ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of tourism as a subject of study and after reading the chapter you should be able to understand: • why tourism has emerged as a major leisure
activity • how tourism can be defined as a human activity • how to distinguish between domestic and international
tourism • why tourism has to be measured and the importance of tourism
statistics • the scale and importance of tourism at a global scale and some of the
reasons for its growth • why tourism is a difficult activity to manage.
