Speaking of: : World Tourism

If you have recently completed an international vacation or are planning one, welcome to a growing club. Although the world economy is undergoing stormy weather, international tourism is continuing to shine.

The World Tourism Organization estimates that people crossed international boundaries last year as tourists--that is, not on business--fully 475 million times. In fact, tourism brought the world almost $300 billion in foreign currency last year, according to the Madrid-based WTO, whose members represent 115 nations. Measured by the amount of money international tourists spend, the industry has virtually doubled in the last six years and nearly tripled in the last decade.

New International Heights

The number of tourists who crossed international borders has steadily increased over he last decade, going from 289 million to 475 million. The biggest one-year jump was in 1989, when there were an additional 34 million international tourists. The money the industry received also increased over the past decade, going from $98 billion to $278 billion.

Source: World Tourism Organization

Where the G-7 Go

Nearly half of the world’s tourists are from the world’s seven richest nations, the so-called G-7 industrial nations. The chart below shows the destinations of travelers from those nations, in thousands

* UNITED STATES

Africa: 204

N. America: 27,463

C. and S. America: 6,603

Asia (totals include the Middle East, Australia and the Pacific): 3,992

Europe: 11,370

World Total (Totals may not add up due to rounding off): 49,633

* JAPAN

Africa: 42

N. America: 3,717

C. and S. America: 6,603

Asia (totals include the Middle East, Australia and the Pacific): 8,742

Europe: 3,544

World Total (Totals may not add up due to rounding off): 16,147

* GERMANY

Africa: 809

N. America: 1,707

C. and S. America: 363

Asia (totals include the Middle East, Australia and the Pacific): 1,517

Europe: 57,096

World Total (Totals may not add up due to rounding off): 61,491

* FRANCE

Africa: 1,054

N. America: 1,077

C. and S. America: 483

Asia (totals include the Middle East, Australia and the Pacific): 958

Europe: 15,764

World Total (Totals may not add up due to rounding off): 19,337

* ITALY

Africa: 345

N. America: 568

C. and S. America: 232

Asia (totals include the Middle East, Australia and the Pacific): 647

Europe: 14,853

World Total (Totals may not add up due to rounding off): 16,644

* BRITAIN

Africa: 543

N. America: 3,032

C. and S. America: 500

Asia (totals include the Middle East, Australia and the Pacific): 2,588

Europe: 25,957

World Total (Totals may not add up due to rounding off): 32,621

* CANADA

Africa: 58

N. America: 19,187

C. and S. America: 672

Asia (totals include the Middle East, Australia and the Pacific): 754

Europe: 1,666

World Total (Totals may not add up due to rounding off): 22,337

Source: World Tourism Organization

Top 10 Destinations

Germans are the most frequent world travelers; they recorded 61 million international visits in 1991, or nearly three for every four residents of the country. France was the most popular tourist destination; 55 million foreigners visited France in 1991. America ranked second in both categories.

Top 10 Spenders

Of the world’s seven richest countries, only France and Italy run surpluses in their tourism balance of trade. Japan has one of the worst tourism deficits, recording only 2 million visits by foreigners in 1991 compared to the 16 million visits made by Japanese tourists to other countries. Americans, meanwhile, accounted for nearly 50 million foreign trips while almost 43 million foreign tourists came to the United States.

World’s Largest Industry

By the World Travel and Tourism Council’s reckoning, the tourism industry employs 127 million people and accounts for $3.5 trillion worth of economic activity. The Brussels-based council measures domestic as well as international tourism, and its definition of “travel and tourism” is a broad one, meant to account for all but “routine” travel. In addition, it counts not only restaurant meals but also a percentage of food served in homes to foreign vistors.

Source: World Travel and Tourism Council

Continental Divide

International Tourist Arrivals (1991; in millions):

Europe: 278

North America: 58

Asia, Pacific & Middle East: 63

Central and South America: 40

Africa: 16

Source: World Travel and Tourism Council