Databank: The Global Picture

Abstract

Tourism activity and economic performance, particularly that of the major tourism generating countries, are closely linked. The purpose of this section of economic indicators of tourism is to provide those indicators which are regarded as being most relevant to international tourism movements and spend. In one issue each year, there will appear information relating to the global picture, and by the region with some detail on a few selected countries. This is an opener in this category. It is intended that each of the three other issues throughout the year will concentrate upon a specific world region, leading to complete coverage by the journal over a two-year period. Many of the statistics that will be incorporated in this section are published with a significant time lag and, at the time of writing, 1991 was the last year for which all of the statistics were available. The main sources of data are statistics published by the World Tourism Organisation and the World Travel and Tourism Council. Formal definitions associated with the tables presented are often highly detailed and so are not reproduced here. The reader should consult the source material if additional information is required.