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Mass Tourism

Tourism is one of the largest industries in the world. Factoring in such matters as travel agents, transportation, hotels, restaurants, guides, and sites of interest to tourists—such as nature reserves, museums, sports arenas, concert halls, and theaters—one can understand why tourism has arrived at such a position of centrality in the world's economy and is a major factor in contemporary consumer cultures.

Defining Tourism

At the root of the term tourist is the word tournos, which can be defined as “making a circle.” Tourists travel from one place to another, stay for a while, and return home. There is a disagreement among tourism scholars about whether one can differentiate between tourists and travelers; this entry considers them to be the same, though the word tourist has ...

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