When travel stops, these are the
destinations that hurt the most.
Welcome to MojoTravels, and today we're
counting down our picks for the top 10
countries
most dependent on tourism. Are you a fan
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for this list we're looking at the
nations whose economies are most
closely tied with the local travel
industry there are a lot of ways to
measure how dependent a country is on
tourism from the dollar amount the
industry contributes to their economy
to the percentage of their population
who are employed by the industry
in the end however we decided to go with
the percent of a country's gross
domestic product
gdp that tourism represents although
this number is always in flux year to
year
and thus rankings change frequently
number 10 turkey from stunning ocean
vistas
to the towering peaks of the kachkar
mountains and the surreal fairy chimneys
of cappadocia
it's a country that makes a big
impression while it's certainly blessed
in terms of natural beauty
the nation's greatest treasure is its
past the land has played host to several
major civilizations over the centuries
including roman byzantine and ottoman
and their respective influences can
still be felt today
while istanbul might not be the nation's
capital it's very much turkey's long
beating heart
it once served as a major point in the
silk road trade routes that once
connected east and west
though the silk road is long gone
international travel continues to be a
major factor in turkey's economy with
tourism representing 12.1 percent of the
country's
gdp number nine italy
it's not exactly a secret that italy is
one of the most popular destinations
with international travelers
it seems as if every year there's some
new hot previously under the radar place
that people
absolutely must visit but while trendy
destinations come and go
italy's appeal is timeless last tallied
in 2018
the country receives over 63 million
visitors annually
with more official unesco world heritage
sites than any other nation on earth
italy is well suited to attract tourists
but add to that it's world renowned
cuisine relaxed pace
breathtaking landscapes beautiful cities
beaches
wine fashion and art and italy becomes
the sort of country that's difficult not
to fall in love with
unfortunately when a country enjoys
decades of consistent tourism
it's only natural that the economy
become dependent on it
in italy's case the travel industry
employs over 1 million people
and contributes thirteen point two
percent of their gdp
number eight malaysia hedging out italy
by just point one percent
tourism in malaysia represents thirteen
point three percent of the country's gdp
and considering they had a gross
domestic product of 358.6 billion
dollars in 2018
that's a lot of money then again
malaysia's successful tourism industry
isn't hard to comprehend
tea plantations great food hiking and
trekking opportunities
colonial and modern architecture
pristine beaches
fascinating wildlife welcoming people
and a rich culture
all helped to make it the second most
visited country in southeast asia
the thing is taking into account the low
cost of living and population of
malaysia
that 13.3 percent represents way more
jobs than in italy
3.5 million to be precise which is
reportedly almost
one-quarter of all jobs in the country
so when travel stops the
effects are widely felt throughout
malaysia
number 7. spain spain is another country
that has long received a steady stream
of tourists year after year
in fact in the country's most popular
destinations like barcelona
and the unesco world heritage city of
granada over tourism has become
a real problem be that as it may while
locals may want fewer tourists
spain as a whole has become extremely
reliant on international travel
as of 2018 the tourism industry
accounted for 14.6
of the country's gdp before the pandemic
the city of barcelona alone was
receiving just shy of 30 million
visitors a year
but given everything that the city and
country as a whole has to offer
those numbers aren't surprising romantic
vibrant boasting incredible regional
cuisines and wines
and packed to the brim with historic
monuments spain is unlikely to ever stop
attracting droves of tourists number six
austria this one might surprise people
unlike spain and italy
it's not one of the first or most
obvious countries that come to mind when
you think of a european vacation
the thing is that while it might not get
romanticized by overseas travelers to
the same degree as the aforementioned
destinations
it nonetheless ranks seventh in europe
in terms of international arrivals
in no small part thanks to its
popularity with european travelers
from 2008 to 2018 tourism went from
accounting for nine percent of austria's
gdp to 15.4 percent
a shift that really highlights just how
important the travel industry has become
for the country's economy
some of the country's biggest draws
include the stunning capital city of
vienna
its soaring alpine region and the many
picture-perfect villages
number 5 mexico as one of the top resort
destinations anywhere in the world
mexico does huge business when it comes
to travel
with over 41 million international
tourist arrivals annually
it's the seventh most visited country on
earth
and there are many ways to enjoy a trip
to mexico countless sunseekers are
content to sip tropical drinks while
lounging on the beach at an
all-inclusive
but mexico city has also become a very
trendy destination in recent years
and a must visit for foodies then
there's all the mayan landmarks to be
appreciated
like chichen itza and tulum it's a real
choose your own adventure sort of
destination
and all that tourism adds up to 17.2
percent of the country's gdp
to put that in perspective at the start
of 2020 the tourism sector was
responsible for employing 4.5
million people and that number had been
rising fast in recent years
number four portugal this western
european country has always done
reasonably well for itself in terms of
tourism but in the last few years their
travel industry has
really exploded people all over the
globe are finally recognizing just how
much portugal has to offer
yes the wine has long been appreciated
but social media has drawn greater
attention to the beauty of porto and
lisbon
while hikers can't get enough of
portugal's landscape
the tourism industry has exploded
becoming one of the country's
fastest growing sectors according to
reuters as of 2018
portugal had also become one of the
nation's biggest employers
between 2006 and 2018 the number of
international arrivals went from 7
million to 12.8 million people
tourism has been an incredibly important
part of portugal's recovery following
the debt crisis that began in 2011
and today it represents 19.1 percent of
the country's gdp
number three greece this mediterranean
nation has weathered
famously tough economic times after
surviving a government debt crisis
spanning from 2010 until 2018.
the last thing that greece needed was a
pandemic that brought global travel to a
screeching halt
the tourism industry accounts for over
one-fifth of the country's gdp at 20.6
percent
given the nation's long and storied
history people travel from all over the
world to marvel at the ruins and
landmarks dating back to the times of
ancient greece
such cultural attractions alone would be
enough to justify a strong tourism
industry
but it's the beach culture especially
that of the greek islands that really
makes travel such a pillar of the greek
economy
in 2017 travel generated 35 billion
euros for the country
number two thailand this southeast asian
country is one that should be on just
about everyone's bucket list
if it isn't already there are a few
places where you can get quite such
diverse and rich travel experience at
such an affordable price
and based on the fact that thailand
recorded just shy of 40 million
arrivals in 2019 chances are that we're
not telling you anything you don't
already know
as of 2018 the tourism industry
represents 21.6
of the country's gdp that's a very
sizable slice of economic pie
and tourism shows no signs of slowing
the thai national economic and social
development council
making their predictions before the
pandemic were projecting that tourism is
likely to account for 30
of the gdp by 2030 according to a 2017
paper published by the world travel and
tourism council
2030 could also see the country hosting
just shy of 80 million travelers
number one philippines not only are the
philippines on the top of our list today
but this country also represents the
largest jump in terms of gdp from one
country to the next
the tourism industry accounts for nearly
a quarter of the gdp of the philippines
at 24.7 percent this figure makes all of
the others on our list look modest by
comparison
like thailand the philippines benefits
from a low cost of living
meaning that your travel budget can
stretch quite far
the landscape is also diverse but
consistently awe-inspiring
mountains rainforests islands
picture-perfect beaches
dive spots there's no shortage of
natural spaces to explore
but it's also a nation with a proud
local culture and plenty of monuments
and heritage towns to be appreciated
unfortunately with millions of people
living in the philippines being
employed in the tourism industry when
travel stops the repercussions
are major check out this other recent
clip from mojo travels
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