Notwithstanding the challenges posed by global economic conditions, geopolitical turmoil, and natural disasters, tourism continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience. Tourism remains one of the largest and fastest growing sectors in the world economy and a valuable source of job creation, economic growth, export revenue and domestic value added.

OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2016, the flagship publication of the OECD Tourism Committee, is undertaken with support from the European Commission. The report highlights key reforms in tourism organisation and governance, and analyses a range of issues high on the tourism policy agenda, providing a global perspective with the inclusion of 50 OECD countries and partner economies.

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 continues to demonstrate its key role in generating economic activity, employment and export revenues in the OECD area, where it directly contributes, on average, 4.1% of GDP, 5.9% of employment and 21.3% of service exports. Tourism offers strong potential to support job-rich growth and at around 80%, tourism exports also generate higher than average domestic value added. International tourist arrivals surpassed 1.1 billion in 2014 (World Tourism Organization), following a resurgence in arrivals to OECD countries (6.4%), which increased at a faster rate than the global average (4.2%). Notwithstanding this, arrivals to emerging economies are projected to grow at double the rate of that in advanced tourism economies up to 2030.