Tourism

"Tourist" redirects here. For other uses, see Tourist (disambiguation).

France has remained the most visited country in recent years.

The Giza Pyramids in Giza, Egypt.

File:Alhambra.png

Alhambra in Granada, Spain is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe.

Parthenon in Athens, Greece is one of the most visited ancient monuments in Europe.

Cancun in Quintana Roo. Mexico is the 2nd most visited country in the Americas and 10th in the world.

Rio de Janeiro, the most visited destination in Brazil.

Saint Peter's Square, St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, one of the most visited places in the world.

Disneyland, Tokyo, Japan, one of the world's most visited attractions.

Statue of Liberty, New York one of the most visited attractions in the world.

London, the most visited city in the world in 2006 according to Euromonitor.

National Mall & Memorial Parks in Washington, D.C..

Great Wall of China, China.

Colosseum in Rome, Italy.

Taj Mahal in Agra, India.

Dubai, UAE is one of the most visited city in the Middle East.

Tourism is travel for recreational or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited". Tourism has become a popular global leisure activity. In 2007, there were over 903 million international tourist arrivals, with a growth of 6.6% as compared to 2006. International tourist receipts were USD 856 billion in 2007. Despite the uncertainties in the global economy, arrivals grew at around 5% during the first four months of 2008, almost a similar growth than the same period in 2007.

Tourism is vital for many countries such as U.A.E, Egypt, Greece, Thailand and many island nations such as Bahamas, Fiji, Maldives, Seychelles due to the large intake of money for businesses with their goods and services and the opportunity for employment in the service industries associated with tourism. These service industries include transportation services such as cruise ships and taxis, accommodation such as hotels and entertainment venues, and other hospitality industry services such as resorts.

Definition

Hunziker and Krapf, in 1941, defined tourism as "the sum of the phenomena and relationships arising from the travel and stay of non-residents, insofar as they do not lead to permanent residence and are not connected with any earning activity." In 1976, the Tourism Society of England defined it as "Tourism is the temporary, short-term movement of people to destination outside the places where they normally live and work and their activities during the stay at each destination. It includes movements for all purposes." In 1981, International Association of Scientific Experts in Tourism defined Tourism in terms of particular activities selected by choice and undertaken outside the home environment.

The United Nations classified three forms of tourism in 1994 in its Recommendations on Tourism Statistics: Domestic tourism, which involves residents of the given country traveling only within this country; Inbound tourism, involving non-residents traveling in the given country; and Outbound tourism, involving residents traveling in another country.

The UN also derived different categories of tourism by combining the 3 basic forms of tourism: Internal tourism, which comprises domestic tourism and inbound tourism; National tourism, which comprises domestic tourism and outbound tourism; and International tourism, which consists of inbound tourism and outbound tourism. Intrabound tourism is a term coined by the Korea Tourism Organization and widely accepted in Korea. Intrabound tourism differs from domestic tourism in that the former encompasses policymaking and implementation of national tourism policies.

Recently, the tourism industry has shifted from the promotion of inbound tourism to the promotion of intrabound tourism because many countries are experiencing tough competition for inbound tourists. Some national policymakers have shifted their priority to the promotion of intrabound tourism to contribute to the local economy. Examples of such campaigns include "See America" in the United States, "Truly Asia" in Malaysia, "Get Going Canada" in Canada, "Wow Philippines" in the Philippines, "Uniquely Singapore" in Singapore, "100% Pure New Zealand" in New Zealand, "Amazing Thailand" in Thailand, "The Hidden Charm" in Vietnam and "Incredible India" in India.

World tourism statistics and rankings

Most visited countries

Main article: World Tourism rankings

The World Tourism Organization reports the following ten countries as the most visited in 2007 by number of international travelers. When compared to 2006, Ukraine entered the top ten list, surpassing Russia, Austria and Mexico. Most of the top visited countries continue to be on the European continent.

Rank	Country	UNWTO Regional Market	International tourist arrivals (2007)	International tourist arrivals (2006)
1	France	Europe	81.9 million	79.1 million
2	Spain	Europe	59.2 million	58.5 million
3	United States	North America	56.0 million	51.1 million
4	China	Asia	54.7 million	49.6 million
5	Italy	Europe	43.7 million	41.1 million
6	United Kingdom	Europe	30.7 million	30.7 million
7	Germany	Europe	24.4 million	23.6 million
8	Ukraine	Europe	23.1 million	18.9 million
9	Turkey	Europe	22.2 million	18.9 million
10	Mexico	North America	21.4 million	21.4 million

International tourism receipts

International tourist receipts were USD 96.7 billion in 2007, up from USD 85.7 billion in 2006. When the export value of international passenger travel receipts is accounted for, total receipts in 2007 reached a record of USD 1.02 trillion or 3 billion a day. The World Tourism Organization reports the following 10 countries as the top ten tourism earners for the year 2007. It is noticeable that most of them are on the European continent, but the United States continues to be the top earner.

Rank	Country	UNWTO Regional Market	International Tourism Receipts (2007)	International Tourism Receipts (2006)
1	United States	North America	$96.7 billion	$85.7 billion
2	Spain	Europe	$57.8 billion	$51.1 billion
3	France	Europe	$54.2 billion	$46.3 billion
4	Italy	Europe	$42.7 billion	$38.1 billion
5	China	Asia	$41.9 billion	$33,9 billion
6	United Kingdom	Europe	$37.6 billion	$33.7 billion
7	Germany	Europe	$36.0 billion	$32.8 billion
8	Philippines	Asia	$22.2 billion	$17.8 billion
9	Austria	Europe	$18.9 billion	$16.6 billion
10	Turkey	Europe	$18.5 billion	$16.9 billion

International tourism top spenders

The World Tourism Organization reports the following 10 countries as the top ten biggest spenders on international tourism for the year 2007. For the fifth year in a row, German tourists continue as the top spenders. A study by Dresdner Bank study forecasts that for 2008 Germans and Europeans in general will continue to be the top spenders because of the strength of the Euro against the US dollar, with strong demand for the US in favor of other destinations.

Rank	Country	UNWTO Regional Market	International Tourism Expenditures (2007)	International Tourism Expenditures (2006)
1	Germany	Europe	$82.9 billion	$73.9 billion
2	United States	North America	$76.2 billion	$72.1 billion
3	United Kingdom	Europe	$72.3 billion	$63.1 billion
4	France	Europe	$36.7 billion	$31.2 billion
5	China	Asia	$29.8 billion	$24.3 billion
6	Italy	Europe	$27.3 billion	$23.1 billion
7	Japan	Asia	$26.5 billion	$26.9 billion
8	Canada	North America	$24.8 billion	$20.5 billion
9	Russia	Europa	$22.3 billion	$18.2 billion
10	South Korea	Asia	$20.9 billion	$18.9 billion

Most visited attractions

Forbes Traveller released a ranking of the world's 50 most visited tourist attractions in 2007, including both international and domestic tourists. The following are the Top 10 attractions, followed by some other famous sites included within the list of the 50 most visited: It is noticeable that 4 out of the top 5 are in the North America continent.

Most visited attractions by domestic and international tourists in 2007 Top 10 ranking tourist attractions
World's ranking	Tourist attraction	City	Country	Number of visitors (millions)
1	Times Square	New York City	United States	35
2	National Mall & Memorial Parks	Washington D.C.	United States	25
3	Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom	Lake Buena Vista, Orlando	USA	16.6
4	Trafalgar Square	London	United Kingdom	15
5	Disneyland	Anaheim, CA	United States	14.7
6	Niagara Falls	Ontario & N.Y.	Canada & USA	14
7	Fisherman's Wharf & Golden Gate	San Francisco, CA	United States	13
8	Tokyo Disneyland & Tokyo DisneySea	Tokyo	Japan	12.9
9	Notre Dame de Paris	Paris	France	12
10	Disneyland Paris	Paris	France	10.6
Other selected famous destinations
11	The Great Wall of China	Badaling	China	10
18	Eiffel Tower	Paris	France	6.7
31	Grand Canyon	Arizona	United States	4.4
36	Statue of Liberty	New York	United States	4.24
37	The Vatican and its museums	Rome	Italy	4.2
39	The Colosseum	Rome	Italy	4
47	Giza Pyramids	Cairo	Egypt	3
50	Taj Mahal	Agra	India	2.4

Most visited cities

Euromonitor released a ranking of the world's 150 most visited cities by international tourists in 2006. The following are the leading 15 cities according to Euromonitor's ranking:

Most visited cities by international tourists in 2006 Top 15 ranking cities
Ranking	City	Country	Number of intl. visitors (millions)	Ranking	City	Country	Number of intl. visitors (millions)	Ranking	City	Country	Number of intl. visitors (millions)
1	London	United Kingdom	15.64	6	New York City	United States	6.22	11	Dublin	Ireland	4.47
2	Bangkok	Thailand	10.35	7	Dubai	United Arab Emirates	6.12	12	Bahrain	Bahrain	4.42
3	Paris	France	9.70	8	Rome	Italy	6.03	13	Shangai	China	4.31
4	Singapore	Singapore	9.50	9	Seoul	South Korea	4.92	14	Toronto	Canada	4.16
5	Hong Kong	China	8.14	10	Barcelona	Spain	4.69	15	Kuala Lumpur	Malaysia	4.12

Cf. Other sources report Paris as the most visited city in the world with 30 million visitors.

History

The Golden Pavilion is the best known temple in Kyoto, Japan.

Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Great Bath at the Roman Baths, in Bath, one of the world's first health tourism sites.

Wealthy people have always traveled to distant parts of the world to see great buildings and works of art, to learn new languages, to experience new cultures, and to taste different cuisines. As long ago as the time of the Roman Republic, places such as Baiae were popular coastal resorts for the rich. The word tourism was used by 1811 and tourist by 1840. In 1936 the League of Nations defined foreign tourist as someone travelling abroad for at least twenty-four hours. It successor, the United Nations amended this definition in 1945 by including a maximum stay of six months.

Pre twentieth century

European tourism can be said to originate with the medieval pilgrimage. Although undertaken primarily for religious reasons, the pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales saw the experience as a holiday (the term itself being derived from the 'holy day' and its associated leisure activities). Pilgrimages created a variety of tourist aspects that still exist - bringing back souvenirs, obtaining credit with foreign banks (in medieval times utilizing international networks established by the Lombards), and making use of space available on existing forms of transport (such as the use of medieval English wine ships bound for Vigo by pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela). Religious and secular pilgrimages are still prevalent in modern tourism - such as to Lourdes or Knock in Ireland, Graceland and the grave of Jim Morrison in Père Lachaise Cemetery.

During the 17th century, it became fashionable in England to undertake a Grand Tour. The sons of the nobility and gentry were sent upon an extended tour of Europe as an educational experience. The 18th century was the golden age of the Grand Tour, and many of the fashionable visitors were painted at Rome by Pompeo Batoni.

Health tourism has long existed, but it was not until the eighteenth century that it became important. In England, it was associated with spas, places with supposedly health-giving mineral waters, treating diseases from gout to liver disorders and bronchitis. The most popular resorts were Bath, Cheltenham, Buxton, Harrogate, and Tunbridge Wells. Visits to take 'the waters' also allowed the visitors to attend balls and other entertainments. Continental Spas such as Carlsbad (Karlovy Vary) attracted many fashionable travellers by the nineteenth century.

Leisure travel

Leisure travel was associated with the industrialisation of United Kingdom – the first European country to promote leisure time to the increasing industrial population. Initially, this applied to the owners of the machinery of production, the economic oligarchy, the factory owners, and the traders. These comprised the new middle class. Cox & Kings were the first official travel company to be formed in 1758. Later, the working class could take advantage of leisure time.

The British origin of this new industry is reflected in many place names. At Nice, France, one of the first and best-established holiday resorts on the French Riviera, the long esplanade along the seafront is known to this day as the Promenade des Anglais; in many other historic resorts in continental Europe, old well-established palace hotels have names like the Hotel Bristol, the Hotel Carlton or the Hotel Majestic - reflecting the dominance of English customers.

Many tourists do leisure tourism in the tropics both in the summer and winter. It is often done in places such as Cuba, The Dominican Republic, Thailand, North Queensland in Australia and Florida in the United States.

Winter tourism

File:MattRiff.jpg

The Matterhorn near Zermatt in the Swiss Alps.

Winter sports were largely invented by the British leisured classes, initially at the Swiss village of Zermatt (Valais), and St Moritz in 1864. The first packaged winter sports holidays took place in 1902 at Adelboden, Switzerland. Winter sports were a natural answer for a leisured class looking for amusement during the coldest season.

Major ski resorts are located in various mainland European countries, Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Chile and Argentina.

Mass tourism

Mass travel could only develop with improvements in technology allowed the transport of large numbers of people in a short space of time to places of leisure interest, and greater numbers of people began to enjoy the benefits of leisure time.

In the United States, the first great seaside resort, in the European style, was Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Long Island.

In Continental Europe, early resorts included Ostend (for the people of Brussels), and Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais) and Deauville (Calvados) (for Parisians), and Heiligendamm (founded 1797 as the first seaside resort at the Baltic Sea).

Adjectival tourisms

File:Victoria Falls Zambezi.jpg

Victoria Falls in Zambia and Zimbabwe, one of the most visited places in Africa.

Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

Great Barrier Reef, Australia is one of the most visited places of diving tourists.

The Hagia Sophia in İstanbul, Turkey.

Machu Picchu in Cuzco, Peru, one of the most visited destinations in South America.

Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències in Valencia, Spain.

Adjectival tourism refers to the numerous niche or specialty travel forms of tourism that have emerged over the years, each with its own adjective. Many of these have come into common use by the tourism industry an academics. Others are emerging concepts that may or may gain popular useage. Examples of the more common niche tourism markets include:

1. Aboriginal tourism (also Tribal tourism and Native American tourism)
2. Adventure tourism (or Adventure travel usually outdoors)
3. Alternative tourism
4. Backpack tourism (or Youth Backpack tourism, see Backpacking (travel))
5. Battlefield tourism
6. Border tourism (or Cross-Border Tourism)
7. Business tourism (or Business travel)
8. Celebrity tourism (including Celebrity Cruises)
9. Community Based tourism (or Community Supported tourism)
10. Cruise tourism (see Cruise ship)
11. Culinary tourism
12. Disaster tourism
13. Dark tourism
14. Dive tourism (see SCUBA diving)
15. Ecotourism (or Eco-tourism in some countries)
16. Educational tourism (or Edutourism, see below)
17. Ethnic tourism
18. Event tourism (or Special Event tourism, including Festivals)
19. Extreme tourism (or Shock tourism)
20. FIT - Free Independent Traveler (or Fully Independent Travel)
21. Geopark Tourism (geology-based)
22. Geotourism (related to Sustainable tourism)
23. Girlfriend Getaway (all female trip)
24. GIT - Group Inclusive Travel (see Group (travel))
25. Golf tourism
26. Greif tourism (related to Thanatourism)
27. Health tourism (or Wellness Tourism; overlap with Medical Tourism and New Age Tourism)
28. Heritage tourism
29. Incentive travel (gift vacations for employees)
30. Island tourism
31. Honeymoon (or Second Honeymoon)
32. LGBT tourism
33. Mass tourism
34. Medical tourism
35. MICE - Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conventions and Exhibitions (or Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions)
36. Mountain tourism
37. New Age tourism (see New Age travelers)
38. Nightlife tourism (also Entertainment tourism)
39. Package tourism (see Package holiday)
40. Photography (or Photo) tourism
41. Religious tourism (including Pilgrimage)
42. Reunion tourism (see Reunion Tour)
43. Roots tourism (or Genealogy related tourism)
44. Rural tourism
45. Second Home tourism (see Vacation property)
46. Sex tourism
47. Shopping tourism
48. Space tourism
49. Sports tourism
50. SSS - Sun, Sand and Surf (also Sun, Surf and Sex)
51. Sustainable tourism
52. Thanatourism (meaning death related tourism)
53. Urban tourism
54. VFR - Visiting Friends and Relatives
55. Volunteer tourism (or Volunteer travel)
56. War tourism
57. Winter (Sports) tourism (see below)

Recent developments

Red Square in Moscow, Russia.

Iguazu Falls, Argentina-Brazil border, one of the most visited ecotourism destinations in South America.

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. One of the most famous natural attractions in the world.

There has been an upmarket trend in the tourism over the last few decades, especially in Europe where international travel for short breaks is common. Tourists have higher levels of disposable income and greater leisure time and they are also better-educated and have more sophisticated tastes. There is now a demand for a better quality products, which has resulted in a fragmenting of the mass market for beach vacations; people want more specialised versions, such as Club 18-30, quieter resorts, family-oriented holidays, or niche market-targeted destination hotels.

The developments in technology and transport infrastructure, such as jumbo jets and low-cost airlines, and more accessible airports have made many types of tourism more affordable. There have also been changes in lifestyle, such as retiree-age people who sustain year round tourism. This is facilitated by internet sales of tourism products. Some sites have now started to offer dynamic packaging, in which an inclusive price is quoted for a tailor-made package requested by the customer upon impulse.

There have been a few setbacks in tourism, such as the September 11, 2001 attacks and terrorist threats to tourist destinations such as Bali and European cities. Some of the tourist destinations, including the beach resorts of Cancún have lost popularity due to shifting tastes. In this context, the excessive building and environmental destruction often associated with traditional "sun and beach" tourism may contribute to a destination's saturation and subsequent decline. Spain's Costa Brava, a popular 1960s and 1970s beach location is now facing a crisis in its tourism industry.

On December 26, 2004 a tsunami, caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake hit Asian countries bordering the Indian Ocean, and also the Maldives. Thousands of lives were lost, and many tourists died. This, together with the vast clean-up operation in place, has stopped or severely hampered tourism to the area.

The terms tourism and travel are sometimes used interchangeably. In this context travel has a similar definition to tourism, but implies a more purposeful journey. The terms tourism and tourist are sometimes used pejoratively, to imply a shallow interest in the cultures or locations visited by tourists.

Eco-tourism

Main article: Eco-tourism

Medical tourism

Main article: Medical tourism

When there is a significant price difference between countries for a given medical procedure particularly in South East Asia, India and Eastern Europe or where there are different regulatory regimes between countries in relation to particular medical procedures (eg dentistry) travelling to take advantage of the price or regulatory differences is often referred to as "medical tourism".

Educational tourism

Educational tourism developed because of the growing popularity of teaching and learning of knowledge, and enhancing technical competency outside the classroom environment. In the educational tourism, the main focus of the tour or leisure activity includes visitation of another country to learn about the culture of the visited country (Student Exchange Program and Study Tour) or to work and apply their learning inside the classroom in different environment (International Practicum Training Program).

Other developments

Emerging Adjectival Tourism Terms

1. Atrocity tourism (also War, Disaster, etc., above)
2. Hot-Spot tourism (places of current armed conflict)
3. Staycation (very popular term in summer 2008)
4. Babymoon (a pre-birth honeymoon)
5. Celebration Vacations (travel to celebrate a special event)
6. Creative tourism (tourist participation in destination arts) (see below)
7. Graffiti tourism (travel to commit graffiti)
8. Libel tourism
9. Mancation (an all male trip)
10. Momcation (for mothers)
11. Purposeful tourism (also Meaningful Tourism, related to Volunteer travel)
12. Tummy Tuck Travel (Medical tourism for plastic surgery)

Creative tourism Creative tourism has existed as a form of cultural tourism since the early beginnings of tourism itself. Its European roots date back to the time of the Grand Tour, which saw the sons of aristocratic families traveling for the purpose of (mostly interactive) educational experiences. More recently, creative tourism has been given its own name by Crispin Raymond and Greg Richards , who as a member of the Association for Tourism and Leisure Education (ATLAS) has directed a number of projects for the European Commission, including cultural tourism, crafts tourism or sustainable tourism. They have defined "creative tourism" as tourism related to the active participation of travelers in the culture of the host community, through interactive workshops and informal learning experiences.

Meanwhile, the concept of creative tourism has been picked up by high-profile organizations such as UNESCO, who through the Creative Cities Network have endorsed creative tourism as an engaged, authentic experience that promotes an active understanding of the specific cultural features of a place.

More recently, creative tourism has gained popularity as a form of cultural tourism, drawing on active participation by travelers in the culture of the host communities they visit. Several countries offer examples of this type of tourism development, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and New Zealand.

Dark tourism One emerging area of special interest tourism has been identified by Lennon and Foley (2000) as "dark" tourism. This type of tourism involves visits to "dark" sites such as battlegrounds, scenes of horrific crimes or acts of genocide, for example concentration camps. Dark tourism poses severe ethical and moral dilemmas: should these sites be available for visitation and, if so, what should the nature of the publicity involved be. Dark tourism remains a small niche market driven by varied motivations, such as mourning, remembrance, macabre curiosity or even entertainment. Its early origins are rooted in fairgrounds and medieval fairs.

Growth

File:2005xtoursim receipts.PNG

International tourism receipts in 2005

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) forecasts that international tourism will continue growing at the average annual rate of 4 %. By 2020 Europe will remain the most popular destination, but its share will drop from 60% in 1995 to 46%. Long-haul will grow slightly faster than intraregional travel and by 2020 its share will increase from 18% in 1995 to 24%.

With the advent of e-commerce, tourism products have become one of the most traded items on the internet. Tourism products and services have been made available through intermediaries, although tourism providers (hotels, airlines, etc.) can sell their services directly. This has put pressure on intermediaries from both on-line and traditional shops.

It has been suggested there is a strong correlation between Tourism expenditure per capita and the degree to which countries play in the global context. Not only as a result of the important economic contribution of the tourism industry, but also as an indicator of the degree of confidence with which global citizens leverage the resources of the globe for the benefit of their local economies. This is why any projections of growth in tourism may serve as an indication of the relative influence that each country will exercise in the future.

Space tourism is expected to "take off" in the first quarter of the 21st century, although compared with traditional destinations the number of tourists in orbit will remain low until technologies such as a space elevator make space travel cheap.

Technological improvement is likely to make possible air-ship hotels, based either on solar-powered airplanes or large dirigibles. Underwater hotels, such as Hydropolis, expected to open in Dubai in 2009, will be built. On the ocean tourists will be welcomed by ever larger cruise ships and perhaps floating cities.

Negative impacts

Attracting a high volume of tourists can have negative impacts, such as the impact of 33 million tourists a year on the city of New York, or the potential to impact fragile environments, or the impact of the December 26, 2004 tsunami on the tourists themselves. The environment can be affected negatively by cruise ship pollution in many ways, including ballast water discharge, and by pollution from aircraft.

See also

• Accessible Tourism
• Eco hotels
• Backpacking (travel)
• Hospitality industry
• Hospitality management studies
• Hospitality Services
• Hotel
• Hotel management
• List of types of lodging
• Package holiday
• Passport
• Pilgrimage
• Resort town
• Rural tourism
• Tour guide
• Tourism by country
• Tourism geography
• Tourism in literature
• Tourism technology
• Tourist trap
• Township tourism
• Travel agency
• Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report
• World Tourism Organization
• World-Point Academy of Tourism

External links

• Economic Research: Economic Impact of Travel and Tourism. Travel Industry Association of America. 2004.
• Promoting Tourism in Rural America. USDA, National Agricultural Library, Rural Information Center. 2004.
• Rural Tourism. USDA, Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service.
• Rural Tourism Resources USDA, National Agricultural Library, Rural Information Center.
• Tourism: OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs and Local Development A valuable resource for statistics and information on international trends in tourism and tourism policies.
• Template:PDFlink. By Chad Wilkerson. Economic Review, Third Quarter 2003. Federal Reserve Board in Kansas.