What are the 4 main stages of tourism?

There are actually 5 key elements of a tourism system (depending on which model you use): Leiper's (2004) model consists of:

1. Departing Travellers

2. Traveller Generating Region

3. Transit Route Region

4. Tourist Destination Region

5. Returning Travellers

The first is the tourist (the human component), the next 3 components are geographical and organisational and relate to transport, tourist activities and the tourism industry which offers services, goods and facilities for tourists. The last is self explanatory.