East Asia & Pacific | International tourism, number of departures
International outbound tourists are the number of departures that people make from their country of usual residence to any other country for any purpose other than a remunerated activity in the country visited. The data on outbound tourists refer to the number of departures, not to the number of people traveling. Thus a person who makes several trips from a country during a given period is counted each time as a new departure. Development relevance: Tourism is officially recognized as a directly measurable activity, enabling more accurate analysis and more effective policy. Whereas previously the sector relied mostly on approximations from related areas of measurement (e.g. Balance of Payments statistics), tourism today possesses a range of instruments to track its productive activities and the activities of the consumers that drive them: visitors (both tourists and excursionists). An increasing number of countries have opened up and invested in tourism development, making tourism a key driver of socio-economic progress through export revenues, the creation of jobs and enterprises, and infrastructure development. As an internationally traded service, inbound tourism has become one of the world's major trade categories. For many developing countries it is one of the main sources of foreign exchange income and a major component of exports, creating much needed employment and development opportunities. Limitations and exceptions: Tourism can be either domestic or international. The data refers to international tourism, where the traveler's country of residence differs from the visiting country. International tourism consists of inbound (arrival) and outbound (departures) tourism. The data are from the World Tourism Organization (WTO), a United Nations agency. The data on inbound and outbound tourists refer to the number of arrivals and departures, not to the number of people traveling. Statistical concept and methodology: Statistical information on tourism is based mainly on data on arrivals and overnight stays along with balance of payments information. These data do not completely capture the economic phenomenon of tourism or provide the information needed for effective public policies and efficient business operations. Data are needed on the scale and significance of tourism. Information on the role of tourism in national economies is particularly deficient. Although the World Tourism Organization reports progress in harmonizing definitions and measurement, differences in national practices still prevent full comparability. Departures data measure the flows of resident visitors leaving the country of reference. Departures are not necessarily equal to the number of arrivals reported by international destinations for the country of reference. In many countries, the characteristics of trips and visitors are established through questions on the entry/departure cards, in surveys at the borders, at destination (accommodation surveys) or as part of household surveys (for domestic and outbound tourism). The entry/departure cards, or records of entry and departure, captured and reconciled by the immigration authorities are often the basic source for establishing the flows of inbound and outbound visitors. These cards usually collect information on a census basis on name, sex, age, nationality, current address, date of arrival (or departure in the departure card), purpose of trip, main destination visited and length of stay (expected on arrival and actual on departure for inbound visitors; expected on departure and actual on arrival for outbound visitors). Data is collected using one of three methods, or a combination of these to determine the flows of outbound visitors: using an entry/departure card; a specific survey at the border, or observing them from household surveys because they belong to resident households. In the latter case, the information on outbound trips is usually collected at the same time as that on domestic trips.
Publisher
The World Bank
Origin
East Asia & Pacific
Records
63
Source
East Asia & Pacific | International tourism, number of departures
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995 93487907.381571
1996 105058885.90828
1997 111012952.20989
1998 110742415.25442
1999 119896552.49278
2000 134784939.10254
2001 142852066.95357
2002 146849553.8121
2003 144565260.08159
2004 168503338.32759
2005 178980034.49751
2006 191973606.46496
2007 209160640.0466
2008 214079069.41824
2009 212759733.97193
2010 236680060.32105
2011 254609640.19916
2012 275983951.22256
2013 296517180.4467
2014 321003450.37082
2015 345737393.81934
2016 366330196.10659
2017 384699656.28535
2018 402010474.20149
2019 415489956.28631
2020
2021
2022
East Asia & Pacific | International tourism, number of departures
International outbound tourists are the number of departures that people make from their country of usual residence to any other country for any purpose other than a remunerated activity in the country visited. The data on outbound tourists refer to the number of departures, not to the number of people traveling. Thus a person who makes several trips from a country during a given period is counted each time as a new departure. Development relevance: Tourism is officially recognized as a directly measurable activity, enabling more accurate analysis and more effective policy. Whereas previously the sector relied mostly on approximations from related areas of measurement (e.g. Balance of Payments statistics), tourism today possesses a range of instruments to track its productive activities and the activities of the consumers that drive them: visitors (both tourists and excursionists). An increasing number of countries have opened up and invested in tourism development, making tourism a key driver of socio-economic progress through export revenues, the creation of jobs and enterprises, and infrastructure development. As an internationally traded service, inbound tourism has become one of the world's major trade categories. For many developing countries it is one of the main sources of foreign exchange income and a major component of exports, creating much needed employment and development opportunities. Limitations and exceptions: Tourism can be either domestic or international. The data refers to international tourism, where the traveler's country of residence differs from the visiting country. International tourism consists of inbound (arrival) and outbound (departures) tourism. The data are from the World Tourism Organization (WTO), a United Nations agency. The data on inbound and outbound tourists refer to the number of arrivals and departures, not to the number of people traveling. Statistical concept and methodology: Statistical information on tourism is based mainly on data on arrivals and overnight stays along with balance of payments information. These data do not completely capture the economic phenomenon of tourism or provide the information needed for effective public policies and efficient business operations. Data are needed on the scale and significance of tourism. Information on the role of tourism in national economies is particularly deficient. Although the World Tourism Organization reports progress in harmonizing definitions and measurement, differences in national practices still prevent full comparability. Departures data measure the flows of resident visitors leaving the country of reference. Departures are not necessarily equal to the number of arrivals reported by international destinations for the country of reference. In many countries, the characteristics of trips and visitors are established through questions on the entry/departure cards, in surveys at the borders, at destination (accommodation surveys) or as part of household surveys (for domestic and outbound tourism). The entry/departure cards, or records of entry and departure, captured and reconciled by the immigration authorities are often the basic source for establishing the flows of inbound and outbound visitors. These cards usually collect information on a census basis on name, sex, age, nationality, current address, date of arrival (or departure in the departure card), purpose of trip, main destination visited and length of stay (expected on arrival and actual on departure for inbound visitors; expected on departure and actual on arrival for outbound visitors). Data is collected using one of three methods, or a combination of these to determine the flows of outbound visitors: using an entry/departure card; a specific survey at the border, or observing them from household surveys because they belong to resident households. In the latter case, the information on outbound trips is usually collected at the same time as that on domestic trips.
Publisher
The World Bank
Origin
East Asia & Pacific
Records
63
Source