Europe contributes 30% to global Travel & Tourism GDP says WTTC.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, released its comprehensive Cities Report for 2019 , which reveals Europe directly contributes $830BN (30%) to the global Travel & Tourism GDP. The three fastest growing cities of those analysed are all located in Europe: Antalya’s direct Travel & Tourism GDP grew 15.7% and Istanbul’s close behind at 15.5%.Furthermore, following the Turkish cities, Moscow was third, growing 13.7% last year, on the back of the FIFA World Cup last year. International spending showed especially strong growth in Moscow, growing 20.5%. The Cities Report shows these 73 cities account for $691 billion in direct Travel & Tourism GDP, which represents 25% of the sector’s direct global GDP and accounts for over 17 million jobs. Revenues from international visitors will in some cases pay for city infrastructure projects, the provision of public workers and services that improve the quality of life for residents. European cities are more reliant on international tourism than cities from the other regions analysed within the report. Seven out of the top 10 cities ranked for the reliance on international visitor spend were located within Europe, with Dublin and Dubrovnik both showing over 95% of Travel & Tourism spending relying on international visitors. WTTC President & CEO, Gloria Guevara said: “European cities have been and will continue to be of critical importance to the Travel & Tourism sector. This wide-reaching report has shown the ongoing growth and contribution of European cities, and the importance the Travel & Tourism sector has on communities and offers further examples in areas such as best practices for sustainable growth, resilience and destination stewardship.”