South America’s tourism industry as a whole has profited from the region’s strong economic performance in recent years, led by the demand in commodities from emerging countries such as China. The continent recovered fairly quickly from the global recession of 2008-09 and there has since been a boom in inter-regional travel.

Venezuela’s tourism industry has grown within this but it cannot compare to its other South American neighbours. The country is up against much bigger and better-known destinations such as Brazil, Argentina and Chile, which compete for the tourism dollar, and thanks to a government whose focus is on financing a ‘Bolivarian Revolution’, the country’s income from tourism remain fairly low. In 2010, revenues from domestic and international tourism reached just over US$16 billion (compared to US$13 billion in 2006) – a fraction of the foreign exchange earned by Venezuela’s oil industry (US$62.3 billion in 2010).

Turkey’s rise in the global tourism arena has been nothing short of spectacular. In 1999, some 7.4 million tourists visited the country but by 2010, this had shot up to 28 million. The rise in international air traffic has even more dramatic. Over the same period, the number of international air passengers rose by 861% to 44.2 million.

The country offers visitors a plethora of historical, cultural and natural resources. It is also highly accessible, acting as a transit hub for flights traversing Europe and the Middle East. In the last ten years, Turkey has implemented a number of infrastructural developments that have boosted air and tourist arrivals into the country. The Turkish government pursued both foreign and domestic investors actively, and subsequently, vast sums poured into the tourism sector, the results of which are now clearly evident. In the first 11 months of 2010, some US$2.2 billion had been pumped into the tourism sector.

Country Reports are tourism profiles of destination countries.

This report is produced by one of a global network of industry analysts, who provide market-based information as well as detailed, insightful and localised interpretation of the facts and figures.

Country Reports are tourism profiles of destination countries.

This report is produced by one of a global network of industry analysts, who provide market-based information as well as detailed, insightful and localised interpretation of the facts and figures.

Country Reports are tourism profiles of destination countries.

This report is produced by one of a global network of industry analysts, who provide market-based information as well as detailed, insightful and localised interpretation of the facts and figures.