According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the volume of international trips by Chinese travellers has grown from 10 million in 2000 to 83 million in 2012. Their expenditure abroad has also climbed rapidly, increasing by 40 per cent from 2011 to 2012.

In addition to urbanization and rising incomes, other factors such as the relaxation of restrictions on foreign travel and an appreciating Chinese currency have contributed to this boom in tourism.

“With this sustained growth, China has become the largest spender in international tourism globally in 2012,” UNWTO said in a news release.

In 2005 China ranked seventh in international tourism expenditure, and has since successively overtaken Italy, Japan, France and the United Kingdom. With last year’s surge, China leaped to first place, surpassing the top spender, Germany, and the United States. Both of these counties spent close to $84 billion in 2012.

Other emerging markets have also increased their share of world tourism spending over the past decade. Russia saw an increase of 32 per cent in 2012, spending $43 billion, which brought it from seventh to fifth place in the international tourism spending rankings.

“Emerging economies continue to lead growth in tourism demand,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai. “The impressive growth of tourism expenditure from China and Russia reflects the entry into the tourism market of a growing middle class from these countries, which will surely continue to change the map of world tourism.”

Brazil also experienced a significant increase, which allowed it to move from the 29th position in 2005 to the 12th position in 2012.

Countries which have traditionally ranked high in tourism expenditure also experienced growth albeit at a slower pace than emerging economies. Spending on travel abroad from Germany and the US grew by 6 per cent each, while UK spending grew by 4 per cent allowing the country to retain its fourth place in the list of major source markets.

Expenditure by Canada grew by 7 per cent, while both Australia and Japan grew by 3 per cent. France and Italy were the only countries in the top ten to record a decline in international tourism spending of -6 per cent and -1 per cent, respectively.

According to the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international tourist arrivals surpassed 1 billion for the first time in history in 2012, up from 996 million in 2011, with demand holding well throughout the year and concluding with a stronger-than-expected fourth quarter.

“2012 saw continued economic volatility around the globe, particularly in the Eurozone, yet international tourism managed to stay on course,” UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai confirmed in a news release.

“The sector has shown its capacity to adjust to the changing market conditions and, although at a slightly more modest rate, is expected to continue expanding in 2013,” he continued.

Looking back at the past year, the UNWTO reported that growth was stronger in emerging economies with tourism arrivals for Asia and the Pacific up seven per cent while Africa and the Americas saw a six and four per cent increase in arrivals, respectively.

Meanwhile, leading the pack in the total number of tourist arrivals for 2012 was Europe, the most visited region in the world, which registered “a very positive result” in view of the economic situation with a total of 535 million tourists.

In a report released yesterday, however, the UNWTO urged European nations to relax their visa restrictions in order to promote a greater circulation of tourists and assist in the region’s economic rebound.

Underscoring the necessity of less stringent visa requirements as well as the facility of an electronic visa system, Mr. Rifai warned yesterday that “an overall restrictive visa policy means lost opportunities for economic growth and jobs, which tourism could bring to destinations.”

“Travellers regard visas as a formality which entails a cost. This can be a deterrent to travel if costs – whether monetary or indirect – including distance, wait times and service, exceed a certain threshold.”

In its latest forecast, the UN agency has predicted tourist arrivals to increase by 3 to 4 per cent in 2013, in line with its expectations as detailed by its Confidence Index, a report compiled from statistical analyses by over 300 international experts.

As a result, Mr. Rifai once again urged Member States to do more in sustaining tourism, adding that financial assistance for the tourism sector would also help in promoting economic recovery for regions hard hit by the recession.

“Tourism is thus one of the pillars that should be supported by governments around the world as part of the solution to stimulating economic growth,” he said.

“UNWTO welcomes the adoption of this resolution on the importance of ecotourism,” said the Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Taleb Rifai, in a news release.

“The remarkable support that the resolution has received, from all regions and across the development spectrum, is a clear testimony that sustainable tourism has a vital role to play in a fairer and sustainable future for all,” he added.

The resolution, adopted on 21 December and entitled ‘Promotion of ecotourism for poverty eradication and environment protection,’ calls on UN Member States to adopt policies that promote ecotourism, highlighting its “positive impact on income generation, job creation and education, and thus on the fight against poverty and hunger.”

It further recognizes that “ecotourism creates significant opportunities for the conservation, protection and sustainable use of biodiversity and of natural areas by encouraging local and indigenous communities in host countries and tourists alike to preserve and respect the natural and cultural heritage.”

According to UNWTO, the resolution – facilitated by Morocco and sponsored by a record 105 delegations – draws on the recommendations contained in one of its reports, put together on the basis of responses from 48 Member States, “which, in a notable departure from its normal practice, was welcomed by the UN General Assembly.”

In line with the UNWTO report’s recommendations, the resolution underscores the need for national tourism plans to account for market demand and local competitive advantages.

It also encourages Member States to promote investment in ecotourism, in accordance with their national legislation, including creating small and medium-sized enterprises, promoting cooperatives and facilitating access to finance through inclusive financial services such as microcredit initiatives for the poor, local and indigenous communities, in areas of ecotourism potential and rural areas.

UNWTO added that the resolution builds on a 2010 resolution on the same subject, and reflects developments since then – namely, the inclusion of tourism in the outcome document of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), held in Brazil in mid-2012, and the results of the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biodiversity.

Rio+20 saw world leaders acknowledge the importance of an inclusive, transparent, strengthened and effective multilateral system to better address the urgent global challenges of sustainable development.

Held in the Indian city of Hyderabad, the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biodiversity unveiled a strategy to combat unprecedented levels of biodiversity loss and called for “significant” increases in biodiversity investments in 100 countries – while at the same time aiming to foster economic growth and create jobs in addition to protecting endangered species and habitats.

“The resolution keeps ecotourism clearly on the agenda of the United Nations as it requires UNWTO to submit a follow up report to the sixty-ninth session of the UN General Assembly in 2014,” UNWTO added.

Last year, the UNWTO said that despite global economic uncertainty, international tourism continued to grow in 2012, with the estimated number of tourists travelling that year reaching a record one billion.

Tourism accounted for nine per cent of global gross domestic product when totalling its direct, indirect and induced impact, according to the agency, which also noted that one in every 12 jobs and up to eight per cent of the total exports of the world’s UN-designated Least Developed Countries (LDCs) depend on tourism.