Tourism is an important economic sector in Mexico, and the country plays a prominent role in tourism globally. The sector directly contributed 8.5% of GDP to Mexico’s economy in 2014, double the OECD average (4.1%), and one of the highest direct shares of GDP among OECD countries. Tourism’s impact on employment is significant, directly supporting 2.3 million full-time equivalent jobs, or 5.8% of full-time paid employment, not counting those employed in the significant informal tourism economy. Tourism’s share of trade in services is also substantial, as international travel receipts accounted for 77.2% of service exports in 2015, significantly ahead of the OECD average (21.3% in 2014).