Climate Change and Tourism - UNEP - Division of Technology ...

182 Climate Change and Tourism – Responding to Global Challenges
As an economic activity, tourism is defined on the one hand by the demand and consumption of
visitors, whether by tourists (i.e. overnight visitors) or by same-day visitors; on the other hand, tourism
refers to the goods and services produced to meet that demand. As such it comprises a whole range of
different activities, e.g., transport to and at the destination, accommodation, catering, entertainment,
shopping, services of travel agencies, outgoing and incoming tour operators, etc.
Users concerned more specifically with the production and analysis of tourism statistics will find
additional references in the UNWTO’s official documents “Recommendations on Tourism Statistics” and
“Tourism Satellite Account (TSA): Recommended Methodological Framework”. These two documents,
approved by the United Nations, contain the existing recommendations on tourism statistics. The
purpose of the first of these, approved in 1993, was to develop a first set of basic elements of STS, and
the second relates to the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), approved in 2000.
More detailed information on concepts, definitions, classifications, indicators, methods of compiling
and units of measure can be obtained also from:
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the Basic References on Tourism Statistics on the UNWTO website under the link setting out the main components that make up the
System of Tourism Statistics (STS);
or from the following UNWTO publications:
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•
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Technical Manual No. 1: Concepts, Definitions, and Classifications for Tourism Statistics (1995);
Technical Manual No. 2: Collection for Tourism Expenditure Statistics (1995);
Technical Manual No. 3: Collection of Domestic Tourism Statistics (1995);
Technical Manual No. 4: Collection and Compilation of Tourism Statistics (1995);
Data Collection and Analysis for Tourism Management, Marketing and Planning (2000).
A1.1.2 Basic Tourism Facts
International tourism is a major source of income for many destinations. In 2005, the receipts registered
for international tourism amounted to over US$ 676 billion. Worldwide this represents around 30%
of the total exports of services, a percentage that in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) goes as high as
70%.
Just over half of international tourism is undertaken for the purpose of leisure, recreation and holidays
(51%). Business travel accounts for 15% of the total and the remaining 27% is related to other motives,
e.g., visiting friends and relatives, religious purposes/pilgrimages, health treatment, while for 7% the
purpose of visit is not specified.
Around 45% of international tourists arrive at their destination by means of air transport and another
47% use land (coach, car or rail transport). Sea transport accounts for 7%.
Most international travel takes place to destinations within the same region. Worldwide, four out of five
arrivals originate within the region, while the remaining one fifth arrives from other regions of the world.
In Europe, the share of intraregional arrivals is as high as 88%, while in Africa and in the Middle East,
intraregional arrivals represent less than half of all arrivals (46%).
The industrialised countries of Europe, the Americas and Asia and the Pacific are the main generating
markets for tourism. However, in the past decades many emerging economies have started to contribute
as well, In 2005, around 60 countries recorded more than US$ 1 billion each year in international
tourism expenditure. Of the 152 million interregional arrivals in 2005, most are generated by Europe
(69 million), the Americas (39 million) and Asia and the Pacific (33 million).
UNWTO, 9 July 2008