Tourism industry

Travel and tourism are the biggest source of employment in the world where they achieved profits of  1916 billion dollars in just one year.

It was reported in an international report entitled "The condition of World Environment 1972 - 1992" the following:
The contribution of tourism to the total income differs from one country to another according to the volume of economy and the level of spending.

The share of international tourism in gross domestic product of many countries is ranging between 15% and 30%.

It should be noted that tourism does not lead to development, but the general development of a country is what makes tourism profitable.

Therefore, the outcomes of international tourism is not an indicator of the real income of tourism.

Tourism may have positive and negative effects at the same time on human environment, like other development sectors.

The historical and cultural heritage outline the attractiveness of a particular country for tourists, as they encourage governments to protect and preserve their features. Therefore, many countries exert significant efforts to provide regular protection for cities, villages, and archaeological sites, especially those with historical and artistic significance.

While tourism plays a major role in the economies of mountain areas, damages to ecosystems in some cases reached a critical level that may harm the future of tourism.

However, many developing countries that suffer the burden of external debts and need hard currency have put aside their fears about tourism that it may lead to the deterioration of the natural environment which makes them attractive.

Short-sighted policy led to a marked deterioration in the environment of some countries and kept out the growing numbers of tourists.