Tourism generates 1 in 5 jobs worldwide – 03/10/2019

In a global reconversion economy, tourism it becomes the most vigorous sector. So much so that over the last five years, new work around the world has been linked to this sector.

In 2018 and for the eighth consecutive year, the tourism and travel industry has exceeded the average of the global economy. Data provided by the World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC), in conjunction with Oxford Economics, show that tourism has developed 3.9%, as the global economy grew 3%.

With more and more people eager and resources to travel, the planets are aligning so that this year tourism will surge and become the fastest growing sector, replacing the manufacturing industry which, along with an increase of 4% in 2018, until now, it is the most flourishing sector. The following items are health care, with an expansion of 3.1%, and information technology and financial services, with an increase of 1.7%.

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The business and tourism travel industry achieved a worldwide turnover of 8.8 billion USD and generated 319 million jobs. He already represents the 10.4% of all the activities of the planet.

Gloria Guevara, President and CEO of WTTC, said the numbers "demonstrate the power of the industry as a tool for governments to generate prosperity, while creating good places to live. support for women, youth and other groups in society ". society, often marginalized. In fact, it now accounts for one in five of the new jobs created around the world and is expected to create 100 million new jobs worldwide in the next ten years, which includes 421 million sources of work for 2021"

In Argentina, WTTC figures indicate that the sector was one of the few to experience a devaluation that rose last year, an expansion of 1.6%, against a 2.6% decline in the economy in general.

According to the report, "this increase This is due to the expenses of international visitors thanks in particular to greater air connectivity and the implementation of a digital promotion strategy and VAT refund for foreign tourists. "At the local level, the sector already accounts for 10% of GDP and a 9.4% of jobs.

In 2018, spending by international visitors reached USD 4,800 million, an amount equivalent to 6.4% of exports, which implies a growth of 26.6%. "We are leading the tourism movement in the region and our mission is to continue to position Argentina on the international scene to promote receptive tourism," said President of the Argentine Chamber of Tourism, Aldo Elías.

Although the devaluation led to the fall of Argentinian travel abroad, it also boosted the arrival of foreigners. "In December, the number of foreign tourists coming to the country by air increased 13.4% over one year. This was the highest growth rate in 14 months, so we must redouble efforts in promotional work. It is essential that Argentina remains one of the most sought after countries by travelers all over the world, "said Elías.

According to the Tourism Secretary of the Nation, Gustavo Santos, incoming tourism this year will generate around US $ 6,000 million and domestic tourism an additional US $ 10,000 million. And he stressed that "in total,US $ 16,000 million is equivalent to all soybean production or to one and a half times the meat complex as a whole. "

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With green shoots to appear and with GDP forecasts fall by about 1.2% Throughout 2019, only two sectors promise a short-term recovery: tourism and exports. "The current exchange rate has reversed the balance of tourism in favor of the receptive and at the expense of the emissive.In November and December 2018, the balance became positive, while it was previously chronically negative As a result, the increase in agricultural exports will add a positive balance to the tourism balance, which will have a positive impact on related activities, such as hotels and gastronomy, "said the Center for Studies. on the new economy.

The expansion of tourism in Argentina has two faces: on the one hand that of the airlines, which broke records of pbadenger transport last year, while hotels and restaurants have seen their sales fall.

In 2018, they traveled by plane through Argentina 29 million pbadengers, or 6.5% more than in 2019. 106 new cabotage and international routes have been added. Aerolíneas Argentina recorded a record with 13 million pbadengers. The air transport cake has increased and the low cost, like Flybondi and Norwegian, already represents 17% of the market. This year will be addedJetSMART, between April and June, will start operating twelve cabotage lines with flights from El Palomar, Mendoza and Córdoba.

According to the INDEC Hotel Attendance Survey, in 2018, total occupancy across the country was only 34.77%. For the Federation of Gastronomic Hoteliers of the Republic of Argentina (FEHGRA) "in recent years, the sector undermines the decline in profitability and competitiveness, with the impossibility of moving fixed and real costs to tariffs." The sector adjusted its figures below inflation: from January to January, hotel prices rose 40%, 9 percentage points below the price index.