Chinese and Russian Travelers Lead Global Tourism Growth in 2013
Skift Take
Tourists from China and Russia are driving the growth of the global tourism market. Travelers from each country increased their international spending by more than 25 percent in the first nine months of 2013.
The UNWTO’s 2013 Tourism Barometer highlights where the increase in international travel spend is coming from and emerging nations lead the way. Brazil reported the third highest increase, 14 percent, in travel expenditure last year.
Chinese travelers overtook Americans and Germans as the world’s biggest-spending tourists for the first time in 2012. Travelers from China spent $102 billion abroad that year, almost $20 billion more than the two countries who batted the title back and forth for the previous decade.
Developed countries reported relatively small increases in travel expenditure.
The amount of money spent by French tourists abroad only increased 6 percent last year. American and British travel spend increased less than 3 percent. And Italy, Germany, and France reported declines in outbound expenditure.
The increase and decline in outbound travel expenditure for 50 countries is detailed below:
| Source Country | Change in Expenditure 2013 – 2012 (%) |
|---|---|
| China | +28% |
| Russia | +26.4% |
| Brazil | +14.2% |
| Belgium | +8.5% |
| Korea | +7.8% |
| Norway | +6.5% |
| France | +6.4% |
| Singapore | +4.1% |
| Hong Kong (China) | +3.7% |
| Sweden | +3.5% |
| Australia | +3.4% |
| Canada | +3.3% |
| United States | +2.7% |
| United Kingdom | +2.7% |
| Germany | -0.6% |
| Italy | -1.3% |
| Netherlands | -3.1% |
| Spain | -3.6% |
| Japan | -4.4% |
| Saudi Arabia | -13.9% |
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