TOURISM GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Tourism is a social, cultural, and economic phenomenon that 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.
Activity/activities: In tourism statistics, the term activities represents the actions and behaviors of
people in preparation for and during a trip in their capacity as consumers (IRTS 2008, 1.2).
Adventure tourism: Adventure tourism is a type of tourism that usually takes place in destinations
with specific geographic features and landscapes and tends to be associated with 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,
bushwalking, and scuba diving. Likewise, some indoor adventure tourism activities may also be
practiced.
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 if 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, businesspeople, 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).
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 that 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
1|Page
TOURISM GLOSSARY OF TERMS
include lakes, rivers, ponds, streams, groundwater, springs, cave waters and others traditionally
grouped as inland wetlands.
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.
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
center of predominant economic interest of its members. If a person resides (or intends to reside)
for more than one year in each country and has there his/her center 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.
Destination (main destination of a trip): The main destination of a tourist 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 that may
encompass 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 the implementation of tourism policies,
2|Page
TOURISM GLOSSARY OF TERMS
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.
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.
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 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 the demand for goods and services that need 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.
Enterprise: An enterprise is an institutional unit engaged in the production of goods and/or
services. It may be a corporation, a non-profit institution, or an unincorporated enterprise.
3|Page
TOURISM GLOSSARY OF TERMS
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
specific 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).
Forms of tourism: There are three basic forms of tourism: domestic tourism, inbound tourism,
and outbound tourism. These can be combined in several 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 that is characterized by
the visitor's experience linked with food and related products and activities while traveling.
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, and wineries, tasting, consuming, and/or purchasing wine, often at
or near the source.
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 subtype of wellness tourism and medical tourism.
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)).
Internal tourism: Internal tourism comprises domestic tourism and inbound tourism 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).
4|Page
TOURISM GLOSSARY OF TERMS
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 tourism: International tourism comprises inbound tourism and outbound tourism
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 traveler 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 traveling
in the country of reference or a resident traveling outside of it (IRTS 2008, 2.42).
Medical tourism: Medical tourism is a type of tourism activity that 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.
Mountain tourism: Mountain tourism is a type of tourism activity that 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 the local community. It encompasses a broad range of outdoor leisure and sports
activities.
National tourism: National tourism comprises domestic tourism and outbound tourism 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)).
5|Page
TOURISM GLOSSARY OF TERMS
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 traveler is different from that of his/her
nationality or citizenship (IRTS 2008, 2.19).
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)).
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).
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: The quality of a tourism destination is the result of a process
that 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.
Residents/non-residents: The residents of a country are individuals whose center of predominant
economic interest is in its economic territory. For a country, the non-residents are individuals
whose center of predominant economic interest is located outside its economic territory.
6|Page
TOURISM GLOSSARY OF TERMS
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).
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).
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.
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 limited worldwide. Consequently, lists of
such products will be country-specific (IRTS 2008, 5.12).
7|Page
TOURISM GLOSSARY OF TERMS
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 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 characteristic tourism activity. Tourism industries (also referred to as tourism
activities) are the activities that typically produce tourism 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.
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.
8|Page
TOURISM GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Tourism ratio: For each variable of supply in the Tourism Satellite Account, the tourism ratios
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).
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 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 / traveler: Travel refers to the activity of travelers. A traveler 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 traveler 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 their 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).
9|Page
TOURISM GLOSSARY OF TERMS
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).
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 traveler 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 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.
10 | P a g e
