"Tourist" redirects here; for the album by Athlete, see Tourist (album)

For the Roxette album, see Tourism (album)

see List of popular tourist regions

Tourism is the act of travel for the purpose of recreation and business, and the provision of services for this act. Tourists are people who are "travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited" (official UNWTO definition). The distance between these two places is of no significance.

A more comprehensive definition would be that tourism is a service industry, comprising a number of tangible and intangible components. The tangible elements include transport systems — air, rail, road, water and now, space; hospitality services — accommodation, foods and beverages, tours, souvenirs; and related services such as banking, insurance and safety and security. The intangible elements include: rest and relaxation, culture, escape, adventure, new and different experiences.

More on [ Tourism ]

L.A. Times - Latin America

Barbadians gripe over snake 'find'
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700
They long knew about the world's smallest snake, which just made its scientific debut. A small snake has sparked a big debate in Barbados.
World Briefing
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700
China: Quake-hit schools were poorly built / Mexico: Three held in beheadings / Russia: Army kills 5 Muslim rebels in Dagestan Schools were poorly built
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels opens its doors to mariachi camp
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The L.A. cathedral plays host to young musicians learning the upbeat Mexican genre. Joacim Naranjo plays the trumpet pretty well. But the 16-year-old from East Los Angeles found himself flapping his sore lips like a horse as he and a half dozen other boys tried to master the rapidly cascading sounds of a mariachi song.
Los Angeles International Latino Film Festival to begin Sept. 12
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700
A production boom in Colombia will be felt. I N THE film " Para�so Travel,” a young immigrant named Marlon finds himself lost and broke shortly after arriving in New York and being separated from his girlfriend, the cunning and sexy Reina, played by Ang�lica Bland�n. He meets an older man, a fixer for new arrivals, who helps him find shelter and asks the naive illegal what else he might need.
U.S. national team makes a rare trip to Cuba
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Americans are favored in World Cup qualifier, but Cubans are fired up for the event. Sixty-one years have slipped by since the one and only time the United States played Cuba in a soccer match on Cuban soil.
LAX tightens security measures after alleged smuggling
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Airport and federal officials have made adjustments in the international terminal after an elevator mechanic was arrested on suspicion of helping illegal immigrants enter the country. Airport officials and federal authorities said Thursday that they have tightened security at Los Angeles International Airport because of the recent arrest of an elevator mechanic suspected of smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States.

UN News Centre - Americas

UN rushing aid to Caribbean nations hit hard by severe weather
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The United Nations is providing assistance to a number of countries in the Caribbean that have been badly affected by recent severe weather, particularly Haiti which has been the worst hit, the world body's top humanitarian official said today.
Emergency aid expected to reach stranded Haitians, says UN agency
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The United Nations food agency expects to be able to send emergency assistance today to Haitians stranded in the flooded northern city of Gona�ves, which was battered by Tropical Storm Hanna on Monday night.
Floating clinic brings vital health care to Ecuador's refugee communities - UN
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Isolated communities living in northern Ecuador are now able to receive urgently-needed health care thanks to a new floating clinic launched with the help of the United Nations refugee agency.

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