In 2024, the share of travel and tourism's total contribution to global gross domestic product (GDP) showed a decline of *** percentage points compared to 2019. Overall, the travel and tourism market represented ** percent of the global GDP in 2024. That year, the total contribution of travel and tourism to the global GDP amounted to almost ** trillion U.S. dollars. What is the contribution of travel and tourism to employment? In 2024, the total number of travel and tourism jobs worldwide exceeded pre-pandemic levels, with global travel and tourism employment surpassing *** million. This figure, which refers to jobs generated directly and indirectly by the travel and tourism sector, was forecast to grow further in 2025. How many people travel every year? After sinking in 2020 to the lowest point recorded since 1989, the number of international tourist arrivals worldwide caught up with pre-pandemic levels in 2024, reaching almost *** billion. Both before and after the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Europe was the global region with the highest number of international tourist arrivals.

In 2024, Panama was estimated to be the most tourism-dependent economy in Latin America, with the sector accounting for 15.3 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP). El Salvador followed in the ranking that year, with a share of tourism contribution to GDP above 15 percent too.

In 2023, the share of travel and tourism's total contribution to GDP in European Union member countries and the United Kingdom remained in most cases below the figures reported before the COVID-19 pandemic, but showed strong signs of recovery. Overall, Croatia was the EU country where travel and tourism contributed the highest share of gross domestic product in 2023. That year, these industries generated, directly and indirectly, nearly ** percent of the country's GDP. Portugal and Greece followed in the ranking in 2023, with travel and tourism representing **** percent and **** percent of GDP, respectively.

The tourism sector GDP share in the United Kingdom was forecast to increase between 2023 and 2028 by in total *** percentage points. This overall increase does not happen continuously, notably not in 2027. The share is estimated to amount to **** percent in 2028. While the share was forecast to increase significant in the next years, the increase will slow down in the future.Depited is the economic contribution of the tourism sector in relation to the gross domestic product of the country or region at hand.The forecast has been adjusted for the expected impact of COVID-19.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in more than *** countries and regions worldwide. All input data are sourced from international institutions, national statistical offices, and trade associations. All data has been are processed to generate comparable datasets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).

In 2019, Macau generated the highest share of GDP through direct travel and tourism of any other economy worldwide, with over half its GDP coming from this sector. Macau is a city and a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China - its economy is largely based on casino gaming and tourism. The nation with the second highest share of GDP generated by direct travel and tourism was the Maldives. The country began to develop its travel and tourism industry in 1970s and now over 30 percent of GDP is coming from this sector in 2019.

What is GDP?

GDP is the total value of all goods and services produced in a country in a year. It is considered an important indicator of the economic strength of a country and a positive change is an indicator of economic growth.

What is direct contribution to GDP? The direct contribution of travel and tourism to GDP reflects the ‘internal’ spending on travel and tourism (total spending within a particular country on travel and tourism by residents and non-residents for business and leisure purposes) as well as government 'individual' spending - spending by government on travel and tourism services directly linked to visitors, such as cultural (e.g. museums) or recreational (e.g. national parks).

Contributing a staggering *** trillion U.S. dollars to China’s GDP in 2023, the travel and tourism industry proved to be a vital industry for the East Asian country’s economy. This pivotal industry provided huge GDP contributions to a number of countries across the Asia-Pacific region. Japan and India both saw impressive figures, while Southeast Asia alone has experienced constant GDP increases from the travel and tourism industry. Why Asia-Pacific The travel and tourism industry has made significant monetary additions to many developing economies throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Southeast Asia stands in the foreground as one of the regions which relies heavily on its tourism success. A success which could be inferred through the rising number of tourist arrivals to the ASEAN states. A likely reason why APAC has become one of the leading regions for tourism, could be related to its competitive prices. Many countries in the Asia-Pacific region are cheaper than the usual Western tourist hotspots, in this way, the region has begun to appeal to an increasing number of international travelers. Domestic tourism The Asia-Pacific region has not only attracted international tourists throughout recent years but has also received a great influx of domestic tourists. Growing economies in the region, resulting in an emerging middle class, have made the possibility of increased domestic travel a reality. Intra-regional tourism accounted for approximately half of APAC’s tourism.

In 2023, the share of travel and tourism's total contribution to Italy's gross domestic product (GDP) nearly equaled the figure reported in 2019, the year before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, travel and tourism generated, directly and indirectly, roughly **** percent of the country's GDP in 2023. That year, the total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in Italy amounted to nearly *** billion euros. What is the contribution of travel and tourism to employment in Italy? In 2023, the total contribution of travel and tourism to employment in Italy recovered from the impact of the health crisis. Overall, these industries generated, directly and indirectly, just under ************* jobs in 2023, denoting a ****-percent increase from 2019. What are the leading inbound tourism markets in Italy? In 2023, the total international tourist expenditure in Italy, including overnight and same-day visitors, surpassed ** billion euros, the highest figure reported to date. When breaking down the inbound tourism expenditure in Italy by country, Germany ranked as the leading market, ahead of the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.

In 2024, the direct and indirect contribution of travel and tourism to the United Kingdom's gross domestic product (GDP) was *** percent higher than in 2019, the year prior to the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Overall, these industries' total contribution to the country's GDP amounted to roughly *** billion British pounds in 2024. Has tourism in the UK recovered from the impact of COVID-19? While inbound resident visits to the UK dropped to just above ***** million in 2021 - the lowest figure reported in *** decades - the volume of inbound tourist visits to the United Kingdom rebounded in 2022, and grew to ** million in 2023. International arrivals, however, remained below pre-pandemic levels. Similarly, while outbound tourist visits from the UK experienced around a ******** increase in 2022 compared to the previous year, the country still reported around ***** million fewer trips abroad in 2023 than in 2019. What are the favorite holiday destinations among Britons? Either before or after the impact of the health crisis, vacationing remained the main travel purpose for outbound visits from the UK. In 2023, ***** was the most visited holiday destination by UK travelers, followed by *************************.

The tourism sector GDP share in Turkey was forecast to continuously increase between 2023 and 2028 by in total *** percentage points. The share is estimated to amount to ***** percent in 2028. While the share was forecast to increase significant in the next years, the increase will slow down in the future.Depited is the economic contribution of the tourism sector in relation to the gross domestic product of the country or region at hand.The forecast has been adjusted for the expected impact of COVID-19.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in more than *** countries and regions worldwide. All input data are sourced from international institutions, national statistical offices, and trade associations. All data has been are processed to generate comparable datasets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the tourism sector GDP share in countries like Romania and Croatia.

Portugal experienced a recovery of over 30 percent in the total travel and tourism contribution to its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021, after a strong drop due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Prior to this crisis, this sector represented over 40 billion U.S. dollars of the Portuguese economy. By 2024, more than 58 billion U.S. dollars were forecasted as contribution to the country's GDP. Tourism spending in Portugal In 2023, Portugal's tourism services generated a sales revenue close to 38.9 billion euros, signalizing the post-pandemic recovery for this sector, which began in the previous year. Furthermore, inbound tourism expenditures in the Iberian country for the same year reached 25 billion euros, representing an increase from the previous year. How many travelers make their way to Portugal each year? From 2022 to 2024, Portugal witnessed a remarkable increase in the number of international overnight visitors, with the figure reaching 56 million in the latter year – more than in 2019. The recovery of the Portuguese tourism sector from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic can also be seen in monthly development. While in 2020 and 2021, the usual influx of foreign guests in Portuguese accommodation establishments during the summer season was affected by the global health crisis, the country saw a return to normality in 2022, with August reaching the annual peak of 1.96 million travelers, which rose to 2.27 million by 2024.

The share of the tourism sector in the Mexican gross domestic product decreased to *** percent in 2023, reversing the two-year increase recorded previously. In total, this sector contributed roughly *** trillion Mexican pesos to the country's GDP in that year.

In 2022, the tourism industry contributed around **** percent to Thailand's GDP, which increased from the previous year. In that same period, the total value of Thailand's GDP was almost ************ billion U.S. dollars. ​ Thailand's tourism industry has been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is currently recovering after the government relaxed COVID-19 regulations and promoted tourism. The economic contribution of travel and tourism in Thailand Thailand is recognized as one of the most popular tourist destinations worldwide. ​Travel and tourism play a significant role in supporting Thailand's economy. In 2022, these industries' contribution to the country’s GDP reached over one trillion Thai baht. Thailand's tourism industry also provided nearly ***** million jobs in the country, ranking fifth in terms of the highest number of people employed in the tourism industry in the Asia-Pacific region in 2022. Inbound tourism in Thailand Thailand's economy relies heavily on international tourism. The tourist economy of the country has been recovering steadily since the country allowed international tourist arrivals again in 2022. In 2023, Thailand welcomed around ** million international tourists, which was more than double the previous year. ​In that same year, the total revenue generated by international tourist arrivals in the country reached more than one hundred billion Thai baht on a nearly monthly basis, giving the country a total revenue of over one trillion Thai baht for the entire year.

In 2023, travel and tourism contributed eight percent to Egypt's gross domestic product (GDP). The share increased compared to 2020. However, it declined notably from 8.5 percent in 2019, reflecting the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the sector. Furthermore, the contribution of tourism to GDP is estimated to reach 8.1 percent in 2024.

In 2023, the travel and tourism sector in the United States contributed approximately 2.36 trillion U.S. dollars to gross domestic product (GDP). This figure saw growth over the pre-pandemic levels of 2019 when the travel and tourism sector contributed 2.27 trillion U.S. dollars to the North American country's economy.

In 2023, the total contribution of travel and tourism to Greece's gross domestic product (GDP) nearly recovered from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, being just *** percent lower than in 2019. Overall, the total contribution of these industries to Greece's GDP amounted to **** billion euros in 2023. This figure was forecast to reach an estimated **** billion euros in 2024. The economic contribution of travel and tourism in Greece Travel and tourism play a prominent role in supporting the Greek economy. In 2023, these industries accounted for more than ** percent of the country’s GDP. That was the third-highest share of travel and tourism's total contribution to GDP in EU countries that year. In terms of travel and tourism’s total contribution to employment, these markets supported over ******* jobs in 2023. What are the leading inbound travel markets in Greece? In 2023, the number of international tourists in Greece surpassed ** million, exceeding pre-pandemic levels. That year, Germany was the leading inbound travel market in Greece based on the number of arrivals, ahead of the United Kingdom, Italy, and France.

In 2024, the total contribution of travel and tourism to Italy's gross domestic product (GDP) amounted to ***** billion euros. This figure, which includes the direct, indirect, and induced impact of the travel and tourism sector, was forecast to reach an estimated ***** billion euros in 2025. Domestic vs. inbound tourism spending in Italy Domestic visitors account for the highest share of travel and tourism spending in Italy, representing nearly ** percent of the total expenditure in 2023. That year, domestic tourism spending in Italy exceeded *** billion euros, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Similarly, the international tourism expenditure in the country grew by around ***** percent compared to 2019. Where do Italian domestic tourists travel? When looking at the distribution of trips taken by Italians in 2023, roughly ***** out of 10 journeys were made within the country, with the North of Italy ranking as the leading domestic destination. Meanwhile, according to a 2024 survey exploring the travel intentions of Italians, almost ** percent of respondents reported planning to travel domestically over the next six months.

The impact of travel and tourism on Sweden's economy was estimated to amount to nearly 465.8 billion Swedish kronor in 2024, around 14 billion SEK more than the previous year. Sweden's tourism GDP recovered from the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic period by 2023, with higher numbers than from the pre-pandemic period.

In 2023, travel and tourism in the country generated, directly and indirectly, 131.4 billion U.S. dollars. The estimated contribution of the travel and tourism industry to GDP is 135.5 U.S. dollars in 2024. It is forecast for the contribution of travel and tourism to Turkey's GDP to rise even more by 2034.

In 2023, the contribution of the tourism industry to the gross domestic product (GDP) in Japan amounted to **** trillion Japanese yen. The tourism-generated contribution to the GDP has recovered from the slump induced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The tourism sector GDP share in the United Arab Emirates was forecast to continuously increase between 2023 and 2028 by in total *** percentage points. The share is estimated to amount to ***** percent in 2028.Depited is the economic contribution of the tourism sector in relation to the gross domestic product of the country or region at hand.The forecast has been adjusted for the expected impact of COVID-19.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in more than *** countries and regions worldwide. All input data are sourced from international institutions, national statistical offices, and trade associations. All data has been are processed to generate comparable datasets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the tourism sector GDP share in countries like Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.