Economic Development

Much is made of the scale and importance of the tourism industry internationally. International and domestic tourism are both growing rapidly in the age of cheap fossil-fuelled transport as peoples’ leisure time and disposable income increase they have a high propensity to travel. Tourism is described by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) as one of the world’s largest economic sectors; their research identifies the sector as accounting for 10.4% of global GDP and 313 million jobs, or 9.9% of total employment, in 2017. Based on their research, they conclude that: “Over the past ten years, one in five of all jobs created across the world has been in the sector...”. The employment figures include both direct employment 3.8%, of total employment in 2017 and indirect employment 6.1%. {in: World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) (2018) Travel & Tourism Economic Impact 2018 published March 2018. p.1}