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.
A life-size cardboard cutout of Pope Leo XIV stands on a street in downtown Chiclayo, part of a local effort to promote tourism ahead of his visit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026
Burberry retail sales in China grew 5% during the quarter, supported by local spending and intraregional tourism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026
But that has infuriated opposition councillors, who say a permanent display for the ship would boost tourism.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026
Wellness tourism specifically, valued at $655 billion in 2019 and $894 billion in 2024, is forecast to reach $1.4 trillion by 2029.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026
We turned onto International Drive, the tourism capital of the world.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
