Overview of tourism and economic development Economists are focusing their attention to the tourism sector because of what is seen as positive economic returns from the industry. The tourism industry is proactive and has undergone diversification resulting in further expansion of the industry. The industry ranges from real tourist sites and activities to travel, entertainment for tourists and accommodation. Countries have continued to invest in the tourism industry because of the returns that they have been getting from people who have already invested in the industry. The economic worth of the tourism industry is significantly to economic growth and development of many nations in the world. The global tourism industry brings substantial economic returns to economies. The tourism industry has been expanding at an accelerating pace. As it stands today, the industry has expanded thus becoming a significant contributor to gross domestic product of states. Tourism presents an extended number of economic opportunities to countries that embrace tourist activities. The economic opportunities that accrue to the tourism industry include increased investment, which creates many other benefits to national economies like the creation of jobs. The other most significant benefit of tourism, especially cross border tourism, is the improvement of balance of payments (UNWTO, para. 1). This promotes the growth of national economies by raising their ability to take part in international trade. Tourism and economic opportunities One of the notable explanations why tourism sectors receive voluminous support from governments is that tourism presents many opportunities for the growth of national economies. Tourism brings about a vast number of economic opportunities for economies. Economic researches and surveys present a number of benefits that are derived from tourism by nations across the world. The first outcome, which is backed by economic evidence from countries across the world, is that tourism helps in the creation of income and employment. The second finding is that tourism helps in eliminating deficits in the balance of payments of countries that practice it. Tourism also stimulates investment and growth of other sectors in national and the global economy. All these are pointers to positive signs on the quantitative measure of growth and development of the economy. The contribution of tourism to gross domestic product of countries can no longer be ignored. Many economies have reported a contribution of up to 10 percent of the tourism industry to their annual total gross domestic product (UNWTO, para. 2). Tourism and the creation of income and employment Income and employment are critical factors of measuring the rate of economic growth and development of any given economy in the world. Tourism is a crucial contributor to these macroeconomic factors in most nations in the world. There are a vast number of investments in many countries, in the world, by both private and public investors in the tourism industry. These investments are strategic and are used as a means of positioning countries and regions as tourism icons. Tourist vibrant regions in the world are pumping large sums of money in th