North Africa's tourism sector grew by 22.6% last year, three times faster than any other region in the world and five times faster than the global average of 4.6%, according to a major new study by the World Travel Council. and tourism (WTTC).
The growth driver was Egypt, where tourism's contribution to GDP increased by 72.9% compared to 2016.
According to the study, Tunisia also showed recovery from the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, with a gain of 7.6%. In Turkey, tourism's contribution to GDP increased by 17%.
Countries previously hit by terrorism and political unrest began to show signs of strong recovery in 2017, the report said.
Thus, the economy of Egypt grew by 4.1%, in Tunisia by 2%, in Turkey by 7%.
Overall, in 2017, tourism contributed $21.1 billion to Egypt’s GDP (11.01% of total GDP), $5.7 billion to Tunisia (14.21% of total GDP), and $98.4 billion to Turkey (11.61% of total GDP). The sector also contributed $8.51%, $13.01%, and $7.41% of total employment in each country, respectively.
“Thanks to the recovery in 2017 and promising forecasts for 2018, these countries may well return to their pre-crisis levels,” the report says.
“The experiences of Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey, as well as France, Belgium and other countries that have suffered terrorist attacks in recent years, show how important it is to pay attention to security. It is of paramount importance and in the coming years it will be vital that tourism uses the latest technology to ensure safe travel,” says Gloria Guevara, President and CEO of WTTC.
According to her, opportunities for industry cooperation in the field of security and biometrics will be discussed at the upcoming WTTC World Summit on April 18-19, 2018 in Buenos Aires.
Source: trn-news.ru
