There are many different types of tourists around the world, and understanding them is essential if the tourism industry is to meet their needs. It would make little sense to sell kids’ club passes to tourists who are mostly retired and travelling without children, just as it would make little sense to sell volunteer tourism trips to tourists who simply want to relax by the pool on their annual holiday.
From a tourism management perspective, understanding the different types of tourists allows businesses to provide each tourist type with the products and services that best suit their needs and demands. The same knowledge is valuable for travel agents, who need to match clients with the right holidays (see how to find clients as a travel agent). This article introduces the major tourist typologies used in tourism studies, along with the most common types of tourists by destination and by tourism type.
Contents
Cohen’s types of tourists
Cohen’s tourist typology (1972) was one of the first major typologies developed in the travel and tourism industry. Cohen grouped tourists into four categories, based on how much novelty or familiarity they seek. These are explained briefly below (for a more comprehensive explanation, see the full guide to Cohen’s tourist typology).
The Drifter
Drifters typically have an authentic and deep immersive tourism experience, opting for staying with members of the local community rather than in hotels and spending their time in the local community. They seek adventure and plan their own itineraries. This type of tourist always opts for novelty over familiarity- you won’t see a Drifter eating in McDonalds or shopping in Zara! The Drifter is the type of tourist that is least connected with the mass tourism industry.
The Explorer
Explorers also seek novelty over the familiar, however these types of tourists do often have a little more interaction with the commodities associated with the tourism industry. For example, an Explorer may travel independently and enjoy an immersive cultural experience, but they may rest their head on a hotel pillow at the end of the day. This type of tourist will generally eat and shop local, but don’t be surprised if they enjoy a Big Mac from time to time too.
The Individual Mass Tourist
The Individual Mass Tourist seeks the familiar rather than the new. These types of tourists want familiar food, they want to be able to communicate in a familiar language and they want to stay in types of accommodation that they are familiar with. However, the Individual Mass Tourist is not constrained by the likes of group tours and activities- yes, they may book their holiday through a travel agent or use a local tour guide, but they will typically opt for solo travel over group tours.
The Organised Mass Tourist
The Organised Mass Tourist seeks the familiar, typically as part of an organised group. These types of tourists seek the familiar over novelty every time and they are often found with tour guides and undertaking group tours. The Organised Mass Tourist will generally have an itinerary or a plan and they will stick to it.
Plog’s types of tourists
Stanley Plog is another tourism academic who categorised types of tourists, in his model of allocentricity and psychocentricity (first published in 1974). He grouped tourists into three main types and mapped these to the way that a destination may rise and fall in popularity. A full explanation of the theory can be found in the guide to Plog’s model of allocentricity and psychocentricity.
Allocentric tourists
According to Plog, the allocentric tourist is most likely associated with destinations that are un(der)developed. These types of tourists might be the first tourists to visit an area. They may be the first intrepid explorers, the ones brave enough to travel to the ‘unknown’. Allocentric tourists like adventure. They are not afraid of the unknown. They like to explore.
Allocentric tourists are often found travelling alone. They are not fazed that the destination they are visiting doesn’t have a chapter in their guidebook. In fact, they are excited by the prospect of travelling to a place that most people have never heard of!
Psychocentric tourists
Psychocentric tourists are the opposite to allocentric tourists. Psychocentric tourists are most commonly associated with areas that are well-developed or over-developed for tourism. Many people will have visited the area before them- it has been tried and tested. These tourists feel secure knowing that their holiday choice will provide them with the comforts and familiarities that they know and love.
Psychocentric tourists travel in organised groups. Their holidays are typically organised for them by their travel agent. These travellers seek the familiar. They are happy in the knowledge that their holiday resort will provide them with their home comforts. The standard activity level of psychocentric tourists is low. These types of tourists enjoy holiday resorts and all inclusive packages. They are components of enclave tourism, meaning that they are likely to stay put in their hotel for the majority of the duration of their holiday. These are often repeat tourists, who choose to visit the same destination year-on-year.
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. Perhaps they book their holiday themselves through dynamic packaging, but then spend the majority of their time in their holiday resort. Or maybe they book an organised package, but then choose to break away from the crowd and explore the local area.
Video: Types of tourists: Cohen, Plog and more
Types of tourists by destination type
It is common for types of tourists to be grouped by the destination type. This typically encompasses four major categories, as explained below.
Domestic tourists
Domestic tourism is the act of travelling for business or leisure within one’s home country. According to UN Tourism (formerly the UNWTO), a domestic visitor is a resident travelling to a main destination within their own country, outside of their usual environment; a visitor who stays at least one night is classed as a domestic tourist, while one who does not is a same-day visitor (or excursionist).
Domestic tourism is by far the largest part of global tourism – the vast majority of tourism trips worldwide are taken within travellers’ own countries. Popular destinations for domestic tourism include the USA, India and China, all of which are large countries with a wide variety of tourist experiences to offer. China alone recorded more than 5.6 billion domestic trips in 2024.
International tourists
International tourism is the act of travelling overseas for business or leisure. International tourism is one of the biggest industries in the world – according to UN Tourism, there were around 1.4 billion international tourist arrivals in 2024, almost back to pre-pandemic levels. Which tourists visit which destinations is determined by a number of different factors, such as distance to travel, cost of living in the traveller generating region and the tourism destination region, the tourist’s culture, disposable income and a range of other factors.
Inbound tourists
Inbound tourism is the act of someone travelling to a country other than that of where they live for the purpose of tourism.
Many countries around the world rely on inbound tourism. Inbound tourism is often seasonal, meaning that many destinations will have evident peak, shoulder and low seasons. This is often dependent on weather conditions (for example sun or snow) and school and public holidays.
Outbound tourists
Outbound tourism is the act of travelling ‘out’ of your home country for the purposes of tourism. Outbound tourism does not include the purchasing of goods or services before or after the trip within the tourism generating country.
The terms outbound tourism and inbound tourism are often used interchangeably. This is because a tourist who is travelling internationally is both an outbound tourist (because they travel OUT of their home country) and an inbound tourist (because they travel IN to another country).
Types of tourists by tourism type
Many people differentiate types of tourists according to the type of tourism that they are undertaking. Whilst this can be useful, it can also become rather complicated when you consider how many different types of tourism there are! Some of the most common types of tourists by tourism type are outlined below, and a much longer list can be found in this glossary of 150 different types of tourism.
Sustainable tourists
Sustainable tourism is one of the most important types of tourism, and more tourists are embracing sustainable travel choices than ever before – from choosing lower-carbon transport to supporting locally owned businesses.
Sustainable tourism, also often referred to as responsible tourism, relies on the premise of taking care of the environment, society and economy. Sustainable tourism principles intend to minimise the negative impacts of tourism, whilst maximising the positive impacts.
Ethical tourists
Ethical tourism refers to tourism that benefits the people and the environment involved. It is closely aligned with the concepts of sustainable tourism and responsible tourism. Many tourists now seek advice on how they can be ethical tourists and implement this into their travel decisions and behaviours.
Experiential tourists
Experiential tourism is derived from the concept of experiential learning, whereby a person learns and creates meaning through their experiences. Therefore, these types of tourists focus on immersion with a particular destination, its culture, people, customs and histories. Experiential tourism is popular amongst backpackers, students and tourists looking for an authentic and deep travel experience.
Adventure tourists
Adventure tourism is one of the most exciting types of tourism. Adventure tourism is tourism which involves a degree of risk. It typically requires specialist skills or physical exertion. Adventure tourists might go rock climbing, skydiving, white water rafting, mountain climbing, zip-lining and paragliding, to name just a few examples.
Dark tourists
Dark tourism, also known as black tourism, thanatourism or grief tourism, is tourism that is associated with death or tragedy.
The act of dark tourism is somewhat controversial, with some viewing it as an act of respect and others as unethical practice. Popular dark tourism attractions include Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York. Lesser known dark tourism attractions might include cemeteries, zombie-themed events or historical museums.
Cultural tourists
Cultural tourism is the act of travellers visiting particular destinations in order to experience and learn about a particular culture. This can include many activities such as; attending events and festivals, visiting museums and tasting the local food and drinks. Cultural tourism can also be an unintentional part of the tourism experience, whereby cultural immersion (with the local people, their language, customs, cuisine etc) is an inevitable part of a person’s holiday.
Ecotourists
Ecotourism is a form of tourism directed at preserving fragile environments and eco-systems. Ecotourism commonly occurs in threatened natural environments, where the intention is to provide conservation. Ecotourism efforts include building tourist facilities that have minimal impact on the natural environment, adopting the use of products such as compost toilets or solar-powered electricity.
Ecotourism has become somewhat of a ‘buzz word’ in recent years and is closely related to the concept of sustainable tourism.
Medical tourists
Another type of tourist that is increasing rapidly are Medical tourists. Medical tourism, also known as health tourism, refers to the act of travelling to another destination for the purpose of medical treatment. Motivations of medical tourists may include reduced costs for treatments or higher quality of provision. Medical tourists may seek life-saving treatments unavailable to them at home, cosmetic surgery or dental procedures amongst a range of other medical needs. Popular destinations include Turkey, Mexico, Thailand and India.
Religious tourists
Religious tourism, also known as faith tourism, refers to the act of travelling for the purposes of religious pilgrimage, missionary, or interest. A branch of cultural tourism, religious tourism constituted some of the earliest tourism forms. Not all religious tourists conform to beliefs of or religious practices of the attractions/destinations that they are visiting which can cause conflict between visitors and worshippers. Popular religious tourism destinations include Israel, Mecca and Varanasi.
Business tourists
Business tourism, or business travel, is one of the most important types of tourism there is, because it is so big! Business tourism is essentially a form of travel which involves undertaking business activities that are based away from home.
Business tourism activities include attending meetings, congresses, exhibitions, incentive travel and corporate hospitality – often grouped together under the acronym MICE tourism.
The traveller versus tourist debate
To conclude, it is worth addressing a debate that is frequently raised in travel writing: the ‘tourist versus traveller’ debate.
Many people claim that they are not tourists but ‘travellers’, because they enjoy immersing themselves in the local culture and avoiding mass tourism hotspots. However, under the accepted definition of tourism, these people are just as much tourists as anybody else.
As this article has demonstrated, there are many different types of tourists. Some enjoy local experiences and avoid packaged, commodified and mass tourism products, while others are at their happiest sipping a cocktail by the pool at an all inclusive holiday resort. It doesn’t matter exactly what people do on their trips – anyone travelling away from home to see and experience new and different places is a tourist.
Types of tourists: FAQs
Below are answers to some of the most common questions about the different types of tourists.
What are the four types of tourists according to Cohen?
Cohen’s typology identifies four types of tourists: the Drifter, the Explorer, the Individual Mass Tourist and the Organised Mass Tourist. They range from those who seek the most novelty (Drifters) to those who seek the most familiarity (Organised Mass Tourists).
What is the difference between allocentric and psychocentric tourists?
In Plog’s model, allocentric tourists are adventurous and seek unfamiliar, undeveloped destinations, while psychocentric tourists prefer familiar, well-developed destinations, often travelling on organised packages. Mid-centric tourists fall between the two.
What are the main types of tourists by destination?
Tourists are commonly grouped as domestic tourists (travelling within their own country), international tourists, inbound tourists (arriving in a country) and outbound tourists (leaving their home country).
Why is it important to understand types of tourists?
Understanding types of tourists helps tourism businesses, destinations and travel agents design and market products and services that match visitors’ needs, motivations and budgets.
Is a traveller different from a tourist?
Not in tourism studies. Anyone who travels outside their usual environment for leisure, business or other purposes is a tourist, regardless of whether they prefer mass tourism or independent, immersive travel.
Types of tourists- further reading
If you found this article on the different types of tourists useful, these articles may also be of interest:
- What is alternative tourism and why is it growing so fast?
- Where to find a job in travel and tourism
- The fascinating history of tourism
- 150 types of tourism: A glossary
- How to become an independent travel agent
- What is a workation and why should you take one?
