Tourism Definition, Examples & Usage

Meaning 1：travel industry (tourism)

tourism 🔊

/ˈtʊrɪzəm/

The business of helping tourists by organizing their trips, hotels, and fun activities.

Tourists at a landmark with guide, sunny day

travel industry 🔊

➕

/ˈtræv.əl ˈɪn.də.stri/

The business activity of providing services such as transportation, accommodation, and entertainment for people who are traveling for pleasure.

📁 Category：Transportation & Travel 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From 'tour' (a journey) + '-ism' (denoting a practice or business).

💡 Mnemonic

Think: 'tour' + 'ism' = the business of showing tourists around. Picture a guide leading a group.

📖 Example

Tourism has transformed the quiet island into a bustling hub, with new hotels and restaurants opening every year. 🔊 Tourism turned the once peaceful island into a busy center with many new hotels and restaurants opening annually.

🔗 Collocations

mass tourism – Large-scale tourism involving many people traveling to popular destinations, often with standardized packages.

sustainable tourism – Tourism that minimizes negative impacts on the environment and local culture, while supporting economic benefits.

tourism industry – The sector of the economy that provides services for tourists, including transportation, accommodation, and attractions.

🔄 Synonyms

travel industry (n.) – The businesses and organizations that provide services for travelers, such as airlines, hotels, and tour operators.

hospitality sector (n.) – The part of the economy that includes hotels, restaurants, and other services for visitors.

tourist trade (n.) – The commercial activity of attracting and serving tourists.

🚫 Antonyms

staycation (n.) – A vacation spent at home or nearby, rather than traveling to a distant destination.

🌱 Derivatives

tourist (n.) – A person who travels for pleasure.

tour (n./v.) – A journey for pleasure; to make such a journey.

touristic (adj.) – Relating to tourists or tourism.

📖 Cultural Story

First recorded in 1811, 'tourism' evolved from the Grand Tour of wealthy Europeans. Modern mass tourism began with Thomas Cook's packaged tours in the 1840s.