Introduction. In “fluid modernity” (Z. Bauman), tourist travel becomes a channel of symbolic mobility that compensates for the limitations of vertical mobility. Classical theories (P. Sorokin, T. Parsons) viewed mobility as a change in status positions, but the analysis of tourism as a form of mobility shaped by inequality remains fragmentary. The aim is to theoretically substantiate the inclusion of tourism into the system of social mobility.

Methodology and sources. The key requirement is distinguishing social mobility (change in stratification position) from physical mobility (J. Urry). The construct “tourism as a form of social mobility” is introduced with two sub-modes: direct mobility (business tourism as capital accumulation) and compensatory mobility (illusion of status elevation). Theoretical foundations include neo-Weberian theory (C. Tilly), J. Urry's “new mobility” concept, and D. MacCannell's theory of the leisure class.

Results and discussion. Classical sociology defined parameters of inequality (property, power, prestige). P. Sorokin identified a trend of increasing mobility from physical to intellectual labor. Tourism evolved from elite practice (T. Veblen) to a mass phenomenon. Motivation is shaped by three barriers: economic, temporal, and cultural. The compensatory function of tourism is revealed: for groups excluded from upward mobility, travel creates an illusion of status ascent. Ambivalence is noted while symbolically solving the problem of inequality for the individual, tourism reproduces it through the differentiation of ways to escape everyday life.

Conclusion. In a “streaming society”, tourism becomes a new form of social mobility, but its role is ambivalent. Practices are differentiated: elite tourism demonstrates status, mass tourism provides compensation, business tourism serves as real mobility. Research prospects include empirical verification of motivational profiles of tourists from different stratification groups.