OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2020 has become an international reference and benchmark on how effectively countries are supporting sustainable and inclusive tourism growth. The publication highlights good practices and key policy and governance reforms in tourism, providing a global perspective with the inclusion of 51 OECD member and partner countries. It is a rich source of data on domestic, inbound and outbound tourism, as well as on the overall size of the tourism economy, and highlights new policies designed to improve the sustainability and competitiveness of the sector.

This reader’s guide provides information and methodological notes on the data sources used in this book: International Recommendations for Tourism Statistics 2008, Tourism Satellite Account: Recommended Methodological Framework 2008 and Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual.

Tourism is an important driver of economic growth, globally and locally. The sector directly contributes 4.4% of GDP, 6.9% of employment and 21.5% of service exports in OECD countries, on average, and continued growth provides real prospects for sustainable and inclusive development. However, integrated and forward-looking policies are needed to ensure this growth better delivers benefits for people, places and businesses.

This chapter covers recent trends in tourism and associated developments in tourism governance and policy. It is based on responses to a policy and statistical survey of OECD member and partner countries. The chapter outlines the economic and social importance of tourism and sets out the role of governments in supporting a sustainable and inclusive tourism sector. Tourism policy priorities, reforms and developments are analysed with examples of country practices highlighted.

Digitalisation is changing the way people live, work, and travel, and has opened up new opportunities for tourism businesses to compete in global markets. This chapter examines the impact of digitalisation on tourism, with a particular focus on SMEs. It highlights the important role of government in creating the right framework conditions for the digital transformation of tourism business models and the wider tourism ecosystem, and identifies a number of key policy considerations to foster digital technology uptake and use by tourism SMEs.

This chapter explores the economic, social and environmental benefits and costs associated with tourism growth, and the need for policy makers and industry to better understand the potential implications for destinations striving to achieve more sustainable tourism growth. The analysis highlights that for many countries, regions and destinations, tourism growth remains economically, socially and environmentally unbalanced, often as a result of rapid and unplanned growth in visitor numbers. However, there is no one-size fits all solution, as the opportunities and challenges for tourism development will vary depending on the unique characteristics of individual destinations. A selection of key policy considerations are highlighted to help established and emerging destinations to strike a balance between the benefits and costs associated with tourism development and implement a sustainable vision for the future.