tourist definition from oxford dictionary

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Definition of tourist noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

• busloads of foreign tourists
• a popular tourist attraction/destination/resort
• the tourist industry/sector
• The tourist season here peaks in spring.
• The island attracts tourists from all over the world.
• The tourist information centre is right next to the mosque.
• The changing of the guard is popular with the tourists.
• package tour
• self-catering
• have/​take (British English) a holiday/ (North American English) a vacation/​a break/​a day off/ (British English) a gap year
• go on/​be on holiday/​vacation/​leave/​honeymoon/​safari/​a trip/​a tour/​a cruise/​a pilgrimage
• go backpacking/​camping/​hitchhiking/​sightseeing
• plan a trip/​a holiday/​a vacation/​your itinerary
• book accommodation/​a hotel room/​a flight/​tickets
• have/​make/​cancel a reservation/ (especially British English) booking
• rent a villa/ (both British English) a holiday home/​a holiday cottage
• (especially British English) hire/ (especially North American English) rent a car/​bicycle/​moped
• stay in a hotel/​a bed and breakfast/​a youth hostel/​a villa/ (both British English) a holiday home/​a caravan
• cost/​charge $100 a/​per night for a single/​double/​twin/​standard/ (British English) en suite room
• check into/​out of a hotel/​a motel/​your room
• pack/​unpack your suitcase/​bags
• call/​order room service
• cancel/​cut short a trip/​holiday/​vacation
• apply for/​get/​renew a/​your passport
• take out/​buy/​get travel insurance
• catch/​miss your plane/​train/​ferry/​connecting flight
• fly (in)/travel in business/​economy class
• make/​have a brief/​two-day/​twelve-hour stopover/ (North American English also) layover in Hong Kong
• experience/​cause/​lead to delays
• check (in)/collect/​get/​lose (your) (especially British English) luggage/ (especially North American English) baggage
• be charged for/​pay excess baggage
• board/​get on/​leave/​get off the aircraft/​plane/​ship/​ferry
• taxi down/​leave/​approach/​hit/​overshoot the runway
• experience/​hit/​encounter severe turbulence
• suffer from/​recover from/​get over your jet lag/​travel sickness
• attract/​draw/​bring tourists/​visitors
• encourage/​promote/​hurt tourism
• promote/​develop ecotourism
• build/​develop/​visit a tourist/​holiday/ (especially British English) seaside/​beach/​ski resort
• work for/​be operated by a major hotel chain
• be served by/​compete with low-cost/ (especially North American English) low-fare/​budget airlines
• book something through/​make a booking through/​use a travel agent
• contact/​check with your travel agent/​tour operator
• book/​be on/​go on a package deal/​holiday/​tour
• buy/​bring back (tacky/​overpriced) souvenirs
• sightseeing
• Recently Edinburgh has become a popular tourist centre.
• The Story of the Loch Ness Monster has attracted many tourists to the area.
• The city has unrealized tourist potential.
• The festival is accompanied by a huge influx of tourists.
• The theme park is the region's most popular tourist facility.
• The town is off the usual tourist route.
• Their economy is dependent on tourist dollars.
• the part of town most frequented by tourists
• He entered the country on a tourist visa.
• It was the beginning of the tourist season.
• Local roads cannot cope with the increase in tourist traffic.
• The Taj Mahal is one of the most important tourist sights in India.
• We have a large influx of tourists in the summer.
• We travelled on minor roads and tracks, away from the tourist trail.
• We visited all the usual tourist spots.
• come to something
• flock to something
• frequent something
• centre/​center
• destination
• influx of tourists

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• (British English) a member of a sports team that is playing a series of official games in a foreign country

Other results

• the Tourist Trophy
• tourist traps
• Tourist Trophy
• tourist information office

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tourism noun

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What does the noun tourism mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun tourism . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

Entry status

OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.

How common is the noun tourism ?

How is the noun tourism pronounced, british english, u.s. english, where does the noun tourism come from.

Earliest known use

The earliest known use of the noun tourism is in the 1810s.

OED's earliest evidence for tourism is from 1811, in Sporting Magazine .

tourism is formed within English, by derivation.

Etymons: tour n. , ‑ism suffix .

Nearby entries

• tourette, n.¹ 1881–
• Tourette, n.² 1899–
• Tourettism, n. 1981–
• tourification, n. 1802–
• tourify, v. 1820–
• tourifying, adj. 1825–
• touring, n. 1818–
• touring, adj. 1832–
• touring-car, n. 1903–
• touring-sedan, n. 1915–
• tourism, n. 1811–
• tourist, n. 1780–
• tourist, v. 1953–
• tourist cabin, n. 1928–
• tourist-car, n. 1895–
• tourist card, n. 1971–
• tourist centre | tourist center, n. 1922–
• tourist class, n. 1936–
• tourist court, n. 1937–
• touristdom, n. 1888–
• touristed, adj. 1873–

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Meaning & use

Pronunciation, compounds & derived words, entry history for tourism, n..

tourism, n. was first published in 1913; not yet revised.

tourism, n. was last modified in July 2023.

Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:

• corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
• new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into tourism, n. in July 2023.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1913)

• Find out more

OED Second Edition (1989)

• View tourism in OED Second Edition

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Citation details

Factsheet for tourism, n., browse entry.

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[ toor -ist ]

• a person who is traveling, especially for pleasure.
• tourist class .

to travel tourist.

/ ˈtʊərɪst /

• a person who travels for pleasure, usually sightseeing and staying in hotels

tourist attractions

• a person on an excursion or sightseeing tour
• a person travelling abroad as a member of a sports team that is playing a series of usually international matches
• Also calledtourist class the lowest class of accommodation on a passenger ship
• of or relating to tourist accommodation

Discover More

Derived forms.

• tourˈistic , adjective

Other Words From

• non·tourist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tourist 1

Example Sentences

South Dakota is the more tourist-friendly, slightly better weather, historic Mount Rushmore spot.

Amsterdam has an economy which is highly dependent on tourists.

Travelers, however, are eligible to have the tax refunded on goods they take home with them, which is what agencies such as Planet specialize in facilitating, giving it a clear view of how much tourists are buying.

In June, when peak season is typically getting underway, tourist spending was still 98% below its level last year based on Planet’s data.

Besides feeling safe, tourists may also be lured to local destinations given international travel currently comes with complicated quarantine protocols by governments in different countries.

Its graceful hotels and beautiful restaurants are totally dependent on the tourist trade.

It is the only tourist center Ukraine has left on the Black Sea, since Russia annexed Crimea last spring.

For the Brogpas, transforming into a tourist attraction may offer their community a way to generate much-needed income.

The two islands are now tourist sites for visitors from Taiwan and mainland China.

Not all Israeli gay propaganda is pinkwashing—a lot of it is good, old-fashioned PR to attract gay tourist dollars to Tel Aviv.

The tourist climbing tna, or Vesuvius' rugged side, puffs on though they perchance have long since ceased to smoke.

They have developed fishing and agriculture, and have brought the tourist into districts little visited before.

Mr. Frank Cook had insisted upon our being the guests of his firm on their tourist steamer Amasis.

My father knew him well, often talked to me about him, and told me stories of the excursion and tourist trade in its early days.

This was the first small beginning of that great tourist business which now encircles the habitable globe.

Related Words

[ ak -s uh -lot-l ]

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Definition of 'tourism'

Video: pronunciation of tourism

tourism in British English

Tourism in american english, examples of 'tourism' in a sentence tourism, cobuild collocations tourism, trends of tourism.

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Browse alphabetically tourism

• touring production
• touring schedule
• touring show
• tourism agency
• tourism attraction
• tourism authority
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Related terms of tourism

• eco-tourism
• sex tourism
• boost tourism
• dark tourism
• mass tourism
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Meaning of tourism – Learner’s Dictionary

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(Definition of tourism from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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Travel to an area of ecological, geographical, or natural history interest, for the primary purpose of study and education rather than pure recreation. Ecotourists seek to avoid bringing additional pressures upon the region that they visit, and are concerned to ensure that both local human cultures and their environment are enhanced rather than damaged by their activity.

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