Travel and tourism

dropdown What’s the difference between travel and tourism? Well, being a traveler is more than just being a holidaymaker. A holiday is just a short time away, and it normally involves relaxation. Tourists stay in holiday resorts, not travelers. Travellers go for the experience and their journeys are usually much longer and more challenging. For example, travelers tend to avoid tourist traps and like to go off the beaten track to discover new places. Travel is an age-old phenomenon, but tourism is a relatively recent invention. dropdown Going overseas in order to experience a different way of life is what many people think of as travel, but travel does not necessarily mean going abroad. Many people who live in vast countries such as Russia and the USA have only visited a small part of their own country, and so domestic travel is also very exciting. It’s a surprising fact that about 75 percent of US citizens do not own a passport, so travelling does not mean leaving the country for them. dropdown Some people can’t travel or don’t like the physical reality of travelling to faraway destinations. These days it is easy to be an “armchair traveler”. People can visit distant corners of the world or even little known parts of their own country without leaving their living rooms. dropdown Television documentaries make the world a small place and some people argue that travel is no longer necessary. Perhaps soon people will use interactive computer programmes and virtual travel will become common. Enthusiasts argue that by doing this we will have all the benefits of travel without the inconvenience.