tourism

American  

[toor-iz-uhm] / ˈtʊər ɪz əm /

noun

1. the activity or practice of touring, especially for pleasure.

2. the business or industry of providing information, accommodations, transportation, and other services to tourists.

3. the promotion of tourist travel, especially for commercial purposes.

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tourism British  

/ ˈtʊərɪzəm /

noun

1. tourist travel and the services connected with it, esp when regarded as an industry

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Etymology

Origin of tourism

First recorded in 1805–15; tour + -ism

Example Sentences

“We’ve put the whisky product to one side and we’ll have a bit of fun with it when it’s ready, but the tourism will pay the bills,” Erasmus said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Fuel is scarce and the motor of the economy, tourism, has never recovered to its pre-pandemic levels.

From BBC

With many more people in town than two pigs could feed, tourism officials donated more pigs to meet the huge demand, and small restaurants have been serving crowds of visitors in outdoor seating areas.

From BBC

A record 97 million foreign tourists visited Spain in 2025 as the economically vital sector set a new benchmark for the second year running, the tourism minister said on Thursday.

From Barron's

Agriculture is central to the Ugandan economy, with coffee as its leading export, along with refined gold, and a burgeoning tourism sector.

From Barron's

Related Words

• travel