Travel & Tourism as a % of GDP in North America

Which countries in North America rely the most on travel & tourism?

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Map of the size of the tourism industry in North America.

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We already looked at the size of the travel & tourism industry in Asia and Europe. Now we’re taking a close look at North America.

Travel & tourism is an extremely important part of the economy of several countries in North America. In particular for Caribbean island nations. For most of them, travel & tourism is responsible for more than 40% of GDP. Antigua and Barbuda has by far the highest share: 83.3%! That’s the second highest in the world. only Macau is more reliant on travel & tourism (85.1%).

The global top 10 is dominated by Caribbean nations. Antigua and Barbuda (83.3%), Aruba (67.9%), Saint Lucia (59.8%), Anguilla (48.7%), British Virgin Islands (44.4%), Grenada (43.6%), St Kitts and Nevis (43.6%) and the Bahamas (42.5%) all make it into the global top 10.

For Central America, it varies from 5 to 16 percent, with the exception of Belize (37.6%), which relies far more on travel & tourism.

The data for this map is from 2019 and gives a good picture of the situation before the pandemic disrupted the tourism industry. The data comes from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The data includes both foreign and domestic tourists.

The WTTC uses the UN WTO methodology for defining the travel & tourism industry. These include travel and tourism contribution to accommodation services, food & beverage services, retail trade, transportation services, cultural, sports & recreational services. On top of that, indirect travel & tourism contribution is also included: T&T investment spending, government collective T&T spending, impact of purchases from suppliers, spending of direct and indirect employees in T&T.

Economy, North America, Travel

9 responses to “Travel & Tourism as a % of GDP in North America”

Caribbean Matters: What is 'responsible' tourism, and why is it important? – Awoken American

Jul 22, 2023 at 5:05 am

[…] GDP generated by travel and tourism in 2021,” had Antigua and Barbuda topping the chart at 61%. The 2019 figures, recently analyzed in February by Landgeist, show an even greater dependency pre-pandemic: Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism industry provided […]

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Caribbean Matters: What is 'responsible' tourism, and why is it important? – Todays Democrats

Jul 22, 2023 at 5:04 am

[…] GDP generated by travel and tourism in 2021,” had Antigua and Barbuda topping the chart at 61%. The 2019 figures, recently analyzed in February by Landgeist, show an even greater dependency pre-pandemic: Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism industry provided […]

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What is ‘responsible’ tourism, and why is it important? – newsbook

Jul 21, 2023 at 1:18 pm

[…] GDP generated by travel and tourism in 2021,” had Antigua and Barbuda topping the chart at 61%. The 2019 figures, recently analyzed in February by Landgeist, show an even greater dependency pre-pandemic: Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism industry provided […]

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What is ‘proper’ tourism, and why is it important? – Howtodoarticle

Jul 21, 2023 at 10:16 am

[…] generated by travel and tourism in 2021,” was Antigua and Barbuda at the top of the chart at 61%. The figures for 2019, which were recently analyzed in February by Landgeistshowing high dependence before the pandemic: The tourism industry in Antigua and Barbuda contributed […]

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Caribbean Issues: What's 'accountable' tourism, and why is it essential? – Jacksonville Florida News

Jul 21, 2023 at 10:07 am

[…] GDP generated by travel and tourism in 2021,” had Antigua and Barbuda topping the chart at 61%. The 2019 figures, recently analyzed in February by Landgeist, present an excellent higher dependency pre-pandemic: Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism business […]

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Caribbean Matters: What is 'responsible' tourism, and why is it important? – WHEN THE MSM FAILS YOU…. WE HAVE YOUR BACK

Jul 21, 2023 at 4:22 am

[…] GDP generated by travel and tourism in 2021,” had Antigua and Barbuda topping the chart at 61%. The 2019 figures, recently analyzed in February by Landgeist, show an even greater dependency pre-pandemic: Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism industry provided […]

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Caribbean Issues: What's 'accountable' tourism, and why is it vital? – Detroit News Authority

Jul 21, 2023 at 2:25 am

[…] GDP generated by travel and tourism in 2021,” had Antigua and Barbuda topping the chart at 61%. The 2019 figures, recently analyzed in February by Landgeist, present a fair better dependency pre-pandemic: Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism trade supplied […]

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What is “responsible” tourism and why is it important? – Gnews pub

Jul 21, 2023 at 2:11 am

[…] GDP generated by travel and tourism in 2021,” had Antigua and Barbuda leading the ranking at 61%. The 2019 figures, recently analyzed in February by Landgeistshow even greater reliance before the pandemic: Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism industry […]

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Caribbean Matters: What is 'accountable' tourism, and why is it vital? – News Fall Out

Jul 21, 2023 at 2:05 am

[…] via go back and forth and tourism in 2021,had Antigua and Barbuda topping the chart at 61%. The 2019 figures, lately analyzed in February via Landgeistdisplay a good larger dependency pre-pandemic: Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism trade supplied […]

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