In July 2015, President Barack Obama announced the re-establishment of ties between Cuba
and The United States, and loosened travel restrictions after a 53-year long embargo.
Although the embargo is still in effect, more than 3 million tourists are expected to visit
the country through 2015. And while 3 million may be a sizeable number, it actually pales
in comparison to some tourist hotspots around the world. So, what are the most visited countries?
Well travel and tourism is a huge industry, which currently is thought to account for
9% of the global GDP, or $7 trillion dollars. In 2015, over a billion tourists travelled
the world, up by roughly 50 million compared to earlier years. Every region in the world
recently saw about a 5% increase in tourism, with the big exception of Africa, where tourism
dropped by 6%. As the global economy recovers from the 2008 recession, the UN World Tourism
Organization predicts tourism will grow 3 to 4% in the coming years.
France reigns supreme for worldwide tourism, and has for many years. In 2014, it drew over
84 million travellers. The country has a rich cultural history with nearly 40 UNESCO World
Heritage Sites. The most visited city is Paris, where top destinations include the Louvre
and the Eiffel Tower. It also shares a border with eight other European countries, making
it easily accessible for many people. France offers a multitude of vacation options, from
ski resorts to Mediterranean beaches.
Ironically, reports indicate that France in general is not especially fond of its own
tourism industry, and in June 2015, the French Ministry of Affairs announced that improving
attitudes towards foreigners is a “national priority”.
Second on the list of most visited countries is the United States, with 74 million travelers.
And although the US ranks second behind France in number of tourists, it actually makes more
than double the money. Experts say this is because trips to the US often last longer
than many French weekend getaways. America has about 2,500 National Historic Landmarks,
and its most visited attraction is Times Square in New York City.
The third most popular destination for tourists is Spain, with over 60 million arrivals. With
the third highest number of UNESCO world heritage sites and sunny beaches year round, Spain
draws a major crowd. It accounts for as much as 11% of their GDP. In recent years Spain
has seen a large jump in visitors because terrorist attacks have affected competing
beach vacation spots in Egypt and Turkey. Additionally, Spain draws Spanish-speakers
from Latin America, giving it a boost over Italy’s tourist industry.
As the travel business booms, developing countries are also seeing much-needed profits from more
tourism investment. China in particular has spent huge sums of money on their travel industry
in the last decade. They are currently the primary source of tourists, and the fourth
largest recipient of foreign travellers. Although the tourism industry took a huge hit in the
late-2000s global economic downturn, it has been slowly recovering, and today is known
to be an invaluable source of capital for many countries.
One strategy many cities use to attract tourists is to build massive mega-structures, like
Shanghai Disneyland. Learn more about these attractions in this video. Thanks for watching
TestTube! Remember to like and subscribe so you can keep up with our daily videos. We’ll
see you next time!