Text 10. International Tourism

In 1997 the number of international tourist arrivals grew by 5%, reaching 595 million, while revenues from tourism rose 7%, to $425 billion. This steady global expansion continued throughout1997. the strong U.S. dollar continued to attract North American visitors to overseas destinations, whereas the long-delayed Japanese economic recovery and setbacks in Southeast Asian economies caused the Asia-Pacific region to lag behind. A strong pound sterling encouraged the British to visit continental Europe, but the resulting high prices in Great Britain discouraged Europeans visitors from travelling to the U.K.

The hotels sector benefited from tourism’s strong 1996-97 recovery. Occupancies in London hotels rose from 82% to 84% as 1996 profits went up by 26%. Un New York City occupancy reached 82%, a 5% increase over 1996. Airlines belonging to the International Air Transport Association saw growth of 7.5% in air traffic during 1997. They were concerned, however, about safety, fearing that with a projected doubling of air traffic by the year 2010, major jet crashes could increase to an average of one per week.

In Africa the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius had a 12% rise in arrivals, chiefly from Europe. In Zimbabwe, where tourism accounted for 5% of gross domestic product, the government took initiatives to support domestic investment by black Zimbabweans. Tanzania emphasized cultural tourism. Tourism in Kenya’s popular coastal resorts fell 70% after violence broke out in May prior to elections and continued throughout the summer.

Brazil, which welcomed some 2.2 million tourists each year, launched a campaign to attract more foreign visitors and stepped up security by introducing new tourist-friendly police stations. In Canada the tourism sector employed 500,000 persons, a record level. In Cuba international tourism overtook sugar as the leading currency earner, with the Caribbean island acting as host to 1.2 million foreign visitors. Mexico saw a good summer vacation season, with hotel occupancy 2-4% higher than in 1996; a fall hurricane, however, damaged Acapulco resorts. Eruptions of the Soufriere Hills volcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat caused thousands to flee and halted tourism. A survey showed that although U.S. residents had doubled their long-distance travel between 1977 and 1995, foreign travel accounted for only 4% of those trips; one-half of those journeys ended in Canada or Mexico.

Australia, serving as host for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, saw in that event an outstanding potential for growth and exports. Australia also found that in comparison with other tourists, backpackers* spent more, stayed longer, traveled more widely, and thus created more jobs. Among Hong Kong’s new projects following its return to China were 40 new hotels, a film city, a virtual-reality theme park, and a new airport at Chek Lap Kok. The 45% devaluation of Thailand’s currency was welcomed by the nation’s tourism industry, which expected to be host to one million Japanese visitors in 1997. in the Philippines tourism increased by 11%, with the U.S. and Japan providing the most visitors. India earned 11% more from foreign tourism in 1997, whereas Indonesia, which welcomed five million tourists in 1996, experienced a decrease of 26% in foreign arrivals because of forests fires in the archipelago.

In Europe, Bulgaria established a visa-free entry for citizens of most nations, and Estonia did so for its Nordic neighbours. Croatia’s tourism minister planned to extend both the tourist season and Croatia Airlines’ operations to Great Britain and Germany, its main tourism sources. The number of foreign overnight visitors in Croatia rose 72% in 1997. Cyprus expected two million visitors, a 5% increase. On October 26 and Dec. 1, 1997, Italy and Austria, respectively, became members of the Schengen group of border-control-free states for travelers from other European Union countries. Portugal’s 10.5 million visitors in 1997 were seen as a good omen as preparations were under way for the 1998 Lisbon World Exposition. Spain, the second most popular tourist destination in the world, after France, expected more than 45 million tourists in 1997, with an increase of 4%. Istanbul was host of the biggest-ever general assembly of the World Tourism Organization; 98 tourism ministers from 131 countries were in attendance. Russia and neighbouring nations continued to develop tourism on market-economy principles, and Silk Road tourism grew as Uzbekistan and its neighbours built new hotels and modernized airports.

Despite bright prospects for business tourism in such Middle East destinations as Dubayy, Abu Dhabi, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Kuwait, the meance of terrorism cast a long shadow over the region. Travel to Israel was subdued following suicide bombings in Jerusalem, and the November 17 attack that killed more than 50 German, Japanese, and Swiss tourists in Luxor, Egypt, dealt a serve blow to that nation’s tourism industry.

Note on the Text

backpackers travellers carrying large rucksacks on their backs