The act of travelling or sightseeing, particularly away from one's home.
"The local economy relies heavily on tourism, as thousands of visitors arrive each year just to explore the historic sites outside their hometowns."
In plain English: Tourism is the activity of traveling to different places for fun or relaxation instead of living there permanently.
"The local economy relies heavily on tourism to attract visitors from around the world."
Usage: Tourism refers to the general industry and activity of traveling for leisure rather than business. Use it when discussing vacations, travel agencies, or the economic impact of visitors in a specific area.
The word tourism combines the root tour with the suffix -ism, which is used to form nouns indicating a practice or system. This construction created a term specifically referring to the activity of traveling for pleasure.