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Tourism is travel for
recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization
defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual
environment for more than twenty-four (24) hours and not more than one
consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the
exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited". Tourism has
become a popular global leisure activity. In 2008, there were over 922 million
international tourist arrivals, with a growth of 1.9% as compared to 2007.
International tourism receipts grew to US$944 billion (euro 642 billion) in
2008, corresponding to an increase in real terms of 1.8%.
As a result of the Late-2000s recession, international travel demand suffered a
strong slowdown beginning in June 2008, with growth in international tourism
arrivals worldwide falling to 2% during the boreal summer months,[3] and this
negative trend intensified as international tourist arrivals fell by 8% during
the first four months of 2009. Thereafter this declining trend was exacerbated
in some regions due to the outbreak of the influenza AH1N1 virus.
Tourism is vital for many countries, such as Australia, Egypt, Greece and
Thailand, and many island nations, such as The Bahamas, Fiji, Maldives and the
Seychelles, due to the large intake of money for businesses with their goods and
services and the opportunity for employment in the service industries associated
with tourism. These service industries include transportation services, such as
airlines, cruise ships and taxis, hospitality services, such as accommodations,
including hotels and resorts, and entertainment venues, such as amusement parks,
casinos, shopping malls, various music venues and the theatre.
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