Travel and tourism: share of global GDP 2019-2034

In 2023, the share of travel and tourism's total contribution to global gross domestic product (GDP) showed a decline of 1.3 percentage points compared to 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, these industries represented 9.1 percent of the global GDP in 2023. That year, the total contribution of travel and tourism to the global GDP amounted to nearly 10 trillion U.S. dollars. 

The impact of COVID-19 on global travel and tourism

The lockdowns and travel restrictions enforced across the globe to limit the spread of COVID-19 turned travel and tourism upside down. In 2023, the number of travel and tourism jobs worldwide experienced a sharp annual increase, but was still slightly below pre-pandemic levels. Meanwhile, total travel and tourism spending worldwide followed a similar trend.

International tourist arrivals still lagged pre-pandemic levels

After sinking in 2020 to the lowest point recorded since 1989, the number of international tourist arrivals worldwide bounced back in 2022, then rose further in 2023. That said, it remained below the peak of nearly 1.5 billion reported in 2019. Both before and after the impact of the health crisis, Europe was the global region with the highest number of international tourist arrivals.