Travel and Tourism in Spain and Italy - Essay Example

Travel and tourism in Spain and Italy Introduction Travel and tourism are among the major economic activities across the world. Travel and tourism has grown very dynamic in the recent past (Dale, 2005). Many countries have developed the travel and tourism sector to facilitate economic growth and massive development. Research has shown that travel and tourism constitute a major foreign income earner for many countries. Major world economies such as Spain and Italy have primarily benefited from travel and tourism. An analysis of the available statistical data pertaining to Spanish and Italian travel and tourism sectors reveals that tourism in the two countries has greatly improved in the recent past. However, the growth of the tourism and travel industry has not been very smooth. There have been several challenges such as political instability in some countries and the issue of climate change. The objective of this report is to assess the input of travel and tourism industries to the economies of Spain and Italy. Travel and tourism in Spain The tourism and travel industry in Spain has developed significantly in the past few decades. Statistics shows that the contribution of tourism activities to the country’s GDP keeps on rising year after year. In 2014, Spain received over 60 million international tourist and this boosted economic developed of the country at a significant percentage. Basically, travel and tourism sector contributes about 15% of the total GDP growth in Spain (Morrison & Mann, 2004). The industry has offered job opportunities to millions of citizens across Spain. In essence, a large number of people in Spain depend on travel and tourism as a source of livelihood. A recent survey on the job market in Spain revealed that over 10% of the total job opportunities come from the travel and tourism sector. Essentially, the travel and tourism sector has been very useful in the economic recovery of the country in the recent years. The travel and tourism sector has contributed to the mushrooming of urban centers in Spain (Rodgers & Edexcel Foundation, 2001). In addition, the number of the urban population has increased significantly over the past few decades. The hotel and catering sectors have been boosted by the rapid growth of the travel and tourism sectors. Many people have ventured into the hotels and restaurant business owing to the continued development and growth of the travel and tourism industries. In essence, travel and tourism have contributed enormously to the economic development of Spain (Lennon & International Forum on Tourism Statistics, 2003). Despite the success of travel and tourism in Spain, several challenges are evident. For instance, the rate of prostitution has increased mainly because of the recent developments in travel and tourism. In addition, the upsurge in the rural migration as a result of open opportunities created in big towns and cities by travel and tourism has led to increased crime rates. In addition, overpopulation in some cities and towns has led to the disruption of some economic activities in the country. Travel and tourism in Italy Italy has experienced a resurgence in travel and tourism in the past few decades. The direct contribution of travel and tourism to the country’s GDP has increased significantly over the past few years (Beaver, 2005). For instance, the direct contribution of the travel and tourism to the Italy’s GDP rose to about four percent. In addition, the input of travel and tourism to the total GDP of Italy was over ten percent in the year 2014. It is anticipated that the contribution of travel and tourism to the country’s both direct and total GDP will continue rising in the subsequent years. Travel and tourism have aided in resolving employment problems in Italy. The sector offers thousands of job opportunities to the country’s residents every year. For instance, travel and tourism offered over one million direct job opportunities. The figure of job opportunities is anticipated to rise further in the subsequent years. In addition, the sector has opened avenues for establishing other business such as hotels and restraints. In essence, the contribution of travel and tourism to the country’s annual employment goes beyond ten percent. From the available statistics, it can be deduced that travel and tourism have grown to be among the most beneficial industries in Italy in terms of economic benefits. Woodside & Martin (2008) states that investment in travel and tourism has increased subsequently over the past one decade. For instance, a study conducted in 2014 revealed that investment in travel and tourism constituted 3.2% of the total investment. The investment trends in Italy shows that investment in travel and tourism will continue raising in the coming years and hit about 10% of the total country’s investment. Visitor exports in Italy have increased predominantly over the past few decades (Jasper & Lets Go, Inc., 2011). The number of foreign tourists visiting the country every year has continued to raise over time. An analysis of the statics about foreign tourists collected over the past ten years shows that the number of tourist who visit Italy annually is on a rising trend. It is important to note that an increase in foreign tourists in a country contributes enormously to the economic growth and development. In addition, it provides an opportunity for creating international investment ties between the residents and the foreign visitors. In this regard, countries that have experienced a rebirth in foreign tourism have a promising future, which will be characterized by massive economic growth and developments. There are some challenges experienced in travel and tourism in Italy. For instant. Insufficient infrastructure hinder the accessibility of some potential tourist attraction sites. In addition, some parts of the country lack sufficient accommodation facilities thereby limiting the number of tourists visiting those areas. Social vices such as prostitution and robbery are other challenges facing travel and tourism in Italy. A recent research conducted to assess the social impacts of the growth of tourism in Italy revealed that prostitution in major cities and streets has increased over the past few years. Many youths in Italy engage in prostitution with foreign tourists for money. As a result, the blowout of sex related diseases such as the HIV/Aids has been on a rise. In addition, the cases of early and unwanted pregnancies have also increased in the past few years. Similarities of travel and tourism in Spain and Italy Travel and tourism in both countries have grown to very dynamic in the past one decade. Travel and tourism contribute enormously to the economic growth and development in both countries. In essence, the contribution of travel and tourism in GDPs of Italy and Spain is over 8%. In Both countries, investment in travel and tourism have risen in the past ten years. In both countries, both the government and the private sectors invest in travel and tourism (Burdett, 2007). Actually, investment in travel and tourism for both countries is open to all interested parties provided they do so with the limits of the law. Some of the challenges experienced in travel and tourism such as prostitution and increased crime rates are similar in both countries. Contrast of travel and tourism in Italy and Spain Travel and tourism in Spain are more developed than in Italy. For instance, the annual contribution of travel and tourism in Spain to the GDP surpasses that of Italy (Hayward, 2005). In Spain, the annual direct contribution of travel and tourism is more than 10%. On the contrary, the annual direct contribution of travel and tourism to the Italy’s GDP is less than 10%. In addition, the influence of travel and tourism in the job market is high in Spain than in Italy. Spanish nationals are seen to be more interested in the jobs relating to travel and tourism than the Italian nationals. Overview of travel and tourism The world economy has continued to show positive improvement over the past few years. The economic wellbeing of people across the world seems to be taking a positive direction. Actually, research has shown that people’s purchasing power across the world improves each year. The migration from the rural to urban areas has increased over the last ten years across the world. In this regard, the demand for luxurious products and services such as travel and tourism has been on the rise. It is estimated that by 2030, most people would have entered the middle-class economy. For this reason, it is projected that the number of people who visit international tourist destinations will increase in future (Hudman & Jackson, 2003).The available statistics on travel and tourism in Spain and Italy portray a promising economic future of both countries. The number of tourists visiting both countries annually keeps on increasing, and this reveals that the countries are giants in the travel and tourism sectors. Conclusion Travel and tourism have emerged as major contributor to the development of world economy. Many nations of the world have reaped sufficient benefits from travel and tourism as far as economic growth and development are concerned. The improvement of people’s financial position in the past ten years has aided in the development of travel and tourism as an effective economic activity. In summary, the contribution of travel and tourism in the world economy can never be ignored. Reference list: Dale, G. (2005). BTEC national travel & tourism. Oxford: Heinemann. Rodgers, J., & Edexcel Foundation. (2001). Travel and tourism. Oxford: Edexcel. Hudman, L. E., & Jackson, R. H. (2003). Geography of travel & tourism. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson. Top of Form Lennon, J. J., & International Forum on Tourism Statistics. (2003). Tourism statistics: International perspectives and current issues. London: Continuum. Morrison, A. M., & Mann, B. J. (2004). International government information and country information: a subject guide. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. Hayward, P. (2005). Travel & tourism: AS level for AQA. Oxford: Heinemann. Beaver, A. (2005). A dictionary of travel and tourism terminology. Wallingford, Oxon [u.a.: CABI. Woodside, A. G., & Martin, D. (2008). Tourism management: Analysis, behaviour and strategy. Wallingford, UK: CABI Pub. Burdett, C. (2007). Journeys through fascism: Italian travel writing between the Wars. New York: Berghahn Books. Jasper, M., & Lets Go, Inc. (2011). Lets go. Cambridge, MA: Lets Go.Bottom of Form Read More