Ag. Esc. Alexandre Herculano2018/19Cursos Profissionais – 10º ANO  Módulo 2  FICHA N.

º 3 

Topic: A MULTICULTURAL WORLD Theme: Tourism Trends

INTERNATIONAL TOURISM TRENDS 2017
While France, the United States and Spain still led the rankings of 2015 in terms of international tourist arrivals, new
destinations were close behind. Following explosive growth in its travel industry, China now accounts for more
international travellers than any other country in the world.

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INTERNATIONAL TOURISM ARRIVALS
Eighth consecutive year of sustained growth.

International tourist arrivals grew 7.0% in 2017, the highest increase since the 2009 global economic crisis and well above
UNWTO’S long-term forecast of 3.8% per year for the period 2010 to 2020.

Growth was fuelled by the global economic upswing, resulting in strong outbound demand from virtually all source
markets.

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Confidence in global tourism remains strong according to the latest UNWTO Panel of Tourism Experts Survey.

INTERNATIONAL TOURISM RECEIPTS

Tourism is the world’s third largest export category. As a worldwide export category, tourism ranks third after chemicals
and fuels and ahead of automotive products. In many developing countries, tourism is the top export category.

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Strong outbound demand from both traditional and emerging markets fuelled growth in global receipts, which follows the
positive trend recorded in international tourist arrivals (+7%).

According to World Tourism Organization (WTO) estimates, the number of international tourist arrivals reached 1.326
million in 2017. In 2017 international tourist arrivals saw the highest growth in seven years since 2010. Seen over the
longer term, growth has been exponential.

International tourism receipts increased 5% in 2017 in real terms.

The Middle East led growth in tourism receipts with a 13% increase, followed by Africa and Europe which both recorded
8% growth. Receipts grew 3% in Asia and the Pacific and 1% in the Americas.

WORLD’S TOP TOURISM DESTINATIONS

When ranking the world’s top international tourism destinations, it is important to consider both international tourist
arrivals and international tourism receipts.

Seven out of the top ten destinations appear on both rankings, despite showing marked differences in terms of the type of
tourist they attract, as well as the average length of stay and spending per trip and per night.

Japan entered the top ten od receipts after six straight years of double-digit growth. The changes in the receipts ranking
are partly the result of China’s moving down from 5th to 12th place owing to a revision in methodology.

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All regions enjoyed an increase in international arrivals, led by Asia and the Pacific (+8%). Europe (+7%), the world’s largest
tourism region, also performed strongly for this four-month period.

OUTBOUND TOURISM – WHERE DO MOST TOURISTS COME FROM?

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CONSTANTLY SHIFTING RANKINGS
Not only has the ranking of destinations changed dramatically over the years, the sheer number of countries visited by
tourists has increased tremendously. Here are some interesting observations about the number of international arrivals at
the most popular destinations.

The top six destinations have remained more or less the same since the year 2000. France enjoys a comfortable lead and
China – which outranked Spain in 2010 – is now closing in on the United States.

2016/17
France
Spain
USA
China
Italy
Mexico
United Kingdom
Turkey
Germany
Thailand

WHERE DO MOST TRAVELLERS COME FROM?

Europe is currently the top source market for tourists, generating 48% of all international tourists, followed by Asia and
the Pacific (25%) and the Americas (17%) (Table 2). Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East and Africa recorded the strongest
average annual growth rate for the period covered.

The majority of international visitors, approximately four out of five, travel within their own region. However, it would
appear that the number of trips from one region to another has increased at a faster rate than the number of
intraregional trips. Industrialized countries remain the primary source markets of international tourists. However, with the
increase in disposable income, many emerging economies have experienced higher growth rates in the past few years.

In short, the tourism market is constantly changing and welcoming more participants so it is easy to get lost in the crowd.
The good news? The number of tourists from various regions around the world is growing constantly. We live in an age
where physical distances are less intimidating than before and where tourists are choosing to travel just about
everywhere. We must design our tourism strategies to reflect a broader geographic perspective and not be afraid to
compete with top-ranked destinations.

Sources:

– World Tourism Organization. “World Tourism Barometer, June 2018.”

– World Tourism Organization. “Tourism Highlights, 2018 Edition.”

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