tourist

tour‧ist W3 /ˈtʊərəst, ˈtʊərɪst $ ˈtʊr-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
someone who is visiting a place for pleasure on holiday:
Cambridge is always full of tourists in the summer.
The Statue of Liberty is a major tourist attraction.
What effect will this have on the local tourist industry?
tourist centre/destination/resort etc
Durham, with its cathedral and castle, is a popular tourist centre.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ foreign tourists Millions of foreign tourists visit the capital every year.
▪ an American/Japanese etc tourist She saw a crowd of Japanese tourists, cameras at the ready, wandering down the path.
■ verbs
▪ tourists visit a place About six million tourists visit the country each year.
▪ tourists flock to a place (=visit it in large numbers) Tourists have flocked to the area ever since the TV series was filmed there.
▪ attract/draw tourists They hope to change the image of the city and attract more tourists.
■ tourist + NOUN
▪ a tourist attraction (=an interesting place for tourists to see or an enjoyable activity for them to do) Yellowstone National Park is a major tourist attraction.
▪ a tourist destination/centre/spot Egypt became a popular tourist destination in the nineteenth century.
▪ the tourist industry The tourist industry is booming, with more visitors this year than ever before.
▪ the tourist season (=the period in a year when large numbers of tourists visit a place) Even in the tourist season the beaches don’t get packed.
■ phrases
▪ a group/party of tourists The guide was talking to a party of tourists.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ tourist someone who is visiting a place for pleasure on holiday: The hotel is very popular with tourists. | a major tourist destination
▪ traveller British English, traveler American English someone who travels somewhere: a weary traveller returning home after a long journey | The building’s luxurious interior will appeal to business travellers. | The strike will affect air travellers. | Paul Theroux, the American traveller, once went from London to India by train.
▪ visitor someone who comes to visit a particular country, area, museum etc: Times Square attracts more than 30 million visitors annually.
▪ holiday-maker British English, vacationer American English someone who is on holiday somewhere: The beach was packed with holiday-makers. | 75 percent of Alamo's rentals are to vacationers.
▪ sightseer a tourist who is visiting a famous or interesting place: Crowds of sightseers come to London every year.
▪ backpacker someone who is travelling for pleasure, staying in cheap accommodation and carrying a ↑backpack: a cheap hotel which is used mainly by backpackers

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

tourist

tour·ist [tourist tourists] [ˈtʊərɪst] [ˈtɔːrɪst] [ˈtʊrɪst] noun
1. a person who is travelling or visiting a place for pleasure
• busloads of foreign tourists
• a popular tourist attraction/destination/resort
• the tourist industry/sector

• Further information is available from the local tourist office.

2. (BrE) a member of a sports team that is playing a series of official games in a foreign country
Collocations:
Travel and tourism
Holidays/vacations
have/take (BrE) a holiday/(NAmE) a vacation/a break/a day off/(BrE) a gap year
go on/be on holiday/vacation/leave/honeymoon/safari/a trip/a tour/a cruise/a pilgrimage
go backpacking/camping/hitchhiking/sightseeing
plan a trip/a holiday/a vacation/your itinerary
book accommodation/a hotel room/a flight/tickets
have/make/cancel a reservation/(especially BrE) booking
rent a villa/(both BrE) a holiday home/a holiday cottage
(especially BrE) hire/ (especially NAmE) rent a car/bicycle/moped
stay in a hotel/a bed and breakfast/a youth hostel/a villa/(both BrE) a holiday home/a caravan
cost/charge $100 a/per night for a single/double/twin/standard/(BrE) en suite room
check into/out of a hotel/a motel/your room
pack/unpack your suitcase/bags
call/order room service
cancel/cut short a trip/holiday/vacation
Foreign travel
apply for/get/renew a/your passport
take out/buy/get travel insurance
catch/miss your plane/train/ferry/connecting flight
fly (in)/travel in business/economy class
make/have a brief/two-day/twelve-hour stopover/(NAmE also) layover in Hong Kong
experience/cause/lead to delays
check (in)/collect/get/lose (your) (especially BrE) luggage/(especially NAmE) baggage
be charged for/pay excess baggage
board/get on/leave/get off the aircraft/plane/ship/ferry
taxi down/leave/approach/hit/overshoot the runway
experience/hit/encounter severe turbulence
suffer from/recover from/get over your jet lag/travel sickness
The tourist industry
attract/draw/bring tourists/visitors
encourage/promote/hurt tourism
promote/develop ecotourism
build/develop/visit a tourist/holiday/(especially BrE) seaside/beach/ski resort
work for/be operated by a major hotel chain
be served by/compete with low-cost/(especially NAmE) low-fare/budget airlines
book sth through/make a booking through/use a travel agent
contact/check with your travel agent/tour operator
book/be on/go on a package deal/holiday/tour
buy/bring back (tacky/overpriced) souvenirs
Example Bank:
• I bought a tourist guide to Paris.
• Pompeii is one of Italy's prime tourist attractions.
• Recently Edinburgh has become a popular tourist centre.
• She works as a tourist guide.
• The Story of the Loch Ness Monster has attracted many tourists to the area.
• The city has unrealized tourist potential.
• The festival is accompanied by a huge influx of tourists.
• The high level of crime is frightening away tourists.
• The theme park is the region's most popular tourist facility.
• The town is off the usual tourist route.
• Their economy is dependent on tourist dollars.
• the exploitation of women by sex tourists
• the local tourist information office
• the part of town most frequented by tourists
• the reduction in tourist traffic due to the violence
• A busload of tourists arrived at the village.
• A tourist bus crashed on a remote mountain road last night.
• He entered the country on a tourist visa.
• It was the beginning of the tourist season.
• Local people rely on the tourist industry for employment.
• Local roads cannot cope with the increase in tourist traffic.
• She was guiding a group of tourists around the castle.
• The Taj Mahal is one of the most important tourist sights in India.
• The coastline of Vietnam has massive tourist potential.
• The number of tourists visiting London is rising again.
• The temple is a major tourist attraction.
• The town is a popular tourist destination.
• There is a tourist information centre by the car park.
• There is little accommodation available for tourists.
• Tourists flock to the ruins, causing further erosion.
• We have a large influx of tourists in the summer.
• We travelled on minor roads and tracks, away from the tourist trail.
• We visited all the usual tourist spots.

• Western tourists rarely visit the area.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

tourist / ˈtʊə.rɪst / / ˈtɔː- / / ˈtʊr.ɪst / noun [ C ]

A2 someone who visits a place for pleasure and interest, usually while they are on holiday:

Millions of tourists visit Rome every year.

Hordes (= very large groups) of tourists flock to the Mediterranean each year.

Disneyworld is one of Florida's major tourist attractions .

The island is very busy during the tourist season .

UK a member of a sports team who is travelling from place to place in a foreign country, playing games:

The West Indies easily defeated the tourists.

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

tourist

/tʊərɪst/
(tourists)

Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.

A tourist is a person who is visiting a place for pleasure and interest, especially when they are on holiday.
...foreign tourists...
Blackpool is the top tourist attraction in England.

N-COUNT: oft N n

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

tourist

tour·ist /ˈturɪst/ noun, pl -ists [count]
1 : a person who travels to a place for pleasure
• The museums attract a lot of tourists.
• In the summer the town is filled with tourists.
2 Brit : a member of a sports team that is playing a series of official games in a foreign country
• The tourists defeated the home side.
- tourist adj always used before a noun
• The museum is a big tourist attraction/destination.
• She has a job in the tourist industry.