While the bulk of tourist arrivals are still in industrial states, developing countries are also increasingly sharing in the tourism boom. This article outlines strategies for promoting pro-poor tourism. Tourism is the world's largest industry, with over 10 per cent of GDP globally directly related to tourism activities. Rising standards of living in the countries of the North, declining long-haul travel costs, increasing holiday entitlements, changing demographics and strong consumer demand for exotic international travel have resulted in significant tourism growth to developing countries.
Tourism is the principal export for one third of developing countries.
Tourism brings relatively powerful consumers to Southern countries, potentially an important market for local entrepreneurs and an engine for local sustainable economic development. Tourism and aid Multilateral and bilateral aid agencies are wary of involving themselves in the tourism sector. In 1969 the World Bank created a Tourism Projects Department recognising that in the Mediterranean and Adriatic countries, and in Mexico, tourism had been a significant generator of foreign exchange and of direct and indirect employment. Internationally in the late nineteen sixties, there was considerable concern about high rates of unemployment and the ability of developing countries to service debt. The primary emphasis was on national economic impact.