Tourism is one of the world’s largest and fastest growing industries, and it is projected to continue to grow rapidly over the coming decades. This course seeks to provide a broad introduction to the activities of travel and tourism, with particular emphasis on the interactions and experiences of hosts and guests. The notion of the tourism system will be explored, including the role and importance of the various different types of tourism destination. Concepts of ‘host’ and ‘guest’ in the context of travel and tourism will be described, and the variety of potential interactions between hosts and guests critically analysed. The significance of the tourism experience to visitor satisfaction, loyalty and likelihood to revisit/ recommend will be identified, as will the importance of hospitality/customer service to the tourism experience.