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eligious marker, are fewer in number relative to
other groups of the population. They are
differentiated and are formally or informally
assigned a separate social position �see marginality;
ethnic group). Ethnic minorities are often
used in national tourism advertising because of
their attractive traditions, like the Sami in
Finland. They may indeed be the main reason
for tourists visiting a destination, yet the minorities
themselves may not be the major beneficiaries
of the resulting business.
model
VALENE SMITH, USA
VERONICA LONG, USA
A model is an attempt to identify key variables in
a situation and the relationship that exists among
them. Model building in tourism seeks to understand
a complex relationship and to aid the
management of a place or process. For
example, in econometric forecasting of tourism
flows, the purpose is to help estimate future
numbers of tourists so as to permit informed
decisions.
modernity
CHRIS RYAN, NEW ZEALAND
Modernity is a temporal construct which periodicises
a number of societal developments which
evolved within industrial Europe and America after
the First World War. Its defining features included
technological mechanisation, mass communication,
internationalisation, secularisation and
avant-garde culture. Some writers see tourism
as quintessentially a modernist phenomenon,
others as postmodernist, while still others emphasise
its roots in traditional travel forms �see also
postmodernism; prototypical tourism
form) .
A.V. SEATON, UK
modular programme
Modular programmes consist of learning experiences
in which the totality of an experience is
divided into independent components �termed
modules). The design and content of each module
is structured so that students may combine
different modules according to their academic
and/or professional needs, as well as the time
available to them. Modular designs are commonly
used to facilitate the delivery of an institution's
programmes so as to maximise the cost-effectiveness
of instructional programming.
See also: education; training
Morocco
Morocco 391
J.R. BRENT RITCHIE, CANADA
Morocco, with an area of 710, 850 square km and
26 million population, features a diverse climate.
This is due to its Atlantic and Mediterranean
coastal fronts �over 3,500 km) and to the mountain
chains which form its high boundaries. The
geological structure of this North African country
comes from the movement of tectonic plates: over
two thousand million years ago, the Anti-Atlas and
part of the Sahara were formed. The tertiary era
saw the development of western and eastern
Meseta and the High and Middle Atlas mountains,
as well as the Rif mountains. Evidence of the
ancient population can be found in the countless
prehistoric relics. Since then, the Phoenicians,
Carthaginians, Byzantines, Romans and Vandals
succeeded one another, before the arrival of the
Arabs in the eighth century. Today, Morocco is a
constitutional monarchy.
The country is appealing to tourists because of
its tradition and its quality of life. It is divided into
four large regions : the coast dominated by fishing
and manufacturing industries; the plains and
plateaux of the northwest, the agricultural and
commercial regions; the Rif and Atlas mountains
where pasture and commercial forestry dominate;
and the desert, where mining industries and the
oasis culture co-exist. Morocco is located near
main European tourism markets. It offers several
touristic combinations, including the tour of