Turismo

Turismo is the movement of people to destinations outside their usual environment for short periods, enabling leisure, business, culture, or other purposes. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) defines tourism as the activities of people traveling and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business, or other purposes. Tourism includes inbound, outbound, and domestic travel.

Economic importance: Tourism is a major service sector contributor to GDP, employment, and export earnings. It supports a wide range of activities from transport, accommodation, and food service to attractions, events, and local crafts. It tends to create jobs in both urban centers and rural areas and can drive infrastructure development.

Types and modalities: Tourism encompasses: cultural, natural, adventure, ecotourism, beach, city breaks, medical, religious, and business travel; also cruise tourism and, increasingly, digital nomad travel.

Sustainability and challenges: Tourism can affect environments and communities, including pressure on natural resources and cultural heritage. Sustainable tourism aims to minimize negative impacts through responsible visitation, conservation, inclusive growth, and governance. Challenges include overtourism, climate change, seasonality, and shocks such as pandemics.

Measurement and governance: International bodies such as UNWTO collect data on international arrivals and receipts and promote standards for measurement, including Tourism Satellite Accounts (TSA). National and local authorities use planning tools to manage visitation, diversify products, and ensure resilience.