July 5, 1841 - Thomas Cook arranged special train between Leicester and Loughborough in England (11 miles) for a temperance meeting; believed to be first publicly advertised excursion train in England; charged one shilling per person (included rail tickets and food); Cook was paid a share of the fares actually charged to the passengers, as the railway tickets, being legal contracts between company and passenger, could not have been issued at his own price; began to arrange excursions for pleasure, took percentage of the railway tickets; 1844 - Midland Counties Railway Company made permanent arrangement with him provided he found the passengers; 1856 - introduced railway tour of Europe; early 1860s - began the travel firm of Thomas Cook and son; 1880s - took on military transport and postal services for England and Egypt; May 26, 1972 - acquired in Midland Bank-led buyout; 2002 - acquired by the German company C&N Touristic AG, later changed its name to Thomas Cook AG (jointly owned by Lufthansa and Karstadt).

1869 - John F. Fugazi, immigrant from Milan, founded Fugazi travel agency in San Francisco.

June 5, 1882 - John Mitchell Lyons, railway clerk in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada (headquarters of Intercolonial Railway of Canada), received a Canadian patent for "Improvements in Baggage Checks and Coupon Tickets"; way to track and identify luggage; baggage check separated into halves along perforation; both pieces printed with same route information and identifying number; one half attached to bag, other given to passenger to claim luggage at destination.

March 7, 1911 - Willis S. Farnsworth and William H. Reed, of Petaluma, CA, received a patent for a "Magazine Hinge and Conveyer"; coin-operated locker; assigned to Coin Controlled Lock Co.

June 15, 1945 - Frank Barry, Joe Moran, other partners merged variety of competing boat ride services, formed Circle Line company (3-hour cruise around Manhattan cost $1.25); July 4, 1961 - carried its 10 millionth passenger; 1981 - Circle Line Sightseeing Yachts, Inc. acquired by Karl G. Andren (founder of United Tank Containers); formed New York Cruise Lines, Inc.; November 27, 1984 - registered "Circle Line" trademark first used December 31, 1950 (Conducting Sightseeing Cruise Services by Yacht or Boat); New York’s oldest, largest provider of scheduled, chartered sightseeing, special function cruises.

1957 - Arthur Frommer, former Army intelligence officer posted in Berlin, self-published 5,000 copies of "Europe on $5 A Day" (originally written for GIs); sold for $.50 per copy; helped to change leisure travel; showed average Americans they could afford a trip to Europe; 1965 - title changed to "Europe on $5 and $10 a Day"; 2004 - changed to "Europe From $85 a Day".

March 8, 1994 - Don Ku, of Flushing, NY, received a patent for a "Wheeled Suitcase of Luggage Support with Collapsible Towing Handle"; assigned to Liberty Leather Products Co. Inc. (Brooklyn, NY).

2000 - Record 13.2 million American traveled to Europe (European Travel Commission).

August 11, 2006 - Intrawest Corporation (owner of Mammoth, Stratton, Whistler, Tremblant and other properties) agreed to  biggest buyout of publicly traded resort operator: about $1.8 billion cash by the Fortress Investment Group.

October 1, 2007 - BBC Worldwide (British Broadcasting Corporation) acquired Lonely Planet, travel guidebook company for an undisclosed sum (75% from founders Tony and Maureen Wheeler; 25% from John Singleton, shareholder since 1999).

August 2008 - Hotel industry in Hawaii hit hard by slowdown in  travel:

(American Society of Travel Agents), George L. Fichtenbaum (1990). Passport to the World: The History of ASTA. (Alexandria, VA: American Society of Travel Agents, 472 p.). American Society of Travel Agents--History; Travel Agents--United States--Societies, etc.--History.

(Brewster Transport), E.J. Hart (1981). The Brewster Story: From Pack Train to Tour Bus. (Banff, AB: Brewster Transport Company, Ltd., 163 p.). Brewster family; Brewster Transport Company; Bus lines -- Alberta -- Banff; Sightseeing business -- Alberta -- Banff.

(Compass), Amir D. Aczel (2001). The Riddle of the Compass: The Invention That Changed the World. (New York, NY: Harcourt, 178 p.). Compass.

(Compass), Alan Gurney (2004). Compass: A Story of Exploration and Innovation. (New York, NY: Norton, 288 p.). British Writer, Photographer, Yacht Designer. Compass--History. 

(Thomas Cook), Piers Brendon (1991). Thomas Cook: 150 Years of Popular Tourism. (London, UK: Secker & Warburg, 372 p.). Thomas Cook Ltd.--History; Travel agents--History.

(Cruise West), Charles B. West (1985). Mr. Alaska: The Chuck West Story: Forty Years of Alaska Tourism, 1945-1985. (Seattle, WA: Weslee Pub., 153 p.). West, Charles B., 1914- ; Travel agents--Alaska--Biography.

(Global Group), Steve Baker (2004). Pushing Water Uphill with a Rake: Memoirs of a Successful Failure. (Merric Publishing, 207 p.). Business Marketing Consultant. Baker, Steve; Global Group; travel services; lawsuit. 

(Hawke's Bay Motor Company), Leonard Ernest Anderson (1967). Coaches North; The Story of the Hawke's Bay Motor Company. (Auckland, NZ: Reed, 124 p.). Hawke's Bay Motor Company.

(Holland-Amerika Lijn), H.A. Dalkmann and A.J. Schoonderbeek (1998). One Hundred and Twenty-Five Years of Holland America Line: A Company History. (Edinburgh, Scotland: Pentland Press, 439 p.). Holland-Amerika Lijn.

(Lindblad Travel), Lars-Eric Lindblad with John G. Fuller; introduction by Roger Tory Peterson (1983). Passport to Anywhere: The Story of Lars-Eric Lindblad. (New York, NY: Times Books, 305 p.). Lindblad, Lars-Eric; Travel agents--Sweden--Biography; Safaris; pioneered expedition travel ( "eco-tourism").

(Lonely Planet Publications), Tony & Maureen Wheeler (2005). Once While Travelling: The Lonely Planet Story. (Camberwell, Vic.: Penguin Group (Australia), 391 p.). Founders, Lonely Planet Publications. Wheeler, Tony, 1946- ; Wheeler, Maureen; Lonely Planet Publications (Firm); Travel--Anecdotes; Travelers--Australia--Biography; Publishers and publishing--Australia--Biography. Evolution of travel guide business into world’s largest independent travel publishing company.

--- (2007). Unlikely Destinations: The Lonely Planet Story: How Two Backpackers Trekked Across Asia-and Revolutionized the World of Independent Travel. (North Clarendon, VT: Tuttle Publishing, 416 p.). Wheeler, Tony, 1946- ; Wheeler, Maureen; Lonely Planet Publications (Firm); Travel--Anecdotes; Travelers--Australia--Biography; Publishers and publishing--Australia--Biography. 1970 - met during Belfast-born Maureen's first week in London,  went on planned one-year trip through  Far East, ended up stranded, penniless in Australia; decided to publish short travel guide on Asia, became basis of multinational company. 

(Mount Cook Company), Harrry Wigley (1979). The Mount Cook Way: The First Fifty Years of the Mount Cook Company. (Auckland, NZ: Collins, 218 p.). Mount Cook Company.

(Rosenbluth Intl.), Hal F. Rosenbluth and Diane McFerrin Peters (1992). The Customer Comes Second: And Other Secrets of Exceptional Service. (New York, NY: Morrow, 240 p.). Organizational effectiveness; Employee motivation; Quality of work life; Travel agents--Management. 

(Travelmart), Marge Lawson (2001). The Travelmart Story: Story of How It All Began: Written in Celebration of our 50th Anniversary, 1952-2002: Memories. (North Olmstead, OH: Snow Book Co., 260 p.). Travelmart (Firm)--History; Travel agents--History.

(TUI AG), von Bernhard Stier und Johannes Laufer (2005). Von der Preussag zur TUI: Wege und Wandlungen eines Unternehmens 1923-2003. (Essen, Germany: Klartext, 632 p.). Preussag zur TUI;. One of the most radical restructuring processes in German business history. 

(Tunibra Travel), Sonia Sahao (2000). Takeharu Akagawa: Uma Vida Dedicada ao Turismo. (Sao Paulo, SP: Edicon, 159 p.). Akagawa, Takeharu, 1909- ; (Sa~o Paulo (Brazil)); Travel agents--Brazil--Biography.

Robert C. Allen (2004). Creating Hawai'i Tourism: A Memoir. (Honolulu, HI: Bess Press, 258 p.). President and Director of Hawaii Visitors Bureau, Grayline Hawaii and the Hotel Operating Co. Allen, Robert Coleman; Travel agents--Hawaii--Biography; Businessmen--Hawaii--Biography; Tourism--Hawaii--History. 

Mark Daniel Barringer (2002). Selling Yellowstone: Capitalism and the Construction of Nature. (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 238 p.). Concessions (Amusements, etc.) --Yellowstone National Park --History; Resort development --Yellowstone National Park --History; Land use --Yellowstone National Park --History; Capitalism --Social aspects --Yellowstone National Park --History; Capitalism --Environmental aspects --Yellowstone National Park --History; Nature --Effect of human beings on --Yellowstone National Park --History; Yellowstone National Park --History; Yellowstone National Park --Economic conditions; Yellowstone National Park --Environmental conditions.

Dina Berger (2006). The Development of Mexico’s Tourism Industry: Pyramids by Day, Martinis by Night. (New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 164 p.). Assistant Professor of Modern Latin American History (Loyola University Chicago). Tourism--Mexico--History. Author demystifies emergence of modern tourism, demonstrates how tourist boosters capitalized on broader shifts in U.S.-Mexican relations. 

Mansel G. Blackford (2001). Fragile Paradise: The Impact of Tourism on Maui, 1959-2000. (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 277 p.). Tourism --Environmental aspects --Hawaii --Maui; Maui (Hawaii) --Economic conditions.

Catherine Cocks (2001). Doing the Town: The Rise of Urban Tourism in the United States, 1850-1915. (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 287 p.). Tourism--United States; Cities and towns--United States. 

Michael Dawson (2004). Selling British Columbia: Tourism and Consumer Culture, 1890-1970. (Vancouver, BC: UBC Press, 274 p.). Tourism--British Columbia--History; Tourism--British Columbia--Marketing--History; Consumption (Economics)--Canada--History; Tourisme--Colombie-Britannique--Histoire; Tourisme--Colombie-Britannique--Marketing--Histoire; Consommation (Économie politique)--Canada--Histoire.

J. Valerie Fifer (1988). American Progress: The Growth of the Transport, Tourist, and Information Industries in the Nineteenth-Century West, Seen Through the Life and Times of George A. Crofutt, Pioneer and Publicist of the the Transcontinental Age. (Chester, CT: Globe Pequot Press, 472 p.). Crofutt, George A.; Businessmen -- United States -- Biography; Transportation -- West (U.S.) -- History -- 19th century; Advertising -- Transportation -- West (U.S.) -- History -- 19th century; Tourism -- West (U.S.) -- History -- 19th century.

Kristoffer A. Garin (2005). Devils on the Deep Blue Sea: The Dreams, Schemes, and Showdowns that Built America's Cruise Ship Empires. (New York, NY: Viking, 384 p.). Cruise lines--United States; Cruise ships--United States; Ocean travel.

E.J. Hart (1983). The Selling of Canada: The CPR and the Beginnings of Canadian Tourism. (Banff, AB: Altitude Pub., 180 p.). Canadian Pacific Railway Company -- History; Tourism -- Canada -- History; Advertising -- Tourism -- Canada -- History; Canadian Rockies (B.C. and Alta.) -- Description and travel.

Victor T.C. Middleton with the late L.J. Lickoris (2005). British Tourism: The Remarkable Story of Growth. (Boston, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann, 209 p.). Former chairman of the UK Tourism Society. Tourism--Great Britain. 

N.J. Morgan, Annette Pritchard (1999). Power and Politics at the Seaside: Development of Devon's Resorts in the 20th Century. (Exeter, UK: University of Exeter Press, 250 p.). Tourism -- Great Britain -- History; Development--Resorts. Political, power relations in modern seaside resort development in Devon - England's most popular domestic holiday destination; complex interplay between ideology, class, power and  consumption of landscape and place. 

Nicholas T. Parsons (2007). Worth the Detour: A History of the Guidebook. (Gloucestershire, UK: Sutton Publishing, 378 p.). Guidebooks--travel; Publishers and publishing--travel--history. History of guidebooks from medieval to modern times; mutation of genre over time: problem of authenticity, snobbery, political candor.

Hal K. Rothman (1998). Devil's Bargains: Tourism in the Twentieth-Century American West. (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 434 p.). Tourism--West (U.S.).

Eds. Philip Scranton and Janet F. Davidson (2006). The Business of Tourism: Place, Faith, and History. (Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania, 312 p.). Professor of History (Rutgers University); Historian at the Cape Fear Museum (Wilmington, NC). Tourism--Economic aspects; Tourism--Social aspects. Tourism as local, global enterprise from 1860s to1990s; cultural practice of tourism linked to businesses that create cultural experiences. 

Anthony J. Stanonis (2006). Creating the Big Easy: New Orleans and the Emergence of Modern Tourism, 1918-1945. (Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 317 p.). Visiting Assistant Professor of History (Texas A&M University). Tourism--Louisiana--New Orleans--History; New Orleans (La.)--Description and travel. Volunteers, businessmen reframed their city as romantic, exotic tourist destination.  

Lynne Withey (1997). Grand Tours and Cooks' Tours: A History of Leisure Travel, 1750-1915. (New York, NY: Morrow, 401 p.). Voyages and travels--History.

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Business History Links

Centre for Tourism and Cultural Change                    www.tourism-culture.com                                                  Established at Leeds Metropolitan University, UK in 2001, the CTCC is one of the leading international platforms for tourism research. Focus is on the multi-dimensional relationships which exist between tourism and culture(s). We aim to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the complexities of tourism as a global phenomenon at different social and political scales (through academic research, collaborative projects, consultancy, conferences, publications, professional development and postgraduate programmes).