Untitled

adio
Radio is an underrated medium of tourism
information and promotion �see promotion,
place). As an advertising medium, its main
virtues are economic reach of niche audiences,
high repetition and mobility �including being able
to reach audiences in the car, in different rooms of
the house or outdoors). Creatively, its appeal to the
imagination can compensate for its inability to
deliver a visual image.
rail
A.V. SEATON, UK
Rail transportation of passengers, including
tourists, dates from nearly two centuries ago.
Today, a number of rail systems, including some
devoted purely to providing a nostalgic experience
for tourists, are found worldwide. High-speed
rail travel was developed in the 1960s, providing
timely long-distance travel. The first Shinkansen
line in Japan opened in 1964, linking Tokyo and
Osaka with trains travelling at speeds of up to 210
kph �130 mph). Since then, additional Shinkansen
`bullet trains' have linked Tokyo and other
Japanese cities. This country is now investing over
$3 billion in the development of `maglev' �magnetic
levitation) systems, which will permit speeds of
more than 300 mph.
The French National Railroads began its TGV
�train aÁ grande vitesse ± `train of great speed')
service between Paris and Lyon in 1981 at speeds
of about 320 kph �200 mph). TGV service
expanded to Marseille in 1983 and, at a cost of
several billion dollars, was extended to several of
France's European neighbours including the
United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and Germany.
The latter is developing a high-speed rail service
similar to the TGV, except that freight will be
carried as well as passengers. Germany plans to
invest more than $60 billion in rail infrastructure
by the year 2000, including investment in
maglev projects. The government is partnering
with private enterprise to link Hamburg and Berlin
with a 400 kph �250 mph) maglev system.
To permit high-speed service such as that of the
Shinkansen or TGV, trains require new or
upgraded tracks, tunnels, bridges, signalling systems
and special power units. In addition to Japan,
France and Germany, countries such as the United
Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Korea all
have committed billions of dollars to the development
of high-speed rail systems. For high-speed rail
service in the United States, Amtrak was
authorised to upgrade the Northeast Corridor
between Washington DC and Boston at a cost of
$900 million. Completion was scheduled for 1999,
permitting train speeds of up to 240 kph �150
mph). The government's National Maglev Initiative
identified twenty-six potential high-speed
corridors. Several US groups are interested in
developing maglev systems, but Congress is
reluctant to fund development projects.
Further reading
Hollings, D. �1997) `Europe's railways in the 21st
century', Travel and Tourism Intelligence 4: 4±22.
�Discusses current and future rail systems in
terms of expansion, technology, and ownership.)
ratio analysis
ratio analysis 487
JOHN OZMENT, USA
Ratio analysis is the comparison of related
numbers resulting in a single figure. The purpose
is to increase the understanding of information
reported in financial statements. For example, the
comparison of the net income of a company to its
owner's equity results in the return on this equity,
which is often more significant than simply the
amount of net income or the amount of stockholders'
equity by themselves.
Ratios express financial information in different
ways including percentages, per unit basis, turnover
and coverage. For example, the comparison of
the cost of food sold to the sales is expressed as a
cost percentage. The comparison of total food sales
to the number of customers served is the average
service check, a per unit basis expression. The
comparison of total sales to average accounts
receivable results in the accounts receivable turn