China leaps to top as biggest tourism spender
View(s):By Lakshman Ratnapala
PATA Emeritus President & CEO
China has leaped to first place as the biggest spender in world tourism with Chinese tourists spending a record US$ 102 billion in 2012, surpassing the hitherto top spender Germany and the second largest spender, the USA, both of whom spent close to $84 billion last year, according to the World Tourism Organisation.
In 2005 China ranked seventh in international tourism expenditure, and has since successively overtaken Italy, Japan, France and the United Kingdom.
Over the past decade China has been, and still is, by far the fastest-growing tourism source market in the world. Thanks to rapid urbanization, rising disposable incomes and relaxation of restrictions on foreign travel, the volume of international trips by Chinese travellers has grown from 10 million in 2000 to 83 million in 2012. Expenditure by Chinese tourists abroad has also increased almost eightfold since 2000.
Some of the other emerging markets have also increased their share of world tourism spending over the past decade. Among the world’s top ten source markets by expenditure, the Russian Federation saw an increase of 32 per cent in 2012, to $43 billion, bringing it from the 7th to 5th place in the ranking of international tourism spending. Worth mentioning beyond the top ten is Brazil, with an expenditure of $22 billion in 2012, moving to 12th place up from 29th place in 2005.
“Emerging economies continue to lead growth in tourism demand,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. “The impressive growth of tourism expenditure from China and Russia reflects the entry into the tourism market of a growing middle class from these countries, which will surely continue to change the map of world tourism,” he added.
Although the highest growth rates in expenditure abroad came from emerging economies, key traditional source markets, usually growing at a slower pace, also posted positive results. Spending on travel abroad from Germany and the USA grew by 6 per cent each. Spending from the UK ($52 billion) grew by 4 per cent and the country retained its 4th place in the list of major source markets.Expenditure by Canada grew by 7 per cent, while both Australia and Japan grew by 3 per cent. On the other hand, France (-6 per cent) and Italy (-1 per cent) were the only markets in the top ten to record a decline in international tourism spending.
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