Tourism is one of the largest and fastest growing sectors in the world economy. It plays a key role in job creation, export revenue and domestic value added, and directly contributes, on average, 4.2% of GDP, 6.9% of employment and 21.7% of service exports in OECD countries. Globally, international tourist arrivals grew to over 1.2 billion in 2016, with arrivals to OECD countries accounting for just over half and matching the global growth rate of 3.9% as compared to 2015.

We, the Ministers and other Representatives of OECD Members, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Egypt, Lithuania, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines, Romania, South Africa, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), United Nations Environment, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), met on 2-3 October 2017 on the occasion of the OECD High Level Meeting on Tourism, under the Chairmanship of Greece.

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 a major economic sector, directly contributing, on average, 4.2% of GDP, 6.9% of employment and 21.7% of services exports in the OECD area. Recent trends point to continued growth and outreach: globally, international tourist arrivals grew to over 1.2 billion in 2016, and OECD countries play a prominent role, with arrivals up 3.9%, representing 55% of the global total and accounting for 60.4% of global travel receipts (up 2.6% in real terms, reaching USD 1 226 billion in 2016). Despite widespread downward pressure on public finances, budgets for tourism have largely been maintained or increased, due to awareness of the important economic contribution of the sector.