2. What is the relationship between the growth of tourism and economic development.

As economies develop there is an increasing demand for tourism. Global pattern of tourism in relation to economic development (using data) and study of 2 contrasting case studies to show this. Key questions How has economic development increased the demand for global and regional tourism? How can tourism play a significant role in economic development of an area? Why is there a relationship between tourism and development?

Some background As economic development takes place, standards of living rise as do disposable incomes, the demand for tourism and foreign travel increases proportionally. (see graph on page 328 orange book). People in the world’s poorest countries are excluded from international tourism due to poverty, lack of education and isolation. (see table page 329).

However, There are tourist hotspots in LEDCS which emerged between 1995 and 2005 such as China (40m arrivals in 2005) and Vietnam and Laos experiencing growth of 1000%. Growing middle classes in places like China, India and Brazil want to experience foreign travel. As economies grow so does demand for tourism and so the infrastructure starts to build and grows due to cumulative causation. But International tourism is dominated by world’s richest countries with HDIs of European countries fill the top 10 places in terms of per capital spending due to high levels of development. US/Canada and Australia are absent due to need to travel long distances to go “abroad” and there is enough opportunity within their own borders.

2 contrasting case-studies. UK and China UKCHINA Volume Origin of visitors Type (what to do/see) Spending Impact (jobs/% of ec.) Future?