When a new term is coined, it can provide a focus for rallying attention, or it can be a diversion into a cul-de-sac of misuse and misinterpretation. Since the term ‘pro poor tourism’ (PPT) was coined in 1999, it has achieved both. Several organisations now focus on tourism-poverty linkages. But agreement on what this means in practice, and demonstrable examples that boost the real benefits for the poor from engaging in tourism, remain scarce.