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

All of them, of course, are doing a crude sort of propaganda for their respective countries, or, more generously, acting as a travelling tourism board. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 7 July 2026

Rising costs and a lack of tourism have made the business increasingly difficult to sustain. — Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026

As international tourism has come into the spotlight this Summer, many restaurant owners and servers have reported that foreign visitors tip far less and far less frequently than American diners. — Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

The 1988 Seoul Olympics famously showcased Korea as a fast-growing Asian Tiger economy while development for the Barcelona Games four years later is credited with transforming the Spanish city from an industrial port to a tourism hub. — Diane Brady, Fortune, 7 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1811, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tourism

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

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