Emerging Markets Upended the Balance of Power in Tourism Spending


Skift Take

As the developed markets reach their saturation point in outbound travel, emerging markets are moving in to become the dominant contributors to international tourism expenditure.

There's been a dramatic shift in recent years in global tourism spending by outbound travelers . In 2015, some 49 percent, or $672 billion, came from tourists heading off to explore the world from developing countries. A decade earlier, developing countries accounted for just 25 percent of these so-called International Tourism Expenditures. The development of China, and its dramatic flow of tourists heading abroad, has done much to turn the tables. Last week, we launched the latest report in our Skift Research service, Key E