TIME FOR A HOLIDAY - SOCIAL RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL TOURISM CONSUMPTION

Holidays are widely viewed as a special time, devoted to personal deve lopment and recreation. As tourism consumption becomes more widespread in developed countries, however, holidays are becoming subsumed into everyday life. The extent to which people are able to devote time to h olidays is strongly influenced by economic, social and cultural struct ures. An international comparison of holiday time entitlement and cons umption indicates that holidays are accepted as a social right in the 'holiday time surplus' nations of Europe, but are not; so firmly groun ded in the liberal 'holiday time deficit' societies such as the USA an d Japan.