- The word tourism was used for the first time by 1811 and tourist by 1840.
- The terms travel and tourism are sometimes used interchangeably.
- In 2008 the United Kingdom ranked 7th in the international tourism earnings league behind the United States, Spain, France, Italy, China and Germany.
- In 2008, there were over 922 million international tourist arrivals.
- The most visited tourist attraction in the United States is Times Square in Manhattan, New York City which attracts approximately 35 million visitors yearly.
- Ecotourism is responsible travel to fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas. Ecotourism, also is a form of tourism that involves visiting natural areas -- in the remote wilderness or urban environments
- Health tourism or medical tourism is a term initially coined by travel agencies and the mass media to describe the rapidly-growing practice of travelling across international borders to obtain health care.
- Space tourism is space travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. Currently, only the Russian Space Agency provides transport.
- Cruising has become a major part of the tourism industry, accounting for U.S.$29.4 billion with over 19 million passengers carried worldwide.
- The World Tourism Organization predicts that international tourism will continue growing at the average annual rate of four percent.
Facts about tourism
