The 7 Countries Most Dependent on Tourism
Tourism is a billion-dollar industry that contributes to 5 percent of the total share of the global GDP. Global travel has a significant impact on a nation's economy; countries rely on tourists to bring in billions. It also creates employment opportunities for native citizens.
“Although tourists' flow is different among all the nations, some heavily rely on tourism for their prosperous economy. Some of the largest economies are reliant on tourism,” says Amanda Parker, an expert in the tourism sector and a top writer on StudyDriver. She says, “In the countries most reliant on tourism, data shows it contributes to more than 15% of their gross domestic product. You can always seek out some free essays online to learn more about the travel and tourism council.”
Some of the world’s top countries have cashed in on this opportunity and have made substantial earnings through tourism. Here are the top 7 countries most dependent on tourism.
1) Maldives
Located in the Indian Ocean, Maldives is a country most dependent on tourism for its GDP. More than one million tourists visit the Maldives annually, and the world travel business contributes around 40% to the gross domestic product. Known for its natural environment of blue ocean, white beaches, Maldives is a hub for other famous aspects like beautiful coral reefs, banana reefs, water sports, and bioluminescent water. Along with the beautiful scenery, explorers visit the Maldives for its traditional Maldivian cuisine comprising mainly three ingredients: coconut, fish, and starches. Some of its famous cuisines include Guradhiya (fragrant fish soup), Mas Huni (shredded smoked Tuna with shredded coconut), Boshi Mashuni (Banana Flower Salad), Maldivian Live Lobster, and Aluva Boakibaa (sweet cassava and coconut cake).
2) Antigua & Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda is one of the island nations, which seems perfect for a popular destination. Around 270,000 visitors visit this destination each year. Tourism is the mainstay of the economy here, and it accounts for more than half of the gross domestic product. This famous destination is famous for its unique and beautiful places such as Dickenson Bay, St. John's, Fig Tree Drive, 17 Mile Beach Frigate Bird Sanctuary, and others. The national dish here is fungie (pronounced "foon-jee") and pepper. Other famous cuisines are Black angel hair fritters, Antiguan butter bread, pork chops with bananas and bacon, and goat water.
3) Aruba
Aruba is an isle lying in the southern Caribbean Sea and a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It receives around 1.07 million tourists every year. Aruba is best known for its dazzling white beaches, desert-like landscapes, colorful architectures, and social scenery worth exploring. The destination has earned the nickname of "Happy isle," and is also famous for its local cuisines that include pastiche, stobas, keshi yena, funchi, and pisca hasa.
4) Macau
Although it falls under the Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China, Macau (Macao) is an independent nation. It is a small country that serves around 30 million travelers per annum. Since tourism is the major profession for the people here, the government of Macau collects a significantly large revenue from gaming taxes. The nation is home to some of the most extravagant casinos, including the largest on earth. Apart from the grand casinos, Macau is also famous for Venetian shopping malls, unique heritages, ruins of St. Paul's, A-Ma Temple, Hac Sa Beach (Black sand beach), and the highest commercial Bungy jump in the world (233 m) at Macau tower. The Macau cuisine consists of a mosaic of Cantonese and Portuguese Cuisine and their fusion. Some of them include minchi (minced beef with diced potatoes), Capela (Macanese-style meatloaf), Braised pork in tamarind shrimp sauce, and the city's most famous snack-Macau egg tart.
5) Seychelles
Officially known as the Republic of Seychelles, Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean and falls in the African continent. It is the first and only country with a Human Development Index (HDI) exceeding 0.80 and falls under one of the world's highest income states. Although the nation is only home to around 100,000 people, more than 350,000 visitors travel to this destination per year. The business of Seychelles is primarily service-oriented, where tourism and fishing are the two major sectors contributing to the nation's development. Some of Seychelles' top attractions are the 100+ islands, Ste Anne National Marine Park, giant tortoises, bird isle, Aldabra Atoll, and the capital Victoria City, which can easily be explored on foot in less than a day. Some of the most bizarre cuisines can be found in these islands, including shark chutney, fruit bat curry, breadfruit chips, Octopus curry, and local alcoholic beverages.
6) Vanuatu
Vanuatu is an archipelago, made up of roughly 80 isles stretching 1300 kilometers. The attribute of being an archipelago gives it the benefit of being a popular destination. Vanuatu is home to 300,000 citizens and serves more than 115,000 tourists per annum. It is one of the most sought-after destinations for scuba diving, shallow water, coral reefs, blue holes, millennium cave, hideaway island and Mount Yasur (active volcano). The popular local Vanuatuan foods are laplap (National food), coconut fish curry, beef fillet, Poulet fish, tuluk, santo beef, and kava (beverage).
7) Bahamas
The Bahamas is a kingdom within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Caribbean. It consists of approximately 700 islands and more than 2,000 cays. Even with a small population of 385,000 citizens, the Bahamas receives more than 6 million travelers per year. Year-round sunny weather, scuba diving & snorkeling, swimming pigs, isle-hopping, pristine white beaches, pink sand beaches, and delicious cuisines are the Bahamas' major attractions. The mouth watering cuisines here include cracked conch, rock lobsters, Bahamian fish stew, johnnycakes, guava duff, rum cake, pigeon peas and rice, conch fritters and conch salad.
Caribbean countries remain the top pick for tourists. It's no surprise that the countries mentioned above are most reliant on tourism. The products and services related to tourism contribute to economic growth significantly and generate billions in earnings. As such, more and more larger nations such as South Korea are striving to uplift their travel industry by offering the best services to their customers.