Examining Current Travel Trends Globally From A2Z

More than just a localized impact, travel and tourism continues to be one of the most influential forms of economic gain today.

More than just a localized impact, travel and tourism continues to be one of the most influential forms of economic gain today. To gauge the growth, monitor the trends and encourage this "sustainable" and often green form of revenue, the World Tourism Organization,UNWTO, was created.

An agency within the UN, the UNWTO is "responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism". Encouraging a global code of ethics for tourism, it works globally to not only encourage tourism, but sustainable tourism for future generations to come.

Each year, the UNWTO focuses on gathering and sharing information about travel and trends for the current year and the following year. According to reports offered by the WTO's ITB, the results for tourism included a global rise of 5% in outbound travel with overnights from 2011, also up from 2010 as well. In addition, other surveys collected other changes as well such as a growing number of travelers during "off seasons", an increase in online sales and a heightened use of technology and smart phones worldwide as well.

The trends offered by almost all travel and tourism organizations appear to be showing the same growth pattern as well. Expected to be on the rise in the US, Asia and Latin America, trends show an increase globally of over 2%.

As life continues to speed by at what seems to be a dizzying speed, the reasons for travel also continue to evolve focused more in the U.S. more on family time and reducing stress. In fact, scientists and doctors continue to find benefits to the well being of man even today. So important to some parts of the world consider vacations that many actually "require" their employees to take a certain amount of vacation annually to make them more productive and healthier.

Though most of the U.S. has yet to make travel mandatory, the facts become hard to simply push off. Whether traveling to enhance relationships, for ones health or just to relax, it is one aspect of life equally important throughout the world.