COMCEC Tourism Outlook-2016
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The figure demonstrates that there is a tendency of increase in tourist arrivals in Asia-Pacific
Region and decrease in Europe and Americas Region.
According to Tourism Towards 2030, UNWTO’s long-term outlook and assessment of future
tourism trends, the number of international tourist arrivals is expected to increase by 3.3% a
year on average from 2010 to 2030. This represents some 43 million more international tourist
arrivals every year, reaching a total of 1.4 billion arrivals by 2020, 1.5 billion arrivals by 2023
and 1.8 billion by 2030.
International tourist arrivals in the emerging-economy destinations of Asia, Latin America,
Central and Eastern Europe, Eastern Mediterranean Europe, the Middle East, and Africa will
grow at double the pace (4.4 percent a year) of advanced-economy destinations (2.2 percent a
year). The market share of emerging economies increased from 30% in 1980 to 45% in 2015,
and is expected to reach 57% by 2030, equivalent to over 1 billion international tourists.
3.3 International Tourism Receipts
As an internationally traded service, inbound tourismhas become one of the world’s major trade
categories. International tourism accounts for 30% of the world’s export of services and 6% of
overall exports and goods and services. International tourism receipts are the earnings
generated in destination countries from expenditure by international visitors on
accommodation, food and drink, local transport, entertainment, shopping and other services
and goods. For the receiving country receipts count as exports and for many destinations
tourism is a vital source of foreign currency earnings and an important contributor to the
economy, creating much needed employment and opportunities for development. From the
period 1980 to 2015, international tourism receipts increased from US$ 125 billion in 1980 to
US$ 1,260 billion in 2015 (UNWTO, 2016 TH).
The Figure 3.5 shows the international tourism receipts as well as tourist arrivals for the period
2005-2015. International tourism receipts grew by 4.4 % in real terms (i.e. using local
currencies at constant prices in order to adjust for inflation and exchange rate fluctuations) in
2015 by reaching to US$ 1,260 billion. The unusually strong exchange rate fluctuations in 2015
significantly influenced receipts for individual destinations and regions expressed in current US
dollars. As the US dollar appreciated against virtually all other currencies in 2015, earnings in
local currencies converted to US$ were in many cases lower than in 2014. In absolute terms,
international tourism receipts in destinations around the world decreased by US$ 49 billion.
In addition to receipts earned in the destinations (the travel item of the balance of payments),
international tourism also generated US$ 221 billion in exports through international passenger
transport services rendered to non-residents in 2015. As such, total receipts from international
tourism, including international passenger transport, reached US$ 1.5 trillion in 2015. This
means that international tourism contributes US$ 4 billion a day to global export earnings.