Travel4All

What is leisure tourism, and what examples?

David Stokes

  • March 2, 2023

Leisure tourism, a popular form of travel, refers to the act of taking a trip for the purpose of relaxation, recreation, or enjoyment. It involves participating in activities typically done during one’s free time, such as sightseeing, shopping, dining out, and engaging in cultural events. While leisure tourism can take many forms, it is often associated with vacations and getaways, allowing individuals to escape the stress of everyday life and explore new places.

leisure tourism

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on travel, leisure tourism remains a popular choice for individuals looking to recharge and explore the world. From exploring famous landmarks in Paris to sunbathing on the beaches of Bali, there are countless examples of leisure tourism destinations and activities available worldwide. In this article, we will explore the concept of leisure tourism and provide several examples of popular destinations and activities you can add to your travel bucket list.

What is leisure travel?

Leisure travel refers to traveling for pleasure rather than business or work-related purposes. It is a type of travel that involves exploring new destinations, engaging in recreational activities, and relaxing and unwinding. Whether traveling alone or with friends and family, leisure travel provides a much-needed break from the daily routine and allows individuals to experience new cultures, environments, and experiences.

For the person traveling, leisure travel can provide a wide range of benefits, including learning about different cultures, making new friends, and creating lasting memories. It can also provide a sense of adventure, challenge, and excitement that can be hard to find in everyday life. Additionally, leisure travel can help reduce stress levels and improve mental health by providing a break from the daily routine.

As a tourist, leisure travel can also significantly impact the environment and local communities. Responsible tourism practices, such as supporting local businesses, using eco-friendly transportation, and being mindful of waste, can help minimize negative impacts and promote sustainable tourism.

Of course, finances are an essential consideration for leisure travel. Depending on the destination, activities, and accommodations chosen, leisure travel can be a costly endeavor. However, with careful planning, budgeting, and research, it is possible to enjoy leisure travel without breaking the bank. Many travel websites and apps offer discounts and deals on flights, hotels, and activities, making planning an affordable and enjoyable leisure travel experience easier than ever.

Types of leisure tourism

Adventure tourism.

One of the most popular types of adventure tourism is extreme sports. From bungee jumping to skydiving, there’s no shortage of heart-pumping activities to get your adrenaline flowing. These experiences are not for the faint of heart, but they offer a rush like no other and can be incredibly rewarding for those who take the plunge.

For those who prefer a slower pace, there are plenty of other adventure tourism options. Hiking, camping, and backpacking are all popular choices that allow you to explore the great outdoors and connect with nature. Whether traversing rugged mountain trails or pitching a tent in a remote wilderness area, these activities offer a chance to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life and immerse yourself in the beauty of the natural world.

Of course, adventure tourism is only for some. Some people prefer to stick to more traditional types of leisure tourism, such as beach vacations or city breaks. However, you love a challenge and aren’t afraid to step outside your comfort zone. In that case, adventure tourism can be an incredibly rewarding and life-changing experience.

So, whether you’re looking to bungee jump off a bridge, hike through the wilderness, or explore a new city on foot, there’s an adventure tourism experience that’s perfect for you. So why not take the leap and try something new? You never know what amazing experiences and memories you might create!

Cultural tourism

One of the most exciting things about cultural tourism is that it can take you to places you never imagined. Whether exploring ancient ruins in Greece, visiting museums in Paris, or attending festivals in Japan, there are countless opportunities to learn and grow through cultural tourism.

Of course, cultural tourism doesn’t have to take you to far-flung destinations. There are plenty of opportunities to explore different cultures closer to home, whether visiting museums and art galleries, attending cultural events in your city, or trying new foods at ethnic restaurants.

For those who love to travel, cultural tourism offers a chance to see the world differently. Rather than just ticking off tourist attractions, cultural tourism allows you to connect with locals, learn about their way of life, and gain a deeper appreciation for the rich diversity of our planet.

So whether you’re a history buff, an art lover, or simply someone who wants to experience something new, cultural tourism has something for everyone. So why not step out of your usual environment and immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of cultures that make our world so fascinating? Who knows what incredible experiences and memories await you along the way!

Suppose you’re someone who cares deeply about the environment and wants to make a positive impact on the world. In that case, ecotourism might be the perfect choice for your next leisure tourism adventure. This tourism category is all about traveling responsibly and sustainably, focusing on preserving natural habitats and supporting local communities.

One of the main things to consider when it comes to ecotourism is your travel’s impact on the environment. This means choosing eco-friendly accommodations and activities, such as staying in lodges that use renewable energy, participating in wildlife conservation efforts, and using low-impact transportation methods like hiking or cycling.

Another important factor to consider is your travel’s impact on the local community. Ecotourism aims to support local economies and promote cultural exchange, so it’s important to choose tours and activities led by local guides and support local businesses.

Of course, ecotourism is not just about being responsible and sustainable – it’s also about having fun and experiencing the beauty of nature. Whether you’re exploring pristine forests, snorkeling in coral reefs, or observing wildlife in their natural habitats, there’s no shortage of amazing experiences to be had in ecotourism.

Suppose you’re passionate about the environment and want to positively impact the world while having fun and exploring new places. In that case, ecotourism might be the perfect fit for you. And as the tourism industry continues to grow and evolve, there are plenty of opportunities for jobs and careers in eco-tourism, making it a great choice for those who want to make a difference while pursuing their passions.

Beach tourism

Beach tourism is leisure tourism that revolves around visiting coastal destinations and enjoying the beach environment. This type of tourism is popular among people of all ages, from families with young children to solo travelers seeking relaxation and recreation.

Beach tourism destinations vary widely, from crowded beaches in popular tourist hotspots to secluded and pristine shorelines in remote locations. Some of the most popular beach tourism destinations include the Caribbean, Hawaii, the Maldives, and the Mediterranean.

Activities commonly associated with beach tourism include swimming, sunbathing, beach volleyball, surfing, and water sports such as jet skiing, parasailing, and snorkeling. Many beach tourism destinations also offer a range of amenities, such as beachfront restaurants, bars, cafes, and hotels and resorts catering to beachgoers.

Beach tourism can be a great way to escape the stresses of everyday life and enjoy some time in the sun and sand. It offers many experiences, from relaxing and soaking up the sun to more active pursuits such as water sports and beach games. For those who love the ocean and the beach environment, beach tourism is a must-try type of leisure tourism.

Health and wellness tourism

Health and wellness tourism is a type of leisure tourism that focuses on improving physical, mental, and emotional well-being through various activities and services. It involves traveling to destinations that offer specialized programs and services to help visitors achieve their health and wellness goals.

Some of the most common health and wellness tourism activities include spa treatments, yoga and meditation classes, fitness activities, healthy eating, and alternative medicine practices such as acupuncture and herbal remedies. Health and wellness tourism destinations can range from specialized wellness centers and retreats to traditional vacation spots that offer a variety of wellness-focused activities and services.

Health and wellness tourism has become increasingly popular in recent years as more people seek to prioritize their health and well-being. This type of tourism offers a range of benefits, including stress relief, improved physical health, and a renewed sense of energy and vitality.

In addition to the benefits for individual travelers, health and wellness tourism can also positively impact local communities. It can create job opportunities in the wellness industry and stimulate local economies through increased tourism.

Overall, health and wellness tourism is a great option for those seeking to prioritize their health and well-being while enjoying leisure travel’s benefits. With a wide range of activities and services available, there is something for everyone in the world of health and wellness tourism.

Can business travelers have leisure time on a business trip?

Yes, business travelers can have leisure time on a business trip, depending on their schedule and the purpose of their trip. Many business travelers often have free time during their trip, either before or after their work obligations are completed. During this time, they may choose to engage in leisure activities and explore the destination they are visiting.

Business travelers may also extend their trip for a few days or a weekend to have more time to explore the destination and engage in leisure activities. This is often called “bleisure” travel, a combination of business and leisure travel.

However, it is important to note that the amount of leisure time a business traveler can have may depend on the nature of their business trip and the expectations of their employer. Sometimes, the schedule may be tightly packed with meetings, and there may be little free time for leisure activities. Additionally, some employers may have policies restricting the amount of leisure time a business traveler can have or the type of activities they can engage in during their free time.

Ultimately, it is up to the individual business traveler to determine how much leisure time they can have on a business trip and to balance their work obligations with their desire to explore and engage in leisure activities.

What are the examples of leisure tourism?

There are many examples of leisure tourism, as it encompasses many activities and destinations. Some examples of leisure tourism include:

  • Beach tourism – visiting coastal destinations for sun, sand, and water activities.
  • Adventure tourism – engaging in activities such as hiking, skiing, and whitewater rafting in natural environments.
  • Cultural tourism – visiting destinations to learn about the local culture, history, and customs.
  • Health and wellness tourism – traveling to destinations that offer specialized programs and services to improve physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
  • Ecotourism – visiting natural environments to observe and learn about the local flora and fauna while minimizing environmental impact.
  • Rural tourism – visiting rural destinations to experience rural life and engage in farming, fishing, and hunting activities.
  • Wine tourism is visiting destinations known for their wine production and touring vineyards and wineries.
  • Sports tourism – traveling to participate in or observe events such as marathons, golf tournaments, and soccer matches.
  • Food tourism – traveling to destinations to experience local cuisine and food traditions.
  • Educational tourism is traveling to destinations to learn about specific subjects, such as art, history, or language.

These are just a few examples of leisure tourism, and many other types of tourism can fall under this category. Ultimately, leisure tourism is about enjoying the free time and engaging in activities that provide relaxation, entertainment, and personal enrichment.

In conclusion, leisure tourism encompasses various activities and destinations, from beaches to educational tourism. The purpose of leisure tourism is to provide individuals with opportunities for relaxation, entertainment, and personal enrichment. People engage in leisure tourism to escape from their usual environment, explore new destinations, and engage in activities that they enjoy or that interest them.

While there are many types of leisure tourism, all of them share a common goal of providing individuals with a break from their daily routines and an opportunity to have fun and create memorable experiences. As the tourism industry continues to grow and evolve, we can expect to see new types of leisure tourism emerge, and existing types become more popular.

Ultimately, leisure tourism plays an important role in the tourism industry and the lives of individuals who engage in it. It provides opportunities for personal growth, cultural exchange, and economic development. Whether it’s a relaxing beach vacation, an adventurous trek through the wilderness, or an educational trip to a historic site, leisure tourism has something to offer everyone.

David Stokes

David Stokes

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What Does Leisure And Tourism Mean

Published: December 12, 2023

Modified: December 28, 2023

by Karna Choi

  • Plan Your Trip
  • Sustainability

what-does-leisure-and-tourism-mean

Introduction

Leisure and tourism are two interconnected concepts that play a significant role in our lives. They are not only sources of relaxation and entertainment but also contribute to the growth of economies and the development of cultures. In this article, we will explore what leisure and tourism mean, how they are related, and why they are important.

Leisure refers to the time spent outside of work or other commitments, where individuals engage in activities that they enjoy and find fulfilling. It can be any activity that brings pleasure, such as hobbies, sports, reading, or socializing with friends and family. Leisure is crucial for maintaining a healthy work-life balance and overall well-being. It allows individuals to rejuvenate, recharge, and engage in activities that bring them joy and satisfaction.

Tourism, on the other hand, involves traveling to different places for recreational, educational, or business purposes. It is an industry that encompasses a wide range of activities, such as sightseeing, visiting cultural and historical sites, exploring natural wonders, participating in adventure sports, attending conferences, and experiencing different cuisines and lifestyles. Tourism provides an opportunity to discover new cultures, broaden horizons, and create lasting memories.

Definition of Leisure

Leisure can be defined as the discretionary time individuals have outside of their work and other necessary commitments. It is the time to engage in activities that bring joy, relaxation, and personal fulfillment. It provides a break from the daily routine and allows individuals to pursue their interests and passions.

Leisure activities can vary greatly depending on personal preferences and interests. Some individuals may find solace in engaging in physical activities such as swimming, hiking, or playing sports, while others may prefer more passive activities like reading, listening to music, or watching movies. Leisure can also include socializing with friends and family, exploring new hobbies, attending cultural events, or even simply resting and rejuvenating.

One important aspect of leisure is that it is not bound by obligations or tasks. It is a free and voluntary choice that individuals make to engage in activities that bring them pleasure and relaxation. Unlike work or other responsibilities, leisure provides a sense of freedom and autonomy, allowing individuals to make choices based on their personal preferences and desires.

Leisure is essential for personal well-being and mental health. It helps individuals to de-stress, recharge, and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Engaging in leisure activities can have numerous benefits, including reducing anxiety and depression, improving cognitive functions, boosting creativity, and enhancing social connections.

It is important to note that leisure is subjective and can vary from person to person. What one individual finds enjoyable and fulfilling may not be the same for another. Therefore, it is crucial for individuals to identify activities that bring them joy and make time for those activities in their lives. By prioritizing leisure, individuals can enhance their overall quality of life and find a sense of fulfillment and happiness.

Definition of Tourism

Tourism is the act of traveling to different destinations for recreational, educational, or business purposes. It involves the exploration and experience of new places, cultures, and activities outside one’s usual environment. Tourism is a multi-faceted industry that encompasses various activities and services, including transportation, accommodation, attractions, and hospitality.

The primary motive behind tourism is usually leisure and entertainment. People travel to escape their daily routines, experience new things, and create lasting memories. However, tourism can also serve other purposes, such as business travel, educational or cultural exchanges, and even medical tourism for specialized treatments.

There are several different types of tourism, each catering to specific interests and preferences. Some of the common types include:

  • Leisure tourism: This involves traveling for recreational purposes, such as beach vacations, adventure trips, or visiting theme parks.
  • Cultural tourism: This focuses on exploring the heritage, customs, and traditions of different cultures, including visiting museums, historical sites, and attending cultural events.
  • Eco-tourism: This promotes responsible travel to natural areas, with the aim of preserving the environment and supporting local communities.
  • Business tourism: This involves traveling for business-related activities, such as attending conferences, meetings, or trade shows.
  • Medical tourism: This refers to traveling to foreign countries to receive medical treatments or procedures that may be more affordable or of higher quality than in one’s home country.

Tourism plays a vital role in the global economy, contributing to employment generation, infrastructure development, and foreign exchange earnings. It stimulates local businesses, such as hotels, restaurants, and transportation services, creating a multiplier effect on the economy. Moreover, tourism has the potential to foster cultural exchange and understanding between different societies, promoting peace and mutual respect.

However, it is important to note that tourism can also have negative impacts, including over-tourism, environmental degradation, and disruption of local communities. Sustainable tourism practices are increasingly emphasized to minimize these negative effects and ensure the long-term viability of tourist destinations.

Relationship between Leisure and Tourism

Leisure and tourism share a close and interconnected relationship. While leisure refers to the activities individuals engage in during their free time, tourism provides an avenue for individuals to experience leisure in different locations and environments. In other words, tourism is one of the ways in which people seek leisure experiences beyond their usual surroundings.

Tourism encompasses a wide range of activities and experiences that are specifically designed to provide leisure and entertainment. When individuals go on vacation or travel to different destinations, they often engage in leisure activities as part of their overall tourism experience. This may include exploring tourist attractions, trying new foods, participating in adventure sports, or simply relaxing on a beach.

On the other hand, leisure can also act as a motivator for individuals to engage in tourism. People often plan trips or vacations to unwind, break away from their daily routines, and indulge in leisure activities that they may not have the opportunity to enjoy in their regular lives. The desire for leisure experiences can inspire individuals to embark on travel adventures and explore new destinations.

Furthermore, leisure and tourism can also have a reciprocal relationship, where they reinforce and support each other. For instance, the availability of leisure activities in a tourist destination can attract visitors and contribute to the growth of the tourism industry. Similarly, tourism development can lead to the creation of new leisure facilities and opportunities for both locals and visitors to enjoy.

The relationship between leisure and tourism is not limited to individual experiences but also extends to the societal level. The leisure and tourism industries collectively contribute to the economic growth of countries, generate employment opportunities, and stimulate local businesses. They also play a significant role in cultural exchange and understanding as individuals from different cultures engage in leisure and tourism activities together.

It is important to recognize and foster the relationship between leisure and tourism to cater to the diverse needs and desires of travelers. Tourism destinations and businesses often strive to provide a variety of leisure activities and experiences that appeal to different interests and preferences, ensuring that visitors can engage in meaningful and enjoyable leisure during their trips.

Importance of Leisure and Tourism

Leisure and tourism play a crucial role in both individual lives and the broader society. They provide numerous benefits and contribute significantly to personal well-being, economic growth, and cultural exchange. Here are some key reasons why leisure and tourism are important:

1. Personal Well-Being: Leisure activities give individuals the opportunity to relax, recharge, and engage in activities they enjoy. They help reduce stress, promote mental health, and enhance overall well-being. Leisure activities provide a sense of fulfillment, satisfaction, and happiness, allowing individuals to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

2. Economic Impact: The leisure and tourism industries have a substantial impact on economies worldwide. They create jobs, stimulate local businesses, and generate revenue through various sectors such as accommodation, transportation, food and beverage, and entertainment. Tourism also encourages infrastructure development, leading to improvements in transportation, communication, and public facilities.

3. Cultural Exchange: Tourism fosters cultural exchange by bringing people from different backgrounds together. Visitors have the opportunity to experience different traditions, customs, and ways of life, promoting understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures. Additionally, locals in tourism destinations can share their heritage and showcase their culture, which helps in preserving and celebrating their identity.

4. Environmental Preservation: Sustainable tourism practices promote the protection and conservation of natural resources and ecosystems. By emphasizing responsible travel and minimizing the negative impacts on the environment, tourism can contribute to the preservation of biodiversity and the overall health of our planet. Eco-tourism initiatives also support environmental education and local conservation efforts.

5. Educational Opportunities: Tourism provides opportunities for educational experiences. Visitors can learn about history, art, architecture, and other aspects of different cultures through museum visits, guided tours, and cultural events. Educational tourism can also include attending workshops, language classes, or participating in immersive experiences that help broaden knowledge and perspective.

6. Community Development: Tourism can play a significant role in community development, especially in less-developed areas. It creates employment opportunities and income streams for locals, which can improve their living standards. Additionally, tourism can help revitalize and preserve traditional industries, handicrafts, and cultural practices, supporting the sustainability of local communities.

Types of Leisure Activities

Leisure activities encompass a wide range of pursuits that individuals engage in during their free time. These activities serve as a means of relaxation, entertainment, and personal fulfillment. Here are some common types of leisure activities:

  • Physical Activities: Engaging in physical activities is a popular form of leisure. This can include sports such as soccer, basketball, tennis, or swimming. Physical activities not only promote physical fitness but also provide an outlet for stress relief and a sense of accomplishment.
  • Creative Pursuits: Many individuals find pleasure and fulfillment in creative leisure activities. This can include painting, drawing, writing, playing a musical instrument, or engaging in crafts such as knitting or woodworking. The act of creating something allows individuals to express themselves, tap into their imagination, and experience a sense of accomplishment.
  • Socializing: Connecting with others is a fundamental aspect of leisure. Socializing can take various forms, such as meeting friends for a coffee or a meal, attending social events or parties, or participating in group activities like book clubs or sports teams. Engaging in social activities provides an opportunity for building relationships, sharing experiences, and fostering a sense of belonging.
  • Exploring Nature: Many people find solace and rejuvenation in spending time in nature. Activities such as hiking, camping, birdwatching, or gardening allow individuals to connect with the natural world, experience tranquility, and appreciate the beauty of their surroundings. Outdoor leisure activities also contribute to physical fitness and overall well-being.
  • Reading and Learning: Reading books, magazines, or articles is a favorite leisure activity for many. It allows individuals to escape into different worlds, expand their knowledge, and stimulate their imagination. Additionally, engaging in lifelong learning, whether through online courses, workshops, or educational programs, is a fulfilling leisure pursuit that promotes personal growth and intellectual development.
  • Travel and Adventure: Exploring new places and embarking on travel adventures is a popular form of leisure. Whether it’s a weekend getaway to a nearby city or an international trip to a distant country, travel allows individuals to experience new cultures, cuisines, and landscapes. Adventure activities such as rock climbing, bungee jumping, or skydiving also provide an exhilarating form of leisure for thrill-seekers.
  • Relaxation and Mindfulness: In today’s fast-paced world, relaxation and mindfulness activities are essential for mental well-being. These can include meditation, yoga, spa treatments, or taking soothing baths. Engaging in relaxation and mindfulness practices helps individuals to unwind, reduce stress levels, and achieve a state of inner calm.

Types of Tourism Activities

Tourism activities encompass a wide range of experiences and opportunities for travelers to engage in during their journeys. These activities cater to diverse interests and preferences, ensuring that individuals can immerse themselves in unique and memorable experiences. Here are some common types of tourism activities:

  • Sightseeing and Cultural Exploration: One of the most popular tourism activities is sightseeing and exploring different cultures. This involves visiting famous landmarks, historical sites, museums, and cultural attractions. Travelers have the opportunity to learn about the history, art, and traditions of a particular destination, allowing for a deeper understanding of its heritage and identity.
  • Nature and Adventure Tourism: For those seeking outdoor adventures and natural wonders, nature and adventure tourism is an ideal choice. Activities such as hiking, trekking, wildlife safaris, snorkeling, or zip-lining allow travelers to explore pristine landscapes, encounter unique flora and fauna, and experience adrenaline-pumping thrills.
  • Beach and Resort Tourism: Many tourists are drawn to destinations with beautiful beaches and world-class resorts. Beach tourism offers relaxation, swimming, sunbathing, and water sports such as surfing, snorkeling, or jet skiing. Resorts provide luxurious accommodations, spa facilities, and a range of recreational activities for a truly indulgent vacation.
  • Culinary and Food Tourism: Food enthusiasts often embark on culinary tourism, where they explore the local cuisine and indulge in gastronomic experiences. This can involve food tours, cooking classes, visiting food markets, or dining at renowned restaurants to savor authentic flavors and regional specialties.
  • Heritage and Architectural Tourism: Heritage and architectural tourism focus on exploring historical buildings, monuments, and architectural gems. This can involve visiting ancient ruins, castles, temples, or exploring preserved historic neighborhoods. Travelers can appreciate the craftsmanship and cultural significance of these structures.
  • Eco-tourism and Sustainable Tourism: With a growing focus on sustainability, eco-tourism has gained popularity. It involves responsible travel to natural areas, promoting conservation and sustainable practices. Activities can include wildlife conservation projects, eco-lodges, hiking in national parks, and participating in environmental education programs.
  • Adventure and Extreme Tourism: Adventure-seekers often pursue extreme tourism activities that push their limits. This can include activities such as skydiving, bungee jumping, white-water rafting, paragliding, or mountain climbing. These adrenaline-pumping experiences provide a thrill and unique sense of achievement.
  • Wellness and Health Tourism: Wellness tourism focuses on enhancing physical and mental well-being. Travelers can indulge in spa retreats, yoga and meditation retreats, detox programs, or health resorts. These activities promote relaxation, rejuvenation, and self-care.

Benefits of Leisure and Tourism

Leisure and tourism bring numerous benefits to individuals, communities, and societies as a whole. These benefits encompass various aspects of personal, economic, cultural, and environmental well-being. Here are some key advantages of leisure and tourism:

  • Personal Well-being: Leisure and tourism activities contribute to personal well-being by providing opportunities for relaxation, stress relief, and enjoyment. Engaging in leisure activities helps individuals maintain a healthy work-life balance, reduce anxiety and depression, improve mood, and enhance overall mental and physical health.
  • Cultural Exchange: Tourism promotes cultural exchange and understanding between people from different backgrounds. Visitors have the opportunity to immerse themselves in local cultures, traditions, and customs. This fosters mutual respect, broadens perspectives, and breaks down stereotypes, contributing to a more harmonious and interconnected world.
  • Economic Growth and Job Creation: The leisure and tourism industries have a significant impact on economies. They generate employment across various sectors, such as hospitality, transportation, and tourism services. Tourism also creates business opportunities for local entrepreneurs, stimulates infrastructure development, and generates revenue through visitor spending.
  • Preservation of Natural and Cultural Heritage: Tourism plays a vital role in the preservation and conservation of natural and cultural heritage. It provides the necessary funds for the maintenance of historical sites, museums, national parks, and protected areas. Additionally, responsible tourism practices promote sustainability, environmental awareness, and the protection of delicate ecosystems.
  • Community Development: Leisure and tourism contribute to community development in various ways. Local communities benefit from increased job opportunities, business growth, and infrastructure development. Tourism can also help revitalize traditional industries, preserve local crafts and cultural practices, and provide a platform for showcasing and celebrating local heritage and identity.
  • Education and Learning: Leisure and tourism provide educational opportunities for travelers. Visiting museums, historical sites, and cultural attractions can enhance knowledge and understanding of different cultures, history, art, and architecture. Beyond formal education, tourism allows for experiential learning, providing insights into different ways of life and fostering personal growth and development.
  • Quality of Life: Leisure and tourism contribute to an improved quality of life for individuals and communities. By providing opportunities for leisure and travel experiences, people can create lasting memories, build meaningful relationships, and pursue personal interests and hobbies. This leads to increased life satisfaction, happiness, and a sense of fulfillment.

Challenges in the Leisure and Tourism Industry

The leisure and tourism industry faces various challenges that can impact its sustainability, growth, and overall success. These challenges arise from internal and external factors, and the industry must navigate them effectively to thrive. Here are some key challenges in the leisure and tourism industry:

  • Seasonality: Many tourism destinations experience significant fluctuations in visitor arrivals due to seasonal patterns. This creates a challenge in maintaining a stable flow of tourists and generating consistent revenue throughout the year. Destinations heavily reliant on specific seasons may struggle economically during off-peak periods.
  • Changing Consumer Preferences: The leisure and tourism industry must constantly adapt to evolving consumer preferences. As travelers become more discerning, their demands and expectations shift. Meeting these changing preferences requires continuous innovation, investment in infrastructure, and ensuring high-quality service delivery.
  • Competition: The leisure and tourism industry is highly competitive. Destinations and businesses must differentiate themselves and offer unique experiences to attract visitors. Furthermore, competition in the digital space has intensified with the rise of online travel agencies and platforms, making it necessary to have a strong online presence and effective marketing strategies.
  • Security and Safety Concerns: Ensuring the safety and security of travelers is of paramount importance. Natural disasters, political instability, terrorism, and other security concerns can significantly impact tourism. Effective crisis management, stringent security measures, and proactive communication are essential to manage and mitigate such risks.
  • Sustainable Practices: As environmental awareness grows, the leisure and tourism industry faces the challenge of adopting sustainable practices. Balancing tourism development with environmental protection is crucial to preserve destinations and minimize the industry’s ecological footprint. This involves minimizing waste, promoting responsible tourism, and supporting local communities.
  • Infrastructure and Accessibility: Developing and maintaining adequate infrastructure can be a challenge, particularly in remote and less-developed areas. The lack of transportation networks, accommodation options, and tourist facilities can hinder tourism growth. Ensuring accessibility is crucial to attract and cater to a wide range of travelers.
  • Social and Cultural Impacts: The influx of tourists can have both positive and negative impacts on local communities. Over-tourism can strain resources, cause cultural commodification, and disrupt traditional lifestyles. Finding the right balance between tourism development and preserving local cultures and identities presents a challenge.

The leisure and tourism industry must proactively address these challenges to sustain its growth and ensure long-term success. Collaboration between stakeholders, effective destination management, continuous innovation, and responsible practices are key to overcoming these challenges and maintaining a vibrant and sustainable leisure and tourism industry.

Future Trends in Leisure and Tourism

The leisure and tourism industry is constantly evolving and adapting to the changing needs and preferences of travelers. As we look to the future, several trends are expected to shape the industry and redefine the way people engage in leisure and travel. Here are some key future trends in leisure and tourism:

  • Sustainable and Responsible Tourism: There is a growing emphasis on sustainable and responsible tourism practices. Travelers are increasingly seeking eco-friendly and socially conscious experiences. Future trends will focus on reducing carbon footprints, preserving natural and cultural heritage, and supporting local communities.
  • Technology Integration: Technology will continue to play a significant role in the leisure and tourism industry. Advancements in virtual reality, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence will enhance the overall travel experience. Technologies such as mobile apps, digital assistants, and smart devices will streamline processes and provide personalized recommendations to travelers.
  • Experience-based Travel: Travelers are shifting towards a more experiential approach to travel. They seek immersive and authentic experiences that go beyond traditional sightseeing. Future trends will focus on curated experiences such as culinary tours, cultural workshops, adventure activities, and opportunities for meaningful connections with local communities.
  • Wellness and Health Tourism: The importance of well-being and self-care is on the rise. Wellness tourism will continue to gain momentum, with travelers seeking destinations and experiences that promote relaxation, mental health, and physical fitness. Spas, yoga retreats, wellness resorts, and mindfulness activities will be in high demand.
  • Customization and Personalization: Travelers are increasingly seeking personalized and tailored experiences. Future trends will focus on customization, allowing individuals to curate their itineraries based on their preferences and interests. Technology will play a crucial role in enabling personalized recommendations and immersive experiences.
  • Multi-generational Travel: With longer life expectancy and changing family dynamics, multi-generational travel is becoming more popular. Families are seeking destinations and activities that cater to different age groups, ensuring a memorable experience for everyone. Future trends will focus on providing diverse offerings and amenities suitable for all generations.
  • Workation and Digital Nomadism: The rise of remote work and digital nomadism has led to the emergence of workation trends. Travelers are combining work and travel, seeking destinations that offer a balance between work and leisure activities. Future trends will see destinations catering to the needs of digital nomads, providing infrastructure, coworking spaces, and networking opportunities.

The leisure and tourism industry needs to adapt to these future trends to stay relevant and meet evolving customer demands. Embracing sustainability, leveraging technology, providing personalized experiences, and recognizing the changing dynamics of travel will be key to success in the future.

Leisure and tourism are intertwined concepts that have a profound impact on individuals, communities, and societies worldwide. They provide opportunities for relaxation, exploration, personal growth, and cultural exchange. The diversity of leisure activities and the range of tourism experiences cater to the varied interests and preferences of travelers, ensuring that there is something for everyone.

Leisure activities offer individuals a break from their daily routines, allowing them to nurture their well-being, pursue their passions, and connect with others. Whether engaging in physical activities, creative hobbies, socializing, or embracing nature, leisure provides essential outlets for self-expression, enjoyment, and personal fulfillment.

Tourism, on the other hand, enables individuals to venture beyond their familiar surroundings and immerse themselves in new cultures, environments, and experiences. It contributes to economic growth, job creation, and the preservation of natural and cultural heritage. Tourism fosters intercultural understanding, promoting peace and harmony while supporting the development of local communities.

However, the leisure and tourism industry also faces challenges that require careful navigation and proactive management. Seasonality, changing consumer preferences, competition, security concerns, sustainable practices, and infrastructure development all present obstacles that need to be tackled for the industry’s sustainability and success.

Looking to the future, the leisure and tourism industry will continue to evolve and adapt to emerging trends. From sustainable and responsible tourism practices to technology integration, experiential travel, and wellness tourism, the industry will cater to the changing needs and desires of travelers. Customization, multi-generational travel, workation, and digital nomadism will shape the way individuals engage in leisure and travel, emphasizing personalization and flexibility.

In conclusion, leisure and tourism are integral parts of our lives. They promote personal well-being, economic growth, cultural exchange, and environmental preservation. By embracing the diverse range of leisure activities and promoting responsible tourism practices, we can create a more inclusive and sustainable world, where individuals can find joy, fulfillment, and connection through leisure and travel experiences.

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UN Tourism | Bringing the world closer

Glossary of tourism terms

UN standards for measuring tourism

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Glossary of tourism terms

Tourism is a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes. These people are called visitors (which may be either tourists or excursionists; residents or non-residents) and tourism has to do with their activities, some of which involve tourism expenditure.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Activity/activities : In tourism statistics, the term activities represent the actions and behaviors of people in preparation for and during a trip in their capacity as consumers ( IRTS 2008, 1.2 ).

Activity (principal): The principal activity of a producer unit is the activity whose value added exceeds that of any other activity carried out within the same unit ( SNA 2008, 5.8 ).

Activity (productive): The (productive) activity carried out by a statistical unit is the type of production in which it engages. It has to be understood as a process, i.e. the combination of actions that result in a certain set of products. The classification of productive activities is determined by their principal output.

Administrative data : Administrative data is the set of units and data derived from an administrative source. This is a data holding information collected and maintained for the purpose of implementing one or more administrative regulations.

Adventure tourism : Adventure tourism is a type of tourism which usually takes place in destinations with specific geographic features and landscape and tends to be associated with a physical activity, cultural exchange, interaction and engagement with nature. This experience may involve some kind of real or perceived risk and may require significant physical and/or mental effort. Adventure tourism generally includes outdoor activities such as mountaineering, trekking, bungee jumping, rock climbing, rafting, canoeing, kayaking, canyoning, mountain biking, bush walking, scuba diving. Likewise, some indoor adventure tourism activities may also be practiced.

Aggregated data : The result of transforming unit level data into quantitative measures for a set of characteristics of a population.

Aggregation : A process that transforms microdata into aggregate-level information by using an aggregation function such as count, sum average, standard deviation, etc.

Analytical unit : Entity created by statisticians, by splitting or combining observation units with the help of estimations and imputations.

Balance of payments : The balance of payments is a statistical statement that summarizes transactions between residents and non-residents during a period. It consists of the goods and services account, the primary income account, the secondary income account, the capital account, and the financial account ( BPM6, 2.12 ).

Bias : An effect which deprives a statistical result of representativeness by systematically distorting it, as distinct from a random error which may distort on any one occasion but balances out on the average.

Business and professional purpose (of a tourism trip): The business and professional purpose of a tourism trip includes the activities of the self-employed and employees, as long as they do not correspond to an implicit or explicit employer-employee relationship with a resident producer in the country or place visited, those of investors, businessmen, etc. ( IRTS 2008, 3.17.2 ).

Business tourism : Business tourism is a type of tourism activity in which visitors travel for a specific professional and/or business purpose to a place outside their workplace and residence with the aim of attending a meeting, an activity or an event. The key components of business tourism are meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions. The term "meetings industry" within the context of business tourism recognizes the industrial nature of such activities. Business tourism can be combined with any other tourism type during the same trip.

Business visitor : A business visitor is a visitor whose main purpose for a tourism trip corresponds to the business and professional category of purpose ( IRTS 2008, 3.17.2 ).

Central Product Classification : The Central Product Classification (CPC) constitutes a complete product classification covering goods and services. It is intended to serve as an international standard for assembling and tabulating all kinds of data requiring product detail, including industrial production, national accounts, service industries, domestic and foreign commodity trade, international trade in services, balance of payments, consumption and price statistics. Other basic aims are to provide a framework for international comparison and promote harmonization of various types of statistics dealing with goods and services.

Census : A census is the complete enumeration of a population or groups at a point in time with respect to well defined characteristics: for example, Population, Production, Traffic on particular roads.

Coastal, maritime and inland water tourism : Coastal tourism refers to land-based tourism activities such as swimming, surfing, sunbathing and other coastal leisure, recreation and sports activities which take place on the shore of a sea, lake or river. Proximity to the coast is also a condition for services and facilities that support coastal tourism. Maritime tourism refers to sea-based activities such as cruising, yachting, boating and nautical sports and includes their respective land-based services and infrastructure. Inland water tourism refers to tourism activities such as cruising, yachting, boating and nautical sports which take place in aquatic- influenced environments located within land boundaries and include lakes, rivers, ponds, streams, groundwater, springs, cave waters and others traditionally grouped as inland wetlands.

Coherence : Adequacy of statistics to be combined in different ways and for various uses.

Competitiveness of a tourism destination : The competitiveness of a tourism destination is the ability of the destination to use its natural, cultural, human, man-made and capital resources efficiently to develop and deliver quality, innovative, ethical and attractive tourism products and services in order to achieve a sustainable growth within its overall vision and strategic goals, increase the added value of the tourism sector, improve and diversify its market components and optimize its attractiveness and benefits both for visitors and the local community in a sustainable perspective.

Consistency : Logical and numerical coherence.

Country of reference : The country of reference refers to the country for which the measurement is done. ( IRTS 2008, 2.15 ).

Country of residence : The country of residence of a household is determined according to the centre of predominant economic interest of its members. If a person resides (or intends to reside) for more than one year in a given country and has there his/her centre of economic interest (for example, where the predominant amount of time is spent), he/she is considered as a resident of this country.

Country-specific tourism characteristic products and activities : To be determined by each country by applying the criteria of IRTS 2008, 5.10 in their own context; for these products, the activities producing them will be considered as tourism characteristic, and the industries in which the principal activity is tourism-characteristic will be called tourism industries ( IRTS 2008, 5.16 ).

Cultural tourism : Cultural tourism is a type of tourism activity in which the visitor's essential motivation is to learn, discover, experience and consume the tangible and intangible cultural attractions/products in a tourism destination. These attractions/products relate to a set of distinctive material, intellectual, spiritual and emotional features of a society that encompasses arts and architecture, historical and cultural heritage, culinary heritage, literature, music, creative industries and the living cultures with their lifestyles, value systems, beliefs and traditions.

Data checking : Activity whereby the correctness conditions of the data are verified. It also includes the specification of the type of error or of the condition not met, and the qualification of the data and their division into "error-free data" and "erroneous data".

Data collection : Systematic process of gathering data for official statistics.

Data compilation : Operations performed on data to derive new information according to a given set of rules.

Data confrontation : The process of comparing data that has generally been derived from different surveys or other sources, especially those of different frequencies, in order to assess and possibly improve their coherency, and identify the reasons for any differences.

Data processing : Data processing is the operation performed on data by the organization, institute, agency, etc., responsible for undertaking the collection, tabulation, manipulation and preparation of data and metadata output.

Data reconciliation : The process of adjusting data derived from two different sources to remove, or at least reduce, the impact of differences identified.

Destination (main destination of a trip): The main destination of a tourism trip is defined as the place visited that is central to the decision to take the trip. See also purpose of a tourism trip ( IRTS 2008, 2.31 ).

Destination management / marketing organization (DMO) : A destination management/marketing organization (DMO) is the leading organizational entity which may encompass the various authorities, stakeholders and professionals and facilitates tourism sector partnerships towards a collective destination vision. The governance structures of DMOs vary from a single public authority to a public/ private partnership model with the key role of initiating, coordinating and managing certain activities such as implementation of tourism policies, strategic planning, product development, promotion and marketing and convention bureau activities. The functions of the DMOs may vary from national to regional and local levels depending on the current and potential needs as well as on the decentralization level of public administration. Not every tourism destination has a DMO.

Documentation: Processes and procedures for imputation,  weighting,  confidentiality  and suppression rules, outlier treatment and data capture should be fully documented by the  survey provider.  Such documentation should be made available to at least  the body financing the survey.

Domestic tourism : Domestic tourism comprises the activities of a resident visitor within the country of reference, either as part of a domestic tourism trip or part of an outbound tourism trip ( IRTS 2008, 2.39 ).

Domestic tourism consumption : Domestic tourism consumption is the tourism consumption of a resident visitor within the economy of reference ( TSA:RMF 2008, figure 2.1 ).

Domestic tourism expenditure : Domestic tourism expenditure is the tourism expenditure of a resident visitor within the economy of reference, (IRTS 2008, 4.15(a)).

Domestic tourism trip : A domestic tourism trip is one with a main destination within the country of residence of the visitor (IRTS 2008, 2.32).

Domestic visitor : As a visitor travels within his/her country of residence, he/she is a domestic visitor and his/her activities are part of domestic tourism.

Durable consumer goods : Durable consumer goods are goods that may be used repeatedly or continuously over a period of a year or more, assuming a normal or average rate of physical usage. When acquired by producers, these are considered to be capital goods used for production processes, as is the case of vehicles, computers, etc. When acquired by households, they are considered to be consumer durable goods ( TSA:RMF 2008, 2.39 ). This definition is identical to the definition of SNA 2008, 9.42 : A consumer durable is a goodthat may be used for purposes of consumption repeatedly or continuously over a period of a year or more.

Dwellings : Each household has a principal dwelling (sometimes also designated as main or primary home), usually defined with reference to time spent there, whose location defines the country of residence and place of usual residence of this household and of all its members. All other dwellings (owned or leased by the household) are considered secondary dwellings ( IRTS 2008, 2.26 ).

Ecotourism : Ecotourism is a type of nature-based tourism activity in which the visitor's essential motivation is to observe, learn, discover, experience and appreciate biological and cultural diversity with a responsible attitude to protect the integrity of the ecosystem and enhance the well-being of the local community. Ecotourism increases awareness towards the conservation of biodiversity, natural environment and cultural assets both among locals and the visitors and requires special management processes to minimize the negative impact on the ecosystem.

Economic analysis : Tourism generates directly and indirectly an increase in economic activity in the places visited (and beyond), mainly due to demand for goods and services thatneed to be produced and provided. In the economic analysis of tourism, one may distinguish between tourism's 'economic contribution' which refers to the direct effect of tourism and is measurable by means of the TSA, and tourism's 'economic impact' which is a much broader concept encapsulating the direct, indirect and induced effects of tourism and which must be estimated by applying models. Economic impact studies aim to quantify economic benefits, that is, the net increase in the wealth of residents resulting from tourism, measured in monetary terms, over and above the levels that would prevail in its absence.

Economic territory : The term "economic territory" is a geographical reference and points to the country for which the measurement is done (country of reference) ( IRTS 2008, 2.15 ).

Economically active population : The economically active population or labour force comprises all persons of either sex who furnish the supply of labour for the production of goods and services as defined by the system of national accounts during a specified time-reference period (ILO, Thirteenth ICLS, 6.18).

Economy (of reference): "Economy" (or "economy of reference") is an economic reference defined in the same way as in the balance of payments and in the system of national accounts: it refers to the economic agents that are resident in the country of reference ( IRTS 2008, 2.15 ).

Education tourism : Education tourism covers those types of tourism which have as a primary motivation the tourist's engagement and experience in learning, self-improvement, intellectual growth and skills development. Education Tourism represents a broad range of products and services related to academic studies, skill enhancement holidays, school trips, sports training, career development courses and language courses, among others.

Employees : Employees are all those workers who hold the type of job defined as "paid employment" (ILO, Fifteenth ICLS, pp. 20-22).

Employer-employee relationship : An employer-employee relationship exists when there is an agreement, which may be formal or informal, between an entity and an individual, normally entered into voluntarily by both parties, whereby the individual works for the entity in return for remuneration in cash or in kind ( BPM6, 11.11 ).

Employers : Employers are those workers who, working on their own account with one or more partners, hold the type of job defined as a "self-employment job" and, in this capacity, on a continuous basis (including the reference period) have engaged one or more persons to work for them in their business as "employee(s)" (ILO, Fifteenth ICLS, pp. 20-22).

Employment : Persons in employment are all persons above a specified age who, during a specified brief period, either one week or one day, were in paid employment or self-employment (OECD GST, p. 170).

Employment in tourism industries : Employment in tourism industries may be measured as a count of the persons employed in tourism industries in any of their jobs, as a count of the persons employed in tourism industries in their main job, or as a count of the jobs in tourism industries ( IRTS 2008, 7.9 ).

Enterprise : An enterprise is an institutional unit engaged in production of goods and/or services. It may be a corporation, a non-profit institution, or an unincorporated enterprise. Corporate enterprises and non-profit institutions are complete institutional units. An unincorporated enterprise, however, refers to an institutional unit —a household or government unit —only in its capacity as a producer of goods and services (OECD BD4, p. 232)

Establishment : An establishment is an enterprise, or part of an enterprise, that is situated in a single location and in which only a single productive activity is carried out or in which the principal productive activity accounts for most of the value added ( SNA 2008, 5.14 ).

Estimation : Estimation is concerned with inference about the numerical value of unknown population values from incomplete data such as a sample. If a single figure is calculated for each unknown parameter the process is called "point estimation". If an interval is calculated within which the parameter is likely, in some sense, to lie, the process is called "interval estimation".

Exports of goods and services : Exports of goods and services consist of sales, barter, or gifts or grants, of goods and services from residents to non-residents (OECD GST, p. 194)

Frame : A list, map or other specification of the units which define a population to be completely enumerated or sampled.

Forms of tourism : There are three basic forms of tourism: domestic tourism, inbound tourism, and outbound tourism. These can be combined in various ways to derive the following additional forms of tourism: internal tourism, national tourism and international tourism.

Gastronomy tourism :  Gastronomy tourism is a type of tourism activity which is characterized by the visitor's experience linked with food and related products and activities while travelling. Along with authentic, traditional, and/or innovative culinary experiences, Gastronomy Tourism may also involve other related activities such as visiting the local producers, participating in food festivals and attending cooking classes. Eno-tourism (wine tourism), as a sub-type of gastronomy tourism, refers to tourism whose purpose is visiting vineyards, wineries, tasting, consuming and/or purchasing wine, often at or near the source.

Goods : Goods are physical, produced objects for which a demand exists, over which ownership rights can be established and whose ownership can be transferred from one institutional unit to another by engaging in transactions on markets ( SNA 2008, p. 623 ).

Gross fixed capital formation : Gross fixed capital formation is defined as the value of institutional units' acquisitions less disposals of fixed assets. Fixed assets are produced assets (such as machinery, equipment, buildings or other structures) that are used repeatedly or continuously in production over several accounting periods (more than one year) ( SNA 2008, 1.52 ).

Gross margin : The gross margin of a provider of reservation services is the difference between the value at which the intermediated service is sold and the value accrued to the provider of reservation services for this intermediated service.

Gross value added : Gross value added is the value of output less the value of intermediate consumption ( TSA:RMF 2008, 3.32 ).

Gross value added of tourism industries : Gross value added of tourism industries (GVATI) is the total gross value added of all establishments belonging to tourism industries, regardless of whether all their output is provided to visitors and the degree of specialization of their production process ( TSA:RMF 2008, 4.86 ).

Grossing up : Activity aimed at transforming, based on statistical methodology, micro-data from samples into aggregate-level information representative of the target population.

Health tourism : Health tourism covers those types of tourism which have as a primary motivation, the contribution to physical, mental and/or spiritual health through medical and wellness-based activities which increase the capacity of individuals to satisfy their own needs and function better as individuals in their environment and society. Health tourism is the umbrella term for the subtypes wellness tourism and medical tourism.

Imputation : Procedure for entering a value for a specific data item where the response is missing or unusable.

Inbound tourism : Inbound tourism comprises the activities of a non-resident visitor within the country of reference on an inbound tourism trip ( IRTS 2008, 2.39 ).

Inbound tourism consumption : Inbound tourism consumption is the tourism consumption of a non-resident visitor within the economy of reference ( TSA:RMF 2008, figure 2.1 ).

Inbound tourism expenditure : Inbound tourism expenditure is the tourism expenditure of a non-resident visitor within the economy of reference ( IRTS 2008, 4.15(b) ).

Innovation in tourism : Innovation in tourism is the introduction of a new or improved component which intends to bring tangible and intangible benefits to tourism stakeholders and the local community, improve the value of the tourism experience and the core competencies of the tourism sector and hence enhance tourism competitiveness and /or sustainability. Innovation in tourism may cover potential areas, such as tourism destinations, tourism products, technology, processes, organizations and business models, skills, architecture, services, tools and/or practices for management, marketing, communication, operation, quality assurance and pricing.

Institutional sector : An aggregation of institutional units on the basis of the type of producer and depending on their principal activity and function, which are considered to be indicative of their economic behaviour.

Institutional unit : The elementary economic decision-making centre characterised by uniformity of behaviour and decision-making autonomy in the exercise of its principal function.

Intermediate consumption : Intermediate consumption consists of the value of the goods and services consumed as inputs by a process of production, excluding fixed assets whose consumption is recorded as consumption of fixed capital ( SNA 2008, 6.213 ).

Internal tourism : Internal tourism comprises domestic tourism and inbound tourism, that is to say, the activities of resident and non-resident visitors within the country of reference as part of domestic or international tourism trips ( IRTS 2008, 2.40(a) ).

Internal tourism consumption : Internal tourism consumption is the tourism consumption of both resident and non-resident visitors within the economy of reference. It is the sum of domestic tourism consumption and inbound tourism consumption ( TSA:RMF 2008, figure 2.1 ).

Internal tourism expenditure : Internal tourism expenditure comprises all tourism expenditure of visitors, both resident and non-resident, within the economy of reference. It is the sum of domestic tourism expenditure and inbound tourism expenditure. It includes acquisition of goods and services imported into the country of reference and sold to visitors. This indicator provides the most comprehensive measurement of tourism expenditure in the economy of reference ( IRTS 2008, 4.20(a) ).

International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities : The International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) consists of a coherent and consistent classification structure of economic activities based on a set of internationally agreed concepts, definitions, principles and classification rules. It provides a comprehensive framework within which economic data can be collected and reported in a format that is designed for purposes of economic analysis, decision-taking and policymaking. The classification structure represents a standard format to organize detailed information about the state of an economy according to economic principles and perceptions (ISIC, Rev.4, 1).

International tourism : International tourism comprises inbound tourism and outbound tourism, that is to say, the activities of resident visitors outside the country of reference, either as part of domestic or outbound tourism trips and the activities of non-resident visitors within the country of reference on inbound tourism trips ( IRTS 2008, 2.40(c) ).

International visitor : An international traveller qualifies as an international visitor with respect to the country of reference if: (a) he/she is on a tourism trip and (b) he/she is a non-resident travelling in the country of reference or a resident travelling outside of it ( IRTS 2008, 2.42 ).

Job : The agreement between an employee and the employer defines a job and each self-employed person has a job ( SNA 2008, 19.30 ).

Measurement error : Error in reading, calculating or recording numerical value.

Medical tourism : Medical tourism is a type of tourism activity which involves the use of evidence-based medical healing resources and services (both invasive and non-invasive). This may include diagnosis, treatment, cure, prevention and rehabilitation.

Meetings industry : To highlight purposes relevant to the meetings industry, if a trip's main purpose is business/professional, it can be further subdivided into "attending meetings, conferences or congresses, trade fairs and exhibitions" and "other business and professional purposes". The term meetings industry is preferred by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and Reed Travel over the acronym MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) which does not recognize the industrial nature of such activities.

Metadata : Data that defines and describes other data and processes.

MICE : See meetings industry.

Microdata : Non-aggregated observations, or measurements of characteristics of individual units.

Mirror statistics : Mirror statistics are used to conduct bilateral comparisons of two basic measures of a trade flow and are a traditional tool for detecting the causes of asymmetries in statistics (OECD GST, p. 335).

Mountain tourism : Mountain tourism is a type of tourism activity which takes place in a defined and limited geographical space such as hills or mountains with distinctive characteristics and attributes that are inherent to a specific landscape, topography, climate, biodiversity (flora and fauna) and local community. It encompasses a broad range of outdoor leisure and sports activities.

National tourism : National tourism comprises domestic tourism and outbound tourism, that is to say, the activities of resident visitors within and outside the country of reference, either as part of domestic or outbound tourism trips ( IRTS 2008, 2.40(b) ).

National tourism consumption : National tourism consumption is the tourism consumption of resident visitors, within and outside the economy of reference. It is the sum of domestic tourism consumption and outbound tourism consumption ( TSA:RMF 2008, figure 2.1 ).

National tourism expenditure : National tourism expenditure comprises all tourism expenditure of resident visitors within and outside the economy of reference. It is the sum of domestic tourism expenditure and outbound tourism expenditure ( IRTS 2008, 4.20(b) ).

Nationality : The concept of "country of residence" of a traveller is different from that of his/her nationality or citizenship ( IRTS 2008, 2.19 ).

Non-monetary indicators : Data measured in physical or other non-monetary units should not be considered a secondary part of a satellite account. They are essential components, both for the information they provide directly and in order to analyse the monetary data adequately ( SNA 2008, 29.84 ).

Observation unit : entity on which information is received and statistics are compiled.

Outbound tourism : Outbound tourism comprises the activities of a resident visitor outside the country of reference, either as part of an outbound tourism trip or as part of a domestic tourism trip ( IRTS 2008, 2.39(c) ).

Outbound tourism consumption : Outbound tourism consumption is the tourism consumption of a resident visitor outside the economy of reference ( TSA:RMF 2008, figure 2.1 ).

Outbound tourism expenditure : Outbound tourism expenditure is the tourism expenditure of a resident visitor outside the economy of reference ( IRTS 2008, 4.15(c) ).

Output : Output is defined as the goods and services produced by an establishment, a) excluding the value of any goods and services used in an activity for which the establishment does not assume the risk of using the products in production, and b) excluding the value of goods and services consumed by the same establishment except for goods and services used for capital formation (fixed capital or changes in inventories) or own final consumption ( SNA 2008, 6.89 ).

Output (main): The main output of a (productive) activity should be determined by reference to the value added of the goods sold or services rendered (ISIC rev.4, 114).

Pilot survey : The aim of a pilot survey is to test the questionnaire (pertinence of the questions, understanding of questions by those being interviewed, duration of the interview) and to check various potential sources for sampling and non-sampling errors: for instance, the place in which the surveys are carried out and the method used, the identification of any omitted answers and the reason for the omission, problems of communicating in various languages, translation, the mechanics of data collection, the organization of field work, etc.

Place of usual residence : The place of usual residence is the geographical place where the enumerated person usually resides, and is defined by the location of his/her principal dwelling (Principles and recommendations for population and housing censuses of the United Nations, 2.20 to 2.24).

Probability sample : A sample selected by a method based on the theory of probability (random process), that is, by a method involving knowledge of the likelihood of any unit being selected.

Production account : The production account records the activity of producing goods and services as defined within the SNA. Its balancing item, gross value added, is defined as the value of output less the value of intermediate consumption and is a measure of the contribution to GDP made by an individual producer, industry or sector. Gross value added is the source from which the primary incomes of the SNA are generated and is therefore carried forward into the primary distribution of income account. Value added and GDP may also be measured net by deducting consumption of fixed capital, a figure representing the decline in value during the period of the fixed capital used in a production process ( SNA 2008, 1.17 ).

Production : Economic production may be defined as an activity carried out under the control and responsibility of an institutional unit that uses inputs of labour, capital, and goods and services to produce outputs of goods or services ( SNA 2008, 6.24. ).

Purpose of a tourism trip (main): The main purpose of a tourism trip is defined as the purpose in the absence of which the trip would not have taken place ( IRTS 2008, 3.10. ). Classification of tourism trips according to the main purpose refers to nine categories: this typology allows the identification of different subsets of visitors (business visitors, transit visitors, etc.) See also destination of a tourism trip ( IRTS 2008, 3.14 ).

Quality of a tourism destination : Quality of a tourism destination is the result of a process which implies the satisfaction of all tourism product and service needs, requirements and expectations of the consumer at an acceptable price, in conformity with mutually accepted contractual conditions and the implicit underlying factors such as safety and security, hygiene, accessibility, communication, infrastructure and public amenities and services. It also involves aspects of ethics, transparency and respect towards the human, natural and cultural environment. Quality, as one of the key drivers of tourism competitiveness, is also a professional tool for organizational, operational and perception purposes for tourism suppliers.

Questionnaire and Questionnaire design : Questionnaire is a group or sequence of questions designed to elicit information on a subject, or sequence of subjects, from a reporting unit or from another producer of official statistics. Questionnaire design is the design (text, order, and conditions for skipping) of the questions used to obtain the data needed for the survey.

Reference period : The period of time or point in time to which the measured observation is intended to refer.

Relevance : The degree to which statistics meet current and potential users' needs.

Reliability : Closeness of the initial estimated value to the subsequent estimated value.

Reporting unit : Unit that supplies the data for a given survey instance, like a questionnaire or interview. Reporting units may, or may not, be the same as the observation unit.

Residents/non-residents : The residents of a country are individuals whose centre of predominant economic interest is located in its economic territory. For a country, the non-residents are individuals whose centre of predominant economic interest is located outside its economic territory.

Response and non-response : Response and non-response to various elements of a survey entail potential errors.

Response error : Response errors may be defined as those arising from the interviewing process. Such errors may be due to a number of circumstances, such as inadequate concepts or questions; inadequate training; interviewer failures; respondent failures.

Rural tourism : Rural tourism is a type of tourism activity in which the visitor's experience is related to a wide range of products generally linked to nature-based activities, agriculture, rural lifestyle / culture, angling and sightseeing. Rural tourism activities take place in non-urban (rural) areas with the following characteristics:

  • Low population density;
  • Landscape and land-use dominated by agriculture and forestry; and
  • Traditional social structure and lifestyle

Same-day visitor (or excursionist): A visitor (domestic, inbound or outbound) is classified as a tourist (or overnight visitor), if his/her trip includes an overnight stay, or as a same-day visitor (or excursionist) otherwise ( IRTS 2008, 2.13 ).

Sample : A subset of a frame where elements are selected based on a process with a known probability of selection.

Sample survey : A survey which is carried out using a sampling method.

Sampling error : That part of the difference between a population value and an estimate thereof, derived from a random sample, which is due to the fact that only a subset of the population is enumerated.

Satellite accounts : There are two types of satellite accounts, serving two different functions. The first type, sometimes called an internal satellite, takes the full set of accounting rules and conventions of the SNA but focuses on a particular aspect of interest by moving away from the standard classifications and hierarchies. Examples are tourism, coffee production and environmental protection expenditure. The second type, called an external satellite, may add non-economic data or vary some of the accounting conventions or both. It is a particularly suitable way to explore new areas in a research context. An example may be the role of volunteer labour in the economy ( SNA 2008, 29.85 ).

SDMX, Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange : Set of technical standards and content-oriented guidelines, together with an IT architecture and tools, to be used for the efficient exchange and sharing of statistical data and metadata (SDMX).

Seasonal adjustment : Seasonal adjustment is a statistical technique to remove the effects of seasonal calendar influences on a series. Seasonal effects usually reflect the influence of the seasons themselves, either directly or through production series related to them, or social conventions. Other types of calendar variation occur as a result of influences such as number of days in the calendar period, the accounting or recording practices adopted or the incidence of moving holidays.

Self-employment job : Self-employment jobs are those jobs where remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits (or the potential of profits) derived from the goods or services produced.

Self-employed with paid employees : Self-employed with paid employees are classified as employers.

Self-employed without employees : Self-employed without employees are classified as own-account workers.

Services : Services are the result of a production activity that changes the conditions of the consuming units, or facilitates the exchange of products or financial assets. They cannot be traded separately from their production. By the time their production is completed, they must have been provided to the consumers ( SNA 2008, 6.17 ).

Social transfers in kind : A special case of transfers in kind is that of social transfers in kind. These consist of goods and services provided by general government and non-profit institutions serving households (NPISHs) that are delivered to individual households. Health and education services are the prime examples. Rather than provide a specified amount of money to be used to purchase medical and educational services, the services are often provided in kind to make sure that the need for the services is met. (Sometimes the recipient purchases the service and is reimbursed by the insurance or assistance scheme. Such a transaction is still treated as being in kind because the recipient is merely acting as the agent of the insurance scheme) (SNA 2008, 3.83).

Sports tourism : Sports tourism is a type of tourism activity which refers to the travel experience of the tourist who either observes as a spectator or actively participates in a sporting event generally involving commercial and non-commercial activities of a competitive nature.

Standard classification : Classifications that follow prescribed rules and are generally recommended and accepted.

Statistical error : The unknown difference between the retained value and the true value.

Statistical indicator : A data element that represents statistical data for a specified time, place, and other characteristics, and is corrected for at least one dimension (usually size) to allow for meaningful comparisons.

Statistical metadata : Data about statistical data.

Statistical unit : Entity about which information is sought and about which statistics are compiled. Statistical units may be identifiable legal or physical entities or statistical constructs.

Survey : An investigation about the characteristics of a given population by means of collecting data from a sample of that population and estimating their characteristics through the systematic use of statistical methodology.

System of National Accounts : The System of National Accounts (SNA) is the internationally agreed standard set of recommendations on how to compile measures of economic activity in accordance with strict accounting conventions based on economic principles. The recommendations are expressed in terms of a set of concepts, definitions, classifications and accounting rules that comprise the internationally agreed standard for measuring indicators of economic performance. The accounting framework of the SNA allows economic data to be compiled and presented in a format that is designed for purposes of economic analysis, decision-taking and policymaking ( SNA 2008, 1.1 ).

Total tourism internal demand : Total tourism internal demand, is the sum of internal tourism consumption, tourism gross fixed capital formation and tourism collective consumption ( TSA:RMF 2008, 4.114 ). It does not include outbound tourism consumption.

Tourism : Tourism refers to the activity of visitors ( IRTS 2008, 2.9 ).

Tourism characteristic activities : Tourism characteristic activities are the activities that typically produce tourism characteristic products. As the industrial origin of a product (the ISIC industry that produces it) is not a criterion for the aggregation of products within a similar CPC category, there is no strict one-to-one relationship between products and the industries producing them as their principal outputs ( IRTS 2008, 5.11 ).

Tourism characteristic products : Tourism characteristic products are those that satisfy one or both of the following criteria: a) Tourism expenditure on the product should represent a significant share total tourism expenditure (share-of-expenditure/demand condition); b) Tourism expenditure on the product should represent a significant share of the supply of the product in the economy (share-of-supply condition). This criterion implies that the supply of a tourism characteristic product would cease to exist in meaningful quantity in the absence of visitors ( IRTS 2008, 5.10 ).

Tourism connected products : Their significance within tourism analysis for the economy of reference is recognized although their link to tourism is very limited worldwide. Consequently, lists of such products will be country-specific ( IRTS 2008, 5.12 ).

Tourism consumption : Tourism consumption has the same formal definition as tourism expenditure. Nevertheless, the concept of tourism consumption used in the Tourism Satellite Account goes beyond that of tourism expenditure. Besides the amount paid for the acquisition of consumption goods and services, as well as valuables for own use or to give away, for and during tourism trips, which corresponds to monetary transactions (the focus of tourism expenditure), it also includes services associated with vacation accommodation on own account, tourism social transfers in kind and other imputed consumption. These transactions need to be estimated using sources different from information collected directly from the visitors, such as reports on home exchanges, estimations of rents associated with vacation homes, calculations of financial intermediation services indirectly measured (FISIM), etc. ( TSA:RMF 2008, 2.25 ).

Tourism destination : A tourism destination is a physical space with or without administrative and/or analytical boundaries in which a visitor can spend an overnight. It is the cluster (co-location) of products and services, and of activities and experiences along the tourism value chain and a basic unit of analysis of tourism. A destination incorporates various stakeholders and can network to form larger destinations. It is also intangible with its image and identity which may influence its market competitiveness.

Tourism direct gross domestic product : Tourism direct gross domestic product (TDGDP) is the sum of the part of gross value added (at basic prices) generated by all industries in response to internal tourism consumption plus the amount of net taxes on products and imports included within the value of this expenditure at purchasers' prices ( TSA:RMF 2008, 4.96 ).

Tourism direct gross value added : Tourism direct gross value added (TDGVA) is the part of gross value added generated by tourism industries and other industries of the economy that directly serve visitors in response to internal tourism consumption ( TSA:RMF 2008, 4.88 ).

Tourism expenditure : Tourism expenditure refers to the amount paid for the acquisition of consumption goods and services, as well as valuables, for own use or to give away, for and during tourism trips. It includes expenditures by visitors themselves, as well as expenses that are paid for or reimbursed by others ( IRTS 2008, 4.2 ).

Tourism industries : The tourism industries comprise all establishments for which the principal activity is a tourism characteristic activity. Tourism industries (also referred to as tourism activities) are the activities that typically producetourism characteristic products. The term tourism industries is equivalent to tourism characteristic activities and the two terms are sometimes used synonymously in the IRTS 2008, 5.10, 5.11 and figure 5.1 .

Tourism product : A tourism product is a combination of tangible and intangible elements, such as natural, cultural and man-made resources, attractions, facilities, services and activities around a specific center of interest which represents the core of the destination marketing mix and creates an overall visitor experience including emotional aspects for the potential customers. A tourism product is priced and sold through distribution channels and it has a life-cycle.

Tourism ratio : For each variable of supply in the Tourism Satellite Account, the tourism ratiois the ratio between the total value of tourism share and total value of the corresponding variable in the Tourism Satellite Account expressed in percentage form ( TSA:RMF 2008, 4.56 ). (See also Tourism share).

Tourism Satellite Account : The Tourism Satellite Account is the second international standard on tourism statistics (Tourism Satellite Account: Recommended Methodological Framework 2008 –TSA:RMF 2008) that has been developed in order to present economic data relative to tourism within a framework of internal and external consistency with the rest of the statistical system through its link to the System of National Accounts. It is the basic reconciliation framework of tourism statistics. As a statistical tool for the economic accounting of tourism, the TSA can be seen as a set of 10 summary tables, each with their underlying data and representing a different aspect of the economic data relative to tourism: inbound, domestic tourism and outbound tourism expenditure, internal tourism expenditure, production accounts of tourism industries, the Gross Value Added (GVA) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) attributable to tourism demand, employment, investment, government consumption, and non-monetary indicators.

Tourism Satellite Account aggregates : The compilation of the following aggregates, which represent a set of relevant indicators of the size of tourism in an economy is recommended ( TSA:RMF 2008, 4.81 ):

  • Internal tourism expenditure;
  • Internal tourism consumption;
  • Gross value added of tourism industries (GVATI);
  • Tourism direct gross value added (TDGVA);
  • Tourism direct gross domestic product (TDGDP).

Tourism sector : The tourism sector, as contemplated in the TSA, is the cluster of production units in different industries that provide consumption goods and services demanded by visitors. Such industries are called tourism industries because visitor acquisition represents such a significant share of their supply that, in the absence of visitors, their production of these would cease to exist in meaningful quantity.

Tourism share : Tourism share is the share of the corresponding fraction of internal tourism consumption in each component of supply ( TSA:RMF 2008, 4.51 ). For each industry, the tourism share of output (in value), is the sum of the tourism share corresponding to each product component of its output ( TSA:RMF 2008, 4.55 ). (See also Tourism ratio ).

Tourism single-purpose consumer durable goods : Tourism single-purpose consumer durables is a specific category of consumer durable goods that include durable goods that are used exclusively, or almost exclusively, by individuals while on tourism trips ( TSA:RMF 2008 , 2.41 and Annex 5 ).

Tourism trip : Trips taken by visitors are tourism trips ( IRTS 2008, 2.29 ).

Tourist (or overnight visitor): A visitor (domestic, inbound or outbound) is classified as a tourist (or overnight visitor), if his/her trip includes an overnight stay, or as a same-day visitor (or excursionist) otherwise ( IRTS 2008, 2.13 ).

Tourism value chain : The tourism value chain is the sequence of primary and support activities which are strategically fundamental for the performance of the tourism sector. Linked processes such as policy making and integrated planning, product development and packaging, promotion and marketing, distribution and sales and destination operations and services are the key primary activities of the tourism value chain. Support activities involve transport and infrastructure, human resource development, technology and systems development and other complementary goods and services which may not be related to core tourism businesses but have a high impact on the value of tourism.

Travel / traveller : Travel refers to the activity of travellers. A traveller is someone who moves between different geographic locations, for any purpose and any duration ( IRTS 2008, 2.4 ). The visitor is a particular type of traveller and consequently tourism is a subset of travel.

Travel group : A travel group is made up of individuals or travel parties travelling together: examples are people travelling on the same package tour or youngsters attending a summer camp ( IRTS 2008, 3.5 ).

Travel item (in balance of payments): Travel is an item of the goods and services account of the balance of payments: travel credits cover goods and services for own use or to give away acquired from an economy by non-residents during visits to that economy. Travel debits cover goods and services for own use or to give away acquired from other economies by residents during visits to other economies ( BPM6, 10.86 ).

Travel party : A travel party is defined as visitors travelling together on a trip and whose expenditures are pooled ( IRTS 2008, 3.2 ).

Trip : A trip refers to the travel by a person from the time of departure from his/her usual residence until he/she returns: it thus refers to a round trip. Trips taken by visitors are tourism trips.

Urban/city tourism : Urban/city tourism is a type of tourism activity which takes place in an urban space with its inherent attributes characterized by non-agricultural based economy such as administration, manufacturing, trade and services and by being nodal points of transport. Urban/city destinations offer a broad and heterogeneous range of cultural, architectural, technological, social and natural experiences and products for leisure and business.

Usual environment: The usual environment of an individual, a key concept in tourism, is defined as the geographical area (though not necessarily a contiguous one) within which an individual conducts his/her regular life routines ( IRTS 2008, 2.21 ).

Usual residence : The place of usual residence is the geographical place where the enumerated person usually resides (Principles and recommendations for population and housing censuses of the United Nations, 2.16 to 2.18).

Vacation home : A vacation home (sometimes also designated as a holiday home) is a secondary dwelling that is visited by the members of the household mostly for purposes of recreation, vacation or any other form of leisure ( IRTS 2008, 2.27 ).

Valuables : Valuables are produced goods of considerable value that are not used primarily for purposes of production or consumption but are held as stores of value over time ( SNA 2008, 10.13 ).

Visit : A trip is made up of visits to different places.The term "tourism visit" refers to a stay in a place visited during a tourism trip ( IRTS 2008, 2.7 and 2.33 ).

Visitor : A visitor is a traveller taking a trip to a main destination outside his/her usual environment, for less than a year, for any main purpose (business, leisure or other personal purpose) other than to be employed by a resident entity in the country or place visited ( IRTS 2008, 2.9 ). A visitor (domestic, inbound or outbound) is classified as a tourist (or overnight visitor), if his/her trip includes an overnight stay, or as a same-day visitor (or excursionist) otherwise ( IRTS 2008, 2.13 ).

Wellness tourism : Wellness tourism is a type of tourism activity which aims to improve and balance all of the main domains of human life including physical, mental, emotional, occupational, intellectual and spiritual. The primary motivation for the wellness tourist is to engage in preventive, proactive, lifestyle-enhancing activities such as fitness, healthy eating, relaxation, pampering and healing treatments.

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What Is the Difference Between Leisure and Tourism?

By Alice Nichols

Leisure and tourism are two terms that are often used interchangeably, but they actually have distinct meanings. Understanding the difference between these two concepts is essential for those who work in the travel industry or for people who are planning their vacations. In this article, we will explore what leisure and tourism mean and how they differ from each other.

What Is Leisure?

Leisure refers to free time that individuals have outside of work or other obligations. It involves engaging in activities that people enjoy doing, such as reading, watching movies, playing sports, or socializing with friends and family. Leisure time is something that people use to recharge their batteries and reduce stress.

Types of Leisure Activities

There are various types of leisure activities that people can engage in, including:

  • Socializing with friends and family
  • Reading books and magazines
  • Playing sports
  • Watching movies and television shows
  • Listenting to music
  • Hiking and camping
  • Traveling (which can also be considered a form of tourism)

What Is Tourism?

Tourism refers to the activity of traveling outside of one’s usual environment for leisure purposes. It involves visiting new places, experiencing different cultures, trying new foods, meeting new people, and engaging in various activities. Tourism can be domestic (within one’s own country) or international (outside one’s country).

Types of Tourism

There are different types of tourism that people can engage in, including:

  • Adventure tourism
  • Cultural tourism
  • Eco-tourism
  • Heritage tourism
  • Medical tourism
  • Sports tourism
  • Volunteer tourism
  • Wellness tourism
  • Business tourism (also known as MICE travel, which stands for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions)

The Main Difference Between Leisure and Tourism

The main difference between leisure and tourism is that leisure is an activity that individuals engage in during their free time, while tourism involves traveling to new places and experiencing new activities. Leisure activities can be done at home or within one’s local community, while tourism requires leaving one’s home environment.

The Relationship Between Leisure and Tourism

Although leisure and tourism are distinct concepts, they are closely related. Many leisure activities can also be considered forms of tourist activities.

For example, people who enjoy hiking may choose to travel to different destinations to experience new trails and landscapes. Similarly, people who enjoy trying new foods may choose to travel to different countries to taste the local cuisine.

The Bottom Line

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Travel & tourism is one of the biggest sectors in terms of global economic impact. In this respect, leisure travel represents by far the most important segment. In the United States and China – the leading countries based on travel & tourism contribution to the global GDP – leisure travel accounts for roughly 65 percent and 80 percent of the total tourism spending, respectively. Online travel agencies (OTAs) play a prominent role in the leisure travel market, with online sales channels representing over two-thirds of global travel and tourism revenue. While the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic upended the OTA market, leading players such as Booking, Expedia, and Airbnb experienced a rebound in revenue in 2022.

Industry Insights

Market size, market segments, industry trends, industry leaders, regional overview, state of the industry, industry definition.

Leisure tourism spending worldwide from 2019 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Further details: Visit original statistic Leisure tourism spending worldwide from 2019 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Leisure travel generates approximately 80 percent of global travel and tourism expenditure. While spending on vacation trips fell dramatically with the onset of the health crisis, the market is gradually recovering from the impact of COVID-19. As estimated by Statista, the package holidays segment, a key component of leisure travel, is expected to surpass pre-pandemic revenue in 2023.

Number of ocean cruise passengers worldwide from 2009 to 2022, with a forecast until 2027 (in millions)

Further details: Visit original statistic Number of ocean cruise passengers worldwide from 2009 to 2022, with a forecast until 2027 (in millions)

One of the travel and tourism segments worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, the global cruise industry breathed a sigh of relief in 2022, as the number of passengers carried by leading companies like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line bounced back. While the increase in global cruise revenue is cause for optimism for the major cruise lines, the financial losses accumulated during the health crisis and the costs related to investments in new vessels are not to be overlooked.

Revenue of the travel apps market worldwide from 2017 to 2027 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Further details: Visit original statistic Revenue of the travel apps market worldwide from 2017 to 2027 (in billion U.S. dollars)

During the last 15 years, the mobile segment has gradually gained momentum in the travel and tourism market, driven by an increase in smartphone users. Global travel app revenue is expected to rise steadily in the following years, reaching nearly two billion U.S. dollars by 2027. The U.S. and China, the leading markets in the travel apps segment, represent alone over 70 percent of this market’s earnings.

Market cap of leading online travel companies worldwide as of September 2023 (in million U.S. dollars)

Further details: Visit original statistic Market cap of leading online travel companies worldwide as of September 2023 (in million U.S. dollars)

Booking Holdings and Expedia Group are the biggest online travel agencies based on global revenue. The two companies control a range of key brands in the online travel market, such as Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, and KAYAK (Booking Holdings), then Vrbo, Hotels.com, and trivago (Expedia Group). While Airbnb and Trip.com rank among the global OTAs with the highest market cap, Tripadvisor is only second to Booking.com in terms of online traffic to travel websites.

Number of international tourist arrivals worldwide from 2005 to 2023, by region (in millions)

Further details: Visit original statistic Number of international tourist arrivals worldwide from 2005 to 2023, by region (in millions)

Europe is by far the most visited region worldwide based on international tourist arrivals, with Southern and Mediterranean Europe being the most popular subregion. While Asia and the Pacific reported the second-highest inbound tourism volume prior to the health crisis, this region has ranked behind the Americas since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, most likely due to China maintaining its quarantine measures up to early 2023.

Leisure travel refers to trips taken for relaxation and pleasure. It includes the segments of cruises, travel destinations, holiday activities, online travel market, tour operators and travel agencies. The cruise market mainly focuses on passenger movements, cruise ports and calls, occupancy rate, and bookings. The holiday destination and activities segments look at domestic and international tourism destinations, exploring tourist attractions, and trip purposes. The internet era meant the rise of the online travel market. This segment encompasses online travel agencies (OTAs), which allow tourists to book by themselves travel services on the web, and digital travel-related experiences, like online reviews. While brick-and-mortar travel agencies lost ground to OTAs, some consumers still prefer face-to-face support when booking trips. Apart from analyzing the state of such businesses, this market also looks at the online presence of travel agencies and tour operators.

More interesting topics from the industry "Leisure Travel"

  • Cruise industry in Europe
  • Cruise industry in Italy
  • Cruise industry in the United Kingdom (UK)
  • Cruise industry in the United States
  • Cruise industry worldwide
  • Luxury travel and tourism worldwide
  • Travel and tourism in Malta

Destinations

  • Chinese tourism in Europe
  • Domestic tourism in European countries
  • Hotels in Latin America
  • Hotels in Spain
  • Inbound tourism in Europe
  • National park tourism in the U.S.
  • Overtourism in European destinations
  • Tourism in Barcelona
  • Tourism in Italian cities
  • Tourism in London
  • Tourism in New York
  • Tourism in Paris
  • Tourism in Rome
  • Tourism in Venice
  • Tourism industry in Egypt
  • Tourism industry in UAE
  • Transport industry in UAE
  • Travel and tourism in Croatia
  • Travel and tourism in Iceland
  • Travel and tourism in Portugal
  • Travel and tourism in the Canary Islands
  • Vacation travel behavior in the United Kingdom (UK)
  • Visitor attractions in Paris
  • Winter tourism in Europe

Holiday Activities

  • Carnival in Brazil
  • Recreational boating in the U.S.
  • Spa industry
  • Wellness industry
  • Wellness industry in the U.S.
  • Wellness industry in the UK

Online Travel Market

  • Artificial intelligence (AI) use in travel and tourism
  • Booking Holdings Inc.
  • Digitalization of the travel industry
  • Impact of technology on travel and tourism
  • Mobile travel trends
  • Online travel market
  • Online travel market in Latin America
  • Subscription model in the travel industry
  • Travel agencies in the United Kingdom (UK)

Tour Operators & Travel Agencies

  • Package holidays in the United Kingdom (UK)
  • Package travel in Japan

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Chapter 1. History and Overview

1.1 What is Tourism?

Before engaging in a study of tourism , let’s have a closer look at what this term means.

Definition of Tourism

There are a number of ways tourism can be defined, and for this reason, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) embarked on a project from 2005 to 2007 to create a common glossary of terms for tourism. It defines tourism as follows:

Tourism is a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes. These people are called visitors (which may be either tourists or excursionists; residents or non-residents) and tourism has to do with their activities, some of which imply tourism expenditure (United Nations World Tourism Organization, 2008).

Using this definition, we can see that tourism is not just the movement of people for a number of purposes (whether business or pleasure), but the overall agglomeration of activities, services, and involved sectors that make up the unique tourist experience.

Tourism, Travel, and Hospitality: What are the Differences?

It is common to confuse the terms tourism , travel , and hospitality or to define them as the same thing. While tourism is the all-encompassing umbrella term for the activities and industry that create the tourist experience, the UNWTO (2020) defines travel as the activity of moving between different locations often for any purpose but more so for leisure and recreation (Hall & Page, 2006). On the other hand, hospitality can be defined as “the business of helping people to feel welcome and relaxed and to enjoy themselves” (Discover Hospitality, 2015, p. 3). Simply put, the hospitality industry is the combination of the accommodation and food and beverage groupings, collectively making up the largest segment of the industry (Go2HR, 2020). You’ll learn more about accommodations and F & B in Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 , respectively.

Definition of Tourist and Excursionist

Building on the definition of tourism, a commonly accepted description of a tourist is “someone who travels at least 80 km from his or her home for at least 24 hours, for business or leisure or other reasons” (LinkBC, 2008, p.8). The United Nations World Tourism Organization (1995) helps us break down this definition further by stating tourists can be:

  • Domestic (residents of a given country travelling only within that country)
  • Inbound (non-residents travelling in a given country)
  • Outbound (residents of one country travelling in another country)

Excursionists  on the other hand are considered same-day visitors (UNWTO, 2020). Sometimes referred to as “day trippers.” Understandably, not every visitor stays in a destination overnight. It is common for travellers to spend a few hours or less to do sightseeing, visit attractions, dine at a local restaurant, then leave at the end of the day.

The scope of tourism, therefore, is broad and encompasses a number of activities and sectors.

Spotlight On: United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

UNWTO is the United Nations agency responsible “for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism” (UNWTO, 2014b). Its membership includes 159 countries and over 500 affiliates such as private companies, research and educational institutions, and non-governmental organizations. It promotes tourism as a way of developing communities while encouraging ethical behaviour to mitigate negative impacts. For more information, visit the UNWTO website .

NAICS: The North American Industry Classification System

Given the sheer size of the tourism industry, it can be helpful to break it down into broad industry groups using a common classification system. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) was jointly created by the Canadian, US, and Mexican governments to ensure common analysis across all three countries (British Columbia Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training, 2013a). The tourism-related groupings created using NAICS are (in alphabetical order):

  • Accommodation
  • Food and beverage services (commonly known as “F & B”)
  • Recreation and entertainment
  • Transportation
  • Travel services

These industry groups (also commonly known as sectors) are based on the similarity of the “labour processes and inputs” used for each (Government of Canada, 2013). For instance, the types of employees and resources required to run an accommodation business whether it be a hotel, motel, or even a campground are quite similar. All these businesses need staff to check in guests, provide housekeeping, employ maintenance workers, and provide a place for people to sleep. As such, they can be grouped together under the heading of accommodation. The same is true of the other four groupings, and the rest of this text explores these industry groups, and other aspects of tourism, in more detail.

Two female front desk employees speak to a male guest in a hotel lobby.

It is typical for the entire tourist experience to involve more than one sector. The combination of sectors that supply and distribute the needed tourism products, services, and activities within the tourism system is called the Tourism Supply Chain. Often, these chains of sectors and activities are dependent upon each other’s delivery of products and services. Let’s look at a simple example below that describes the involved and sometimes overlapping sectoral chains in the tourism experience:

Tourism supply chain. Long description available.

Before we seek to understand the five tourism sectors in more detail, it’s important to have an overview of the history and impacts of tourism to date.

Long Descriptions

Figure 1.2 long description: Diagram showing the tourism supply chain. This includes the phases of travel and the sectors and activities involved during each phase.

There are three travel phases: pre-departure, during travel, and post-departure.

Pre-departure, tourists use the travel services and transportation sectors.

During travel, tourists use the travel services, accommodations, food and beverage, recreation and entertainment, and transportation sectors.

Post-departure, tourists use the transportation sector.

[Return to Figure 1.2]

Media Attributions

  • Front Desk by Staying LEVEL is licensed under a CC BY-NC 4.0 Licence .

Tourism according the the UNWTO is a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes.

UN agency responsible for promoting responsible, sustainable, and universally accessible tourism worldwide.

Moving between different locations for leisure and recreation.

The accommodations and food and beverage industry groupings.

someone who travels at least 80 km from his or her home for at least 24 hours, for business or leisure or other reasons

A same-day visitor to a destination. Their trip typically ends on the same day when they leave the destination.

A way to group tourism activities based on similarities in business practices, primarily used for statistical analysis.

Introduction to Tourism and Hospitality in BC - 2nd Edition Copyright © 2015, 2020, 2021 by Morgan Westcott and Wendy Anderson, Eds is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Chapter 1. History and Overview

1.1 What is Tourism?

Before engaging in a study of tourism , let’s have a closer look at what this term means.

Definition of Tourism

There are a number of ways tourism can be defined, and for this reason, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) embarked on a project from 2005 to 2007 to create a common glossary of terms for tourism. It defines tourism as follows:

Tourism is a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes. These people are called visitors (which may be either tourists or excursionists; residents or non-residents) and tourism has to do with their activities, some of which imply tourism expenditure (United Nations World Tourism Organization, 2008).

Using this definition, we can see that tourism is not just the movement of people for a number of purposes (whether business or pleasure), but the overall agglomeration of activities, services, and involved sectors that make up the unique tourist experience.

Tourism, Travel, and Hospitality: What are the Differences?

It is common to confuse the terms tourism , travel , and hospitality or to define them as the same thing. While tourism is the all-encompassing umbrella term for the activities and industry that create the tourist experience, the UNWTO (2020) defines travel as the activity of moving between different locations often for any purpose but more so for leisure and recreation (Hall & Page, 2006). On the other hand, hospitality can be defined as “the business of helping people to feel welcome and relaxed and to enjoy themselves” (Discover Hospitality, 2015, p. 3). Simply put, the hospitality industry is the combination of the accommodation and food and beverage groupings, collectively making up the largest segment of the industry (Go2HR, 2020). You’ll learn more about accommodations and F & B in Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 , respectively.

Definition of Tourist and Excursionist

Building on the definition of tourism, a commonly accepted description of a tourist is “someone who travels at least 80 km from his or her home for at least 24 hours, for business or leisure or other reasons” [1] . The United Nations World Tourism Organization (1995) helps us break down this definition further by stating tourists can be:

  • Domestic (residents of a given country travelling only within that country)
  • Inbound (non-residents travelling in a given country)
  • Outbound (residents of one country travelling in another country)

Excursionists  on the other hand are considered same-day visitors (UNWTO, 2020). Sometimes referred to as “day trippers.” Understandably, not every visitor stays in a destination overnight. It is common for travellers to spend a few hours or less to do sightseeing, visit attractions, dine at a local restaurant, then leave at the end of the day.

The scope of tourism, therefore, is broad and encompasses a number of activities and sectors.

Spotlight On: United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

UNWTO is the United Nations agency responsible “for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism” (UNWTO, 2014b). Its membership includes 159 countries and over 500 affiliates such as private companies, research and educational institutions, and non-governmental organizations. It promotes tourism as a way of developing communities while encouraging ethical behaviour to mitigate negative impacts. For more information, visit the UNWTO website .

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Given the sheer size of the tourism industry, it can be helpful to break it down into broad industry groups using a common classification system. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) was jointly created by the Canadian, US, and Mexican governments to ensure common analysis across all three countries (British Columbia Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training, 2013a). The tourism-related groupings created using NAICS are (in alphabetical order):

  • Accommodation
  • Food and beverage services (commonly known as “F & B”)
  • Recreation and entertainment
  • Transportation
  • Travel services

These industry groups (also commonly known as sectors) are based on the similarity of the “labour processes and inputs” used for each (Government of Canada, 2013). For instance, the types of employees and resources required to run an accommodation business whether it be a hotel, motel, or even a campground are quite similar. All these businesses need staff to check in guests, provide housekeeping, employ maintenance workers, and provide a place for people to sleep. As such, they can be grouped together under the heading of accommodation. The same is true of the other four groupings, and the rest of this text explores these industry groups, and other aspects of tourism, in more detail.

Two female front desk employees speak to a male guest in a hotel lobby.

It is typical for the entire tourist experience to involve more than one sector. The combination of sectors that supply and distribute the needed tourism products, services, and activities within the tourism system is called the Tourism Supply Chain. Often, these chains of sectors and activities are dependent upon each other’s delivery of products and services. Let’s look at a simple example below that describes the involved and sometimes overlapping sectoral chains in the tourism experience:

Tourism supply chain. Long description available.

Before we seek to understand the five tourism sectors in more detail, it’s important to have an overview of the history and impacts of tourism to date.

Media Attributions

Front Desk © Staying LEVEL is licensed under a CC BY-NC (Attribution NonCommercial) license

  • (LinkBC, 2008, p.8) ↵

Tourism according the the UNWTO is a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes.

UN agency responsible for promoting responsible, sustainable, and universally accessible tourism worldwide.

Moving between different locations for leisure and recreation.

The accommodations and food and beverage industry groupings.

someone who travels at least 80 km from his or her home for at least 24 hours, for business or leisure or other reasons

A same-day visitor to a destination. Their trip typically ends on the same day when they leave the destination.

A way to group tourism activities based on similarities in business practices, primarily used for statistical analysis.

Introduction to Tourism Copyright © 2020 by NSCC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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What is Leisure Tourism

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What is tourism? A definition of tourism

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Whilst most of us have been tourists at some point during our lives, you might find yourself asking ‘what is tourism?’ or ‘what is the definition of tourism’?

A definition of tourism

Having studied, worked in and taught tourism management for many years, I can tell you that there is no straight-cut answer to this question! In fact, I do tell you- in this YouTube video below!

The tourism industry is argued to be the largest industry in the world, providing more employment than any other industry. Note, however, the use of the word ‘argued’. You see, the tourism industry is somewhat grey in nature. Elements that some may consider ‘tourism’, others may not. Some people believe they are ‘ tourists ‘, when others do not. Some things are black and white, and others are not.

In this post I will explain why there is no simple explanation in answer to the question ‘what is tourism?’. I will explain the diversity of the tourism industry and provide a range of definitions of tourism that have been developed by academics and practitioners.

What is tourism?

Tourism is the generic term used to cover both demand and supply that has been adopted in a variety of forms and used throughout the world. 

Tourism essentially refers to the activities undertaken by visitors, also known as the visitor economy. The tourism industry encompasses all activity that takes place within the visitor economy.

This includes activities that are directly related to the tourist, such as staying in a hotel, ordering a meal or visiting a tourist attraction. It also includes indirect activities, such as the transport company which delivers the food to the restaurant in which the tourist eats or the laundry company that has a contract with the hotel for cleaning bed sheets.

It is largely due to the indirect contributions to tourism, that defining and measuring the tourism industry is so difficult!

Tourism comes in many different shapes and sizes and there are many different types of tourism . There is mass tourism , niche tourism and special interest tourism. There is domestic tourism and international tourism . There is inbound tourism and outbound tourism .

Whilst there is a range of different forms of tourism, they all come under the broad tourism umbrella, nonetheless. This is because they all revolve around visitors and they all feed the visitor economy in one way or another.

A definition of tourism

Tourism is a phenomenon with no universally accepted definition, owing to the complexity and individualism of the travellers themselves and the activities that they choose to undertake.

The most widely utilised definition of tourism, proposed by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and United States (UN) Nations Statistics Division (1994), prescribes that in order to qualify as a tourist one must travel and remain in a place outside of their usual residential environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business or other purposes.

Matheison and Wall (1982) on the other hand, do not impose a timeframe, simply stating that one must travel to a destination temporarily.

Leiper (1979) believed that defining tourism is more complex than this, proposing that there are three approaches that can be taken. The economic stance focuses on tourism as a business, the technical stance focusses on the tourist in order to provide a common basis by which to collect data and the holistic stance attempts to include the entire essence of the subject.

The Cambridge Dictionary define tourism quite simply as; ‘the business of providing services such as transport, places to stay or entertainment for people who are on holiday’.

Read also: – The importance of tourism – Types of tourism: A glossary – Outbound tourism | Understanding the basics – The structure of the tourism industry – Domestic tourism tourism explained – The history of tourism

Whilst such attempts to define the concept of tourism may be useful from a generic perspective, the practical application of such definitions is difficult when applied to specific tourism types, such as those outlined in this post outlining the different types of tourism.

In fact, Robinson and Novelli (2007), in their introduction to the niche tourism phenomena, postulate that tourists have developed as consumers, becoming increasingly sophisticated in their needs and preferences as a result of an emergent culture of tourism.

Despite such acknowledgements of the progressive and adaptive nature of tourism, particularly evident through the limitless introduction of new and niche tourism forms, there appear to have been no attempts to develop the commonly accepted definitions of tourism in parallel.

As such, I would argue that there is a need the definition of tourism to be revisited by academics and industry practitioner, to ensure that it is representative of the tourism industry that operates today.

How would you define the term tourism?

For more information on what makes up the tourism industry, I recommend the key text Tourism: Principles and Practice by John Fletcher, available from Amazon here .

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Encyclopedia of Tourism pp 1–2 Cite as

Domestic Tourism

  • Hyungsuk Choo 3  
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Domestic tourism can be described as tourism involving residents of one country traveling nationally. It does not involve the crossing of international borders at entry points. As early recorded history provides a glimpse into ancient practices, domestic tourism is in fact the first form practiced. Domestic tourism has been a well-established practice worldwide. A strong relationship between tourism and visiting friends and relatives and religious pilgrimage has been found in countries with a long history of domestic tourism (Rogerson and Lisa 2005 ). On the contrary, mass domestic tourism has only recently emerged in other countries mostly due to increased disposable income, introduction of labor rights associated with leisure and vacation, governmental policy about the deregulation of internal movement, and so on (Scheyvens 2007 ).

Tourism is essentially an activity engaged by human beings. The minimum necessary features include the act of travel from one place to another, a particular...

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Pierret, F. 2011. Some points on domestic tourism . Madrid: World Tourism Organization.

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Rogerson, C., and Z. Lisa. 2005. ‘Sho’t Left’: Changing domestic tourism in South Africa. Urban Forum 16 (2-3): 88–111.

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Scheyvens, R. 2007. Poor cousins no more: Valuing the development potential of domestic and diaspora tourism. Progress in Development Studies 7: 307–325.

Seckelmann, A. 2002. Domestic tourism – A chance for regional development in Turkey? Tourism Management 23: 85–92.

Sindiga, I. 1996. Domestic tourism in Kenya. Annals of Tourism Research 23: 19–31.

UNWTO. 2012. Methodological notes to the tourism statistics database . Madrid: World Tourism Organization.

———. 2020. UNWTO briefing note – Tourism and COVID-19, Issue 3. In Understanding domestic tourism and seizing its opportunities . Madrid: UNWTO. https://doi.org/10.18111/9789284422111 .

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Xu, G. 1998. Domestic tourism and its economic effect in Beidaihe, The Largest Seaside Resort of China. Pacific Tourism Review 2: 43–52.

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Hyungsuk Choo

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Choo, H. (2023). Domestic Tourism. In: Jafari, J., Xiao, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Tourism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01669-6_255-2

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  1. What is leisure tourism, and what examples?

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  3. Glossary of tourism terms

    Tourism consumption: Tourism consumption has the same formal definition as tourism expenditure. Nevertheless, the concept of tourism consumption used in the Tourism Satellite Account goes beyond that of tourism expenditure. ... (business, leisure or other personal purpose) other than to be employed by a resident entity in the country or place ...

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  6. Leisure Travel

    Leisure tourism spending worldwide from 2019 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars) Leisure travel generates approximately 80 percent of global travel and tourism expenditure. While spending on ...

  7. Leisure

    Leisure tourism covers purposes, in which recreation, relaxation, exploring new places and cultures, and hobbies play a dominant role (David-Negre et al. 2018, Venkatesh 2006. Business tourism ...

  8. Chapter 5. Recreation

    Overview. In this chapter, we discuss the concept of recreation in tourism and hospitality. Recreation can be defined as the pursuit of leisure activities during one's spare time (Tribe, 2011) and can include vastly different activities such as golfing, sport fishing, and rock climbing. Defining recreation as it pertains to tourism, however ...

  9. Leisure

    Leisure has often been defined as a quality of experience or as free time. Free time is time spent away from business, ... John, and Geoffrey Wall. "History and tourism." Annals of Tourism Research 18.1 (1991): 71-84. online; Towner, John. "The Grand Tour: a key phase in the history of tourism." Annals of tourism research 12#3 (1985): 297-333.

  10. Rethinking Leisure Tourism: From the Perspective of Tourist Touch

    Considering the popularity of leisure tourism and the rise of Nong Jia Le, the current research aims to explore how the tourism experience of Nong Jia Le can affect customer destination engagement behaviors from the perspective of customer touch points. ... A plausible reason for this can be found in the definition of eudaimonia: Perceived ...

  11. 1.1 What is Tourism?

    While tourism is the all-encompassing umbrella term for the activities and industry that create the tourist experience, the UNWTO (2020) defines travel as the activity of moving between different locations often for any purpose but more so for leisure and recreation (Hall & Page, 2006). On the other hand, hospitality can be defined as "the ...

  12. 1.1 What is Tourism?

    Definition of Tourist and Excursionist. Building on the definition of tourism, a commonly accepted description of a tourist is "someone who travels at least 80 km from his or her home for at least 24 hours, for business or leisure or other reasons" [1]. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (1995) helps us break down this definition ...

  13. Tourism

    tourism, the act and process of spending time away from home in pursuit of recreation, relaxation, and pleasure, while making use of the commercial provision of services.As such, tourism is a product of modern social arrangements, beginning in western Europe in the 17th century, although it has antecedents in Classical antiquity.. Tourism is distinguished from exploration in that tourists ...

  14. UNWTO Tourism Definitions

    A tourism destination is a physical space with or without administrative and/or analytical 14 boundaries in which a visitor can spend an. overnight. It is the cluster (co-location) of products and services, and of activities and experiences along the tourism value chain and a basic unit of analysis of tourism.

  15. Leisure, Tourism, and Space: A Thematic Exploration

    This contribution posits that the tourism sector—as part of the leisure society—deserves a more prominent position in regional science. After a general outline of trends in modern tourism, this chapter argues that promising research angles can be found in: (a) the closer examination of the complex components of leisure time, (b) the income drivers and prosperity impacts of tourism, and (c ...

  16. Leisure, recreation and tourism

    Abstract. Recreation and leisure studies in North America offers a number of intriguing parallels with tourism. Both have diverse origins; are inherently interdisciplinary; and combine traditional atheoretical, descriptive, and applied research with innovative scholarship that is devoted to developing and testing concepts and theories.

  17. What Is Adventure Tourism?

    Tourism is one of the most rapidly growing economic sectors in the world, and adventure tourism is one of its fastest growing categories. As travellers seek new and different experiences, adventure tourism continues to grow in popularity (Wicker 2017).Increasingly, countries in all stages of economic development are prioritising adventure tourism for development and market growth, because they ...

  18. What is Leisure Tourism

    What is Leisure Tourism? Definition of Leisure Tourism: Leisure tourism refers to take a break from daily routine life. Leisure tourists usually enjoy beauty and nice hotels and resorts, enjoy atmosphere of beaches. The most popular activities of leisure tourism include social tours, cultural tours, religious tours, family tours, sports tours, and medical tours.

  19. What Is Bleisure Travel, And How Is It Transforming The ...

    getty. Bleisure travel, combining business and leisure, is on track to take over traditional business travel. The change creates a new type of traveler who is neither a business traveler or a ...

  20. What Is Tourism? A Definition Of Tourism

    Tourism is the generic term used to cover both demand and supply that has been adopted in a variety of forms and used throughout the world. Tourism essentially refers to the activities undertaken by visitors, also known as the visitor economy. The tourism industry encompasses all activity that takes place within the visitor economy.

  21. Mass tourism

    The beginning of mass tourism is largely related to various changes, which occurred in the industrial societies in the second half of the twentieth century. In fact, the history of mass tourism began in 1851 when Thomas Cook led a mass of tourists to the Great Exhibition in London (Page 2012 ). The growth of leisure travel and its importance ...

  22. LEISURE

    LEISURE definition: 1. the time when you are not working or doing other duties: 2. the time when you are not working…. Learn more.

  23. (PDF) Definition of Tourism and Sustainable Tourism

    This tourism concept is no longer limited to Umrah and Hajj only but has also expanded to travels done by Muslims for the purpose of business and leisure. Meanwhile, sustainable tourism has also ...

  24. Domestic Tourism

    The domestic overnight leisure tourism market is a key segment in many countries. Domestic tourism is over six times larger than international tourism, as an estimated 9 billion domestic trips were recorded around the world in 2018 (UNWTO 2020). In OECD countries, spending on domestic tourism is three times the amount generated from inbound ...