Report on World Tourism Economy Trends (2018) Excerpt -5 The global tourism economy has grown rapidly [1]

1. Global tourism investment rose 4.1% year on year

In 2017, the global tourism investment reached USD 839.68 billion, which has hit a new high in the past decade and grown 4.1% over 2016. Over the past decade, the global tourism investment has kept rising quickly. At the same time, as a result of the significant impact from the macroeconomic climate, the investment remarkably fell down after the outbreak of the global financial crisis in 2008 and shrank in 2009 and 2010. During the five-year period from 2013 to 2017, the global tourism investment maintained an annual average growth rate of 4.2% (Figure 1.22 and Figure 1.23).

Figure 1.22 Global Tourism Investment Trend (2008-2017)

Figure 1.23 Global Tourism Investment Trend (2008-2017)

2. Asia-Pacific Region has recorded the largest size and the fastest growth rate of tourism investment

In the global tourism investment territory, Asia-Pacific Region is the region with the largest size and the highest growth rate of tourism investment. In 2017, the region contributed 38.1% of the global total tourism investment and increased the investment by 3.6%. Second, Americas and Europe ranked the second and the third in terms of share in global total tourism investment at 28.7% and 23.4% respectively. Viewing from the annual average growth rate of tourism investment over the past decade, the Middle East and Europe ranked the second and the third with a growth rate of 2.7% and 2.1% respectively. Africa became the fourth with a growth rate of 1.1%, and the annual average growth rate of tourism investment in Americas was only 0.2% (Figure 1.24 and Figure 1.25).

Figure 1.24 Shares Comparison of Five Regions in Global Tourism Investment (2017)

Figure 1.25 Annual Average Growth Rate of Global Tourism Investment by Region (2008-2017)

Report Note:

[1] The tourism investment includes the investment in all industries directly related to tourism. Tourism investment data come from WTTC.