Tourism Business as the World’s Largest Industry and Employer

Free independent travelers (FITs) or Do-It-Yourself (DIY) travelers are people over 35, often, though not necessarily, of above average income who prefer to travel in small groups or typically as couples. They eschew mass tourism and the package holiday concept promoted by travel or tour operators, in favor of a more individualistic and fluid approach to travel.
The rise of low cost airlines in the US and Europe has increased the supply of alternative and lower cost short haul destinations fueling demand for these newly available markets. Southwest Airlines in the US, Ryanair and EasyJet in Europe and later Spanish, German and nationally orientated airlines grew up adding destinations and creating an internationally networked portfolio of air-routes delivering people to destinations which were not previously available at a commercial, international level. The Internet is fundamental to the rise of independent travel, offering suggestions and ideas, for example, a good meal out in Rome from a fellow FIT, across the globe, who ate there last week can be relayed and sourced instantly.
The independent travel vacation or holiday is a custom built cocktail, complied with suggestions from friends, forums, specialty providers or others, creating the idea around which a trip is built. The FITs themselves are responsible for adding components in place of the traditional package operators.
Free and independent travelers are an important and growing sector in the market. Governments, regional tourist boards and other public sectors responsible for tourism development try to attract them. Why? The basic principle is economics. FITs spread their money around. Fifteen FITs will eat, sleep, snack, take a coffee, go to theatres/art shows/opera festivals/football games/rural villages in fifteen different locations and introduce their money in hundreds of different channels. Contrast this with a tour group of another 15 people run by a tour operator based in and delivering share-holder profit to Country A. Their tour to Country B is less efficient from an economic development perspective as the tour operator controls and constrains so many of the components in the chain.
Backpacking is a term that has historically been used to denote a form of low-cost, independent international travel. Terms such as independent travel and/or budget travel are often used interchangeably with backpacking. The factors that traditionally differentiate backpacking from other forms of tourism include but are not limited to the following: use of public transport as a means of travel, preference of youth hostels to traditional hotels, length of the trip vs. conventional vacations, use of a backpack, an interest in meeting the locals as well as seeing the sights.
Backpacking as a lifestyle and as a business has grown considerably in the 2000s as the commonplace of low-cost airlines, hostels or budget accommodation in many parts of the world, and digital communication and resources make planning, executing, and continuing a long-term backpacking trip easier than ever before.
While there is no definitive answer as to the precise origin of backpacking, its roots can be traced, at least partially, to the Hippie trail of the 1960s and 70s, which in turn followed sections of the old Silk Road. In fact, some backpackers today seek to re-create that journey, albeit in a more comfortable manner, while capitalizing on the current popularity of the green movement.
While travel along the old Hippie Trail has been rendered complicated since the early 80s due to unrest in Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran that continues today, backpacking has expanded to most regions of the world. In recent years, the increase of budget airlines and low-cost flights has contributed to this expansion. At present, new "hippie trails" are being formed towards Northern Africa in places such as Morocco and Tunisia and other destinations being reached by low-cost airlines.
Backpacking through Europe or North America is no longer a journey made only by fresh college graduates with a small amount of their parents’ money. Technological changes and improvements have also contributed to changes in backpacking. Traditionally backpackers did not travel with expensive electronic equipment such as laptop computers, digital cameras and PDAs due to concerns about theft, damage, and additional luggage weight. However, the desire to stay connected coupled with trends in lightweight electronics have given rise to the flashpacking trend, which has been in a state of continuous evolution in recent years.