20 Types of tourists (2022 Travellers guide)

People travel for different kinds of reasons, some enjoy the peaceful breakfasts, the long walks, the new experiences, places, people and memories, while some enjoy going on business trips and making money while travelling.

It is very important to get a tourist SIM card as a tourist in order to be able to communicate with your loved ones while on the road at very low costs.

What is a tourist?

A tourist is a person who travels or visit places for pleasure. Usually for sightseeing, business or for a holiday. Apart from visiting places, tourists also take part in tourist activities depending on the reason for travel. Here are some of the activities they take part in while travelling.

• Flying on an airplane
• Laying on the beach
• Staying in amazing hotels
• Visiting places with different climates
• Visiting amazing tourist attractions

Further reading- Travelling emergency tips

Benefits of being a tourist

Travelling comes with a lot of responsibilities, from packing your suitcase, preparing a budget to choosing a suitable destination. However, it also has its benefits as you get to explore new places, learn about other cultures, and take part in amazing activities for a peace of mind.

Here are some of the benefits of being a tourist.

• Improves your communication skills
• You get to achieve a peace of mind
• Enhance your creativity
• You get to broaden your horizon
• Boosts your confidence
• You get to make great memories
• You get to disconnect and recharge
• Travel relieves stress and anxiety
• You get exposed to new things
• Get real life education from different places

Further reading- Benefits of a travel SIM card

What is tourism?

Tourism is an act of people travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for business, pleasure, leisure, and other purposes. Tourism is a competitive industry that requires the ability to adapt constantly to customers’ changing needs and desires, as the customer’s safety and enjoyment are particularly the focus of tourism businesses.

The World Tourism Organization (WTO) specifically defined tourism as “the practice of staying outside your usual environment for one year or less if it’s for leisure purposes or 24 hours or less if it’s for business purposes”.

There are two types of tourisms, inbound tourism, and outbound tourism. Inbound tourism involves foreign tourists visiting a country, whereas outbound tourism involves resident tourists leaving their home country to visit a different country.

Advantages of tourism

Here are some advantages of tourism.

• Opportunities– It provides many job opportunities for individuals. It can provide a significant source of income for local communities
• Infrastructural– Tourism provides a means and an incentive for investment in infrastructure.
• Environmental– It provides economic incentives for a place to preserve, maintain, and regenerate the environment.
• Global standard– Tourists bring global standard.
• Consumption– Tourism nature induces more consumption.
• Cross cultural– Tourism promotes international connections which can bring more business and cultural collaborations in the long term.
• Promotional– It can promote a place quickly and put it on the map.

Types of tourists by destination

There are many types of tourist destinations for different kinds of tourists. Tourists travel for different reasons, some for pleasure and some for business. It is of key importance to understand the different types of tourist destinations and the types of tourists they attract.

• Domestic tourists– They travel within the same country they reside in.
• International tourists– These tourists travel to any other country, not the one they reside in.
• Inbound tourists– This is when tourists from a different country travel to a country other than that of where they live.
• Outbound tourists– This is when a resident tourist travel outside of their country of residence.
• Rural tourists– These tourists mostly travel to rural areas.
• Cruise-ship tourists– These tourists’ holidays are entirely or partly based on a cruise ship.
• Space tourists– Space tourists mostly travel for recreational purposes.

Further reading: Best places to visit in July

Types of tourists by motivation

There is always motivation for everything you do daily. Everything you do and everywhere you go is motivated by something or someone. Behind the movement of every tourist there are various motives, it may be leisure, business, pilgrimage or any other.

Here are some types of tourists by motivation.

• Business tourists– Business tourists travel to undertake business activities such as business meetings, business conferences and business deals in a place far away from home.
• Leisure tourist– Leisure tourists travel to take a break from their daily routine life to enjoy and explore beautiful hotels, resorts and beaches.
• Food tourists– A food tourist travel for experiences of consumption and appreciation of food and beverages. They visit restaurants and taste food in a destination of interest.
• Sports tourists– Sports tourists travel from one place to another with the intention of being involved with a sporting activity or event.
• Romantic tourists– Romantic tourists travel from one region to another to seek for a romantic relationship.
• Event tourists– Even tourists travel with the motivation to attend events. They can be large scale events or small events, private events or public events.
• Educational tourists– Educational tourists travel with the desire to learn. The learning may be either a primary or secondary motivator to travel. Their aim is to learn new things acquiring new knowledge about culture or history of other destinations.
• Genealogy tourists– Genealogy tourists have ancestral connections to the destination they travel to. They travel to the land of their ancestors to reconnect with their past and walk in the footsteps of their forefathers.
• Film tourists– Film tourists travel to a destination or attraction which have become popular due to their appearance in films and television stories.

Further reading: Best places to visit in August

Types of tourists by gender

Gender is a factor that globally influences very diverse and varied areas of tourism. Tourism can make a tremendous contribution to people’s lives and to our planet. It is a tool for economic, social and political empowerment.

• Female tourists– Female tourists are women who travel around the world for different kinds of reasons which includes a holiday, vacation a business trip, an adventurous trip, a educational trip and many more.
• Male tourists– Male tourists are men who travel around the world for different kinds of reasons which includes a holiday, vacation a business trip, an adventurous trip, a educational trip and many more.

Further reading: Best places to visit in September

Types of tourists by age

Age also plays a big role in tourism because as one starts ageing it is more likely for you to take part in tourist activities. Many studies published over the years have shown that younger people like to travel more than older people.

As you age, you also seem to change you desires regarding visiting certain travel destinations as a tourist. When we’re younger, we tend to visit more exotic places where we can have fun. When we get older, we want a more laid-back journey where we can spend quality time with friends and family, on domestic trips, or at least shorter international trips.

• Senior tourists– These are a specific age group of tourists that have retired from active employment and have a lot of leisure time in hand.
• Youth tourists– These are young travellers having preference for budget accommodation, emphasis on meeting other travellers, independently organised, flexible travel schedule and longer rather than short holidays.

Cohen’s types of tourists

Erik Cohen is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Cohen’s tourist typology is a model that aims to categorise tourists into different types.

Here are the different types of tourists according to Cohen.

• The drifter

The drifter is the type of tourist that is least connected with the mass tourism industry, opting for staying with members of the local community rather than in hotels.

• The explorer

Explorers are like drifters, but they have a little more interaction with the commodities associated with the tourism industry. They may rest their head on a hotel pillow at the end of the day.

• The individual mass tourist

These tourists want familiarity, they want to be able to communicate in a familiar language, eat familiar food and they want to stay in types of accommodation that they are familiar with.

• The organised mass tourist

The Organised Mass Tourist seeks the familiar in the same way that the the Individual Mass Tourist does, however, they tend to do this as part of an organised group.

Plog’s types of tourists

Plog classifies tourists into 3 categories, and they are:

• Allocentric tourists

The allocentric tourist is most likely to visit destinations that are underdeveloped. This tourist is outgoing and self-confident in behavior and prefers to fly and to explore new and unusual areas before others do so.

• Psychocentric tourists

This type of tourist is usually non-adventurous. They prefer to return to familiar travel destinations where they can relax and know what types of food and activity to expect. They are most associated with areas that are well-developed.

• Mid-centric tourists

Mid-centric tourists fall somewhere in the middle, these types of tourists like some adventure, but also some of their home comforts. They swing between the above said two types.

Tourist types FAQs

1. Why is travelling important?

Travelling is important because it improves your health by cutting down stress and lowering your chances to developing a heart disease.

2. What are the types of travel motivators?

The basic travel motivations are, the physical motivators, the cultural motivators, the interpersonal motivators, and the status and prestige motivators.

3. What are the 3 forms of tourism?

The three basic forms of tourism are domestic tourism, inbound tourism, and outbound tourism.

4. What is the most important benefits of tourism?

The main benefits of tourism are income creation and generation of jobs.

5. What is a tourist attraction?

A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit.