UNWTO Definition of Tourism

Tourism According to the UN World Tourism Organization

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) defines tourism as:

"The activities of persons traveling to, and staying in, places outside their usual environment for 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."

Key Elements

• Displacement: Travel outside "usual environment" (home/work radius).
• Duration: < 1 year (excludes long-term migration).
• Purpose: Leisure, business, VFR (visiting friends/relatives), health, education, religion, etc.—not employment in the destination.
• Stay: Includes overnight (tourists) and same-day visitors (excursionists).

Why This Definition Matters

• Standardizes global tourism statistics.
• Distinguishes tourism from migration, commuting, nomadism.
• Enables comparability across countries for policy, investment, and research.

Adopted in 1991 (Ottawa Conference) and refined in 2008 (International Recommendations for Tourism Statistics), it remains the global benchmark.