Tertiary Economic Activities: Services, Trade, Transport
The Tertiary Sector
The tertiary sector comprises activities not dedicated to producing goods, but rather providing services.
Classification of Services
By Management
- Public Services: Managed by the state, municipalities, autonomous communities, etc. Examples include education and health services.
- Private Services: Offered by private companies.
By Function
- Social Services: Satisfy specific societal needs.
- Administrative Services: Handle various governmental or organizational functions.
- Financial Services: Banks and savings banks responsible for monetary transactions.
- Cultural Services: Deal with aspects of culture (e.g., museums, arts).
- Personal Services: Include various professional services offered directly to individuals.
- Information and Communication Services: Activities assigned to transmit information.
- Commercial Services: Include various forms of commerce and trade support.
- Transport Services: Responsible for transporting people and goods.
- Leisure and Tourism Services: Related to entertainment, fun, and relaxation.
Internal Trade
Trade taking place within the boundaries of a country, aiming to supply goods to its inhabitants.
Wholesale Trade
Performed by commercial companies that acquire merchandise in bulk directly from producers and sell it to smaller traders (retailers).
Retail Trade
Performed by trading companies that acquire goods in smaller quantities, typically from wholesalers, for resale directly to consumers.
Forms of Internal Trade
- Petty trade
- Department stores (including supermarkets, superstores, large stores)
- Malls
- Mail order
- Internet and television shopping
Foreign Trade
The exchange of goods and services between different countries.
Balance of Payments
An accounting record of all monetary transactions between a country and the rest of the world, including imports and exports.
Balance of Trade (or Goods)
Included within the Balance of Payments, this specifically reflects the difference between the value of a country’s imports and exports of physical goods.
The balance can be:
- Positive (Surplus): Revenues (exports) exceed payments (imports).
- Negative (Deficit): Payments (imports) exceed revenues (exports).
- Balanced: Payments and receipts match.
Transport
The movement of people and goods from one place to another.
Ground Transportation
Road Transport
Uses buses, cars, and motorcycles for transporting people, and trucks for goods. These vehicles operate on highways, roads, and motorways.
Inconveniences: Traffic congestion, pollution, etc.
Rail Transport
Widely used to transport goods of high volume and weight.
Inland Waterways Transport
Carried out on navigable rivers and lakes. Uses barges and sometimes large ships to transport large or heavy goods. Principal waterways include the Mississippi River, Rhine, Amazon, etc.
Shipping (Maritime Transport)
Used to transport high-volume, heavy goods internationally.
Advantages: Large cargo capacity, efficient use of containers for goods, variety of specialized ships.
Disadvantages: Requires additional transport from the port to the final destination after unloading.
Air Transport
Airlines are organized by private companies or state-owned entities.
Advantages: Speed.
Disadvantages: High cost, pollution.
Tourism
Any journey undertaken from one’s place of residence to another location for a limited period, for leisure or other purposes. Tourism allows for the inflow of foreign currency, stimulates the development of other economic activities, and can lead to changes in lifestyles.
Negative Impacts of Tourism
- Impairment of the natural landscape (due to infrastructure development, transportation needs, etc.).
- Overexploitation of some natural resources (e.g., water to meet tourist demands).
- Increase in waste generation.
- Disruption of ocean currents and beach erosion (in coastal areas).
Corrective Actions and Sustainable Tourism
As tourists become more environmentally conscious and demand better conditions without sacrificing service quality, a new approach to tourism development has emerged. This approach combines respect for the natural environment with a higher quality tourist offer, often referred to as sustainable tourism or eco-tourism.