The Role of Tourism for Economic Development

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In 2008, there were over 922 million international tourist arrivals, with a

growth of 1.9% as compared to 2007. In 2009, international tourists

arrivals fell to 880 million, representing a worldwide decline of 4% as

compared to 2008. The region most affected was Europe with a 6%

decline.The World Tourism Organization reports the following ten countries as the

most visited from 2006 to 2009 by the number of international travellers.

When compared to 2006, Ukraine entered the top ten list, surpassing

Russia, Austria and Mexico, and in 2008, surpassed Germany. In 2008, the

U.S. displaced Spain from the second place. Most of the top visited

countries continue to be on the European continent, followed by a growing

number ofAsian countries.

In 2009, Malaysia made it into the top 10 most visited countries' list.Malaysia secured the ninth position, just belowTurkey and Germany. In

2008, Malaysia was in 11th position. BothTurkey and Germany climbed

one rank in arrivals, occupying seventh and eighth positions respectively,

while France continued to lead the ranks in terms of tourist arrivals.

Ran

kCountry

UNWT

O

Region

al

Market

Internatio

nal

tourist

arrivals

(2009)

Internatio

nal

tourist

arrivals

(2008)

Internatio

nal

tourist

arrivals

(2007)

Internation

al

tourist

arrivals

(2006)

1France

Europ

e

74.2

million

79.2

million

80.9

million77.9 million

2United

States

North

Americ

a

54.9

million

57.9

million

56.0

million51.0 million

3Spain

Europ

e

52.2

million

57.2

million

58.7

million58.0 million

4China Asia

50.9

million

53.0

million

54.7

million49.9 million

5Italy

Europ

e

43.2

million

42.7

million

43.7

million41.1 million

6 United

Kingdo

m

Europ

e

28.0

million

30.1

million

30.9

million30.7 million

7 Turkey Europ 25.5 25.0 22.2 18.9 million

5
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tourism_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austriahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkeyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkeyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tourism_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tourism_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People's_Republic_of_Chinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkeyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tourism_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austriahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkeyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkeyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tourism_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tourism_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People's_Republic_of_Chinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey


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e million million million

8 Germa

ny

Europ

e

24.2

million

24.9

million

24.4

million23.6 million

9 Malaysia Asia 23.6million 22.1million 21.0million 17.5 million

10 Mexico

North

Americ

a

21.5

million

22.6

million

21.4

million21.4 million

International tourism receipts

International tourism receipts grew to US$944 billion (642 billion) in 2008

corresponding to an increase in real terms of 1.8% from 2007. When the

export value of international passenger transport receipts is accounted for,

total receipts in 2008 reached a record of US$1.1 trillion, or over US$3

billion a day.

The World Tourism Organization reports the following countries as the top

ten tourism earners for the year 2009. It is noticeable that most of them

are on the European continent, but the United States continues to be the

top earner.

Ran

kCountry

UNWTO

Regiona

l

Market

Internatio

nal

Tourism

Receipts

(2009)

Internation

al

Tourism

Receipts

(2008)

Internatio

nal

Tourism

Receipts

(2007)

Internation

al

Tourism

Receipts

(2006)

1 United

States

North

America

$93.9

billion

$110.0

billion

$97.1

billion

$85.8

billion

2 Spain Europe $53.2

billion

$61.6

billion

$57.6

billion

$51.1

billion

3 France Europe $49.4

billion

$55.6

billion

$54.3

billion

$46.3

billion

4 Italy Europe $40.2

billion

$45.7

billion

$42.7

billion

$38.1

billion

5 China Asia $39.7

billion

$40.8

billion

$37.2

billion

$33.9

billion

6 Germany Europe $34.7

billion

$40.0

billion

$36.0

billion

$32.8

billion

6
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tourism_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tourism_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tourism_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tourism_Organization


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7 United

Kingdom

Europe $30.0

billion

$36.0

billion

$38.6

billion

$34.6

billion

8 Australia Australi

a

$25.6

billion

$24.8

billion

$22.3

billion

$17.8

billion

9 Turkey Europe $21.3

billion

$22.0

billion

$18.5

billion

$16.9

billion

10 Austria Europe 19.4

billion

$21.6

billion

$18.9

billion

$16.6

billion

International tourism expenditures

The World Tourism Organization reports the following countries as the top

ten biggest spenders on international tourism for the year 2009. For the

fifth year in a row, German tourists continue as the top spenders.

Rank Country

UNWT

O

Region

al

Market

Internatio

nal

tourist

arrivals

(2009)

Internatio

nal

tourist

arrivals

(2008)

Internatio

nal

tourist

arrivals

(2007)

Internatio

nal

tourist

arrivals

(2006)

1

Franc

e Europe

74.2

million

79.2

million

80.9

million

77.9

million

2

Unite

d

States

North

Americ

a

54.9

million

57.9

million

56.0

million

51.0

million

3 Spain Europe52.2

million

57.2

million

58.7

million

58.0

million

4 China Asia50.9

million

53.0

million

54.7

million

49.9

million

5 Italy Europe 43.2 42.7 43.7 41.1

7
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tourism_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tourism_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tourism_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People's_Republic_of_Chinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tourism_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tourism_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tourism_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People's_Republic_of_Chinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy


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million million million million

6

Unite

d

Kingdo

m

Europe28.0

million

30.1

million

30.9

million

30.7

million

7Turke

yEurope

25.5

million

25.0

million

22.2

million

18.9

million

8Germ

anyEurope

24.2

million

24.9

million

24.4

million

23.6

million

9Malay

siaAsia

23.6

million

22.1

million

21.0

million

17.5

million

10Mexic

o

NorthAmeric

a

21.5

million

22.6

million

21.4

million

21.4

million

Most visited cities

8
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkeyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkeyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkeyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkeyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico


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History

Top 10 most visited cities by estimated number of international

visitors by selected year

City Country

International

visitors

(millions)

Year/Notes

Paris France 14.8

2009 (Excluding

extra-muros

visitors)

LondonUnited

Kingdom14.1 2009

Singapore Singapore 9.7 2009

Kuala Lumpur Malaysia 9.11 2009

Hong Kong China 8.95 2009

New York City United States 8.7 2009

Bangkok Thailand 8.45 2009

Istanbul Turkey 7.51 2009

DubaiUnited Arab

mirates6.81 2009

Shanghai China 6.29 2009

9
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Londonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singaporehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singaporehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_Lumpurhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Konghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People's_Republic_of_Chinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangkokhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istanbulhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkeyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubaihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Arab_Emirateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Arab_Emirateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghaihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People's_Republic_of_Chinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Londonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singaporehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singaporehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_Lumpurhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Konghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People's_Republic_of_Chinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangkokhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istanbulhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkeyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubaihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Arab_Emirateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Arab_Emirateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghaihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People's_Republic_of_China


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Wealthy people have always traveled to distant parts of the world, to see

great buildings, works of art, learn new languages, experience new

cultures and to taste different cuisines. Long ago, at the time of the

Roman Republic, places such as Baiae were popular coastal resorts for the

rich. The word tourism was used by 1811 and touristby 1840. In 1936, theLeague of Nations defined foreign touristas "someone traveling abroad for

at least twenty-four hours". Its successor, the United Nations, amended

this definition in 1945, by including a maximum stay of six months.

Leisure travel was associated with the Industrial Revolution in the UnitedKingdom the first European country to promote leisure time to theincreasing industrial population.[citation needed] Initially, this applied to theowners of the machinery of production, the economic oligarchy, thefactory owners and the traders. These comprised the new middle class.

Cox & Kings was the first official travel company to be formed in 1758.

[25]

The British origin of this new industry is reflected in many place names. InNice, France, one of the first and best-established holiday resorts on theFrench Riviera, the long esplanade along the seafront is known to this dayas the Promenade des Anglais; in many other historic resorts incontinental Europe, old, well-established palace hotels have names likethe Hotel Bristol, the Hotel Carlton or the Hotel Majestic reflecting thedominance ofEnglish customers.

Many leisure-oriented tourists travel to the tropics, both in the summer

and winter. Places of such nature often visited are: Bali in Indonesia,Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Malaysia, Mexico the variousPolynesian tropical islands, Queensland in Australia,Thailand, St.Tropezand Cannes in France, Florida, Hawaii and Puerto Rico in the United States,Barbados, St.Marten, St.Kitts, Nevis, Bahamas, Anguilla, Antigua, Aruba,

Turks and Caicos and Bermuda.

Winter tourism

Although it is acknowledged that the Swiss were not the inventors of skiingit is well documented that St.Moritz, Graubnden, became the cradle ofthe developing winter tourism: Since that year of 1865 in St.Moritz ], manydaring hotel managers choose to risk opening their hotels in winter but itwas only in the seventies of the 20th century when winter tourism tookover the lead from summer tourism in many of the Swiss ski resorts. Evenin winter portions of up to one third of all guests (depending on thelocation) consist of non-skiers.

Major ski resorts are located mostly in the various European countries (e.g.

Andorra, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Iceland,Italy, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Sweden, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland),

10
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multilingualismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Republichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baiaehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Nationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leisurehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_classhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cox_%26_Kingshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism#cite_note-24http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Rivierahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Europehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Englandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Republichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polynesiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queenslandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St.Tropez&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canneshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floridahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Ricohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbadoshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St.Marten&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St.Kitts&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahamashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anguillahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiguahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arubahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turks_and_Caicoshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermudahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St.Moritzhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graub%C3%BCndenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism#cite_note-25http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ski_resorthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andorrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austriahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgariahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_Republichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ski_areas_and_resorts_in_Europe#Polandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serbiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloveniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerlandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multilingualismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Republichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baiaehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Nationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leisurehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_classhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cox_%26_Kingshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism#cite_note-24http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Rivierahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Europehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Englandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Republichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polynesiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queenslandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St.Tropez&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canneshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floridahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Ricohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbadoshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St.Marten&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St.Kitts&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahamashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anguillahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiguahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arubahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turks_and_Caicoshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermudahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St.Moritzhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graub%C3%BCndenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism#cite_note-25http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ski_resorthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andorrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austriahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgariahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_Republichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ski_areas_and_resorts_in_Europe#Polandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serbiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloveniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland


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Canada, the United States (e.g. Colorado, California, Utah, New York, NewJersey, Michigan, Montana, Vermont, New England) New Zealand,Japan,South Korea, Chile, Argentina, Kenya andTanzania.

Mass tourism

High rise hotels such as these in Benidorm, Spain were built across

Southern Europe in the 1960s and 1970s to accommodate mass tourism

from Northern Europe.

Mass tourism could only have developed with the improvements intechnology, allowing the transport of large numbers of people in a short

space of time to places of leisure interest, so that greater numbers ofpeople could begin to enjoy the benefits of leisure time.

In the United States, the first seaside resorts in the European style were atAtlantic City, New Jersey and Long Island, New York.

In Continental Europe, early resorts included: Ostend, popularised by thepeople ofBrussels; Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais) and Deauville(Calvados) for the Parisians; and Heiligendamm, founded in 1793, as thefirst seaside resort on the Baltic Sea.

Adjectival tourism

Adjectival tourism refers to the numerous niche or specialty travel forms oftourism that have emerged over the years, each with its own adjective.Many of these have come into common use by the tourism industry andacademics.Others are emerging concepts that may or may not gainpopular usage. Examples of the more common niche tourism marketsinclude:

Agritourism

Culinary tourism Cultural tourism

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Ecotourism Extreme tourism Geotourism Heritage tourism LGBT tourism

Medical tourism Nautical tourism Pop-culture tourism Poverty tourism Religious tourism Space tourism War tourism Wildlife tourism

There has been an upmarket trend in the tourism over the last few

decades, especially in Europe, where international travel for short breaks

is common.Tourists have high levels ofdisposable income, considerable

leisure time, are well educated, and have sophisticated tastes.There is

now a demand for a better quality products, which has resulted in a

fragmenting of the mass market for beach vacations; people want more

specialised versions, quieter resorts, family-oriented holidays or niche

market-targeted destination hotels.

The developments in technology and transport infrastructure, such as

jumbo jets, low-cost airlines and more accessible airports have made

many types of tourism more affordable. WHO estimates that up to 500,000

people are on planes at any time.

There have also been changes in lifestyle, such as retiree-age people who

sustain year round tourism. This is facilitated by internet sales of tourism

products. Some sites have now started to offer dynamic packaging, in

which an inclusive price is quoted for a tailor-made package requested by

the customer upon impulse.

There have been a few setbacks in tourism, such as the September 11

attacks and terrorist threats to tourist destinations, such as in Bali and

several European cities. Also, on December 26, 2004, a tsunami, caused

by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, hit the Asian countries on the

Indian Ocean, including the Maldives. Thousands of lives were lost and

many tourists died. This, together with the vast clean-up operation in

place, has stopped or severely hampered tourism to the area.

The terms tourism and travel are sometimes used interchangeably. In thiscontext, travel has a similar definition to tourism, but implies a more

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purposeful journey. The terms tourism and tourist are sometimes used

pejoratively, to imply a shallow interest in the cultures or locations visited

by tourists.

Sustainable tourism

"Sustainable tourism is envisaged as leading to management of all

resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be

fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes,

biological diversity and life support systems." (World Tourism

Organization)

Sustainable development implies "meeting the needs of the present

without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own

needs" (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987)

Ecotourism

Ecotourism, also known as ecological tourism, is responsible travel to

fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas that strives to be low impact

and (often) small scale. It helps educate the traveler; provides funds for

conservation; directly benefits the economic development and political

empowerment of local communities; and fosters respect for different

cultures and for human rights.

Pro-poor tourism

The pro poor tourism has to help the very poorest in developing countries

has been receiving increasing attention by those involved in development

and the issue has been addressed either through small scale projects inlocal communities and by Ministries of Tourism attempting to

attract huge numbers of tourists. Research by the Overseas Development

Institute suggests that neither is the best way to encourage tourists'

money to reach the poorest as only 25% or less (far less in some cases)

ever reaches the poor; successful examples of money reaching the poor

include mountain climbing inTanzania or cultural tourism in Luang

Prabang, Laos.

Recession tourism

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Recession tourism is a travel trend, which evolved by way of the world

economic crisis. Identified by American entrepreneur Matt Landau (2007),

recession tourism is defined by low-cost, high-value experiences taking

place of once-popular generic retreats. Various recession tourism hotspots

have seen business boom during the recession thanks to comparativelylow costs of living and a slow world job market suggesting travelers are

elongating trips where their money travels further.

Medical tourism

When there is a significant price difference between countries for a given

medical procedure, particularly in Southeast Asia, India, Eastern Europe

and where there are different regulatory regimes, in relation to particular

medical procedures (e.g. dentistry), traveling to take advantage of the

price or regulatory differences is often referred to as "medical tourism".

Educational tourism

Educational tourism developed, because of the growing popularity of

teaching and learning of knowledge and the enhancing of technical

competency outside of the classroom environment. In educational tourism,

the main focus of the tour or leisure activity includes visiting anothercountry to learn about the culture, such as in Student Exchange Programs

and Study Tours, or to work and apply skills learned inside the classroom

in a different environment, such as in the International Practicum Training

Program.

Creative tourism

Creative tourism has existed as a form ofcultural tourism, since the early

beginnings of tourism itself. Its European roots date back to the time of

the Grand Tour, which saw the sons of aristocratic families traveling for

the purpose of mostly interactive, educational experiences. More recently,

creative tourism has been given its own name by Crispin Raymond and

Greg Richards, who as members of the Association for Tourism and Leisure

Education (ATLAS), have directed a number of projects for the European

Commission, including cultural and crafts tourism, known as sustainable

tourism. They have defined "creative tourism" as tourism related to the

active participation of travellers in the culture of the host community,

through interactive workshops and informal learning experiences.

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Meanwhile, the concept of creative tourism has been picked up by high-

profile organizations such as UNESCO, who through the Creative Cities

Network, have endorsed creative tourism as an engaged, authentic

experience that promotes an active understanding of the specific cultural

features of a place.[citation needed]More recently, creative tourism has gained popularity as a form of cultural

tourism, drawing on active participation by travelers in the culture of the

host communities they visit. Several countries offer examples of this type

of tourism development, including the United Kingdom, the Bahamas,

Jamaica, Spain, Italy and New Zealand.

Dark tourism

One emerging area of special interest has been identified by Lennon and

Foley (2000) as "dark" tourism. This type of tourism involves visits to

"dark" sites, such as battlegrounds, scenes of horrific crimes or acts of

genocide, for example: concentration camps. Dark tourism remains a

small niche market, driven by varied motivations, such as mourning,

remembrance, education, macabre curiosity or even entertainment. Its

early origins are rooted in fairgrounds and medieval fairs.

Doom tourism

Also known as "Tourism of Doom," or "Last Chance Tourism" this emerging

trend involves traveling to places that are environmentally or otherwise

threatened (the ice caps ofMount Kilamanjaro, the melting glaciers of

Patagonia, The coral of the Great Barrier Reef) before it is too late.

Identified by travel trade magazineTravelAge West editor-in-chief Kenneth

Shapiro in 2007 and later explored inThe New York Times, this type oftourism is believed to be on the rise. Some see the trend as related to

sustainable tourism or ecotourism due to the fact that a number of these

tourist destinations are considered threatened by environmental factors

such as global warming, over population or climate change. Others worry

that travel to many of these threatened locations increases an individuals

carbon footprint and only hastens problems threatened locations are

already facing.

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Growth

The Tall Ships' Races 2007 in Szczecin, Poland

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) forecasts that internationaltourism will continue growing at the average annual rate of 4 %. With the

advent ofe-commerce, tourism products have become one of the most

traded items on the internet.

Tourism products and services have been made available through

intermediaries, although tourism providers (hotels, airlines, etc.) can sell

their services directly. This has put pressure on intermediaries from both

on-line and traditional shops.

It has been suggested there is a strong correlation between tourismexpenditure per capita and the degree to which countries play in the

global context. Not only as a result of the important economic contribution

of the tourism industry, but also as an indicator of the degree of

confidence with which global citizens leverage the resources of the globe

for the benefit of their local economies. This is why any projections of

growth in tourism may serve as an indication of the relative influence that

each country will exercise in the future.

Space tourism is expected to "take off" in the first quarter of the 21st

century, although compared with traditional destinations the number oftourists in orbit will remain low until technologies such as a space elevator

make space travel cheap.

Technological improvement is likely to make possible air-ship hotels,

based either on solar-powered airplanes or large dirigibles.[citation

needed] Underwater hotels, such as Hydropolis, expected to open in Dubai

in 2009, will be built. On the ocean, tourists will be welcomed by ever

larger cruise ships and perhaps floating cities.

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Sports travel

Since the late 1970s packaged sports travel has become increasingly

popular. Events such as rugby, Olympics, Commonwealth games, Asian

Games and football World Cups have enabled specialist travel companies

to gain official ticket allocation and then sell them in packages that include

flights, hotels and excursions.

Latest trends

As a result of the late-2000s recession, international arrivals suffered a

strong slowdown beginning in June 2008. Growth from 2007 to 2008 was

only 3.7% during the first eight months of 2008. The Asian and Pacific

markets were affected and Europe stagnated during the boreal summer

months, while the Americas performed better, reducing their expansion

rate but keeping a 6% growth from January to August 2008. Only the

Middle East continued its rapid growth during the same period, reaching a

17% growth as compared to the same period in 2007.

This slowdown on international tourism demand was also reflected in the

air transport industry, with a negative growth in September 2008 and a

3.3% growth in passenger traffic through September. The hotel industry

also reports a slowdown, as room occupancy continues to decline. As theglobal economic situation deteriorated dramatically during September and

October as a result of the global financial crisis, growth of international

tourism is expected to slow even further for the remaining of 2008, and

this slowdown in demand growth is forecasted to continue into 2009 as

recession has already hit most of the top spender countries, with long-haul

travel expected to be the most affected by the economic crisis.

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Visitors beat new paths to the community. Paths turned into roads.Vendors decided that the festival was sustainable, so they stayed on,calling the place where they gathered to do business the market. Thecommunity now had a commercial center. Dwellings that offered

hospitality became inns and eating-places. The sun was reliable in itssetting. This was the place where tourism was born.

Tourism in the United States grew rapidly in the form of urban tourism

during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. By the 1850s,

tourism in the United States was well-established both as a cultural

activity and as an industry. New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and San

Francisco, all major US cities, attracted a large number of tourists by the

1890s. By 1915, city touring had marked significant shifts in the way

Americans perceived, organized and moved around in urbanenvironments.

Democratization of travel occurred during the early twentieth century

when the automobile revolutionized travel. Similarly air

travel revolutionized travel during 19451969, contributing greatly to

tourism in the United States. By 2007 the number of international tourists

had climbed to over 56 million people who spent $122.7 billion dollars,

setting an all time record.

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In

the US, tourism is either the first, second or third largest employer in 29states,employing 7.3 million in 2004, to take care of 1.19 billion tripstourists took in the US in 2005. As of 2007, there are 2,462registered National Historic Landmarks (NHL) recognized by the UnitedStates government. As of 2008, the most visited tourist attraction in theUS isTimes Square in Manhattan, New York City which attractsapproximately 35 million visitors yearly.

The North American continent is filled with history, culture, tourist

attractions, and activities. A vacation to America offers tourists theopportunity to experience several cultures and explore a wide variety ofsights and activities. The major countries of North America; the UnitedStates, Canada, and Mexico offer hundreds of exciting tourist locations.

Canada is known for great hunting and fishing, as well as major cities suchasToronto and Vancouver. It also has many interesting natural wonderslike Niagara Falls. With two major cultures and languages, French andEnglish, Canada offers a unique cultural experience.

The United States has many of the top tourist locations in the world.Visiting the US offers a historical view of a relatively young country. Itsyouth is marked by fun things to do in cities like Orlando, Los Angeles, LasVegas, and New York where theme parks, museums,and entertainment are the top America tourist attractions. The states inNew England offer a good deal of locations that are great to visit if atourist is looking to learn about US history. The western United States ishome to many national parks and natural geologic formations. Whenlooking for a relaxing tropical vacation Hawaii is the destination manyAmericans choose.

Mexico is an excellent place to visit for the traveller looking to both relaxand explore. The country offers fantastic beaches, cities, and ancient

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ruins. The city ofCancun is a major city with both ancient Mayan ruins anda large beach. When looking to learn about history, Mexico is a great placeto visit as it has ruins left by several different Native American tribes suchas the Aztecs and the Mayans. The various resort hotels of Mexico are agreat place for the traveller looking to mix relaxation with exploration.

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarilyin the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the Earth'stotal surface area (or 29.9% of its land area) and with approximately 4billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.

During the 20th century Asia's population nearly quadrupled.Asia has the third largest nominal GDP of all continents, after NorthAmerica and Europe, but the largest when measured in PPP. As of 2010,the largest economies in Asia are China, Japan, India, South Korea andIndonesia.

Tourism in Asia is in a thriving condition. Every country is involved inpromoting tourism in a big way. Tourism has become a top priority of theeconomic agenda of all the countries. For example, if in Malaysia tourismis the top revenue generating sector, in India tourism is slowly getting duefocus taking into account the country's rich heritage and cultural tradition.India has fascinated people from all over the world with

her secularism and her culture. There are historical monuments, beaches,places of religious interests, hill resorts, etc. that attract tourists. Every

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region is identified with its handicraft, fairs, folk dances, music and itspeople. The Departments of Tourism promotes international and domestictourism in the country. The Tourism Advisory Board recommendsmeasures for promotion of tourist traffic in India. Indian tourism isadversely affected by terrorism, tours and pollution. Sincere efforts could

help to further develop the Indian tourism industry.Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries of the world. It plays vitalrole in the economic development of a country. India is one of the populartourist destination in Asia. Bounded by the Himalayan ranges in the northand surrounded, on three sides by water (Arabian sea, Bay of Bengal andIndian Ocean), India offers a wide array of places to see and things to do.

The enchanting backwaters, hill stations and landscapes make India abeautiful country. Historical monuments, forts etc. add to the grandeur ofthe country. They attract tourists from all over the world.

Tourism is the second largest foreign exchange earner in India. Thetourism industry employs a large number of people, both skilled andunskilled. Hostels, travel agencies, transport including airlines benefit a lotfrom this industry. Tourism promotes national integration and internationalunderstanding. It generates foreign exchange. it promotes culturalactivities. Tourism also promotes the traditional handicrafts sector. Thetourist gets an insight into the rich and diverse cultural heritage of India.

The Department of Tourism was formed to promote international anddomestic tourism in the country. It provides infrastructure and carries outpublicity campaigns. It provides information aimed at promotion of tourist

sites in the world market. It formulates policies and programmes for thepromotion oftourism in India. It has officers in India and abroad. TheIndian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, The National Councilfor Hotel management and Catering technology etc. provide professionallytrained personnel to the industry.

The tourist infrastructure in India should be strengthened. Airports andrailway stations should provide information to the tourists about the touristdestination. Government owned hotels should be properly managed. TheGovernment should also take steps for the maintenance for the touristdestination. Steps should be taken to restore the ancient splendour of

the monuments. Sincere efforts could help to further develop the Indiantourism industry.

India presents the region's largest economy as well as the largest tourismoperation. India has also been the principal trendsetter in determining theregion's future, whether it was to be negative or positive. With hereconomy growing at 9.2% in 2007 and 9.6% in 2006, it is cited as one ofthe most promising prospects of the world for the future. Growth issupported by market reforms, huge inflows of FDI, rising foreign exchangereserves, both an IT and real estate boom, and a flourishing capitalmarket. India reduced her poverty levels by 10% and achieved a growth inthe service sector of more than 11% and the sector forms about 53% ofthe economy.

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The concept of 'Chindia', where the growth dynamics of both China andIndia will complement as Asia's newest prospects for economic superpower status, augers well in positioning India away from the mindset of apoverty stricken country to that of a modern growth economy with a proud

heritage and culture.

As a result, India's tourism industry is experiencing a strong period ofgrowth, driven by the burgeoning Indian middle class (for domestic andoutbound travel) and growth in high spending foreign tourists. The tourismindustry in India is substantial and vibrant, and the country is fastbecoming a major global destination and an outbound visitor generatingmarket. India's travel and tourism industry is one of the most profitableindustries in the country, and also credited with contributing a substantialamount of foreign exchange. This is illustrated by the fact that during2006, four million tourists visited India and spent US $8.9 billion.

Several reasons are cited for the growth and prosperity of India's traveland tourism industry. Economic growth has added millions annually to theranks of India's middle class, a group that is driving domestic tourismgrowth. Disposable income in India has grown by 10.11% annually from2001-2006, and much of that is being spent on travel.

Thanks in part to its vibrant IT and outsourcing industry a growing numberof business trips are made by foreigners to India, who will often add aweekend break or longer holiday to their trip. Foreign tourists spend more

in India than almost any other country worldwide. Tourist arrivals areprojected to increase by over 22% per year through till 2010, with a 33%increase in foreign exchange earnings recorded in 2004.

The tourism authorities at the centre and at state levels have also playedan important role in the development of the industry, with promotionalcampaigns such as the "Incredible India" campaign, which promotedIndia's culture and tourist attractions in a fresh and memorable way. Thecampaign helped create a never before positioned image of India in theminds of consumers all over the world, and has directly led to an increasein the interest among tourists.

The tourism industry has also helped growth in other sectors as diverse ashorticulture, handicrafts, agriculture, construction and even poultry.Recent increased growth in tourism in India has created jobs in a variety ofrelated sectors. The numbers tell the story: almost 20 million people arenow working in India's tourism industry.

Recent trends of terrorism, food security, poverty still at undesirablelevels, increasing fuel costs and the still looming security issues willcontinue to pose challenges to unleashing the full potential of India as wellas the region. The silver-lining for tourism though is an evidentbreakthrough in thinking and a strong desire to breakthrough the shacklesof the past of protectionism and introvert attitudes of individual nationsand the collective psyche of the leadership of the region.

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Tourism promotion is compared to the likes of dream selling. To selldreams of people, the dreams sold must be beautiful and believable. Inpromoting and branding South Asia as a tourist destination area, thechallenge faced by the marketer is to ensure that the three keycharacteristics of brand identity are assured. They are quality, consistency

and integrity. To assure that these characteristics are maintained, anintense and continuous effort need be made both at the destination and atthe regional levels.

Within the last 50 years, the tourism industry has become a sector ofmajor economic

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importance. Even if the development of the number of internationalarrivals is only a weak indicator regarding the economic importance oftourism, their astronomical increase since 1950 gives an impression of thedynamism in the tourism sector. International arrivals in Europe rose from25.3 million in 1950 to about 414 million in 2003 and are forecast to reach

717 million in 2020, which means they will have nearly doubled in twodecades (20002020).Having regard to this indicator, Europe is and according to the forecastsof the World Tourism Organisation will remain the worlds mostimportant tourist destination and tourism-generating region.

The EU tourism industry generates more than 5% of the EU GDP, with

about 1.8 million enterprises employing around 5.2% of the total labour

force (approximately 9.7 million jobs). When related sectors are taken into

account, the estimated contribution of tourism to GDP creation is much

higher: tourism indirectly generates more than 10% of the European

Union's GDP and provides about 12% of the labour force. Moreover recentdata indicate a strong recovery of the tourism sector in 2010, highlighting

its increased importance for an economic recovery as a whole.

Europe is the worlds number one tourist destination and can boast of a

rich and colourful history, apart from diverse regions and cultures. It is a

recognised fact that sustainable tourism should play a major role in a

regions local economy. The growth of an area leads to more jobs and

helps raise the local populations quality of life, in view of the direct,

indirect and induced effects on the economy. It is essential that proper

investment in tourism growth has the peoples best interests in mind.

France receives over 77,000 million tourists a year, accounting for almost11% of world tourism, making it the first tourist destination in the worldand the country with the third highest income from tourism (after theU.S.A. and Spain). France presents many of the typical features ofMediterranean tourism, mainly seasonal fluctuations in water demand,especially in coastal areas, and strong urban development related totourism. Plan Bleu (1999) reports that the Provence-Cte dAzur regionreceives 1.7 million tourists every summer. This implies an increase of

50% of the total population, which can reach peaks of 2.5 million peopleduring the hottest summer vacation periods leading to double the normalwater demand.As for urban development, the EEA (2000) points out that in France thenumber of second homes increased by 10% between 1990 and 1999,creating intensive pressures on the environment, especially in coastal andmountain zones. The results of the European programme Lacoastshowed that in Cte dAzur there is a sport harbour every 3 km and thatmost of these harbours are accompanied by urban developmentoperations (Plan Bleu 1998).According to EEA (2000) almost 335,000 new second homes have been

built during the past two decades, occupying 22 million m2 of land. Themain disadvantage of second homes, which represent 73% of total tourist

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lodging capacity in France is that, to provide the same accommodationcapacity, they require far more land area and are seldom used (often onlytwo weeks a year compared to more than 20 weeks for hotels).

Italy is an especially popular tourist destination in Europe, as well as in the

rest of the world. The history and geography of the country can explainwhy it can be a tourist must-see. The Roman Empire, Middle Ages, andRenaissance all helped give rise to the many cultural phenomena thatattract visitors year-round. Tourists flock to Italy to see sites, such as theColusseum in Rome, the Statue of David in Florence and the ruins ofPompeii. Rome, the capital city, is also the host to the Vatican, the Meccaof Roman Catholicism. Other important cities worth noting include Milan,one of the leading fashion capitals of the world, Venice, a city built almostentirely on water, and Turin, host of the 2006 Winter Olympics. Tourism isone of the most important industries in Italy and it can affect the nation'seconomy for better or for worse if it is lacking.

Total tourism consumption in Italy in 1997 amounted to EURO 67.8 billion.Of these, 38.6 percent (EURO 26.2 billion) were spent by internationaltourists and 61.4 percent (EURO 41.6 billion) by domestic tourism. Interms of countries visited, Italy is one of the leading destination countriesin the world; in fact it adds up to 35 million of international arrivals and120 million nights. In terms of receipts it accounts for around US$30billion, gaining the second position among the worlds top 15 tourismearners. Italy currently ranks fifth at 43.7 million people visited annually,falling behind France, Spain, the United States and China. Some statistics

regarding Italy's economy are as follows:

Population: 58,145,320 (July 2008 est.)

Currency: Euro

GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.801 trillion (2008 est.)

Labour force (by occupation): agriculture: 4.2% industry: 30.7%services: 65.1% (2005)

Italy has always been known for it's plethora of sites and culturalphenomena, but never as a destination for the working businessman.Millions of tourists flock to see Italy's sites and sounds, as well asbusinesses and companies around the globe. Business meetings andconventions in Italy are starting to become increasingly more attractive tothe eyes of CEOs and leaders of corporations.

Businessmen at conventions in Italy can find fully-equipped centers andvenues, often in very unique places. In addition to the traditionalconvention centers and big hotels with congress facilities, one can choosefrom a wide range of old palaces, castles, historic residences, resorts,magnificent villas and country seats, often set in parks in the Italian stylewith fountains, lakes and plenty of vegetation, carefully chosen and well

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tended. The largest convention center in Italy is located in Milan at theMilano Convention Centre. The MCC offers 36 meeting rooms with seatingfor 10 to 2,000 people. The 8 multipurpose halls offer more than 80,000square meters of space and can be converted into 5,000 seats.

Along with conventions and meetings, international congresses are nowbecoming more common in Italy. In 1999, 8,100 congresses were heldaround the world with 384 of them being hosted in Italy. The datafurnished by the UAI (Union des Associations Internationales) shows Italyas being fifth in Europe and sixth among the organizing countries. Thisactivity creates tourism of a high quality which integrates the congresswork and stimulates the economy.

In July 2007, the "2nd National Tourism Day" was held in Trieste, Italywhere tourist businessmen, and politicians gathered to talk about thestate of the tourism industry in Italy. Italian Deputy Prime Minister Rutellistated that "tourism will be the 1st national industry in the 21st century."An important element highlighted during the "National Tourism Day" wasthe issue of a much more diversified offer, which however must avoid therisk of excessive fragmentation, another typical problem for the Italiantourist industry. Other issues regarding the tourism industry included theneed for the national tourist offer to become annual instead of seasonaland the realization that Italian tourism does not mean only Rome, Florenceor Venice. Improving the whole national territory is the key to help injectmore money into Italy's economy.

Tourism is an economic field for Romania, with a valuable developmentpotential, unexploited yet enough and which can become a source of

attraction both for foreign tourists, but this is made difficult by the strong

competition from neighbor countries and the extent of issues connected to

competitiveness. Despite this current difficult problem, the Romanian

tourism has had an ascending trend in the last few years. For increasing

the role of tourism in industry, achieving the goal of European integration

for the touristic field and complying with the requirements of sustainable

development, the government has to keep playing an important part and

initiate active policies that would lead to the increase of the touristsnumber, tourism incomes and the average duration of the stay. The

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Romanian government perceives the important role the tourism and

travels field can play within the future development of the country, but

during the considerable economic efforts made for the European Union

integration in 2007, the touristic field has been sort of left in the shadow.

The touristic field development strategies have proven to be less notable.This is justified by the large list of weak points of the touristic field, both at

national level: low standards of the tourism infrastructure, weak quality of

accommodation and related services, underdeveloped main infrastructure,

the list of the sports tourism capacities, insufficient promotion of touristic

products on national and international plan, as well as at regional level,

the low number of tour operators, the low number of touristic and cultural

events, high weight of the social subsidized by the state budget tourism.

The frequent reorganization of Romanian structures and institutions is

another weak point of the field and the lack of continuity affects thecapacity to promote and implement a unitary strategy for tourism

development and promotion.

The studies drawn-up within OMT, based on information and market

analyses made in big countries generating touristic flows in Europe, as

well as researches made among foreign tourists visiting Romania,

characterize the Romanian touristic offer, through the following aspects:

all the types of programs offered by Romanian face a tight competition

on the West-European markets. Authorities show that Romania is notdirectly competing with its neighbors, nor with Bulgaria or Hungary, nor

with any other country in the zone, because we have a very diversified

offer for tourists. Bulgaria has only seaside, Hungary counts only on spas,

while Romania has both of them, but we do not know how to promote

them. For now, the number of Romanians attracted by the offer of non-

competing countries is very high.

competing destinations have a diversified range of facilities for all

the categories of tourists;

the Romanian offer is somehow limited, restricted to a few resorts,

and there only to a few hotels. The touristic services offer are less

diversified, and the lack of corroboration of the tariff levels with the

quality of touristic services damages consumption.

services are inferior to those of competing destinations such as

Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece or Cyprus. Romania is more competitive

towards some of its competitors in the field of prices, environment,

its opening towards trade and tourism and social field, and less in

the field of technology, human resources and infrastructure.

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pleasure does not equal the offer level of other destinations. When

off-peak season, tourists are not offered optimum conditions for

accommodation and meal, while the pleasure activities almost do

not exist.

the technical-road infrastructure is inappropriate. The technical

status of roads, streets and railways is poor, the image of town

entries, itineraries, access ways is often inadequate and so it is their

signalizing;

Few countries can offer the variety of attractions for tourists as Romania.From beach holidays at the Black Sea Coast to viewing rare birds at theDanube Delta to snow skiing or soaking in curative mineral waters inmountainous Transylvania, Romania's physical features offer a multitudeof attractions for tourists. Add on centuries of accumulated history,preserved medieval villages, unique rural culture, and beautiful palacesand monasteries, it is clear why the current government has putdeveloping tourism as one of its main objectives.

The development of the industry will present both opportunities andchallenges. Since the end of communism, Romania's infrastructure,transportation and hotel accommodation have yet to fully evolve to meetwestern standards. For investors looking for an early market entry,Romania can be considered an excellent option, as development levels arecomparable to Poland or the Czech Republic ten years ago. Since tourism

is in its infancy in Romania, investors will need to undertake thechallenges of growing the market by improving both the domesticconditions and its international image as a tourist destination. Large hotelchains like the Marriott, Hilton, Ibis and Holiday Inn, have invested heavilyin Romania, a sign that potential for a return on investment exists.However, the Romanian tourism industry is characterized by a number ofshortcomings, which in turn create opportunities for U.S. firms:

Most of Romania's tourism facilities are run down and operated byincompetent management. In the 1960s, Romania invested heavily in itstourism facilities, especially at the Black Sea, and was at that time

successful in attracting international tourists mostly from Germany, GreatBritain, Scandinavia, France, Italy, Austria and Belgium. During theeighties , quality of tourist accommodation was not maintained, with aresultant decline in the number of foreign tourists.

During the past ten years, Romania has experienced:

A 20% decline in the number of foreign tourists arriving, from 6.5

million to 5.2 million since 1990;

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A 14% drop in total number of beds in hotels and accommodationfacilities, from 328,000 in 1990 to 283,000 in 1999;

A drop in the accommodation occupancy rate from 57.8% to 34.5%; A reduction in the length of stays in accommodation by 61% for

Romanian tourists and 53% for foreign tourists.

The national and regional transportation infrastructure is inadequate andrepresents the main obstacle to the development of the tourism sector.Marketing needs to be upgraded, especially with American and Europeantour operators, and overall service quality needs to be competitive withother European resorts.

The Black Sea is a favorite summer destination for Romanians, particularly

as a weekend getaway. The area stretches for 245 km (153 miles) with the

lower 72 km (45 miles) developed into a string of beach resorts and health

spas catering to all ages and interests. The wide sandy beaches andgentle waters create perfect conditions for water sports like swimming,

water skiing and scuba diving. The area contains a plethora of hotels and

facilities as well as an abundance of undeveloped land to build new

resorts.

Principal tourist destinations are located in the family resort city of

Mamaia, the upscale areas of Neptun and Olimp, and the lively city of

Costinesti which appeals to the 18-30 year old bracket. Internationally, the

Black Sea Coast possesses potential to attract foreign tourists, however it

has a limited reputation and investors will have to compete with other

more well-known and developed tourist area along the Spanish, Greek and

Turkish coasts.

The Danube Delta is an ecological treasure in Romania and is made up of

a network of channels, lakes, reed isles, forests, pastures, and sand dunes

that covers nearly 5,460 sq. km (2,200 miles). The wetland is home to

over 300 species of birds, countless species of fish and 1,150 plants oak

forests to water lilies. Tulcea, a city as old as Rome, is the starting point

for most tours of the Danube Delta.

The Danube Delta is a destination offered by many tourists operators,

although, the road conditions can make travelling difficult. The area does,

however, present one of Romania's best attractions for nature enthusiasts.

Moldavia & Bucovina, located in the northeast region of Romania, are

hosts to one of Europe's premier artistic works, the painted monasteries.

Described as a series of Eastern Sistine Chapels, the exterior frescoes are

stunning and largely undiscovered by international travelers. They werepainted under the patronage of Stephen the Great in the fifteenth century

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and reflect a Byzantine influence. Iasi is the principal city of the region and

is home of Romania's oldest university. While the area holds some of

Romania's most attractive sites, it is one of Europe's most visible poor

regions.

Transylvania is located in the central part of the country and is surrounded

by the Carpathian Mountains. It is the best known area in Romania and

likely its greatest tourist asset. A favorite tourist attraction is Bran castle,

supposedly the home of Prince Vlad Tepes, who inspired the legend of

Dracula. The area also features some of Europe's most beautiful cities,

including one of the greatest medieval villages left in the world,

Sighisoara. Transylvania has year round appeal with snow skiing in Poiana

Brasov and Sinaia and trekking in the summer. Maramures, in the

northwestern region of Transylvania, is home to people that live a

distinctive lifestyle based on centuries-old traditions. Villagers dress in

colorful costumes and have a culture rich in folklore and festivals.

Transylvania has the greatest appeal to international tourists, however the

infrastructure can be lacking in some areas and travel from Bucharest may

be time consuming. To help increase traffic to the area, an international

airport is being built in Brasov. Currently, the Government of Romania has

announced plans to build a Dracula theme park at an undisclosed location

in Transylvania. Additional investment in tourism promise to bring the area

the full recognition it deserves.

Internationally, Romania has garnered a fine reputation for its curative

health and spa-resorts. The country hosts around 70 health resorts, some

founded centuries ago by the ancient Romans. The mineral waters,

mofettes (natural sources of carbon dioxide), and mud baths are known to

treat rheumatism, dermatological diseases, kidney, respiratory and

infertility problems, among others.

The resorts are scattered across Romania from the Black Sea Coast to the

Carpathian Mountains. Many facilities need improvements inaccommodations to meet international standards.

The management of the touristic destination Romania is an iterative

process that requires all the stages of the development process for the

destination to be visited again and for touristic products to remain reliable

and attractive. Within the strategic future directions we have to include

the understanding and pleasing of the new tourist, strengthening current

markets and winning new markets, strengthening the touristic industry

financing and continuously promoting sustainable development.

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Tourism is now one of the worlds largest industries and one of its fastest

growing economic sectors. For many countries tourism is seen as a main

instrument for regional development, as it stimulates new economicactivities. Tourism may have a positive economic impact on the balance of

payments, on employment, on gross income and production, but it may

also have negative effects, particularly on the environment. Unplanned

and uncontrolled tourism growth can result in such a deterioration of the

environment that tourist growth can be compromised. The environment,

being the major source of tourist product, should therefore be protected in

order to have further growth of tourism and economic development in the

future. This is especially true with regard to tourism based on the natural

environment as well as on historical-cultural heritage. Sustainable tourism

has three interconnected aspects: environmental, socio-cultural, and

economic. Sustainability implies permanence, so sustainable tourism

includes optimum use of resources, including biological diversity;

minimization of ecological, cultural and social impacts; and maximization

of benefits for conservation and local communities. It also refers to the

management structures that are needed to achieve this.

In conclusion it is clear that the relationship between the growth of

tourism and economic development is a complex one, whilst most

countries in the more economically developed world are simply takingadvantage of this growth in tourism other countries in the less

economically developed world are totally reliant on it. This is unwise,

without the diversity which an MEDC has these countries are left at the

mercy of an extremely fickle not to mention seasonal industry this means

every year they are prey to the off season in which their economically will

almost certainly slump and that ultimately they may also fall victim to one

of the many other factors which affect the tourist industry. This constantly

obscures the positive effect which the growth of tourism has had on

economic development; allowing many countries to develop at great paceand with much success without the need for heavy industry. The case

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seems far more optimistic in the more economically developed world in

which tourism is a multimillionaire dollar industry which contributes

extensively too many economies and the regeneration of many areas in

order that the tourism industry can continue to grow and stimulate

economic growth.

The role of tourism in international developmentby Batir Mirbabayev

The role of tourism in India from ehow.com Tourism as Economic Development by Bob

Glover Tourism politics in European Union by Drd. Ing.

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