Tourism at Home and Abroad

Understanding the Concept of Tourism

It is key to understand the definition of tourism which is the activity of travelling to places away from one’s home for leisure, business or other purposes.
Recognize the concept of local tourism (tourisme local), when people explore attractions within their home country, and international tourism (tourisme international), when people travel overseas.
Be familiar with different types of tourism including eco-tourism (éco-tourisme), adventure tourism (tourisme d’aventure), cultural tourism (tourisme culturel), and more.

The Importance of Tourism

The tourism industry is a major source of income (source de revenus) for many countries and can provide an economic boost.
Tourism also helps to promote cultural exchange (promouvoir l’échange culturel), leading to a better understanding between different nations.
It can create employment opportunities (opportunités d’emploi) in areas like hospitality, travel, and food services.
Knowledge of the negative impacts of tourism is also important - it can lead to environmental degradation and pressure on local resources.

Key Vocabulary

Holiday in French is vacances and travel is voyage.
Tourist attraction is called attraction touristique.
Transportation terms: by car (en voiture), by bus (en bus), by train (en train), by plane (en avion).
Learn to describe different types of accommodation - hotel (hôtel), campsite (camping), hostel (auberge), guest house (maison d’hôtes).

Useful Phrases

I am going on holiday to… translates as Je vais en vacances à…
I prefer to travel by… is Je préfère voyager en…
I like to visit tourist attractions such as… translates to J’aime visiter des attractions touristiques comme…
I am staying at a… can be said as Je reste à un…

Practice using Different Tenses

Practice describing past holidays using the past tense.
Discuss future holiday plans using the future tense.
Describe what you would do on an ideal holiday using the conditional tense, e.g. J’irais à la plage tous les jours (I would go to the beach every day).

Use these revision points, vocabulary and phrases to practice speaking and writing essay responses. Remember, application and practice is the key to mastering any language.