noun
Etymology
Origin of tourism
Explanation
Tourism is the travel business — it caters to people who are visiting a place. Tourism turns a destination into a vacation spot. Tourism is also a word for the act of traveling, especially abroad. Fanny packs are not required. If you’re visiting a new place, stop by the office of tourism and they’ll give you the lowdown on the local hotspots. If you’ve visited somewhere because it has beautiful sights, great museums, or interesting history, you were a tourist. Tourism is the business that makes money from tourists. As the word implies, tourism often involves actual tours, which could be on foot, in a bus, or even on the back of a llama.
Vocabulary lists containing tourism
The United States
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Eastern Europe - Introductory
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Pacific Islands - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Tourism Economics is projecting that 1.24 million international tourists will travel to the U.S. host cities, the analyst notes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
"Tourism was always accepted as a positive economic sector for Spain," says Femenia-Serra.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
Tourism projections anticipate 98,000 visitors by 2029, and more than one million by 2055.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
"Tourism isn't just about leisure and recreation. It could also contribute to people's physical and mental health," Ms. Hu added.
From Science Daily • May 4, 2026
More difficult interviews followed—by other reporters, and then by a gaundet of scowling officials at the Ministry of Tourism.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
