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According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, here are some of the countries that did well in their tourism sector as seen in the increase in tourism spending in 2016 – Mexico, Cyprus, Iceland, and Azerbaijan. Among the four, the greatest surprise was Azerbaijan which previously had to deal with a currency crash but showed positive reports nonetheless.
For those who are interested in booking Mexico getaways, you won’t be disappointed. The country is currently the 17th world’s largest tourism industry. While overall economy reported a weaker peso, this was a negative report that boosted their overall tourism industry, making rooms and travel packages cheaper, which made these more enticing to foreigners especially those residing in the United States. The country has been implementing changes to entice the foreigners to come and visit. Last October 2016, Mexico hosted its first ever Day of the Dead moving parade. Foreigners spent 382 billion pesos or an equivalent of $20.1 billion in 2016.
Tourist spending in Cyprus increased by 17% last year, recording an income of €2.6 billion or an equivalent of $2.8 billion. Some attribute this to the country’s reputation on being a safe place to visit while other European destinations have become an interest for terrorist attacks.
Iceland may have a cold unpredictable weather, but that did not stop them from placing as one of the hottest destinations to date. The country was able to attract tourists, thanks to desirable airline offers similar to the ones offered in deals of Mexico getaways. They also have the Northern Lights which was considered one of their best attractions, which helped Iceland make an additional 373 billion krona or $3.4 billion in tourism spending. Using their local currency, tourism spending is said to have increased by 27.5% last year.
Similar to Mexico, the depreciation of local currency in Azerbaijan made the country more competitive as a tourist destination. The country was trying to get away from being dependent on oil and saw potential in the tourism industry. They looked at infrastructure investments and made their visa visitor system better.
