British tourists leaving Egypt

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) on Friday said international tourism revenues grew by 3.6 percent during 2015, and tourism accounted for 7 percent of the world’s exports and 30 percent of service exports.

The 3.6 percent rise in receipts comes as the result of a 4.4 percent rise in international visitor numbers to almost 1.2 billion people in 2015, with the total export value of international tourism totalling 1.4 trillion U.S. dollars.

The UNWTO estimates international tourists spent 1,232 billion dollars on accommodation, food, shopping, entertainment and other services, while tourism also generated 210 billion dollars in exports through “international non-resident passenger transport services.”

UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai said the data “proved the sector’s relevance in stimulating economic growth, boosting exports and creating jobs for an increasing number of economies worldwide.”

UNWTO highlights “tourism ranks third as a world export category after fuels and chemicals and ahead of food and automotive products,” while, “in many developing countries, tourism ranks as the first export sector.”