tourism

noun

tour·​ism ˈtu̇r-ˌi-zəm How to pronounce tourism (audio)
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 California 4 Chileans stole from homes across L.A. in a case of ‘burglary tourism,’ police say March 8, 2024 LAPD Det. Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2024 When the war started, many international airlines suspended flights and tourism stopped, aside from a handful of Jewish and Christian solidarity missions. Melanie Lidman, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Mar. 2024 There’s also a new realm of tourism coming to light. Gideon Kimbrell, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024 And, like its neighbor to the north ― Mackinac Island ― prime tourism season in Bay View also runs April/May through October. Detroit Free Press, 13 Mar. 2024 The name was changed to Ocean Springs in the mid-1800s because of mineral springs in the area that first brought tourism to the town. Kayla Michelle Smith, Travel + Leisure, 11 Mar. 2024 South Florida’s pull as a sports tourism magnet strengthens this weekend as one of the world’s largest sports and entertainment entities, a mixed martial arts group, comes back to Kaseya Center in downtown Miami. Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 Opened in 1955, the Seaquarium was once a showpiece of Miami’s tourism industry as one of the nation’s first theme parks centered on marine mammals. Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 The country is also launching a digital nomad program, allowing foreigners to travel to Japan and work at the same time in an effort to expand tourism. Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 7 Mar. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1811, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tourism was in 1811

Dictionary Entries Near tourism

Cite this Entry

“Tourism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tourism. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

tourism

noun
tour·​ism ˈtu̇(ə)r-ˌiz-əm How to pronounce tourism (audio)
: the practice of traveling for pleasure or the business of encouraging and serving such traveling

More from Merriam-Webster on tourism

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!