Essential Tourism Terminology and Travel Definitions

Key Definitions in Tourism and Travel

Tourism

The activities of persons traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business, and other purposes.

Visitor

Any person who travels to a country other than that in which they have their usual residence, but outside their usual environment, for a period not exceeding 12 months, and whose main purpose of visit is other than the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the country visited.

A Tourist

A visitor who spends at least one night in the country visited.

Same-Day Visitor / Excursionist

A visitor who does not spend the night in a collective or private accommodation in the country visited.

Types of Tourism by Geographic Scope

• Domestic Tourism

  Involving residents of a given country traveling only within their own country. Example: A family from Alicante visiting PortAventura in Salou, Tarragona.

• Inbound Tourism

  Involving non-residents received by a destination country from the point of view of that destination. Example: A student from Ireland visiting relatives who live in Spain.

• Outbound Tourism

  Involving residents traveling in another country. Example: A family from Alicante deciding to have a holiday in Finland.

Composite Tourism Categories

• Internal Tourism

  Comprising Domestic Tourism and Inbound Tourism.

• National Tourism

  Made up of Domestic Tourism and Outbound Tourism.

• International Tourism

  Composed of Inbound Tourism and Outbound Tourism.

Specialized Tourism Terms

• VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives)

  A common purpose for travel: Visiting friends and relatives.

• Cultural Tourism

  Travel to experience the arts or history of a location, or travel to immerse oneself in the language, society, or culture of a region.

• City Break

  A short package holiday to a major urban destination, typically including hotel accommodations and, often, transportation.

Travel Organization Models

• Individual Tourism

  Those people who travel alone and create their own itinerary, either independently or through a travel agency.

• Mass Tourism

  This model is typified by the package tour in which itineraries are fixed, stops are planned and guided, and all major decisions are managed by the organizer.

• Itinerant Tourism / Tour

  A travel product in which several elements are included (transportation, lodging, a guide, etc.) and sold as a unit. Example: A 10-day journey through Austria by bus.

Infrastructure and Movement

• Tourism Base

  The infrastructure, attractions, natural resources, and other amenities of a region that attract and support leisure visitors.

• Tourist Destination

  The place to which a person is traveling to spend their holidays.

• Tourism Flows

  The major movements of tourists from specific home areas to destinations.