International tourism

International tourism refers to tourism that crosses national borders. Globalization has made tourism a popular global leisure activity. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".[1] The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that up to 500,000 people are in flight at any one time.[2]

Modern aviation has made it possible to travel long distances quickly.
International tourism over time

As a result of the late-2000s recession, international travel demand suffered a strong slowdown from the second half of 2008 through the end of 2009.[3] This negative trend intensified during 2009, exacerbated in some countries due to the outbreak of the H1N1 influenza virus, resulting in a worldwide decline of 4.2% in 2009 to 880 million international tourists arrivals, and a 5.7% decline in international tourism receipts.[4] In 2010, international tourism reached US$919B, growing 6.5% over 2009, corresponding to an increase in real terms of 4.7%.[5] In 2010, there were over 940 million international tourist arrivals worldwide.[6]

References

  1. "UNWTO technical manual: Collection of Tourism Expenditure Statistics" (PDF). World Tourism Organization. 1995. p. 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 September 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2009.
  2. Swine flu prompts EU warning on travel to US. The Guardian. 28 April 2009.
  3. "International tourism challenged by deteriorating global economy" (PDF). UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. World Tourism Organization. 7 (1). January 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-17. Retrieved 17 November 2011.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  4. "UNWTO World Tourism Barometer Interim Update" (PDF). UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. World Tourism Organization. August 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-17. Retrieved 17 November 2011.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  5. "UNWTO World Tourism Barometer June 2009" (PDF). UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. World Tourism Organization. 7 (2). June 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 November 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2009.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  6. "2011 Highlights" (PDF). UNWTO World Tourism Highlights. UNWTO. June 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 January 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2012.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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