Travel’s Contribution to the World Economy Grows for the Fourth Year in a Row

The World Travel and Tourism Council released it's annual economic impact report this morning and it argues that the travel industry has had yet another strong year. According to the WTTC's numbers, travel -- made up of airlines, airports, hospitality, cruise lines, and tech players large and small -- contributed 9.5% of the world's economy in 2013. The organization exists to produce these kinds of hard numbers that connect the dots across the sectors that make up the industry. The stats are impressive, with the total economic impact rounding out to $7 trillion, "Not only outpacing the wider economy, but also growing faster than other significant sectors such as financial and business services, transport and manufacturing," the report reads. "In total, nearly 266 million jobs were