ER
DUBAI is ranked number one among the cities with the highest spending by international tourists. The city in the United Arab Emirates brought in US$29.4 billion (IDR458 trillion) this year, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTCC).
Next in line are Doha and London, where tourists spend US$16.8 billion and US$16.1 billion respectively, the WTTC said in its latest City Economic Impact report.
Sponsored by Visa, WTTC launched its Cities Economic Impact Report (EIR) at the 22nd Global Summit in Riyadh last week. The report pinpoints the cities that are global tourism powerhouses and will drive the recovery of sectors and economies around the world.
The EIR analyzes 82 international city destinations. They point out that before the pandemic, major cities were popular travel destinations, accounting for nearly half of all international visits, both as stand-alone destinations and as gateways to other attractions within the country.
Tourism will generate millions of jobs
The Qatari capital, Doha, is expected to experience the most significant increase from 2019 to 2022 in terms of international tourist spending and the direct contribution of travel and tourism to the city’s GDP, with an expected increase of 21%.
In Europe, Warsaw is expected to witness a 14 percent increase in 2022 over 2019 in travel and tourism’s contribution to the city’s GDP. In the US, Orlando is projected to see a 10% increase in direct Travel & Tourism contribution to the city’s GDP over the same period.
Over the following decades, this sector again became the main driver of economic growth with GDP growth that was faster than any other sector. Tourism generates 126 million new jobs worldwide.
By 2032, the sector will directly generate up to eight percent of all jobs in the 82 cities analyzed in the report. This is up from 6.6 percent in 2019 and a low of 5.1 percent in 2020.
According to Julia Simpson, President and CEO of WTTC said the report shows that for millions of travelers around the world, big cities remain iconic global destinations. There is still a strong desire to experience the history, culture and energy that the city has to offer travelers.
Throughout the pandemic and as borders began to reopen, travelers traded trips to larger cities for less populated destinations such as coasts and villages. That choice left the international cities’ economies struggling through three very difficult years.
According to the report, ten of the 82 cities analyzed are projected to surpass pre-pandemic levels in direct travel and tourism GDP contributions to the city economy this year.
“Even after the huge challenges that the pandemic has brought to the travel industry, the economic benefits of tourism to cities remain strong. Travelers’ willingness to adopt a digital-first travel experience will help pave the way for more innovation in the future,” said Jeni Mundy, Head of Global Merchant Sales and Acquiring Visa. [sources/photo special]
