How well do you know the world of tourism?

Tourism is the commercial activity of providing and supporting travel for pleasure or business purposes, and it can be domestic or international, with incoming and outgoing implications on a country's balance of payments. Tourism numbers declined during the late-2000s recession and the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus outbreak, but slowly recovered until the COVID-19 pandemic put an abrupt end to growth. The United Nations World Tourism Organization estimated that global international tourist arrivals might decrease by 58% to 78% in 2020, leading to a potential loss of US$0.9–1.2 trillion in international tourism receipts. International tourism receipts grew to US$1.03 trillion in 2005, and emerging source markets such as China, Russia, and Brazil significantly increased their spending over the previous decade. Global tourism accounts for about 8% of global greenhouse-gas emissions, and tourism development organizations have begun to focus on sustainable tourism to mitigate negative effects. International tourism has significant impacts on the environment, wealthy tourists bring lifestyles that stress local infrastructure, water, and trash systems, among others. The economic foundations of tourism are cultural assets, cultural property, and the nature of the travel location. The Grand Tour was a traditional trip around Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. Leisure travel was associated with the Industrial Revolution in the UK, the first European country to promote leisure time to the increasing industrial population. The tourism industry, as part of the service sector, has become an important source of income for many regions and even for entire countries.Overview of Tourism and Its Various Forms

• Tourism is a form of payment for goods and services needed by tourists, accounting for 30% of the world's trade in services and 6% of overall exports of goods and services.

• The hospitality industries that benefit from tourism include transportation services, lodging, and entertainment venues.

• Tourism can degrade people and put additional pressure on the local environment.

• The economic foundations of tourism are cultural assets, cultural property, and the nature of the travel location.

• Cruise shipping is a popular form of water tourism.

• Mass tourism is travel by groups on pre-scheduled tours and developed during the second half of the 19th century in the United Kingdom.

• Niche tourism refers to the numerous specialty forms of tourism that have emerged over the years.

• Winter tourism became popular in the 1860s and is now a major industry in various countries.

• Developments in air transport infrastructure have made many types of tourism more affordable.

• There has been an up-trend in tourism over the last few decades, especially in Europe.

• Sustainable forms of tourism include ecotourism, volunteer tourism, pro-poor tourism, recession tourism, medical tourism, educational tourism, event tourism, and creative tourism.

• Creative tourism has existed as a form of cultural tourism since the early beginnings of tourism itself.Overview of Tourism Types and Trends

• Creative tourism involves active participation in the culture of the host community through interactive workshops and informal learning experiences.

• Experiential tourism focuses on experiencing a place by connecting to its history, people, food, and culture.

• Dark tourism involves visits to "dark" sites, such as battlegrounds or scenes of horrific crimes, for example, concentration camps.

• Social tourism makes tourism available to low-income people who otherwise could not afford to travel for education or recreation.

• DNA tourism is tourism based on DNA testing, where tourists visit their remote relatives or places where their ancestors came from.

• Space tourism is an emerging market that allows people to travel to space and experience the world from a different viewpoint.

• Sports tourism involves traveling to attend sports events, such as the Olympics or FIFA World Cup.

• Tourism security is a subdiscipline of tourist studies that explores the factors that affect the ontological security of tourists.

• The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted tourism significantly, with a 70% decrease in international travel in 2020.

• The pandemic has also led to new trends in virtual tourism, which is an emerging market that provides visitors with the experience of visiting a place without posing any health risks.