Over recent decades, travel and tourism have been large contributors to the world economy. International tourism has been growing at a slightly faster pace than the world economy and this seems likely to continue in the long-term despite the current recession. While its economic importance varies widely, in many of the 42 countries covered in this report, it is clear that tourism plays a crucial role in supporting economic growth and development, in sustaining employment and in generating foreign currency receipts. In the OECD area, for example, the employment growth rate in the hotel and restaurant industry exceeded 2% per year between 2000 and 2007, more than a percentage point ahead of the total employment growth rate (Chapters 1 and 4).