Some common concepts of tourism are as follows:
1. Tourism as a social system
Although tourism is an individual human experience, it is usually shared with other people. A tourist is a person from other culture. S/he does not belong to visiting society. They come in contact with local people and social institutions. The socialization process may be short, informal to intense interpersonal interaction. Friendship may be formed or conflicts may be created. This approach tries to study tourism from social perspectives.
2. Tourism as geographical phenomena
Tourism is studied as a relation between two places, origin to destination in this concept of tourism. Travel from the origin to a destination is an inherent and distinctive characteristics of tourism. For participation in tourism, a person must travel certain distance from normal place of residence. Tourism management is to link two places.
3. Tourism as a resource
Many communities, local governments and even central government prefer to define tourism as a resource. The most common saying is that ' a tourist brings money'. Their tourism management is related to revenue management. Local bodies and communities are interested in adding tourism into their system, because of its potentiality to bring money from other regions with minimal effort and environmental impact. Tourism can also be a positive force for the preservation of local sites, traditional skill and cultural activities.
4. Tourism as a business
This is the most popular approach among the businessmen and to the people who work in the tourism industry. Under this, tourism is related to business. This approach assumes that tourism is related to improve business efficiency, marketing and improving manpower.
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5. Tourism as an industry
This approach of tourism believes that tourism is not just several businesses but is an industry. It is a group of several related businesses: transportation, accommodation, food service, attractions and events and many retail activities.