `Tourism in Germany', in W. Pompl
and P. Lavery �eds), Tourism in Europe, Wallingford:
CAB International, 219±41. �An
analysis of structures and trends in German
tourism.)
ghetto
ghetto 253
RICHARD HILL, GERMANY
Traditionally referring to the area of an Italian or
other city where Jewish people lived and to which
they were confined, the term ghetto is now more
commonly used to describe any area or quarter of a
city inhabited by particular racial or other identifiable
groups. It also implies that the area or group
in question is to some extent segregated from the
rest of the city or community. Therefore, a
tourism ghetto may be defined generally as that
part of a resort or destination primarily set
aside or utilised for tourism and where there is little
contact between tourists and local people other
than those who work within the tourism industry.
More specifically, either purpose-built destinations
in tourism development areas �such as
Cancun in Mexico) or all-inclusive club-style
resorts, such as the Club MeÂditerraneÂe or
Sandals holiday complexes, are frequently referred
to as tourism ghettos. In both cases, the resorts are
usually segregated or built at a distance from
existing communities, there is often little or no
opportunity �and, for many tourists, little need or
desire) for contact between visitors and local people
and, in effect, the resorts are little more than
annexes of tourism-generating countries attached
to destination areas. As a result, tourism ghettos are
frequently criticised for alienating tourists from