tourism growth
Tourism Growth
Vocabulary
| effect | case (3) | according to |
| set (2) | replace | position (3) |
| crisis | dent (2) | appear (2) |
| overall | combine | destination |
| affect | drop (2) | remain (2) |
| bode | rate (2) | inauguration |
| region | continue | record (3) |
| expect | grow (2) | spokesperson |
| due | agency | figure (3) |
| annual | upswing | sustainable |
Video: Tourism Growth
Transcript
France will remain the most popular tourism destination, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
But Spain could be set to replace the US in the number two position, with more than eighty million visitors last year.
A deadly terror attack in August and a political crisis in Catalonia don’t appear to have dented Spain’s overall tourist figures.
That’s not the case for the US.
Politics affected international visitor numbers, which dropped five percent early last year, following the inauguration of Donald Trump.
But things are boding well for countries in other regions: Europe continues to receive the highest number of international tourists, 671 million in 2017.
Asia and the Pacific recorded 324 million international visitors.
And Africa and the Middle-East combined came in at a 130 million visitors.
Stephane Dujarric, UN Spokesperson: “Europe and Africa had the highest growth rate of eight percent, followed by Asia and the Pacific with a six percent growth. This is the highest annual growth rate in seven years.
The agency said this was mostly due to a global economic upswing and that it expects growth to continue in 2018, though at a more sustainable rate of four percent.”
Tourism is one of the world’s leading export sectors, so the growth is welcome news. It could lead to more job creation in travel and hospitality in destination countries.
Questions
1. Which country receives the most tourists?
2. Might there be changes in 2017’s country ranking?
3. Is there an irony or paradox about Spain’s visitor count?
4. The number of tourists to the US increased in 2017. True or false? Why were there less visitors to the US?
5. What is the most popular region for visitors and tourists?
6. Are tourist numbers growing, decreasing or remaining the same?
7. Do most people feel positive about increases in tourism?
A. Many tourists visit my city and country. Yes or no? Is tourism an important industry?
B. Are tourist numbers increasing, decreasing or remaining the same? Have tourists always come to your region? When did the tourist industry begin?
C. What will happen in the future?
D. How can tourism be promoted or increased?
E. Does everyone feel positive about tourism?
