International Tourism Essay

Tourism is expected to continue to expand in the coming decades. In 2014, there were 1.1 billion international tourist arrivals, which, as per UNWTO’s long-term forecast, is expected to reach 1.8 billion by 2030 or 5 million a day.

The tourism sector has such an immense significance which is evident from the above, however international law seems to project an altogether different image.

WTO – General Agreement on Trade in Services

Since the middle of the last century, trade in goods has been regulated by General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). With regard to services, its considerable diversity and special characteristics such as intangibility and invisibility, which render the regulation of trade in services difficult, have resulted

In many countries, particularly developing and emerging economies, domestic tourism accounts for a significant share of the sector’s income, representing close to 50% or more of the total in many advanced economies.

Tourism, the third largest foreign exchange earner for India, contributed nearly 6.88% in the countries’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during 2012-13 and is ranked 12th globally in terms of its tourism and trade’s contribution to GDP. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) predicts this ranking to come down to 4th by the year 2025. For a country with 30 world heritage sites, 10 bio-geographical zones and 26 biotic provinces, the tourism industry has an immense potential to enhance tourist flow and accelerate economic growth while creating multifold job opportunities. The country witnessed USD 21.07 billion in Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) through the tourism sector during

Modern tourism encompasses a growing number of new destinations and such dynamics have turned tourism into a key driver for socio-economic progress. Apart from tourism impacting the domestic markets, it plays a significant role on a global level.

International Scenario

Tourism contributes nearly 10% to world gross domestic product (GDP), considering its direct, indirect and induced impacts. With US$ 1.5 trillion export earnings, international tourism accounts for 30% of the world’s exports of services and 6% of overall exports of goods and services. Moreover, in the worldwide export category, tourism was ranked fourth in 2013, after fuels (US$ 3.3 trillion), chemicals (US$ 2.0 trillion) and food (US$ 1.5 trillion). It is of significance to note that throughout the 2009 global downturn, international tourism was rather more resilient than other categories, decreasing only by 5% in real terms, compared to overall exports declining by