High income | 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
High income
Records
63
Source
High income | International tourism, number of departures
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1998 574878938.98705
1999 610109478.3902
2000 644643750.29025
2001 639396289.90697
2002 638005764.69057
2003 627229194.26347
2004 655857600.32349
2005 683101339.7774
2006 780689372.2288
2007 806033509.51007
2008 816213734.45009
2009 783266709.24905
2010 811128570.14615
2011 819893615.54878
2012 838746662.14391
2013 857227623.48897
2014 850607287.97469
2015 889669300.85358
2016 928589865.76896
2017 982228992.3759
2018 1016965040.2527
2019 1037956545.5387
2020
2021
2022
High income | 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
High income
Records
63
Source