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International tourism breaks new records who benefits?
UNWTO Secretary General calls for fair and sustainable growth
Latest UNWTO figures indicate that international tourist arrivals grew by 5% in 2013, reaching a record 1,087 million arrivals. Despite global economic challenges, international tourism results were well above expectations, with an additional 52 million international tourists travelling the world in 2013.
For 2014, UNWTO forecasts 4% to 4.5% growth – again, above the long term projections.
Big tourism destination winners were Asia the Pacific and Africa (+6%) and Europe (+5%) and UNWTO forecasts global growth of 4%-4.5% above its earlier projection of 3.8%.
And, who is spending the tourist dollar? China, which became the largest outbound market in 2012 with an expenditure of US$ 102 billion, saw an increase in expenditure of 28% in the first three quarters of 2013. The Russian Federation, the 5th largest outbound market, reported 26% growth through September.
The performance of key advanced economy source markets was comparatively more modest, says the UNWTO – France (+6%) recovered from a weak 2012 and the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia all grew at 3%. In contrast, Germany, Japan and Italy reported declines in outbound expenditure.
And whose expenditure is on the increase significantly? Look out for Turkey (+24%), Qatar (+18%), Philippines (+18%), Kuwait (+15%), Indonesia (+15%), Ukraine (+15%) and Brazil (+14%).
But is it all sustainable?
According to Taleb Rifai the UNWTO Secretary-General "2013 was an excellent year for international tourism. The tourism sector has shown a remarkable capacity to adjust to the changing market conditions, fuelling growth and job creation around the world, despite the lingering economic and geopolitical challenges. Indeed, tourism has been among the few sectors generating positive news for many economies", he added.
"Against this backdrop, UNWTO calls upon national governments to increasingly set up national strategies that support the sector and to deliver on their commitment to fair and sustainable growth", added Mr Rifai.
So, in a buoyant but turbulent world, sustainability is the key to a worldwide harmonious growth and using all those benefits efficiently.
Valere Tjolle
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