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What is the Tourism Industry?

Alan Rankin
Alan Rankin

The tourism industry is a worldwide business catering to pleasure travel. Such travelers are called tourists or sightseers; their destinations include natural wonders, foreign cities, and other attractions. Tourists are distinct from business travelers or people who travel to reside in a distant location for weeks or months at a time. Tourists come from everywhere in the world and will travel to almost any location. Popular sites are called tourist destinations. Numerous businesses worldwide provide services of one kind or another to the tourism industry.

For most of human history, travel to distant locations was a difficult process. Even in ancient times, however, wealthy individuals sometimes traveled for the pleasure of visiting fabled locations. With the advent of powered vehicles in the 19th and 20th centuries, average people were able to undertake travel for the sake of travel. This was the origin of the tourism industry. Mark Twain’s famous travelogue, The Innocents Abroad, chronicles his experiences with an American tourist group visiting Europe and the Middle East in 1867.

Tourists visiting the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. China is one of the most visited countries in the world.
Tourists visiting the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. China is one of the most visited countries in the world.

In modern times, the tourism industry is a $1 trillion US Dollar (USD) a year business. According to the International Air Transport Association, $400 billion USD of that is generated by the airline industry, which transports more than two billion passengers a year. Other tourism vehicles include trains, cruise ships, along with more basic travel methods such as hiking and horseback riding. Hotels, bed and breakfasts, and resorts offer comfortable accommodations to tourists, sometimes in otherwise primitive locations. Many local businesses benefit from the presence of tourists, who bring income to areas that may be remote and impoverished.

Tourism can help provide resources to impoverished regions.
Tourism can help provide resources to impoverished regions.

Travel agencies are an important part of the tourism industry. For a fee, these agencies will arrange travel, accommodations, meals, and other amenities for tourists. They will often offer travel packages to large groups visiting the same destination, which will reduce the cost for each individual traveler. For destinations that are remote or that present difficult language and cultural barriers, travel agencies are often the best and safest way to travel. Some tourists, however, will prefer to travel on their own.

Taking in the famous sights of Europe is part of the tourism industry.
Taking in the famous sights of Europe is part of the tourism industry.

Many resources are available to aid the modern tourist. Numerous guidebooks and websites cover the specifics of traveling to almost any location. These travel guides form an industry of their own within the larger tourism industry. The U.S. State Department and other government agencies in various countries publish bulletins advising travelers of dangers in foreign locations. Tourism is meant to be an adventure, but with so many resources available, there is no reason to make the journey unprepared.

Discussion Comments

Logicfest

@Melonlity -- there is one city around here that is doing just that and you are right -- it is something to see. Now, that town has always had a decent tourism industry because of a huge lake that boasts about any type of fish and angler could want.

Since the manufacturing jobs have dried up in that town, more attempts have been made to attract boaters and people who enjoy water sports. One of those efforts resulted in something that was foreign to that city and its county -- alcohol sales. Both liquor stores and restaurants sell alcohol and the laws allow those sales were touted as essential to the tourism industry in the area.

The point here is that building and promoting a tourism industry can result in some fundamental changes to an area.

Melonlity

For some parts of the nation, the tourism industry is being beefed and touted as something to replace the declining manufacturing industry in the United States. In some areas those attempts have been very successful while the efforts have failed in others. Still, it is fascinating to watch a city try to shift from its old manufacturing industry to a tourist one as there are a lot of infrastructure changes that go along with those attempts.

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    • Tourists visiting the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. China is one of the most visited countries in the world.
      By: alexxich
      Tourists visiting the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. China is one of the most visited countries in the world.
    • Tourism can help provide resources to impoverished regions.
      By: TheFinalMiracle
      Tourism can help provide resources to impoverished regions.
    • Taking in the famous sights of Europe is part of the tourism industry.
      By: Freesurf
      Taking in the famous sights of Europe is part of the tourism industry.
    • Trains are a big part of the tourism industry in Europe.
      By: weim
      Trains are a big part of the tourism industry in Europe.
    • The Biltmore House attracts many tourists to Asheville, North Carolina.
      By: AStargirl
      The Biltmore House attracts many tourists to Asheville, North Carolina.
    • Hotels near popular sites are an important part of the tourism industry.
      By: Offscreen
      Hotels near popular sites are an important part of the tourism industry.
    • Many travel agents specialize in creating customized travel itineraries for their clients.
      By: Maridav
      Many travel agents specialize in creating customized travel itineraries for their clients.
    • The pyramids in Egypt are a popular tourist attraction.
      By: mrahmo
      The pyramids in Egypt are a popular tourist attraction.
    • Transportation, particularly airline travel, is a major component of the global tourism industry.
      By: HappyAlex
      Transportation, particularly airline travel, is a major component of the global tourism industry.
    • The neolithic tombs at Newgrange are a popular tourism spot in Ireland.
      By: phtphoto
      The neolithic tombs at Newgrange are a popular tourism spot in Ireland.
    • Tourism includes small businesses that are indirectly affected by tourists.
      By: gemphotography
      Tourism includes small businesses that are indirectly affected by tourists.
    • Author Mark Twain chronicled his experience visiting the Middle East as part of an American tourist group in 1867.
      By: v_blinov
      Author Mark Twain chronicled his experience visiting the Middle East as part of an American tourist group in 1867.