One billion tourists have traveled internationally in 2012

One billion tourists have traveled internationally in 2012 according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the United Nations specialized agency for sustainable tourism.

This is equivalent to one in every seven people on the planet traveling the world in 2012, up from just 25 million in 1950.

The figure establishes tourism as one of the world’s largest and fastest growing economic sectors, accounting for:

•       9% of global GDP (direct, indirect and induced)

•       1 in every 12 jobs worldwide (direct, indirect and induced)

•       US$ 1.2 trillion in exports a year

•       6% of world trade

•       8% of the exports of least developed countries

For developing countries, tourism brings much needed foreign exchange and investment. Tourism has also proven an extremely resilient sector, despite uncertain economic conditions, and is key to supporting the global economy in the current challenging times.

UNWTO forecasts point to the one-billionth tourist arriving somewhere in the world in December. UNWTO has chosen 13 December as the symbolic arrival date of the one-billionth tourist.

To celebrate, UNWTO has been running a global campaign to raise awareness of the power of one billion tourists to affect positive change by making small changes to their travel behaviour. The campaign, One Billion Tourists: One Billion Opportunities, calls on the one billion tourists to make their actions count by saving water and energy, using public transport, protecting heritage and more.