Inbound tourism refers to the activities of a visitor from outside the country of residence. For example, a Briton visiting a foreign country is an example of outbound tourism. National tourism is when you visit somewhere within your own country but outside the specific place where you live. Imagine a British person living in London who leaves to explore another part of the United Kingdom - they would be classified as domestic tourists.
Generally, there are three types of tourism in any country: domestic, international, and outbound. However, many other types of tourism have evolved recently. These types of tourists usually eat and buy local products, but don't be surprised if they also enjoy a Big Mac from time to time. Urban tourism involves traveling to and around non-rural destinations.
Dental tourism is a type of tourism that fewer people are aware of, but which is becoming increasingly popular. In some tourism-related publications, these three official types of tourism give way to four different types of tourists. Tourists who seek the familiar rather than the new are often found with tour guides and group trips. Explorers seek the new rather than the familiar and tend to interact more with products related to the tourism industry.
International tourists cross borders, use different currencies, speak different languages, and meet different types of people. Educational tourism involves traveling to a foreign country for educational purposes. Visiting friends and family puts very low pressure on the provision of tourist facilities at the destination. Sustainable tourism is one of the most important types of tourism in existence and more and more tourists are embracing it today than ever before.
These types of tourists focus on immersing themselves in a particular destination, its culture, its people, its customs and stories. Stanley Plog classified the types of tourists according to his model of allocentricity and psychocentrism.
