Visitors can be classified based on their length of stay in the destination: overnight visitors or same-day visitors. The word excursionist is also used to refer to same-day visitors. Tourism statisticians use tourist to refer visitors who stay at least one night in a destination. Visitors can be further classified into the following (Taneja, 2006):

1. Day trippers or excursionists
2. Overnight trippers (which some authors technically refer to as the “tourists”)

• • a. Weekenders
  • b. Long-stay/vacationers

We can also classify tourists according to their point of origin: domestic, outbound, or inbound.

Domestic tourists refer to residents of a country who travel within their own country, such as residents of Manila going to Boracay. Outbound tourists refer to residents traveling to another country, such as Filipinos going to Singapore. Finally, inbound tourists refer to non-residents visiting a country other than their own, such as Tanzanians visiting the Philippines.

The three classifications mentioned above can be combined and will further result to another set of three classifications:

1. Internal = Domestic + Inbound
2. National = Domestic + Outbound
3. International = Inbound + Outbound

Domestic and inbound tourism constitute internal tourism. Domestic and outbound tourism make up national tourism. Lastly, inbound and outbound tourism comprise international tourism (UNWTO, as cited in Wachowiak, 2006).

The tourists’ needs are shaped by their purpose of travel and the activities they want to do in the destination. These may be one or a combination of the following:

1. Visiting friends and relatives (VFR) is a travel which the main purpose is the strengthening of relationships with friends and relatives. VFR tourist tends to rely on their friends and relatives for their itinerary.
2. Ecotourismis the responsible travel to natural areas that conserve the environment and improve the well-being of local people (The International Ecotourism Society, 1990).
3. Cultural Tourismis a form tourism that focuses on the culture of a destination- the lifestyle, heritage, arts, industries, and leisure’s pursuits of the local population (Australian Office of National Tourism, 1997 in Csapo, 2012).
4. Sports Tourismis a from tourism that focuses on sports activities as the main purpose or travel motivator: extreme or adventure tourism can be considered as a subset of sports tourism.
5. Medical tourisminvolves travelling and staying in a place outside the tourist’s usual environment to avail of medical treatment, for wellness or aesthetic purposes.
6. Philanthropic tourismis a travel undertaken to improve human welfare by donating money, goods, or volunteer hours. This is based on the dictionary definition of philanthropy as “the altruistic concern for human welfare and advancement usually manifested by donations of money, goods, or volunteer hours.
7. Space tourismis a travel to space for a leisure purposes.
8. MICEare a travel to attend meetings, incentives, conference, and exhibitions.