7.2 million new jobs in 2015 – thanks to tourism

#TRAVEL and tourism added 7.2 million jobs to the global economy and contributed over USD$ 7.2 trillion in gross domestic product (GDP) in 2015, says the World Travel & Tourism Council in its annual Economic Impact Report. 

David Scowsill, the council’s president & CEO, says: ‘Despite uncertainty in the global economy and specific challenges to travel & tourism last year, the sector grew by 3.1%, contributing a total of 9.8% 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 and tourism,’ he added, ‘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 and tourism at the global level continues to produce another robust performance.’

All of the world’s regions showed growth in total travel and tourism’s contribution to GDP last year. South-East Asia was the fastest growing region with growth of 7.9% followed by South Asia, which grew 7.4%. The Middle East grew 5.9%, Caribbean 5.1%, Sub-Saharan Africa 3.3%, North America 3.1%, Europe 2.5%, North-East Asia 2.1%, Latin America 1.5%, and North Africa 1.4%.

Security concerns, border policies, oil prices, the strength of the US dollar relative to other currencies, and other macro-economic developments will continue to influence travel trends in 2016 and beyond, says the council, but over the next decade, travel and tourism are expected to continue to outpace the world economy, growing by 4% on average annually.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK