According to the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, the number of tourists between January and October of last year was over 1.1 billion. This shows how rising global economies have also created a growing demand for worldwide travel. Tourism can be defined as the inclusion of any process or activity that results from interactions between travelers and host nations, tourism suppliers such as airlines, local communities and environments that tend to attract travelers.
Tourism should therefore be considered as the range of both activities and services, along with the industries that support these services, involved with the traveling experience. Tourism therefore needs to consider a range of industries and individual persons. This would include transportation services, restaurants, shopping, nightlife and entertainment activities, and any other form of hospitality service that caters to travelers from another location. Tourism therefore encompasses lodging and transportation services, and all other elements associated with advertising these services and providing for travel needs.
The definition of tourism should also include all various groups that are impacted by the tourism industry. This would include the following:
The tourist is the one who is seeking various experiences, both mental and physical, associated with any individual location. The expectations of the tourist determine the types of activities being offered by the location.
Business providing these experiences and services identify tourism as a financially favorable opportunity, by providing these experiences.
The government of the tourist destination considers the economic benefits of a tourism industry, and consider policies that would make tourism more favorable in order to encourage tourists to choose the location.
The community hosting tourists involves persons employed in industries that the tourism industry caters to, along with locals who live in tourist-populated areas. These people form the basis of most interactions between the tourist and the host nation or community.