Tourism sector accounted for 7.2 million new jobs last year only

Over 7.2 million jobs and $ 7.2 trillion in GDP were added by the travel and tourism sector in 2015, shows the latest report of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) regarding economic impact

The report issued by WTTC and covering 184 countries and 24 regions, has presented general tourism growth and direct contribution to GDP growth for each of the countries assessed.

According to the data, destinations like Iceland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and Uganda were among the countries in which Travel & Tourism outperformed the economy in 2015.

Middle class income, the increase in the aging population, better destinations connectivity and accessibility were the main indicators that made the growth possible.

David Scowsill, President of WTTC, commented on the report:

“Despite uncertainty in the global economy and specific challenges to Travel & Tourism last year, the sector grew by 3.1 percent, contributing a total of 9.8 percent to the global GDP. Travel & Tourism also supported a total of 284 million jobs in 2015, an increase of 7.2 million, which means it now supports, directly and indirectly, 1 in 11 jobs on the planet. Travel & Tourism once again has proved its resilient nature. Terror attacks, disease outbreaks, currency fluctuations and geopolitical challenges have impacted the sector at a country or regional level, but Travel & Tourism at the global level continues to produce another robust performance.”

The fastest growing Travel & Tourism region was found to be Southeast Asia, with a recorded growth of 7.9 per cent. Next on the list was South Asia (7.4 per cent), while Middle East accounts for the third place (with a registered growth of 5.9 per cent).

For 2016, experts forecast a 3.5 per cent grow of Travel & Tourism. Over the next decade, it is expected that the sector will continue growing by a 4 per cent rate every year.