Tourism

Tourism means people traveling for fun and adventure. It includes activities such as sightseeing and camping. People who travel for fun are called "tourists". Places where many tourists stay are sometimes called "resorts". Places that people go to for tourism are called tourist destinations.

There are many reasons why people travel for fun:
 Some people travel to learn about the history or culture of a city or country, or about the people who live there, or their ancestors.
 People from cold places sometimes like to relax in the sun. Many people from northern Europe or North America travel to warmer places and visit beaches.
 Some people travel to do an activity which they cannot do at home. There are many ski resorts in the Alps of Switzerland and Austria, and seaside resorts in Greece and other warm countries.
 People sometimes visit friends and family in another city or country.
 Finally, some people enjoy a change in scenery. City people go to forests or deserts,  and vice versa.

 The tourism industry 

The tourism industry has different parts. Some of these are:

 Transport; such as airlines, railways, boats, and road transport.
 Places to stay; such as hotels, camping grounds or parks, youth hostels, and bed and breakfasts.
 Food and drink; such as restaurants, cafes and bars.
 Tour guides know a place well, guide tourists to interesting places, and tell them about the place.
Package tour operators can offer all these services to a group who will go together. This can be cheaper than paying for them separately.

 Damage tourism can bring 
Tourism can bring damage to the local area, and/or the tourists. Litter, scuba-diving and deforestation are problems for popular places such as St. Lucia, Hawaii and others. Scuba-diving can damage coral reefs which are home to hundreds of species of sea animals. Tourism can change culture when people learn each other's ways, and certain local traditions are being put aside for tourists.

 Related pages 
 Tourist attraction

 Other websites 
 Wikivoyage has tourism information for the whole world.
 Tourism Abbreviations, smartdefine.org