During the 1970s wide-body jets began to be used widely for commercial transportation, which marked the beginning of a new era in international tourism. It was during this period that long-haul holidays became popular among tourists. Long-haul holidays became increasingly affordable for leisure tourists. Wide-body jets could carry more passengers and air travel became cheaper, safer, and more comfortable. The first Boeing 747 entered service in January 1970, when Pan American, in collaboration with Boeing, flew the largest aeroplane in those days. The plane could carry 400 passengers, which was a remarkable leap in the history of passenger air transportation. Other wide-body aircraft soon followed, such as the three-engine McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and Lockheed L-1011 TriStar and the twin-engine Airbus A300. Long-range service became a trend that spurred long-distance air travel for the purpose of tourism as well as other reasons. The introduction of wide-body jets gave a fillip to leisure tourism particularly. The augmented affordability and comfort elevated the travel propensity immensely. During those days, major tourism markets were concentrated in the West. Until then, international tourism had been dominated by inter-and intra-regional tourism. Many long-distance destinations were not so accessible for those from the major tourism markets. The trend began to change as long-haul tourism began to prosper. Far Eastern destinations became more accessible for tourists from the West. The increased speed of air travel also enabled explorers to venture out and visit far-flung destinations. Before the entry of wide-body jets, other jet-engined flights were in use which could also spur the growth of tourism. By the late 1950s, Boeing 707 and DC-8 were in wide use and soon airlines began seeking larger aircraft to meet the rising global demand for air travel. Meanwhile, supersonic flights emerged, but later they were converted into freighters. Indeed, the demand for wider, quicker, and more comfortable flights by the airlines as well as the passenger community pressured the aircraft manufacturers to have more efficient flights and that resulted in wide-body jets. Later, more efficient aircraft entered into service. All such developments happened in the post-Second World War era. Asian destinations emerged as major tourist destinations in the same era. Air transport growth in these regions has been remarkable in recent times, with the phenomenal growth of destinations in the Asia-Pacific region. Now China is the number one tourism market in the world. China, India, Indonesia, etc. have the fastest growing air transport sectors. Air transport growth and the evolution of tourism go hand in hand. Long-haul travel is very common nowadays, a result of the remarkable role played by air transport.

Read the above case study carefully andanswer the following questions:

1. Explain the major reasons behind the rapid evolution of Asian places as major international tourism destinations and markets.
2. Write down the role played by wide-body jets in the growth of international tourism