tourism

noun

tour·​ism ˈtu̇r-ˌi-zəm 

1

: the practice of traveling for recreation

2

: the guidance or management of tourists

3

a

: the promotion or encouragement of touring

b

: the accommodation of tourists

Examples of tourism in a Sentence

The city developed the riverfront to encourage tourism.

She has a job in tourism.

Recent Examples on the Web

Abu Dhabi itself plans to boost visitor numbers to 39.3 million by 2030 in order to increase the amount that travel and tourism contributes to the UAE's GDP. —Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025

The worsening power outages in Havana come as the United States has severely tightened sanctions on Cuba, returning the island nation to a list of state sponsors of terrorism and ratcheting up restrictions on remittances, tourism and trade. —Reuters, NBC news, 15 May 2025

He’s worked at the paper for nearly 20 years, covering real estate, tourism and the economy before joining the Metro desk in 2014. —Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 15 May 2025

Biodiversity and tourism Despite the islands’ seclusion, a trip to the Galápagos is within reach of many travelers. —Robin Catalano, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1811, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tourism

• ism
• pisum
• prism
• schism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism
• americanism
• anticommunism
• antisemitism
• antiterrorism
• bioterrorism
• colloquialism

Kids Definition

tourism

noun

tour·​ism ˈtu̇(ə)r-ˌiz-əm 

: the practice of traveling for pleasure or the business of encouraging and serving such traveling