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.
Mayors' new powers to introduce such a levy would mean local people benefited "even more" from tourism to their area, they said.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
Nepal's new tourism board figures Friday showed 98 people from India were missing, but 85 others rescued.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
Beijing denies it is violating Tibetans' rights, and points to the heavy investments it has made in the region to boost tourism and integrate it with the rest of the country.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
For wildlife tourism operators, cutting out diesel isn’t just a way to lower emissions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
“This is the tourism headquarters of the Otherworld,” explained the horse.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
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.
