The Australian economy has recorded 24 years of economic growth, which is expected to continue despite adjustments to account for the end of the boom in resources investment. The country’s many natural attractions provide a competitive advantage. Deloitte Consulting has recognised tourism as one of five industries that has the potential to drive Australia’s prosperity into the future.

According to the Tourism Satellite Account, the direct value-added effects of tourism in 2014 totalled EUR 18.1 billion, or 5.5% of GDP. About 270 500 full-time job equivalents could be directly attributed to tourism related industries in 2013, contributing 7.3% to overall employment in Austria.

In Belgium, tourism is an exclusive competency of the three regions: Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels. This section provides a national overview of tourism in the country, as does the statistical annex, followed by presentations of the governance and policy initiatives of the Flanders Region and Wallonia.

Tourism’s direct contribution to Canada’s GDP remains stable at approximately 2% or CAD 34.4 billion in 2014. One in 11 jobs (1.6 million) in Canada is associated with the visitor economy, with over 627 000 directly supporting tourism. Canada’s domestic tourism represented 81% of the tourism revenues in 2014.

Tourism in Chile has experienced a sustained rise in recent years and has become one of the sectors delivering the fastest growth and employment generation.

Tourism’s share of GDP in the Czech Republic has been increasing over the last two years from 2.7% in 2012 to 2.9 % in 2013. The number of people employed in tourism is 231 288 in total (2013). The sector’s share of total employment has remained relatively stable at around 4.5 % over the past five years.

In 2013 tourism contributed 1.7% of Denmark’s Gross Value Added. If derived effects are included, the contribution is 3.3% (DKK 92 billion). In the same year, the tourism sector accounted for 3.6% of total exports.

Tourism contributes directly around 4.6% of Estonia’s GDP, rising to 6.6% if indirect impacts are also included. Export revenues from tourism amount to approximately EUR 1.7 billion annually, equivalent to 10% of total exports of goods and services in 2014.

Finland’s economy faced problems in 2015 leading to new policies of fiscal tightening and structural reform. Within this context, tourism is seen as an important sector capable of supporting the creation of new jobs. Finland’s tourism comparative strengths lie in the contrast between its modern culture and its nature-based cultural heritage, the meeting of east and west, technology, the Finnish way of life and creativity.

Tourism plays a major role in the French economy. Accommodation and food services alone account for 2.5% of total added value in the national accounts. Tourism is also stimulating a wide range of activities and spending, including transport and leisure. The overall impact of tourism (as measured by internal tourism consumption) amounts to over 7% of GDP.

Tourism is a growing economic sector in Germany, generating close to EUR 100 billion in Gross Value Added, equivalent to 4.4% of total GVA. Some 2.9 million workers are directly employed in the tourism industry, equivalent to 7% of total employment.

Tourism is an important economic sector in Greece. Tourism directly contributed EUR 8.5 billion to the Greek economy in 2013, equivalent to 5.3% of GDP. Tourism is also an important source of employment, directly employing around 320 000 people, or 9.1% of total employment.

According to the latest Tourism Satellite Account (2011), the direct contribution of tourism is around EUR 4.4 billion (5.5% of the country’s GDP), employing 331 000 people (9% of the workforce). If indirect contributions are also included, tourism accounts for around 9% of GDP with more than 400 000 jobs being related to tourism.

Tourism has been among the fastest-growing industries in Iceland in recent years and has established itself as the third pillar of the Icelandic economy. Domestic demand and growth in tourism-related services have demonstrated recovery since the crisis in 2010, supported by a competitive real exchange rate.

Tourism is one of Ireland’s most important economic sectors and has significant potential to play a further role in Ireland’s economic renewal. In 2014, spending by visitors to Ireland increased, with total tourism and travel earnings from overseas visitors (excluding airfares and ferry costs) growing by 8.5% to EUR 3.7 billion. There was particularly strong growth in expenditure by holiday visitors from North America (14.5% to EUR 665 million) and from Great Britain (8.3% to EUR 338 million).

Tourism contributes 2.8% to Israel’s GDP and about 3.5% of total employment, counting only direct tourism jobs. The combined total of direct and indirect tourism jobs is some 210 000, or just over 7% of total employment.

Data for 2014 shows a steady and positive tourism trend in Italy. International travel receipts grew at a stronger pace (3.6%) than Italian exports in general (2%), rising from EUR 33.1 billion in 2013 to EUR 34.2 billion in 2014, and confirming the leading role of tourism in the Italian economy. From a medium-term perspective, international travel expenditure has also demonstrated steady growth (from 33% of total tourism expenditure in 2007 to 39.6% in 2014).

The number of international visitors to Japan increased by 29.4% to reach a record high of 13.4 million people in 2014. This follows a decade where international visitors grew from 5.21 million in 2003 to exceed 10 million for first time in 2013. International visitors arrivals continued to rise in 2015, with an estimated 16.3 million arrivals between January to October 2015 (48.2% increase compared to the same period of the previous year).

In 2014 the number of international visitors to Korea stood at a record 14.2 million, an increase of 16.6% compared with 12.2 million in 2013. As inbound tourism has increased, the contribution of tourism to the development of the national economy has also gradually expanded. China is the most important inbound market for Korea, accounting for 6.1 million visitors, followed by Japan with 2.3 million visitors. The average expenditure of foreign tourists visiting Korea in 2014 was USD 1 606 per person. Expenditure of tourists from the Middle East exceeds USD 3 000 per person. Although the expenditure of Chinese tourists is lower at USD 2 095, the greater number of visitors makes China the most attractive market in economic terms. Japanese tourists have the lowest level of expenditure, at USD 999.

Tourism is an important economic sector in Luxembourg, directly generating 1.8% of GDP in 2014. In aggregate, the direct and indirect impact of tourism accounts for 4.5% of GDP and 15 000 jobs, or 6% of employment.

Tourism is recognised as an important economic sector in Mexico which is highly resilient, flexible and adaptable. Tourism accounted for approximately 8.7% of national GDP and 5.9% of national employment in 2013.

The importance of domestic and inbound tourism for the Dutch economy is increasing, with tourism growth exceeding the growth of the total economy in the last five years. In 2014, tourist spending in the Dutch economy grew by 4.1 % to EUR 68.3 billion. This accounts for 3.7% of Dutch GDP in 2014, compared to 3.5 % in 2013. Tourism related employment also grew by 2.5 % to 606 000 jobs in 2014, which equals 366 000 full-time equivalents (or 5.2% of total employment).

Tourism directly accounted for NZD 8.3 billion or 4% of New Zealand’s GDP in the year ended March 2014, and indirectly contributed an additional NZD 6.5 billion or 3.1% of GDP. Tourism is New Zealand’s largest service export earner. It directly employs 94 100 full-time equivalents (4.7% of the workforce) and generates NZD 1.8 billion in goods and services tax revenue.

In 2014, Norway’s GDP stood at USD 499.7 billion. In 2011, the Norwegian tourism industry employed almost 150 000 people, and tourism represented 3.2% of total GDP. Annual wealth creation attributable to tourism was NOK 70 billion in 2013. Wealth creation in the tourism industry increased by 24% between 2010 and 2013, and doubled in the preceding ten-year period. However, despite the relatively high absolute growth in the Norwegian tourism industry, the share of total value creation has decreased from 6% in 2001 to 5% in 2013.

The total value of the tourism economy in Poland was estimated at PLN 87.4 billion in 2014, 11.7% down on 2013. This equates to a contribution of 5.1% to Poland’s GDP.

After a series of structural reforms, the Portuguese economy started to recover in 2013 and in 2014 registered positive output growth of 0.9 %. Employment growth in the private sector has followed an increase in consumer confidence and private consumption.

In 2014, international travel receipts in the Slovak Republic reached EUR 1 941 million, up 0.8% on the previous year. This amounts to a contribution of 2.6% of GDP and 31.8% of exports of services.

Tourism GDP in Slovenia amounted to EUR 1.7 billion in 2009, representing 4.9% of total GDP. If direct and indirect tourism consumption are taken together, they contributed EUR 3.0 billion, representing 8.5% of total GDP.

Tourism is a key economic sector in Spain and contributes around 11% of GDP to the national economy – this is estimated to rise to 15.2% if indirect impacts are also included (WTTC). Tourism is also an important source of jobs, with 2.2 million people employed in tourism industries or 12.7% of total employment.

In 2014 Sweden’s GDP was SEK 3 907 billion. Tourism’s share of GDP is 2.8%, and has been growing steadily for the last ten years and is an important contributor to the economy and the labour market in Sweden.

Tourism is an important pillar of the Swiss economy. In 2013, around 168 000 people worked in the tourist industry (full-time equivalents), corresponding to 4.3% of total employment. Tourism contributed 2.6% of the Swiss GDP in 2013.

Turkey has seen a significant and rapid growth in tourism over the last ten years. Between 2002 and 2014 international tourist arrivals to Turkey increased by over 210%, while tourism receipts increased by over 145% over the period 2003-14. The direct contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in 2014 was USD 34.3 billion, accounting for 4.3% of total GDP.

Tourism is a major part of the United Kingdom economy. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) Tourism Satellite Account shows that in 2014 tourism directly contributed an estimated GBP 59.6 billion in gross value added (GVA), or around 4% of the total United Kingdom economy. Economic analysis by Deloitte in 2013 suggests that when indirect economic effects are included, GVA for 2014 could be as high as GBP 133.6 billion, or 9% of GDP.

Travel and tourism is a major contributor to the United States economy, accounting for 2.6% of GDP. Travel and tourism-related exports accounted for 31% of all United States services exports and 9% of all United States exports in 2014.