See how the british holiday has changed through a hundred years of holiday memories
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Holiday memories
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Intro
The idea of tourism was well-established at the start of the 20th century, partly thanks to Thomas Cook, who had popularised the idea of the package tour some 50 years earlier. Travel for pleasure was largely restricted to the upper and middle classes – but all that was about to change.
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1903
Blackpool
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Holidays for everyone
1938
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The Holidays With Pay Act was passed in 1938.
The Act guaranteed regular annual holiday time for all workers in the UK – previously, holidays were generally considered a luxury for the rich. Around this time, Billy Butlin opened his first holiday camp at Ingoldmells, near Skegness, promising "a week's holiday for a week's pay".
The first Douglas DC-3, a plane that revolutionised the air transport industry, was also produced in this era. Its dual-propeller design cut flight times by around a third, and 80 years later, many are still in use.
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1943
Brighton Seafront
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A voice for air transport
1945
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The International Air Transport Association was founded in 1945.
The organisation, which today represents over 250 airlines and 84% of air traffic, was founded in Cuba, Havana. It was a major milestone in the development of a global travel industry, overseeing safety, addressing competition concerns and advising governments on policy.
In the UK, the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 was passed, and the country's first ten National Parks – today a major source of tourism - were created.
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1950
Blackpool
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2010
St Gilgen, Austria
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2015
Benidorm
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End
Tourism has changed almost beyond recognition in the last century. Previously unimaginable journeys can be booked, paid for and travelled on the same day; aircraft carry hundreds of passengers at a time, and flying is often the cheapest and fastest form of travel. With the planet seeming smaller every day, who knows where we're going next?
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