Travel & Tourism Economic Impact Research (EIR)

Alongside our other Insights reports, WTTC produces reports annually on the economic and employment impact of Travel & Tourism for 185 countries/economies and 28 geographic and economic regions across the world. These reports, in collaboration with Oxford Economics, are a vital tool in helping us to equip public and private sector bodies with hard evidence of the huge value Travel & Tourism brings to the economy so that their policymaking and investment decisions support our sector.

For all of our latest EIR data, please visit the WTTC Research Hub.

What is the economic impact of Travel & Tourism?

In 2019, prior to the COVID pandemic, Travel & Tourism (including its direct, indirect, and induced impacts) accounted for 10.5% of all jobs (334 million) and 10.4% of global GDP (US$ 10.3 trillion). Meanwhile, international visitor spending amounted to US$ 1.91 trillion in 2019.



WTTC’s latest annual research shows:

• In 2023, the Travel & Tourism sector contributed 9.1% to the global GDP; an increase of 23.2% from 2022 and only 4.1% below the 2019 level.
• In 2023, there were 27 million new jobs, representing a 9.1% increase compared to 2022, and only 1.4% below the 2019 level.
• Domestic visitor spending rose by 18.1% in 2023, surpassing the 2019 level.
• International visitor spending registered a 33.1% jump in 2023 but remained 14.4% below the 2019 total.

“The future is very bright. We can predict a record-breaking 2024. The sector’s global economic contribution is set to reach an all-time high of $11.1 trillion, which will generate one in every ten dollars worldwide. The sector is also expected to support nearly 348 million jobs, an increase of 13.6 million jobs on its 2019 record. We trust that our data will support policymakers, industry professionals and individuals engaged in the evolution of travel.”
April 2024 – Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO

Recent EIR reports and factsheets

Below are some of our recent and popular Travel & Tourism Economic Impact Research (EIR) publications. You can find many more on specific regions and economies/countries at our Research Hub.

Why Our Economic Impact Research (EIR) Matters

From the inception of WTTC in 1990, our Members realised that hard economic facts were needed to help governments and policymakers truly understand the potential of Travel & Tourism. Measuring the size and growth of Travel & Tourism and its contribution to society, therefore, plays a vital part in underpinning WTTC’s work.

What does an EIR report look like?

Each EIR (Economic Impact Research) report reveals the importance of Travel & Tourism to a specific economy/country or economic region in granular detail across many metrics. The report’s features include: 

• Absolute and relative contributions of Travel & Tourism to GDP and employment, international and domestic spending
• Data on leisure and business spending, capital investment, government spending and outbound spending
• Tables ranking the economy against other competing destinations and benchmarked against the world and regional average across various metrics
• Charts comparing data across every year from 2014 to 2024
• Detailed data tables for the years 2018-2023 plus forecasts for 2024 and the decade to 2034

What other economic impact research does WTTC carry out?

As well as producing its annual EIR reports for 185 countries/ economies and 28 regions globally, WTTC also produces an annual Global Trends report. This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the economic impact of the Travel & Tourism sector globally and regionally, with projections for 2024 and beyond, and discussion of emerging themes and global trends in Travel & Tourism. In recent years, WTTC has also published EIR data for more than 80 cities and has benchmarked Travel & Tourism against other economic sectors. WTTC also presents thought leadership reports – often focused on a specific region or theme – that include an analysis of the economic impact of government policies affecting the sector such as investment, visa facilitation, investment and incentivising training and careers.


Visit our Research Hub to find all our Economic Impact Research reports, as well as other reports on Travel and Tourism.

What other research does WTTC produce?

On top of research into the economic impact of Travel & Tourism, WTTC also carries out research into many other topics that are crucial to the sector. Another key focus is Sustainability, which includes the areas of Environmental & Social Research (ESR), our Net-Zero Roadmap, Sustainable Aviation Fuel, Destination Stewardship, and Nature Positive Tourism. We also research technology trends, diversity, specific segments – such as retail tourism - and global tourism trends.