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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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Who Is a Visitor in Tourism?

By Anna Duncan

If you’re interested in tourism, then you must have heard the term ‘visitor’ thrown around quite a bit. But what exactly does it mean?

Who is considered a visitor in tourism? In this article, we’ll answer these questions and more.

What is Tourism?

Before we get into who a visitor is, let’s first define what tourism is. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), tourism refers to “the activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business or other purposes.”

In simpler terms, tourism involves people traveling to different places for various reasons such as vacation, work, or cultural experiences.

Who is a Visitor?

Now that we have a basic understanding of what tourism is let’s discuss who a visitor is. A visitor is anyone who travels to a place that they do not normally reside in. Visitors can be classified into two main categories: domestic visitors and international visitors.

Domestic Visitors

Domestic visitors refer to people who travel within their own country for leisure or business purposes. For example, if someone from New York City visits Los Angeles for vacation or work-related reasons, they would be considered domestic visitors.

International Visitors

On the other hand, international visitors refer to people who travel from one country to another for various reasons such as vacation, education or work-related purposes. For example, if someone from Japan visits New York City for vacation or work-related reasons they would be considered an international visitor.

Types of Visitors

Visitors can also be classified based on their purpose of travel. The UNWTO categorizes visitors into three types:

  • Tourists: These are people traveling outside of their usual environment for leisure purposes.
  • Business travelers: These are people who travel for work-related purposes such as meetings, conferences or exhibitions.
  • VFRs (Visiting friends and relatives): These are people who travel to visit friends or family in another location.

The Importance of Understanding Visitors in Tourism

Understanding who visitors are and why they travel is crucial for tourism industry professionals. By understanding the different types of visitors, tourism businesses can better tailor their products and services to meet the specific needs and wants of their Target audience.

Additionally, understanding visitor behavior can help tourism businesses create Targeted marketing campaigns that are more likely to attract potential visitors.

In conclusion, a visitor is anyone who travels to a place outside of their usual environment for leisure, business or other purposes.

10 Related Question Answers Found

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Definition of visitor

Examples of visitor in a sentence.

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'visitor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing visitor

  • unique visitor

Dictionary Entries Near visitor

visit on/upon

visitors' book

Cite this Entry

“Visitor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/visitor. Accessed 11 Mar. 2024.

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Definition of 'visitor'

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visitor in British English

Visitor in american english, examples of 'visitor' in a sentence visitor, cobuild collocations visitor, trends of visitor.

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Meaning of visitor in English

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  • There has been a steady decrease in the number of visitors to the museum .
  • For a few weeks in the summer , visitors are able to go round Buckingham Palace.
  • My mother's having visitors to stay next week .
  • Most foreign visitors to Britain enter the country legitimately .
  • New security measures require all visitors to sign in at reception and wear a visitor's badge .
  • daily passenger
  • day-tripper
  • grief tourist
  • holidaymaker
  • peripatetic
  • super-commuter

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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 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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visitors meaning in tourism

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a person who visits , as for reasons of friendship, business, duty, travel, or the like.

Origin of visitor

Synonym study for visitor, other words from visitor.

  • pre·vis·i·tor, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use visitor in a sentence

Traditionally, the community has eschewed visitors and strangers to their towns, and strictly forbade outside marriage.

The region is marketed for visitors as “Aryan Valley,” and many citizens have taken to tacking on “Aryan” to their last names.

For many years, visitors were barred from the isolated towns.

The two islands are now tourist sites for visitors from Taiwan and mainland China.

Visitors today can keep watch over the scene in the booth at the end of the bar that Capone and his cronies once occupied.

But Perpignan being at the end of everywhere and leading nowhere attracts very few visitors.

Everybody was sorry to go when they left, and their host regretted the departure of his visitors.

Her visitors took their leave, to spread the report over the village and parish of King's Warren.

Mrs. Pontellier, attired in a handsome reception gown, remained in the drawing-room the entire afternoon receiving her visitors.

The visitors, seeing how distressed the General was, by tacit consent avoided the subject, but everyone felt the dampening effect.

British Dictionary definitions for visitor

/ ( ˈvɪzɪtə ) /

a person who pays a visit; caller, guest, tourist, etc

another name for visitant (def. 4)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Definition of visitor noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

  • We've got visitors coming this weekend.
  • Do you get many visitors?
  • The theme park attracts 2.5 million visitors a year.
  • visitor to something She's a frequent visitor to the US.
  • We have been regular visitors to the island for 20 years.
  • visitor from something The festival draws visitors from all over the world.
  • a visitor centre/attraction
  • First-time visitors to Spain are often surprised by how late people eat.
  • I could see he was expecting visitors.
  • Pick up a free map of the town from the visitor centre.
  • The college only admits visitors in organized groups.
  • The festival brings 5 000 visitors to the town every year.
  • The front room was used mainly for entertaining visitors.
  • The lack of facilities in the town may deter the casual visitor.
  • The latest crime figures are likely to put off prospective visitors to the city.
  • The museum gives visitors a glimpse of the composer's life.
  • The town has much to interest the visitor.
  • Visitors are invited to browse around the farm site.
  • Visitors flocked to see the show.
  • Visitors from Ireland will find much that reminds them of home.
  • He introduced his companion, a visitor from the US.
  • He is still in hospital and is not well enough to receive visitors.
  • He was a frequent visitor to the house in Wimpole Street.
  • I'm expecting visitors this evening.
  • The castle is the main attraction for visitors.
  • The family rarely had visitors.
  • The hotel is popular with business visitors and tourists.
  • The mild climate allows visitors to enjoy golf all year round.
  • The palace is open to visitors from April to September.
  • There has been a drop in visitor numbers.
  • There was nowhere in the house for them to entertain visitors.
  • They publish a guide to Europe for overseas visitors.
  • Visitors flock to the town every summer.
  • When I arrived home there was an unexpected visitor waiting for me.
  • You can watch a film about the history of the site in the visitor centre.
  • You've got a visitor!
  • centre/​center
  • encourage visitors to do something
  • invite visitors to do something
  • give visitors something
  • visitor from

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Visitor Definition

(sports, usually in the plural) Someone, or a team, that is playing away from home.

(ufology) An extraterrestrial being on Earth for any reason.

  • official inspector

Other Word Forms of Visitor

Visitor sentence examples.

You didn't have a visitor last night.

My parked car was notice to a visitor that someone was here.

Alfred was from this time more and more frequently a visitor in London.

His visitor wore a T-shirt and had hair the color of last night's sunset.

He drifted into restless sleep, praying his unusual visitor was wrong.

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Introduction to tourism in britain, how tourism is structured in britain.

Britain’s tourism industry is a dynamic affiliation of public and private sector organisations – such as small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), international private businesses (for example airlines and large hotel chains), and destination organisations at local and regional levels.

Domestic tourism is the core of businesses revenue (generally at least 80%, particularly outside London), with demand peaking during the UK school holidays, especially during Easter and summer. Dealing with the demands of international visitors requires specialist knowledge, cultural understanding and investment.

We (VisitBritain/VisitEngland) are a non-departmental public body, funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) through a grant-in-aid (GIA). Scroll down to find out more about our role, or visit the Who we are and What we do pages to discover our mission, activities and teams.

VisitBritain is responsible for marketing Britain internationally. Tourism is devolved in Britain, with England , Scotland and Wales each having their own national tourist boards. In addition, London has its own promotional agency. Read on to discover how we work closely with all of these organisations.

Devolved organisations for tourism in the UK

VisitEngland is the national tourism organisation for England, responsible for developing England’s visitor economy. For more details, see the section on How tourism is structured in England, below.  

Visit Wales is the Welsh Assembly Government's tourism team, within the Department for Heritage, having taken over the former Wales Tourist Board (WTB). It is responsible for the promotion and development of tourism in Wales.  

VisitScotland is the national tourism organisation for Scotland; it exists to support the development of the tourism industry, market Scotland as a destination and provide leadership and direction for the sector.  

Northern Ireland

Tourism Northern Ireland is part of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI). It is responsible for developing tourism, supporting the industry and marketing Northern Ireland as a tourist destination.

Tourism and the UK Government

The UK Government sets the overall strategy, policy and objectives for tourism. The Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is Rt Hon Lucy Frazer MP , who is responsible to the UK Parliament for our activities. The Minister with responsibility for tourism is Rt Hon Sir John Whittingdale OBE MP , who took over the role from Julia Lopez MP when she commenced maternity leave in May 2023.

VisitBritain is a key partner on the GREAT campaign , the UK Government’s ambitious international promotional campaign to inspire and encourage people to visit, do business, invest and study in the UK.  

Government organisations that impact tourism in Britain

Department for Culture, Media and Sport Our parent department, responsible for tourism policy and the funding of tourism promotion by us, as well as many of the key stimuli for tourism – such as museums, the creative industries and the arts.

HM Treasury Decision-making department on funding for the overseas promotion of Britain, and policies which impact international tourism – for example Air Passenger Duty, VAT and business rates.  

Home Office Impacts ease of travel to Britain through visas and border controls. Parent department for the UK Visas and Immigration agency. Also responsible for other matters affecting tourism, including licensing.

Department for Transport Impacts ease of access to Britain through aviation and shipping policies, and the UK domestic transport system (road and rail).

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Our partner in the GREAT Britain campaign with the majority of our overseas staff located in FCDO offices. Tourism is a component of public diplomacy and soft-power. Parent department of the British Council.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Our partner in the GREAT Britain campaign and, with the Department for Communities and Local Government, responsible for Local Enterprise Partnerships and the Regional Growth Fund. Parent department of Department for International Trade.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Responsible for housing supply and home ownership, local authorities, local growth and public services. The government will continue to deliver Devolution Deals as proposed in the Levelling Up White Paper, providing greater freedoms and flexibilities at a local level, to enable councils to work effectively to improve the Visitor Economy in their area. In some areas, these are being delivered through Combined Authorities.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Responsible for business, industrial strategy, science, research and innovation, energy, clean growth and climate change.  

How tourism is structured in England

In many areas of England, a single entity coordinates tourism – commonly known as a Destination Management Organisation (DMO). They come in a variety of sizes and forms, and handle everything from management to marketing. They work with a wide range of local stakeholders, including the tourism business community, local authorities, business improvement districts, transport operators, visitor information providers, landowners, cultural bodies, retail associations and community groups.

In a dynamic new initiative, we are also creating a nationwide network of Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) to lead, manage and market their destinations, working at a strategic level. The LVEP programme is the implementation of the de Bois independent review of DMOs, in line with the UK Government’s response. 

Since 2011, in response to government policy on local economic growth, 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) have also been established. These are responsible for driving economic growth in their areas and working in partnership with key sectors and stakeholders.

Destination Management Organisations (DMOs)

England’s destinations are disparate and multifaceted, host to numerous stakeholders with their own specific needs. The DMOs responsible for the local visitor economy can also be varied: they might be public sector bodies such as local authorities with definitive boundaries, private companies or partnerships between the public and private sector.

Well-managed destinations are more likely to sustain investment, business growth and employment without a detrimental effect on the environment or local population. The best-managed destinations are also likely to attract inward investment across a broader range of sectors, as well as value-added jobs and new talent. This makes them great places to live, work and visit. 

From promotional activity to research and insights, we help destinations grow their economies through tourism. Of the various tools, the most effective are Destination Management Plans and Tourism Growth Plans , which create an integrated and long-term approach to destination management.  

Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs)

Following the de Bois review of the structure, funding and function of DMOs, we are creating an additional portfolio of nationally supported, strategic and high-performing Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs), which represent their destination at local and national level. 

These LVEPs lead, market and manage tourism within their area, working in partnership with other destination organisations, local government and businesses. They provide strong local leadership and governance, and deliver robust destination management and planning – ensuring all key public and private sector partners are integrated into the development of the plan and its implementation. 

At VisitEngland, we provide targeted support, advice and guidance; we expect there will eventually be around 40 LVEPs across England. 

Learn more about Local Visitor Economy Partnerships .   

Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs)

Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are voluntary collaborations between local authorities and businesses. 

They were first formed in 2011, and there are currently 39 LEPs in operation. Their primary function is to determine economic priorities and lead economic growth and job creation within local areas. Where tourism is a recognised tool for driving growth, they work on specific projects and initiatives in partnership with DMOs.

All LEPs have developed a Strategic Economic Plan and European Investment Strategy, which sets out priorities for how their government funding will be targeted to deliver growth and jobs. This funding is used to leverage further public and private sector investment into their areas.

LEPs play an important role in the growth of the local visitor economy by encouraging and reducing barriers to inward investment, developing infrastructure projects, supporting businesses and up-skilling the local population.

Learn more about Local Enterprise Partnerships .   

Government plans and initiatives to support the tourism sector

Alamy Stock Photo

Aerial night view of Deansgate Square and Beetham Tower Manchester.

Tourism Recovery Plan: rebuilding post COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic had an unprecedented impact on Britain’s tourism industry: explore how we are working to rebuild the sector , recover trip volume and spend, and establish a clear policy direction for the future.  

Shutterstock / Richie Chan

Night view of waverley station in edinburgh, scotland

Tourism Action Plan: boosting travel and leisure in Britain

Learn how we have contributed to the UK Government’s Tourism Action Plan – which focuses on the sector landscape, industry skills, common-sense regulations, public transport and visitor experience.  

UK, Scotland, young woman running at Loch Lomond

Tourism Sector Deal: a “game changer for the economy”

Praised by leading industry figures, the Tourism Sector Deal aims to reinvigorate the industry by creating 10,000 more apprenticeship starts per year, investing £1 million in recruitment and increasing global market share.  

Resources for students

VisitBritain/Nemorin

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Calling all students. You can access a wealth of information about tourism in Britain, and learn more about our mission to market Britain overseas in the Student resources section.  

Tourism industry groups and bodies

VisitBritain chairs a number of industry-leading groups and bodies, including:

British Tourism Industry Group (BTIG)

BTIG is our (VisitBritain’s) main stakeholder group, bringing together senior government representatives, industry and tourism bodies to discuss issues relevant to the industry. By facilitating a dialogue between us at VisitBritain and the wider tourism industry, BTIG allows us to fulfil our statutory role as a trusted advisor to the Government on tourism matters. The group is chaired by our CEO, Patricia Yates.  

Tourism Industry Emergency Response Group (TIER)

TIER is a small group of key tourism industry organisations and government representatives, and is facilitated by us. It develops plans for crisis scenarios, as well as managing the industry’s response to specific crises. Group members include the Association of British Travel Agents, UKinbound, UK Hospitality, Britain’s national tourist boards, British Airways and the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions.  

Trip-planning resources

Visitbritain.

Discover where to go in Britain with our guide to the best places to visit, things to do and getting around.  

VisitEngland

Explore different regions through our destination guides, or plan weekend breaks and longer holidays.  

Useful associations, clubs and groups

Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) Trade association for UK travel agents and tour operators in Britain.  

Association of Independent Museums (AIM) Represents the UK’s independent museums, galleries and heritage organisations.  

Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) Represents the UK’s most popular, iconic and important tourism attractions.  

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) The voice of brewers and pubs – of all sizes – across Britain.  

BALPPA (British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions) Represents the UK’s leisure parks, piers, zoos and static attractions sector.  

British Destinations Trade association for major UK destination-based tourism interests.

British Educational Travel Association (BETA) Represents youth, student and educational travel-related producers and suppliers.  

British Guild of Tourist Guides The national membership organisation for Blue Badge guides across Britain.  

British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) Professional nationwide body for Britain’s licensed retail trade.  

The Camping and Caravanning Club (CCC) The world’s oldest and largest club for all forms of leisure camping.  

The Caravan and Motorhome Club Provides services and activities for caravan, motor caravan and trailer tent owners.  

Heritage Railway Association (HRA) Represents heritage railways and preservation groups in the UK and Ireland.  

Historic Houses Association Represents privately owned historic houses, castles and gardens.  

HOSPA (Hospitality Professionals Association) Supports hospitality specialist leaders in networking, learning and development.  

Institute of Hospitality (IoH) Supports managers working in the hospitality, leisure and tourism industries.

CIMSPA (Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity) Professional development body for the UK’s sport and physical activity sector.  

Institute of Tourist Guiding The standard-setting body for Blue Badge tourist guides and the guiding sector.

Institute of Travel and Tourism (ITT) Represents individuals employed in the travel and tourism industry.

Local Government Association The voice of local government within the national arena.  

National Parks UK Representing national parks throughout the UK.

Tourism Alliance Lobbying body for all businesses involved in the delivery of tourism.

Tourism Management Institute (TMI) Professional institute for people working within destinations.  

Tourism Society Forum for professionals working in all sectors of the tourism industry.

UKHospitality Represents the hospitality industry, identifying key issues and lobbying.

UKinbound The trade association that represents the UK’s export tourism businesses.

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A sign which reads "Welcome to Noah's Ark Zoo Farm" with various staff members standing in front wearing matching branded tops. Noahs Ark Zoo Farm - Gold award winner for the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2023.

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Tourism Teacher

What is inbound tourism explained and why does it matter?

Disclaimer: Some posts on Tourism Teacher may contain affiliate links. If you appreciate this content, you can show your support by making a purchase through these links or by buying me a coffee . Thank you for your support!

Inbound tourism is an important type of tourism . Many countries rely heavily on the demand from inbound tourists to fuel the development and operations of their tourism economy.

But what does it actually mean to be an inbound tourist? In this article I will explain what is meant by the term inbound tourism, provide definitions of inbound tourism and I will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of inbound tourism. Lastly, I will provide examples of destinations which have significantly sized inbound tourism markets.

What is inbound tourism?

Inbound tourism definitions, the importance of inbound tourism, uk inbound tourism, advantages of inbound tourism, disadvantages of inbound tourism, inbound tourism: conclusion, further reading on inbound tourism.

Inbound tourism is the act of someone travelling to a country other than that of where they live for the purpose of tourism.

Many countries around the world rely on inbound tourism.

Inbound tourism is often seasonal, meaning that many destinations will have evident peak, shoulder and low seasons. This is often dependant on weather conditions (for example sun or snow ) and school and public holidays.

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.

When considering inbound tourism, it therefore makes sense to simply add in the prerequisite of travelling to another country…

Based on this commonly accepted definition (although this is not without its limits- see this post for more details ), therefore, inbound tourism can be defined as:

‘The act of travelling to another country for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business or other purposes.’

Inbound tourism is incredibly important in many destinations.

This is largely because of the economic benefits of tourism . Tourism can bring in a lot of money to a country through foreign exchange. This is particularly beneficial in countries where the currency is weaker than the currency of the tourists ‘ home countries.

It is for this reason that many countries will target their advertising towards certain nationalities. China produces one of the largest outbound tourism markets in the world and Chinese tourists tend to spend more on their holidays than any other nationality. Therefore many countries want to attract Chinese inbound tourists due to the economic value of this market.

Click here to see some interesting statistics demonstrating the growth in the Chinese outbound tourism market.

However, over dependance on inbound tourism can be risky business for destinations. There are many destinations, such as the Maldives , Spain and Greece who rely heavily on people travelling from other countries to their country for tourism.

The problem occurs when the travel industry is disrupted. This has never been more true than during the 2020 pandemic, when the impacts of Coronavirus on tourism were devastating.

Inbound tourism can also be negatively effected as a result of other factors, such as political unrest, natural disasters or economic instability.

In order to ensure sustainable tourism principles are adopted, destinations ideally need to diversify their tourism product to appeal to both the domestic tourism market and the inbound tourism market.

visitors meaning in tourism

In The United Kingdom, we have a sizeable inbound tourism industry.

Here, inbound tourism is worth £127 billion per year to the UK economy. Inbound tourism creates jobs and boosts the economic throughout the country.

According to the UK tourist board, Visit Britain , inbound visitors to the UK spent £24.5 billion in 2017, and £21 billion of that was spent in England.

Inbound tourism attracts tourists from all over the world including Europe, the USA, Australia , China and Japan.

Inbound tourism markets around the world

Inbound tourism is a significant part of the tourism industry in many countries around the world.

visitors meaning in tourism

The OECD have some useful data, demonstrating the most recent figures for inbound tourism around the world.

To take a look at the most recent OECD inbound tourism figures click here.

Here are a few tourism markets that have a high number of inbound tourists each year-

According to Statistica , Spain ranked second on the World Tourism Organisation’s list of most visited countries in the world, with its number of international visitors amounting to nearly 89.4 million in 2018.

Most travellers to Spain come from Europe, with the largest amount of tourists being British.

Spain is popular for its beach holidays, package holiday market and city breaks to Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia, amongst others.

The Maldives has been host to a fast-growing tourism industry in recent years. The archipelago attracts visitors all-year round, especially in hubs like Male which is home to an increasing number of modern hotels. 

Statistica reported in February 2019 that there were sharp increases in economic activity in The Maldives resulting from tourism. Figures showed a 16.8% increase in inbound tourism from the same time the previous year.

In total, 168,583 inbound tourists were recorded in The Maldives in 2019. China accounted for 17.8% and European markets accounted for a further 55% of inbound tourism.

The Maldives is renowned for its luxurious beach holidays.

Inbound tourism is one of the biggest economic activities in Thailand .

The National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) stated that in February 2019 the tourism industry accounted for 18.4% of GDP. Chinese visitors make up almost one third of all inbound tourists travelling to Thailand , with 10.99 million visits recorded in 2019.

There are many types of tourism found in Thailand and Thailand attracts a range of types of tourists, from backpackers to luxury travellers to business tourists .

Bali is another destination that is reliant on inbound tourism as a key economic contributor.

In 2018, the number of foreign tourists travelling to Bali was over 5 million. This was an increase of approximately 3.5 million from 2008. Figures taken from Statistica .

The inbound tourism market in Bali is dominated largely by Chinese and Australian tourists.

Bali is well-known for its beach escapes and cultural tourism .

There are many advantages of inbound tourism.

One advantage is that inbound tourism is not reliant on weekends in the way that domestic tourism is because people tend to your their annual leave when they take holidays overseas.

Having an inbound tourism market that attracts tourists from a range of destinations can help to minimise risk and diversify income. This way, if for some reason one country does not send many tourists (for example due to political or economic problems) then the host country still has visitors arriving from other countries.

On average, inbound tourists spend more money than domestic tourists. This money then helps boost the economy of the host country.

When we travel overseas we typically book further in advance than if we booked a domestic trip. This allows tourism organisations more time to plan.

Foreign income can really help to boost the economy of a country. Therefore foreign tourists are often welcomed. This especially applies to tourists who come from destinations where the currency is strong (e.g. Britain, USA, Europe, Australia).

Other posts that you might be interested in: – What is tourism? A definition of tourism – The history of tourism – The structure of the tourism industry – Stakeholders in tourism – Dark tourism explained – What is ABTA and how does it work? – The economic impacts of tourism

There are also some disadvantages of inbound tourism.

The main disadvantage of inbound tourism is that the destination is at the mercy of the transport network.

There are many cases of tourism industries being decimated because an airline has stopped operating a particular route.

Inbound tourism can also lead to culture clashes.

For example, British tourists who travel to Dubai are often not aware of Muslim cultural practices. As such, it is common for the local population to be offended by the tourist’s behaviour. In Dubai there are many signs up in the malls, for instance, that requests tourists cover up and dress appropriately .

In conclusion, it can be seen that inbound tourism is a highly effective way for a country to make money from tourism. Whilst this does take some careful management and planning, there are many countries throughout the world who have successful and thriving inbound tourism industries.

  • An Introduction to Tourism : a comprehensive and authoritative introduction to all facets of tourism including: the history of tourism; factors influencing the tourism industry; tourism in developing countries; sustainable tourism; forecasting future trends.
  • The Business of Tourism Management : an introduction to key aspects of tourism, and to the practice of managing a tourism business.
  • Tourism Management: An Introduction : gives its reader a strong understanding of the dimensions of tourism, the industries of which it is comprised, the issues that affect its success, and the management of its impact on destination economies, environments and communities.

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Travellezer

What is Inbound and Outbound Tourism?

by Hammad Ur Rehman | Oct 25, 2021 | Travel Guide | 6 comments

What is Inbound and Outbound Tourism

Don’t you just love traveling around the world and exploring different places? Staying or visiting different countries or states for the sake of fun-filled holidays or work-related visits, are termed tourism. Tourism can be of two types, Inbound tourism or Outbound Tourism. Now the question arises that what is inbound and outbound tourism?

Well, the difference between the two is just a matter of perspective, that is, from where and how you see it. In simple words, if we look from the USA tourism perspective, the outbound tourism would be Robert going to Pakistan, while inbound tourism would be, Ali coming to the USA. Similarly, if we look from a Pakistani tourism perspective, the outbound tourism would be Ali going to the USA, and the inbound tourism would be, Robert coming to Pakistan.

Let’s move on and further elaborate on these two types of tourism.

What is Inbound tourism?

Inbound tourism is economically significant for a country. The tourist countries economically rely on the inbound visitors to drive their maintenance, growth, and development.

What exactly is inbound tourism? In easy words, you can call it incoming tourism. Let’s move further to see the definitions, meanings, significance, drawbacks, and examples of inbound tourism.

Definition of inbound tourism

When someone travels to a country, other than their own country, for tourism, this is called inbound tourism.

Inbound tourism is frequently influenced by certain factors like:

  • Season or Weather
  • Public holidays
  • School’s summer or winter vacations

According to WTO (World Trade Organization) and UN (United States Nation), inbound tourism can be defined as follows:

“ The act of traveling to another country for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business, or other purposes .”

Importance of inbound tourism

Through foreign exchange, tourism may bring a lot of wealth into a country. This is especially advantageous in places where the local exchange rate is cheaper as compared to visitors’ native currency. Therefore, inbound tourism has high significance in many countries mainly because of the benefits it provides economically.

Mostly, countries target specific nations for advertising and promoting their inbound tourism. For instance, in today’s era, Chinese people tend to spend more on traveling every year as compared to any other nation, plus, the greatest outbound tourism markets are also produced by China. Therefore, Chinese inbound tourists are highly in demand by many tourist countries.

Drawbacks of inbound tourism

Depending entirely on income from the inbound tourism may cause problems. There are many places like Maldives, Goa, Fairy meadows, Greece, etc., whose economies rely on tourists from other countries.

The primary drawback of inbound tourism is that the place is at the hands of the transportation network. Many tourism industries have been ravaged as a result of airlines ceasing to operate a specific route. Cultural conflicts can also take place due to inbound tourism.

Some other disadvantages of inbound tourism include:

  • Disposal, contamination, and emissions are all on the rise.
  • Environmental and aquatic habitats are being physically harmed on a daily basis.
  • Inappropriate buildings are being built next to historical places and monuments.
  • Plenty of resources are being used up.
  • Building infrastructure and utilization of land.

Inbound Tourism examples

Now that we have a basic understanding of inbound tourism, let’s look at some practical examples.

If a person from one country travels to another country for tourism, then it’s an inbound tourist. For example, Ali is having a summer break from his university and wants to go abroad. So, he decides to go for tourism to France and enjoys his summer break there. This is an example of inbound tourism because Ali is coming from Pakistan to France for his vacation, and it is a tourist activity for him.

Likewise, Robert is also having a summer break from his school and wants to visit another country. So, he decides to go for tourism to Pakistan and enjoys his summer break there. This is also an example of inbound tourism because Robert is coming from America to Pakistan for his vacation, and it’s a tourist activity for him.

Generally, some of the countries that are renowned for inbound tourism include Maldives, Goa, Greece, etc.

What is outbound tourism?

Leaving your homeland for the sake of gaining international tourism experience has wide importance for many countries.

Let’s jump into detail and find out what is outbound tourism, how do we define it, the importance of outbound tourism has it got any disadvantages, and a few examples of outbound tourism.

Definition of outbound tourism

When a tourist travels or visits outside his or her country for the sake of tourism, but not for more than a year. This type of tourism is called outbound tourism.

The WTO (World Trade Organization) and UN (United States Nation) define outbound tourism as follows, “The act of leaving your home country internationally for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business or other purposes.”

Throughout the years, the market for outbound tourism has grown significantly. However, different regions of the world have different growth rates of the tourism market, but the factors leading to progress are similar.

Importance of outbound tourism

Outbound tourism also has a positive impact on the economy of the county. It provides economic improvements in a variety of industries such as education, healthcare, business, and retail, etc.

For example, the more people travel to foreign nations, the more their demands for products and services increase. Thus, it is a source of economic growth and prosperity for many countries.

This direction of tourism helps in increasing employment opportunities, foreign currency earnings, and trade balance. Thus, it is a source of economic growth and prosperity for many countries.

Within a very short period, China has become the largest source of outbound tourists. The increasing number of Chinese outbound tourists opens the gate of opportunities for tour group operating companies, hotels, national government ad retailers.

Drawbacks of outbound tourism

Apart from the advantages, there are a few disadvantages of outbound tourism as well. These drawbacks include the following:

  • Many outbound tourists spend a huge amount of money on international chains like KFC fast-food chains, which reduces the positive effects of tourism as the tourist is using money that has been taken out of his residence.
  • ·Sometimes, a country relies far too much on its outbound tourism market. For example, some Caribbean island nations depend on money from tourists to fund their entire economy and government, but this is a risky move as the tourism market is highly inconsistent, and a small incident can lead to a large drop in tourism.

Outbound tourism examples

Let’s go through an example of outbound tourism from the USA point of view:

John is a US citizen and has a passport to the USA. He wants to go for tourism so he can explore the international culture and experience new things. So, he goes for a tour to Spain with his family and friends. This is an example of outbound tourism because John has applied for a tourist visa and is traveling outside his country, USA.

Another example of outbound tourism from Spain’s perspective:

Robert is a tourist from Spain who wants to go for tourism in the USA, but he has no American visa. So, he goes for a tour to the UK with his family and friends. This is an example of outbound tourism because Robert has applied for a tourist visa and is traveling outside his country, Spain.

What is domestic tourism?

Until here, we discussed international inbound and outbound tourism. However, tourism can also be domestic. Now you would want to ask what is domestic tourism ?

Well, it’s very simple. In domestic tourism, the tourist visits different regions, cities, or towns of the same country where he/she resides. In easy words, domestic tourism is vacations spent within the same country you live in.

Let me give you an example of domestic tourism, Sarah lives in California, USA, and for her vacations, she visits Pennsylvania, USA.

Domestic tourism is used by the government to eradicate poverty, economic development, production of employments, infrastructure upgrades, reduce the load from overcrowding. For instance, If the government of California promotes domestic tourism within its state, then more people would come to visit various places in California, which are less popular, and it would boost the economy of California by providing employment opportunities to the people.

Also Learn: Domestic vs International Travel

Final Thoughts

In general, tourism contributes significantly to international trade and the provision of job opportunities in many nations. I hope this article has provided you with a clear picture of what are the types of tourism and why are they significant. All types of tourism are important for the economic growth of any nation.

Check our article on: What is FIT And GIT in The Tourism

Kajal

Very helpful and very interesting

Harmony Navejas

Nice Post. very well written and very impressive

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Parul maurya

I am so happy i have many to questions to answer travel and tourism and I can easily learnt tourism ?

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A view of a gondola as it leaves a station and descends into a snowy valley surrounded by rugged mountains.

It Just Got Easier to Visit a Vanishing Glacier. Is That a Good Thing?

“Last-chance tourists” are visiting the melting Mer de Glace in Chamonix, France, in droves. A just-opened lift should make that easier. But some worry tourism is only making the problem worse.

Credit... Darren S. Higgins for The New York Times

Supported by

By Paige McClanahan

Paige McClanahan lived in the French Alps for five years and has visited the Mer de Glace many times.

  • March 3, 2024

Claude Folmer was about 40 years old the first time he visited the Mer de Glace , the largest glacier in the French Alps. He remembers enjoying the panoramic view from the observation platform, then taking a short hike down to the ice, where he toured the ice cave that’s carved into the glacier’s surface.

Four decades later, on a mild, sunny morning in early February, Mr. Folmer — now 80 and accompanied by his adult son, Alain — was taking in a view of the same glacier. He was shocked by the change.

“The difference is enormous. The glacier used to be just below,” Mr. Folmer said, gesturing to the gravel-covered river of ice that now lies more than 800 vertical feet below the viewing platform. “For someone who doesn’t know how it used to be, it’s a beautiful scene. But when you know the difference, it really is sad,” he said.

Mr. Folmer, who lives near the French city of Albertville, traveled by train to Chamonix, the mountain town from which visitors can easily visit the glacier. He and his son happened to be there on the opening day of a gondola that transports visitors between the viewing platform and the ice below. The Folmers weren’t aware of the new lift — which replaces an older gondola built in 1988 — but when they learned of the news, neither was pleased.

“At some point, you have to leave the glacier alone,” the younger Mr. Folmer said. “There’s big machinery being installed. Where will it stop?”

Beneath a blue sky, dozens of tourists in jackets and hats gather on an observation deck that overlooks a glacier and snowy, rugged mountains.

It’s a question that many travelers are asking themselves, as climate change threatens a growing number of tourist destinations — from glaciers to coral reefs, ski slopes to low-lying islands. For thousands of years, humans have raced to be the first to scale a peak, cross a frontier, or document a new species or landscape.

Now, in some cases, we’re racing to be the last.

The term last-chance tourism, which has gained traction in the past two decades, describes the impulse to visit threatened places before they disappear. Studies have found that the appeal of the disappearing can be a powerful motivator. But in many cases, the presence of tourists at a fragile site can accelerate the place’s demise.

There is some evidence that a visit to a threatened place can inspire meaningful behavioral change in visitors, potentially helping to offset the negative impacts of a trip. But research is still in its early stages, and results are mixed.

In a place like Chamonix — where tourism is the mainstay of the economy, and where climate change is already having palpable effects on tourist offerings — such tensions are playing out in real time. The shift to a new way of interacting with the landscape may be slow to come, as many jobs — as well as tourist habits — are built into the old way of doing things. But some are already pioneering a new approach, and with the effects of global warming accelerating, change will have to come quickly.

A new gondola in Chamonix

The Mer de Glace, or Sea of Ice, which once reached from the slopes of Mont Blanc all the way to the valley floor in Chamonix, has been attracting visitors for nearly three centuries. Mark Twain, Mary Shelley and Alexandre Dumas were among the early tourists who visited Montenvers, the site of the Mer de Glace overlook, and helped spread the glacier’s fame.

These days, in a typical year, about half a million people visit Montenvers, said Damien Girardier, the head of the site, which is owned by the city of Chamonix and managed by the Compagnie du Mont Blanc . Most visitors arrive via the red cogwheel train that links the viewing platform to the middle of Chamonix, though some arrive on foot — or ski in. Every year, about 80,000 people ski down the Mer de Glace, a classic backcountry Alpine descent called “la Vallée Blanche” (the White Valley) that finishes near the glacier’s terminus below the viewing platform. They then either hike up to Montenvers with their skis — or they take the lift.

The new lift, which opened the first weekend of February, was built about a quarter of a mile up the valley from the 1988 lift, anticipating the glacier’s further retreat. In the 35 years since that old lift was constructed, the glacier has drawn back so much that about 600 steps had to be installed between the bottom of the lift and the surface of the ice. That made it harder for older adults and anyone with reduced mobility to reach the glacier from Montenvers. It also made for a long uphill slog for tired Vallée Blanche skiers at the end of a long day.

Mr. Girardier said the new lift, which cost 20 million euros, or about $21.6 million, was built in accordance with strict environmental controls. Its colors were chosen to blend into the landscape, a special cable was used to minimize noise, and most of the building material was transported to the site by train. The gondola was also constructed in a way that allows future generations to dismantle the structure easily — should they want to.

“In 15 years, the end of the glacier will probably have reached the lift,” Mr. Girardier said, “but it doesn’t matter. When you go to Iceland, people walk for an hour to get to the glacier. For us, it’ll be the same.”

The new lift is part of a bigger project that will also include the construction of a new educational exhibit, called the Glaciorium, about glaciers and climate change. The center is scheduled to open late this year, though some of the funding has yet to be confirmed.

In the meantime, day-trippers can visit the ice cave, which has been revamped with a new design and information displays, while skiers will be able to take the lift to end a day of skiing on the Vallée Blanche, an important source of work for Chamonix’s guiding community.

Julien Ravanello, a mountain guide with the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix , leads about 20 Vallée Blanche trips per season. He said the new lift would make things more straightforward on a route that — with a guide — is within the grasp of most average skiers.

“Above all, we like it because it shows people the universe of the high mountains,” said Mr. Ravanello, who added that such an accessible glacial ski descent “is almost unique in the world.”

Capucine Pénicaud, a global health consultant and yoga instructor who lives in Chamonix, skis the Vallée Blanche once or twice a year.

“It’s a place that I love and at the same time makes me very sad,” Ms. Pénicaud said of the glacier, adding that her visits to the Mer de Glace almost always move her to tears. “I think there’s a real opportunity in going there, because you can understand global warming — and feel it,” she said.

But Ms. Pénicaud isn’t happy about the new lift. She said she didn’t mind the 45-minute hike up to the viewing platform at the end of a Vallée Blanche run. Also, the concrete for the project was mixed in the Chamonix Valley, near where she lives, then transported by helicopter to the site. “For the past two years, I have seen helicopters bringing concrete up here every half-hour. How much petrol? How much pollution? How much concrete?” she said.

The Compagnie du Mont Blanc confirmed that concrete for the project had been transported by helicopter, but added that the train had been prioritized for the transport of other building materials “for ecological reasons as well as financial ones.”

Last-chance tourism

Can a visit to such a site prompt a change in behavior?

Researchers at the Mer de Glace have found that exposure to its fragile environment can inspire people to adopt environmentally friendly behavior — or at least to declare their intention to do so in a questionnaire.

A 2020 survey of summer visitors to the glacier found that 80 percent said they would “try to learn more about the environment and how to protect it.” Another 82 percent said they would stop visiting glaciers if doing so would protect them, while 77 percent said they would reduce their water and energy consumption.

More research would be required to see whether tourists follow through. But drawing on the survey results, the researchers concluded that using last-chance tourism as an opportunity to educate visitors about climate change — while also engaging people’s emotions and showing them concrete steps they can take to protect the environment — could maximize the environmental benefits of this kind of tourism.

Others are skeptical. Karla Boluk, a professor in the department of recreation and leisure studies at the University of Waterloo, in Ontario, pointed to her research that found that a majority of last-chance tourists at two Canadian sites were unwilling to pay for carbon offsets.

“There’s an ethical paradox of last-chance tourism, and it involves the moral question of whether travelers acknowledge and respond to the harm they promote,” Dr. Boluk said.

“It’s important for us to engage in thoughtful decision-making and careful research to ensure that we are not contributing to the collapse of these places, exacerbating the issues caused by climate change,” she said, adding that tourist “destinations” are also places locals call home.

A different approach

Elsewhere in the Chamonix Valley, the staff of the Research Center for Alpine Ecosystems is working to understand the potential impact of a different approach to nature tourism: citizen science.

Colin Van Reeth, an ecologist and the manager of citizen science programs at the center, described outings that he and his colleagues have organized on which participants are invited to stop at a pond during a hike to document the frogs they see. “For us, it’s a question of getting tourists involved in naturalist observations of the mountains,” Dr. Van Reeth said. Their hypothesis is that by strengthening people’s sense of connection with the natural environment, they might be able to inspire people to make lasting and meaningful changes to their behavior.

“It’s about identifying those small steps, those small stages of transformation,” Dr. Van Reeth said.

Some don’t need a nudge.

Standing at the overlook, Mr. Folmer, the 80-year-old visitor, said that he gave up flying two years ago out of concern for the climate, and that he makes local trips on his bicycle when he can.

“I don’t blame people who fly occasionally when they go on vacation,” Mr. Folmer said, looking down at the glacier. “But when you see this, you think each of us can make a little personal effort.”

Paige McClanahan, a regular contributor to the Travel section, is the author of “The New Tourist: Waking Up to the Power and Perils of Travel,” forthcoming from Scribner on June 18.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

Where to Go This Winter

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A geisha in Gion, Kyoto. The Japanese city has banned tourists from entering the district’s alleyways after reports too many have hassled geishas.

Kyoto bans tourists from parts of geisha district amid reports of bad behaviour

Gion residents asked city council to crack down after rise in tourist numbers leads to increased harassment of traditional entertainers

Visitors to the geisha district of Gion – one of Kyoto’s most popular sightseeing spots – will be banned from entering its picturesque alleyways as authorities in Japan attempt to tackle a dramatic rise in tourism .

Residents of Japan’ s ancient capital have struggled to reconcile the financial boost from a return to pre-pandemic visitor numbers with overcrowding and incidents of bad behaviour among tourists.

Gion, where geiko and maiko traditional entertainers can be spotted on their way to evening teahouse appointments, is regularly targeted by smartphone-wielding visitors , some of whom ignore signs requesting that they keep their distance and refrain from touching the women’s expensive kimonos. There have also been complaints about people trespassing on private property.

In December, a council of Gion residents urged the city’s government to take action against unruly tourists , complaining that their neighbourhood was “not a theme park”.

Kyoto officials said the ban on entering Gion’s narrow private streets would go into force next month, although it is unclear how the restriction will be enforced.

“We don’t want to do this, but we’re desperate,” said council member Isokazu Ota, adding that signs would be put up reminding visitors of the new measures.

The area’s main thoroughfare, Hanamikoji street, will remain open to tourists.

Ota complained that some visitors behave like amateur paparazzi when they spot a geisha walking along narrow streets, some of which are just two metres wide.

Previous attempts to encourage tourists not to approach women, including signs and fines of up to ¥10,000 for non-consensual photography, have failed to deter visitors determined to take snaps of the women – highly skilled entertainers and conversationalists who are sometimes wrongly portrayed as sex workers.

Kyoto, Japan’s capital for more than 1,000 years until 1868, is not the only Japanese destination struggling with overtourism since Covid-19 restrictions were lifted last April.

This week authorities in Yamanashi prefecture said they would start charging ¥2,000 (£10.50) to climb Mount Fuji , where hikers have been blamed for littering and risking their health and safety by attempting “ bullet ascents ” of the 3,776-metre mountain. Daily visitor numbers will also be capped when the climbing season begins in July.

The number of foreign visitors to Japan soared 79.5% in January from a year earlier to about 2.69 million, reaching levels seen in the same month in 2019, before the pandemic forced Japan’s government to impose travel restrictions.

The largest number of travellers came from South Korea, followed by those from Taiwan and China, the Kyodo news agency said.

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Kyoto’s picturesque geisha district fights back against over-tourism with keep-out signs

FILE - Kimono-clad "geiko" and "maiko" professional entertainers arrive for a ceremony to start this year's business in Kyoto, western Japan, on Jan. 7, 2020. Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto, long a popular destination for tourists, will be closing off some private-property alleys in its famous geisha district, as complaints grow about misbehaving visitors. (Kyodo News via AP, File)

FILE - Kimono-clad “geiko” and “maiko” professional entertainers arrive for a ceremony to start this year’s business in Kyoto, western Japan, on Jan. 7, 2020. Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto, long a popular destination for tourists, will be closing off some private-property alleys in its famous geisha district, as complaints grow about misbehaving visitors. (Kyodo News via AP, File)

People walk along a street in Gion area, Kyoto, western Japan on Sept. 7, 2022. Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto, long a popular destination for tourists, will be closing off some private-property alleys in its famous geisha district, as complaints grow about misbehaving visitors. (Kyodo News via AP)

Maiko, or apprentice geiko, pose for photos ahead of the upcoming Gion Odori dance performance in Kyoto, western Japan, on Aug. 31, 2023. Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto, long a popular destination for tourists, will be closing off some private-property alleys in its famous geisha district, as complaints grow about misbehaving visitors. (Kyodo News via AP)

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visitors meaning in tourism

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto, long a popular destination for tourists, is closing off some private-property alleys in its famous geisha district because of complaints about misbehaving visitors.

Tourists crowd the narrow, quaint streets of the area called Gion, often following tour guides who show people around and lecture for long hours, local district official Isokazu Ota said Friday.

“We are going to put up signs in April that tell tourists to stay out of our private streets,” he told The Associated Press.

A sign will say in both Japanese and English: “This is a private road, so you are not allowed to drive through it,” although the keep-out warning is aimed mainly at pedestrians, not cars, as the Japanese wording refers to generically “passing through.”

“There will be a fine of 10,000 yen,” the sign adds, which comes to about $70 under recent currency conversion rates.

The ban covers just several blocks of Gion. The district’s public streets will remain open to tourists, so the area and the rest of Kyoto will still be teeming with visitors, both from Japan and around the world.

Hong Kong's Finance Secretary Paul Chan delivers the annual budget address at the Legislative Council in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Gion’s outrage highlights brewing resentment at what many people feel is “over-tourism,” even though the Japanese economy depends more than ever on tourism revenue to sustain growth.

People walk along a street in Gion area, Kyoto, western Japan on Sept. 7, 2022. Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto, long a popular destination for tourists, will be closing off some private-property alleys in its famous geisha district, as complaints grow about misbehaving visitors. (Kyodo News via AP)

The district of winding alleyways is known for picturesque teahouses, where geisha and their maiko apprentices, wearing fancy kimono and hair ornaments, perform in dance and music.

In a city known for gorgeous temples and gardens, Gion is one of its most scenic and historical spots. Tourists, armed with cameras, like to wander around Gion, hoping to catch the women on their way to dance class or a fancy dinner party.

Complaints about over-zealous tourists began bubbling years ago, though the discontent cooled when the coronavirus pandemic brought a lull in tourism. Now, visitors are back with a frenzy.

Overseas tourist traffic to Japan is rebounding to pre-pandemic levels.

Maiko, or apprentice geiko, pose for photos ahead of the upcoming Gion Odori dance performance in Kyoto, western Japan, on Aug. 31, 2023. (Kyodo News via AP)

Maiko, or apprentice geiko, pose for photos ahead of the upcoming Gion Odori dance performance in Kyoto, western Japan, on Aug. 31, 2023. (Kyodo News via AP)

More than 22 million visitors came to Japan last year, eager to take in sushi, electronic gadgetry and the splendors of nature like Mount Fuji and the beaches of Okinawa. In 2019, incoming travel totaled more than 31 million people, and this year’s number could approach or even overtake that, experts say.

It’s been too much for many residents of Gion. Their local council summarized the less than eager sentiments a few months ago by proclaiming: “Kyoto is not a theme park.”

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Summit County tourism head likens total eclipse day to hosting a Super Bowl in Greater Akron

visitors meaning in tourism

Stay home and hunker down.

Go off and explore the sights.

Welcome to the mixed messages for the Great Eclipse 2024 in northern Ohio.

Gregg Mervis, president and CEO Akron Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau , says he gets it.

Why would county officials urge residents to stay home while at the same time folks like him want people to come visit Greater Akron to take in the total eclipse on April 8?

The reality is, Mervis said, the visitors are going to come no matter what.

And they could number in the tens of thousands with some estimates doubling the population of northern Ohio by visitors coming here to take in the celestial event that will only come once in a lifetime.

It is the crush of visitors that has planners worried particularly once it is all over and everyone tries to go home all at once.

The combination of local residents and visitors are expected to overwhelm roads and interstates in the region with traffic jams for the ages possible.

So this is all why, Mervis said, tourism folks are encouraging out-of-town visitors to arrive early and stay a day later.

There are some 5,000 hotel rooms in Summit County. And from what he's hearing, they are filling fast.

"Hotels are expecting to sell out," he said.

Eclipse is the 'opportunity' of a lifetime for Akron

For folks in the tourism business, it doesn't get any bigger or better than this.

It isn't likely that Akron, or Canton for that matter, will ever host a modern Super Bowl, but being in the path of a total eclipse might be the closest the region might ever get in terms of the number of potential visitors.

There may be no single event or stage bigger than this, Mervis said, so that's why it's important for the city and county to get it right.

"This is expected to be the largest influx of people into our community for a single-day event," he said.

The hope is visitors will come for the eclipse but come back again later to take in all the region has to offer from historical sites like Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens to natural wonders like the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Come for the eclipse and stay for the fun

Akron is well positioned along the path of totality to be in easy distance of a large number of potential visitors making it an attractive destination.

Mervis said they have been working with area restaurants and bars and attractions to make sure there's plenty to see and do before and after the eclipse.

They also want every business from gas stations to restaurants to be prepared for the potential influx of a lot of visitors all at once.

And the hope is, he said, local residents will join in the fun, too, and attend a special event and try out some of the special craft beers local breweries have created, and sample unique dishes and treats at area restaurants and ice cream places.

Local clothing companies − like Rubber City Clothing − have special designs to commemorate the big day.

Even some local touristy places are joining in, too.

The Akron Zoo is hosting special activities on the day of the eclipse and giving guests the chance to help track how the animals respond at the peak.

The Akron Art Museum is also planning special activities the day of the eclipse and a special exhibition of eclipse and solar-related art.

And the Summit County Fairgrounds plans to open the day of the eclipse for campers or those looking for a place to park and view the eclipse.

Parking is $30 and campsites are $50 a night.

In all, Mervis said, there are 30 or so events already planned around the county for locals and visitors to take in.

"We're just trying to make sure everyone has access to all the activities that are out there," he said. "There's a ton of stuff to do.

"We have the best seat in the house for viewing the eclipse."

What's the eclipse timeline in Greater Akron?

The eclipse will start in Texas and then make its way across the country, passing over Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana before arriving in Ohio.

For Greater Akron, the eclipse will begin at 1:59 p.m. as the moon slowly casts its shadow across the sun.

Totality —or complete darkness — in Akron will be at 3:15 p.m. and last two minutes and 49 seconds.

It will slowly get brighter outside, and the eclipse will end at 4:29 p.m.

Findlay will experience totality between 3:10 p.m. and 3:15 p.m.

For Cleveland, it will be totally dark between 3:13 p.m. 3:17 p.m.

And in Erie, Pennsylvania, the totality will be between 3:16 p.m. and 3:20 p.m.

What to expect when the eclipse happens?

Things will progress very slowly.

It will seem like nightfall once totality arrives.

Things will seem a bit off as it will get darker from above instead of from the west like it does when the sunsets at night.

At the peak of totality, it will be as dark as night in northern Ohio and street lights will come and birds will likely retreat to their nests.

The temperature is expected to drop by as many as 15 degrees.

And then, it will all happen in reverse.

It will get progressively brighter as more and more of the sun becomes exposed.

'Stay out': Signs in Kyoto's popular geisha district aim to curb misbehaving tourists

Kimono-clad geiko and maiko professional entertainers arrive for a ceremony in Kyoto on Jan. 7, 2020.

TOKYO — Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto, long a popular destination for tourists, is closing off some private-property alleys in its famous geisha district because of complaints about misbehaving visitors.

Tourists crowd the narrow, quaint streets of the area called Gion, often following tour guides who show people around and lecture for long hours, local district official Isokazu Ota said Friday.

“We are going to put up signs in April that tell tourists to stay out of our private streets,” he told The Associated Press.

A sign will say in both Japanese and English: “This is a private road, so you are not allowed to drive through it,” although the keep-out warning is aimed mainly at pedestrians, not cars, as the Japanese wording refers to generically “passing through.”

Visiting Japan: What you need to know for your first trip

“There will be a fine of 10,000 yen,” the sign adds, which comes to about $70 under recent currency conversion rates

The ban covers just several blocks of Gion. The district's public streets will remain open to tourists, so the area and the rest of Kyoto will still be teeming with visitors, both from Japan and around the world.

Gion’s outrage highlights brewing resentment at what many people feel is “over-tourism,” even though the Japanese economy depends more than ever on tourism revenue to sustain growth.

The district of winding alleyways is known for picturesque teahouses, where geisha and their maiko apprentices, wearing fancy kimono and hair ornaments, perform in dance and music.

In a city known for gorgeous temples and gardens, Gion is one of its most scenic and historical spots. Tourists, armed with cameras, like to wander around Gion, hoping to catch the women on their way to dance class or a fancy dinner party.

Complaints about over-zealous tourists began bubbling years ago, though the discontent cooled when the coronavirus pandemic brought a lull in tourism. Now, visitors are back with a frenzy.

Overseas tourist traffic to Japan is rebounding to pre-pandemic levels.

More than 22 million visitors came to Japan last year, eager to take in sushi, electronic gadgetry and the splendors of nature like Mount Fuji and the beaches of Okinawa. In 2019, incoming travel totaled more than 31 million people, and this year’s number could approach or even overtake that, experts say.

It's been too much for many residents of Gion. Their local council summarized the less than eager sentiments a few months ago by proclaiming: “Kyoto is not a theme park.”

Tourist couple alleges gang rape in India, sparking outrage and the arrests of 3 men

A tourist has alleged she was gang-raped and her partner was attacked while camping in India , sparking outrage and the arrests of three male suspects.

The woman, who has Brazilian-Spanish dual nationality, shared her account of the incident on Instagram, where the couple has drawn a large following tracking their motorcycle tour of Asia.

Police in India's eastern state of Jharkhand, where the alleged incident took place, said that three men had been arrested and that they were hunting for four more.

The couple looked to have been beaten up when local police found them late Friday by a roadside, Pitamber Singh Kherwar, superintendent of police in the state's Dumka district, told reporters Sunday.

“Since the victims were speaking in Spanish and English, our police officers could not properly understand what they were saying, but it looked like they were injured,” he said. 

Kherwar said the couple, whose identities were not disclosed, were taken to a nearby hospital where doctors said the woman had been raped.

The three suspects were arrested Sunday, Kherwar said, adding that investigators had identified the four other men and they would be arrested “very soon.”

“Our priority is to get them maximum punishment so it is never repeated,” he added. Kherwar also said the couple will get compensation of up to $12,000. 

The Indian National Commission for Women asked the police to charge those accused with gang rape, which is punishable by at least 20 years in prison, it said in a post on X on Saturday.

'Something has happened to us'

“Something has happened to us that we would not wish on anyone,” the woman, who appeared with bruises on her face, said through tears in a video posted on her Instagram page, which has almost half a million followers.

“Seven men have raped me, they have beaten us and robbed us,” she said, according to an accompanying caption in English. The video is no longer available.

In a separate video posted Sunday on their joint Instagram page, which has over 250,000 followers, the couple said that “the police are doing everything possible to catch them. They already know who they are.”

They added: “We ask that justice be done, not only for us but also for all the other women and girls who have gone through this.”

In an interview with the Spanish TV channel Antena 3, the couple said the men raped the woman and hit her partner repeatedly. 

“They raped me, they took turns while some watched and they stayed like that for about two hours,” the woman said in the interview, adding that they had decided to camp in the town since they found no hotels to stay at overnight.

NBC News is not naming the couple due to laws in India that prevent disclosing the identities of sexual assault victims. NBC News has reached out to the couple for comment.

The woman was on a motorbike trip with her Spanish partner, the Brazilian Embassy in New Delhi told NBC News in a statement, saying it had registered its “strong repudiation of the barbaric crime against the couple.”

They are being “looked after by the Indian emergency services,” the statement added.

The Spanish foreign ministry told NBC News that its embassy in New Delhi had been in contact with the couple to provide any consular assistance. 

The couple had been documenting their trip to more than 200,000 followers on their joint Instagram account, with recent posts from neighboring Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

In their post on Sunday, they added that they had camped in 66 countries, many of which are considered “dangerous.”

“This can happen to any traveler, anyone,” they said.

Prominent Indian celebrities reacted to the incident, calling for the seven suspects to be swiftly apprehended. It was a “shameful act that we MUST show will not be tolerated,” Emmy winner and comedian Vir Das said in a post on X on Sunday.

Despite stringent laws, India has long struggled to tackle male violence against women.

An average of 86 rape cases were registered every day in the country in 2022, according to a report by the National Crime Records Bureau . However, many women still do not report cases of sexual violence to the authorities, especially in rural areas, where a stigma persists that such a disclosure may affect a family's social standing.

In 2013, a year after the  fatal gang rape  of a young woman in the capital, New Delhi, authorities doubled the prison term for rapists to 20 years, criminalized acts such as stalking and voyeurism and lowered the age at which a person can be tried as an adult from 18 to 16.

But under current Indian laws, marital rape is still not a crime as long as the woman is above the age of 18.

Mithil Aggarwal is a Hong Kong-based reporter/producer for NBC News.

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