what is inbound tourism definition

What is inbound tourism explained and why does it matter?

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Inbound tourism is an important type of tourism . Many countries rely heavily on the demand from inbound tourists to fuel the development and operations of their tourism economy.

But what does it actually mean to be an inbound tourist? In this article I will explain what is meant by the term inbound tourism, provide definitions of inbound tourism and I will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of inbound tourism. Lastly, I will provide examples of destinations which have significantly sized inbound tourism markets.

What is inbound tourism?

Inbound tourism definitions, the importance of inbound tourism, uk inbound tourism, advantages of inbound tourism, disadvantages of inbound tourism, inbound tourism: conclusion, further reading on inbound tourism.

Inbound tourism is the act of someone travelling to a country other than that of where they live for the purpose of tourism.

Many countries around the world rely on inbound tourism.

Inbound tourism is often seasonal, meaning that many destinations will have evident peak, shoulder and low seasons. This is often dependant on weather conditions (for example sun or snow ) and school and public holidays.

The most widely utilised definition of tourism , proposed by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and United States (UN) Nations Statistics Division (1994), prescribes that in order to qualify as a tourist one must travel and remain in a place outside of their usual residential environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business or other purposes.

When considering inbound tourism, it therefore makes sense to simply add in the prerequisite of travelling to another country…

Based on this commonly accepted definition (although this is not without its limits- see this post for more details ), therefore, inbound tourism can be defined as:

‘The act of travelling to another country for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business or other purposes.’

Inbound tourism is incredibly important in many destinations.

This is largely because of the economic benefits of tourism . Tourism can bring in a lot of money to a country through foreign exchange. This is particularly beneficial in countries where the currency is weaker than the currency of the tourists ‘ home countries.

It is for this reason that many countries will target their advertising towards certain nationalities. China produces one of the largest outbound tourism markets in the world and Chinese tourists tend to spend more on their holidays than any other nationality. Therefore many countries want to attract Chinese inbound tourists due to the economic value of this market.

Click here to see some interesting statistics demonstrating the growth in the Chinese outbound tourism market.

However, over dependance on inbound tourism can be risky business for destinations. There are many destinations, such as the Maldives , Spain and Greece who rely heavily on people travelling from other countries to their country for tourism.

The problem occurs when the travel industry is disrupted. This has never been more true than during the 2020 pandemic, when the impacts of Coronavirus on tourism were devastating.

Inbound tourism can also be negatively effected as a result of other factors, such as political unrest, natural disasters or economic instability.

In order to ensure sustainable tourism principles are adopted, destinations ideally need to diversify their tourism product to appeal to both the domestic tourism market and the inbound tourism market.

In The United Kingdom, we have a sizeable inbound tourism industry.

Here, inbound tourism is worth £127 billion per year to the UK economy. Inbound tourism creates jobs and boosts the economic throughout the country.

According to the UK tourist board, Visit Britain , inbound visitors to the UK spent £24.5 billion in 2017, and £21 billion of that was spent in England.

Inbound tourism attracts tourists from all over the world including Europe, the USA, Australia , China and Japan.

Inbound tourism markets around the world

Inbound tourism is a significant part of the tourism industry in many countries around the world.

The OECD have some useful data, demonstrating the most recent figures for inbound tourism around the world.

To take a look at the most recent OECD inbound tourism figures click here.

Here are a few tourism markets that have a high number of inbound tourists each year-

According to Statistica , Spain ranked second on the World Tourism Organisation’s list of most visited countries in the world, with its number of international visitors amounting to nearly 89.4 million in 2018.

Most travellers to Spain come from Europe, with the largest amount of tourists being British.

Spain is popular for its beach holidays, package holiday market and city breaks to Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia, amongst others.

The Maldives has been host to a fast-growing tourism industry in recent years. The archipelago attracts visitors all-year round, especially in hubs like Male which is home to an increasing number of modern hotels. 

Statistica reported in February 2019 that there were sharp increases in economic activity in The Maldives resulting from tourism. Figures showed a 16.8% increase in inbound tourism from the same time the previous year.

In total, 168,583 inbound tourists were recorded in The Maldives in 2019. China accounted for 17.8% and European markets accounted for a further 55% of inbound tourism.

The Maldives is renowned for its luxurious beach holidays.

Inbound tourism is one of the biggest economic activities in Thailand .

The National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) stated that in February 2019 the tourism industry accounted for 18.4% of GDP. Chinese visitors make up almost one third of all inbound tourists travelling to Thailand , with 10.99 million visits recorded in 2019.

There are many types of tourism found in Thailand and Thailand attracts a range of types of tourists, from backpackers to luxury travellers to business tourists .

Bali is another destination that is reliant on inbound tourism as a key economic contributor.

In 2018, the number of foreign tourists travelling to Bali was over 5 million. This was an increase of approximately 3.5 million from 2008. Figures taken from Statistica .

The inbound tourism market in Bali is dominated largely by Chinese and Australian tourists.

Bali is well-known for its beach escapes and cultural tourism .

There are many advantages of inbound tourism.

One advantage is that inbound tourism is not reliant on weekends in the way that domestic tourism is because people tend to your their annual leave when they take holidays overseas.

Having an inbound tourism market that attracts tourists from a range of destinations can help to minimise risk and diversify income. This way, if for some reason one country does not send many tourists (for example due to political or economic problems) then the host country still has visitors arriving from other countries.

On average, inbound tourists spend more money than domestic tourists. This money then helps boost the economy of the host country.

When we travel overseas we typically book further in advance than if we booked a domestic trip. This allows tourism organisations more time to plan.

Foreign income can really help to boost the economy of a country. Therefore foreign tourists are often welcomed. This especially applies to tourists who come from destinations where the currency is strong (e.g. Britain, USA, Europe, Australia).

Other posts that you might be interested in: – What is tourism? A definition of tourism – The history of tourism – The structure of the tourism industry – Stakeholders in tourism – Dark tourism explained – What is ABTA and how does it work? – The economic impacts of tourism

There are also some disadvantages of inbound tourism.

The main disadvantage of inbound tourism is that the destination is at the mercy of the transport network.

There are many cases of tourism industries being decimated because an airline has stopped operating a particular route.

Inbound tourism can also lead to culture clashes.

For example, British tourists who travel to Dubai are often not aware of Muslim cultural practices. As such, it is common for the local population to be offended by the tourist’s behaviour. In Dubai there are many signs up in the malls, for instance, that requests tourists cover up and dress appropriately .

In conclusion, it can be seen that inbound tourism is a highly effective way for a country to make money from tourism. Whilst this does take some careful management and planning, there are many countries throughout the world who have successful and thriving inbound tourism industries.

• An Introduction to Tourism : a comprehensive and authoritative introduction to all facets of tourism including: the history of tourism; factors influencing the tourism industry; tourism in developing countries; sustainable tourism; forecasting future trends.
• The Business of Tourism Management : an introduction to key aspects of tourism, and to the practice of managing a tourism business.
• Tourism Management: An Introduction : gives its reader a strong understanding of the dimensions of tourism, the industries of which it is comprised, the issues that affect its success, and the management of its impact on destination economies, environments and communities.

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What is Inbound and Outbound Tourism?

by Hammad Ur Rehman | Oct 25, 2021 | Travel Guide | 6 comments

Don’t you just love traveling around the world and exploring different places? Staying or visiting different countries or states for the sake of fun-filled holidays or work-related visits, are termed tourism. Tourism can be of two types, Inbound tourism or Outbound Tourism. Now the question arises that what is inbound and outbound tourism?

Well, the difference between the two is just a matter of perspective, that is, from where and how you see it. In simple words, if we look from the USA tourism perspective, the outbound tourism would be Robert going to Pakistan, while inbound tourism would be, Ali coming to the USA. Similarly, if we look from a Pakistani tourism perspective, the outbound tourism would be Ali going to the USA, and the inbound tourism would be, Robert coming to Pakistan.

Let’s move on and further elaborate on these two types of tourism.

What is Inbound tourism?

Inbound tourism is economically significant for a country. The tourist countries economically rely on the inbound visitors to drive their maintenance, growth, and development.

What exactly is inbound tourism? In easy words, you can call it incoming tourism. Let’s move further to see the definitions, meanings, significance, drawbacks, and examples of inbound tourism.

Definition of inbound tourism

When someone travels to a country, other than their own country, for tourism, this is called inbound tourism.

Inbound tourism is frequently influenced by certain factors like:

• Season or Weather
• Public holidays
• School’s summer or winter vacations

According to WTO (World Trade Organization) and UN (United States Nation), inbound tourism can be defined as follows:

“ The act of traveling to another country for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business, or other purposes .”

Importance of inbound tourism

Through foreign exchange, tourism may bring a lot of wealth into a country. This is especially advantageous in places where the local exchange rate is cheaper as compared to visitors’ native currency. Therefore, inbound tourism has high significance in many countries mainly because of the benefits it provides economically.

Mostly, countries target specific nations for advertising and promoting their inbound tourism. For instance, in today’s era, Chinese people tend to spend more on traveling every year as compared to any other nation, plus, the greatest outbound tourism markets are also produced by China. Therefore, Chinese inbound tourists are highly in demand by many tourist countries.

Drawbacks of inbound tourism

Depending entirely on income from the inbound tourism may cause problems. There are many places like Maldives, Goa, Fairy meadows, Greece, etc., whose economies rely on tourists from other countries.

The primary drawback of inbound tourism is that the place is at the hands of the transportation network. Many tourism industries have been ravaged as a result of airlines ceasing to operate a specific route. Cultural conflicts can also take place due to inbound tourism.

Some other disadvantages of inbound tourism include:

• Disposal, contamination, and emissions are all on the rise.
• Environmental and aquatic habitats are being physically harmed on a daily basis.
• Inappropriate buildings are being built next to historical places and monuments.
• Plenty of resources are being used up.
• Building infrastructure and utilization of land.

Inbound Tourism examples

Now that we have a basic understanding of inbound tourism, let’s look at some practical examples.

If a person from one country travels to another country for tourism, then it’s an inbound tourist. For example, Ali is having a summer break from his university and wants to go abroad. So, he decides to go for tourism to France and enjoys his summer break there. This is an example of inbound tourism because Ali is coming from Pakistan to France for his vacation, and it is a tourist activity for him.

Likewise, Robert is also having a summer break from his school and wants to visit another country. So, he decides to go for tourism to Pakistan and enjoys his summer break there. This is also an example of inbound tourism because Robert is coming from America to Pakistan for his vacation, and it’s a tourist activity for him.

Generally, some of the countries that are renowned for inbound tourism include Maldives, Goa, Greece, etc.

What is outbound tourism?

Leaving your homeland for the sake of gaining international tourism experience has wide importance for many countries.

Let’s jump into detail and find out what is outbound tourism, how do we define it, the importance of outbound tourism has it got any disadvantages, and a few examples of outbound tourism.

Definition of outbound tourism

When a tourist travels or visits outside his or her country for the sake of tourism, but not for more than a year. This type of tourism is called outbound tourism.

The WTO (World Trade Organization) and UN (United States Nation) define outbound tourism as follows, “The act of leaving your home country internationally for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business or other purposes.”

Throughout the years, the market for outbound tourism has grown significantly. However, different regions of the world have different growth rates of the tourism market, but the factors leading to progress are similar.

Importance of outbound tourism

Outbound tourism also has a positive impact on the economy of the county. It provides economic improvements in a variety of industries such as education, healthcare, business, and retail, etc.

For example, the more people travel to foreign nations, the more their demands for products and services increase. Thus, it is a source of economic growth and prosperity for many countries.

This direction of tourism helps in increasing employment opportunities, foreign currency earnings, and trade balance. Thus, it is a source of economic growth and prosperity for many countries.

Within a very short period, China has become the largest source of outbound tourists. The increasing number of Chinese outbound tourists opens the gate of opportunities for tour group operating companies, hotels, national government ad retailers.

Drawbacks of outbound tourism

Apart from the advantages, there are a few disadvantages of outbound tourism as well. These drawbacks include the following:

• Many outbound tourists spend a huge amount of money on international chains like KFC fast-food chains, which reduces the positive effects of tourism as the tourist is using money that has been taken out of his residence.
• ·Sometimes, a country relies far too much on its outbound tourism market. For example, some Caribbean island nations depend on money from tourists to fund their entire economy and government, but this is a risky move as the tourism market is highly inconsistent, and a small incident can lead to a large drop in tourism.

Outbound tourism examples

Let’s go through an example of outbound tourism from the USA point of view:

John is a US citizen and has a passport to the USA. He wants to go for tourism so he can explore the international culture and experience new things. So, he goes for a tour to Spain with his family and friends. This is an example of outbound tourism because John has applied for a tourist visa and is traveling outside his country, USA.

Another example of outbound tourism from Spain’s perspective:

Robert is a tourist from Spain who wants to go for tourism in the USA, but he has no American visa. So, he goes for a tour to the UK with his family and friends. This is an example of outbound tourism because Robert has applied for a tourist visa and is traveling outside his country, Spain.

What is domestic tourism?

Until here, we discussed international inbound and outbound tourism. However, tourism can also be domestic. Now you would want to ask what is domestic tourism ?

Well, it’s very simple. In domestic tourism, the tourist visits different regions, cities, or towns of the same country where he/she resides. In easy words, domestic tourism is vacations spent within the same country you live in.

Let me give you an example of domestic tourism, Sarah lives in California, USA, and for her vacations, she visits Pennsylvania, USA.

Domestic tourism is used by the government to eradicate poverty, economic development, production of employments, infrastructure upgrades, reduce the load from overcrowding. For instance, If the government of California promotes domestic tourism within its state, then more people would come to visit various places in California, which are less popular, and it would boost the economy of California by providing employment opportunities to the people.

Also Learn: Domestic vs International Travel

Final Thoughts

In general, tourism contributes significantly to international trade and the provision of job opportunities in many nations. I hope this article has provided you with a clear picture of what are the types of tourism and why are they significant. All types of tourism are important for the economic growth of any nation.

Check our article on: What is FIT And GIT in The Tourism

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A compilation of data on inbound tourism by country, including data on international tourist arrivals, international tourism receipts and international tourism exports.

COUNTRY PROFILE – INBOUND TOURISM

In order to better understand inbound tourism, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has launched a dashboard on country profiles with data on inbound tourism. The dashboard includes data on:

• International tourist arrivals
• International tourism receipts
• International tourism exports
• Comparison of destinations
• Ranking of indicators on inbound tourism

What is Inbound Tourism? And How Our API Solution Boosts It

Inbound tourism, a key driver of economic growth and job creation, has become essential for many countries worldwide. In this article, we will explore what is inbound tourism and how embracing an API platform like Travel Trade Ready can help tourism organisations boost their visitor numbers and revenue.

What is Inbound Tourism?

Inbound tourism involves the various pursuits and events experienced by tourists visiting a foreign country for leisure, work, or other reasons. This includes an array of travel adventures, such as cultural excursions, thrilling expeditions, high-end retreats, and professional gatherings. As a crucial aspect of the worldwide tourism sector, inbound tourism substantially impacts a nation’s economy, job market, and infrastructure growth.

As global tourism sees the number of international visitors return to form, understanding the answer to “ what is inbound tourism ?” and identifying creative methods to improve it has emerged as a primary objective for tourism agencies across the globe.

The Importance of Inbound Tourism

The definition of inbound tourism is international traffic entering a country – so, for example, any non-British citizen entering the UK for the specific purpose of tourism.

Inbound tourism is a significant driver of economic growth, offering multiple benefits to countries and local communities. The influx of international visitors creates employment opportunities, supports local businesses, and generates tax revenue for governments. Additionally, inbound tourism promotes cultural exchange and global understanding, fostering positive relationships between countries and their citizens.

As the global travel market continues to expand, understanding what is inbound tourism and how to increase it is critical for tourism organisations aiming to thrive in this competitive industry.

What is Inbound Tourism? – Travel Trade Ready

The importance of an api platform in inbound tourism.

An API (Application Programming Interface) platform is a game-changer in the travel industry. By embracing an API platform, such as the solution offered by Travel Trade Ready , tourism organisations can streamline their operations, increase data efficiency, and ultimately attract more inbound tourists. Some of the key benefits of using an API platform in inbound tourism include:

Real-Time Availability and Pricing

API platforms offer real-time availability and pricing information, enabling travellers to make informed decisions and tourism organisations to optimise their revenue management strategies.

Enhanced Customer Experience

Via the API methodology of integrating various travel services and offering personalised recommendations, an API platform can significantly enhance the overall customer experience, which is crucial for attracting more inbound tourists and fostering repeat business.

The Benefits of Travel Trade Ready API for Tourism Organisations

Travel Trade Ready is an innovative API platform designed specifically for the travel industry. It offers a wide range of features and benefits that can help tourism organisations increase their inbound tourism numbers. Some of the key advantages of using Travel Trade Ready API include:

Global Distribution

One of the key benefits of the Travel Trade Ready API is its ability to connect tourism organisations with travel trade partners worldwide. By establishing these connections, organisations can expand their global reach and promote their offerings to a larger audience. This increased visibility is crucial in driving inbound tourism growth, as international travellers are more likely to book trips when they have easy access to information and booking options.

Travel Trade Ready API enables tourism organisations to tap into a global network of travel agents, tour operators, and online travel agencies, increasing their visibility and reach to potential customers worldwide.

Advanced Booking Management

Another important aspect of what is inbound tourism and how to increase it involves streamlining the booking process for international travellers. The Travel Trade Ready API simplifies this process by allowing travel trade partners to access real-time availability, pricing, and product information. This enables them to offer seamless booking experiences for their customers, making it easier for travellers to plan and book trips to your destination.

With Travel Trade Ready API, tourism organisations can manage bookings, cancellations, and modifications in real-time, ensuring efficient operations and a smooth customer experience.

Enhancing Your Online Presence

In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence is essential for attracting inbound tourism. The Travel Trade Ready API helps organisations achieve this by providing high-quality, up-to-date content for their online platforms. This includes detailed product descriptions, images, and videos, ensuring that your offerings are presented in the best possible light to potential visitors.

Comprehensive Inventory

Travel Trade Ready API provides access to an extensive inventory of travel products and services, including accommodation, transportation, tours, and activities. This allows tourism organisations to offer a diverse range of options to their customers, catering to various preferences and budgets, at a far lower cost than traditional networking.

Customisable Solutions

Travel Trade Ready provides dedicated customer support to assist with any technical issues or queries, ensuring a seamless experience for both tourism organisations and their customers.

In conclusion, understanding what is inbound tourism and implementing an API platform like Travel Trade Ready can significantly boost a tourism organisation’s performance and competitiveness in the global market. By simplifying the booking process, providing real-time availability and pricing information, and offering a wide travel service range, Travel Trade Ready can help attract more inbound tourists and drive economic growth in the tourism sector. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to leverage this innovative solution to take your tourism organisation to new heights – check out our demo website section today.

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Chapter 1. History and Overview

1.1 What is Tourism?

Before engaging in a study of tourism , let’s have a closer look at what this term means.

Definition of Tourism

There are a number of ways tourism can be defined, and for this reason, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) embarked on a project from 2005 to 2007 to create a common glossary of terms for tourism. It defines tourism as follows:

Tourism is a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which 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 imply tourism expenditure (United Nations World Tourism Organization, 2008).

Using this definition, we can see that tourism is not just the movement of people for a number of purposes (whether business or pleasure), but the overall agglomeration of activities, services, and involved sectors that make up the unique tourist experience.

Tourism, Travel, and Hospitality: What are the Differences?

It is common to confuse the terms tourism , travel , and hospitality or to define them as the same thing. While tourism is the all-encompassing umbrella term for the activities and industry that create the tourist experience, the UNWTO (2020) defines travel as the activity of moving between different locations often for any purpose but more so for leisure and recreation (Hall & Page, 2006). On the other hand, hospitality can be defined as “the business of helping people to feel welcome and relaxed and to enjoy themselves” (Discover Hospitality, 2015, p. 3). Simply put, the hospitality industry is the combination of the accommodation and food and beverage groupings, collectively making up the largest segment of the industry (Go2HR, 2020). You’ll learn more about accommodations and F & B in Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 , respectively.

Definition of Tourist and Excursionist

Building on the definition of tourism, a commonly accepted description of a tourist is “someone who travels at least 80 km from his or her home for at least 24 hours, for business or leisure or other reasons” (LinkBC, 2008, p.8). The United Nations World Tourism Organization (1995) helps us break down this definition further by stating tourists can be:

• Domestic (residents of a given country travelling only within that country)
• Inbound (non-residents travelling in a given country)
• Outbound (residents of one country travelling in another country)

Excursionists  on the other hand are considered same-day visitors (UNWTO, 2020). Sometimes referred to as “day trippers.” Understandably, not every visitor stays in a destination overnight. It is common for travellers to spend a few hours or less to do sightseeing, visit attractions, dine at a local restaurant, then leave at the end of the day.

The scope of tourism, therefore, is broad and encompasses a number of activities and sectors.

Spotlight On: United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

UNWTO is the United Nations agency responsible “for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism” (UNWTO, 2014b). Its membership includes 159 countries and over 500 affiliates such as private companies, research and educational institutions, and non-governmental organizations. It promotes tourism as a way of developing communities while encouraging ethical behaviour to mitigate negative impacts. For more information, visit the UNWTO website .

NAICS: The North American Industry Classification System

Given the sheer size of the tourism industry, it can be helpful to break it down into broad industry groups using a common classification system. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) was jointly created by the Canadian, US, and Mexican governments to ensure common analysis across all three countries (British Columbia Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training, 2013a). The tourism-related groupings created using NAICS are (in alphabetical order):

• Accommodation
• Food and beverage services (commonly known as “F & B”)
• Recreation and entertainment
• Transportation
• Travel services

These industry groups (also commonly known as sectors) are based on the similarity of the “labour processes and inputs” used for each (Government of Canada, 2013). For instance, the types of employees and resources required to run an accommodation business whether it be a hotel, motel, or even a campground are quite similar. All these businesses need staff to check in guests, provide housekeeping, employ maintenance workers, and provide a place for people to sleep. As such, they can be grouped together under the heading of accommodation. The same is true of the other four groupings, and the rest of this text explores these industry groups, and other aspects of tourism, in more detail.

It is typical for the entire tourist experience to involve more than one sector. The combination of sectors that supply and distribute the needed tourism products, services, and activities within the tourism system is called the Tourism Supply Chain. Often, these chains of sectors and activities are dependent upon each other’s delivery of products and services. Let’s look at a simple example below that describes the involved and sometimes overlapping sectoral chains in the tourism experience:

Before we seek to understand the five tourism sectors in more detail, it’s important to have an overview of the history and impacts of tourism to date.

Long Descriptions

Figure 1.2 long description: Diagram showing the tourism supply chain. This includes the phases of travel and the sectors and activities involved during each phase.

There are three travel phases: pre-departure, during travel, and post-departure.

Pre-departure, tourists use the travel services and transportation sectors.

During travel, tourists use the travel services, accommodations, food and beverage, recreation and entertainment, and transportation sectors.

Post-departure, tourists use the transportation sector.

[Return to Figure 1.2]

Media Attributions

• Front Desk by Staying LEVEL is licensed under a CC BY-NC 4.0 Licence .

Tourism according the the UNWTO is a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes.

UN agency responsible for promoting responsible, sustainable, and universally accessible tourism worldwide.

Moving between different locations for leisure and recreation.

The accommodations and food and beverage industry groupings.

someone who travels at least 80 km from his or her home for at least 24 hours, for business or leisure or other reasons

A same-day visitor to a destination. Their trip typically ends on the same day when they leave the destination.

A way to group tourism activities based on similarities in business practices, primarily used for statistical analysis.

Introduction to Tourism and Hospitality in BC - 2nd Edition Copyright © 2015, 2020, 2021 by Morgan Westcott and Wendy Anderson, Eds is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Glossary:Tourism

Tourism means the activity of visitors taking a trip to a main destination outside their usual environment , for less than a year, for any main purpose, including business, leisure or other personal purpose, other than to be employed by a resident entity in the place visited.

Three types can be distinguished, according to the origin and destination of visitors:

• domestic tourism means visits within a country by visitors who are residents of that country.
• inbound tourism means visits to a country by visitors who are not residents of that country.
• outbound tourism means visits by residents of a country outside that country.

Derived groupings:

• national tourism means domestic and outbound tourism.
• internal tourism means domestic and inbound tourism.
• international tourism means inbound and outbound tourism.

Further information

• Methodology for tourism statistics and Tourism Satellite Accounts (TSA)

Related concepts

Statistical data.

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National tourism

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• Antonio Alcover Casasnovas 3  

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National tourism consists of all tourism activities practiced by residents of a particular country, including domestic and outbound tourism. In order to make it possible to compare, integrate, and share information among countries, the United Nations sponsored a conference on travel and tourism in Rome in 1963. This conference recommended definitions of “national tourism,” among others (visitor, tourist, and domestic tourism) for compiling international statistics. In 1968, the International Union of Official Travel Organizations (precedent of the World Tourism Organization) approved the 1963 definitions and has since encouraged its use (Leiper 1979 ). Today, most of these definitions are compiled by the UNWTO ( 2010a ). National tourism is “domestic and outbound tourism , that is, the activities of resident visitors, within and outside the country of reference, either as part of domestic or outbound trips” (UNWTO 2010b : 15). It covers “the [national] tourism consumption of resident...

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Leiper, N. 1979 The Framework of Tourism: Towards a Definition of Tourism, Tourist, and the Tourist Industry. Annals of Tourism Research 6:390-407.

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Antonio Alcover Casasnovas

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Alcover Casasnovas, A. (2016). National tourism. In: Jafari, J., Xiao, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Tourism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01384-8_573

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Published : 25 June 2016

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Taking the “swift lift” overseas.

May 22, 2024 By Joshua Friedlander, Vice President, Research

This summer, millions of Americans will travel to Europe, many to visit historical cities and one-of-a-kind beaches like Sitges, Biarritz, Tropea and Mykonos. But in Europe this year there is another one-of-a-kind attraction drawing travelers from the States in record numbers—the European leg of Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour.

Taylor's record-setting concerts across the U.S. in 2023 made fans and economists alike rethink the impact an artist can have on a city or region. With ticket prices regularly reaching 4-digit levels , and fans traveling distances reminiscent of festivals like Coachella, the economic impact of her tour was unprecedented.

Just as Grateful Dead fans were known to follow the band from city to city to be part of a unique community, Swifties—often with friends and family in tow—have made traveling to her concerts part of the experience. Between the lure of cheaper tickets in other cities and the chance to indulge in COVID-delayed vacations, a significant share of the 4.3 million attendees at her 60 shows in the U.S. traveled outside their home cities for the experience.

All indications point to that trend continuing this summer in Europe. But those travelers are definitely not limited to her fans on the continent. Recent reports estimate that nearly a quarter of tickets sold to a recent show in Paris were to Americans. The appeal is there, and the urge to travel this summer remains strong. A new survey from Longwoods International shows that U.S. travelers are shaking off financial concerns with 39% reporting they plan a trip overseas within the next year.

With hefty spending sure to continue at each of her tour stops, her effect on the economy in Europe is expected to be massive. In numbers, if trends from the first part of the tour continue, her 51 scheduled dates in Europe could very well result in more ticket sales than the up to 3.1 million expected for the Paris Olympics this July. And according to a new analysis from Barclays , before Taylor Swift says “So Long, London” with 5 (!) concerts at Wembley Stadium, she’ll have added more than $1.2 billion to the UK’s economy.

What does that all mean for the U.S. economy and travel? When overseas visitors come to the U.S., whatever they spend on their visit counts as net exports for the United States, helping with the balance of trade. Although travel remains one of the biggest service exports of the United States, as outbound travel has rebounded faster than inbound the net balance has turned to an estimated $47 billion net import based on analysis of BEA and NTTO data by Tourism Economics. That means all those Americans traveling to see Taylor Swift overseas are also effectively increasing imports, and negatively affecting the balance of trade.

If this wasn’t complicated enough, that spend in other countries by Americans is not all lost to the U.S. economy. As an American performer, Ms. Swift (and much of her crew, management and staff) will keep a sizeable portion of that revenue , effectively reclaiming it back as part of the U.S. GDP.

As great as Taylor Swift’s economic footprint—and that of her fans—a better bet for bolstering the economy is making sure that the U.S. is ready and able to host international visitors. Even after this tour is complete, we have more than enough incentives for international visitors in the not-too-distant future. The U.S. will be a host of the World Cup in 2026, the same year as the semi-quincentennial celebration of the Declaration of Independence (just imagine if the U.S. makes the round of 16 and plays in Philadelphia on July 4th!). Then Los Angeles will host the Olympics and Paralympics in 2028, and continuing the sports theme the U.S. will host the 2031 Rugby World Cup, which saw 2.4 million attendees in previous iterations. This stretch could very well define an Era.

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