Last year was a record year for travel and tourism in Australia, with the sector contributing roughly $153 billion to the economy, more than any other year on record, according to major new research released by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

“Travel and tourism creates jobs, drives economic growth and helps build better societies,” said Gloria Guevara, president and CEO of the WTTC, in a written release. “This is particularly the case in Australia, the 12th largest tourism economy in the world and home to some of the world’s most iconic sights. Over the last few years, Australia has led the world in the use of technology to drive tourism growth through visa facilitation and has reaped the benefits through increased visitors.”

According to the WTTC, travel and tourism supported 1.5 million jobs in 2017, or 12.2 percent of total Australian employment. By 2028 over 1.7 million jobs in Australia are forecast to be dependent on travel and tourism. The travel sector grew by 2.3 percent in 2017, compared to growth of 2.2 percent in the wider economy. Australia is the 12th largest travel economy in the world. 

“Globally, 2017 was one of the strongest years of GDP (gross domestic product) growth in a decade,” said Guevara. “Our sector now supports one in ten jobs on the planet and contributes 10 percent of global GDP. Over the past 10 years, one in five of all jobs created across the world has been in the sector and, with the right support from Governments, nearly 100 million new jobs could be created over the decade ahead.”

Every year WTTC produces the definitive research into the economic impact of travel and tourism across 185 countries and 25 regions.

Visit www.wttc.org 

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