In its new 2019 Cities report, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) reveals that North America contributes $686.6 billion – or 25% — to the global travel and tourism GDP.

Focusing on 73 major tourism city destinations, the report provides estimates of the GDP and employment directly generated by the Travel & Tourism sector, and highlights successful initiatives, strategies and policies that have been implemented.

It also revealed that many cities across North America make a significant contribution to the city’s overall GDP, with Cancun’s Travel & Tourism sector contributing almost half (46.8%), and Las Vegas contributing more than a quarter (27.4%).

Of the top 10 cities in this category, Las Vegas is followed by Orlando, which directly contributes 19.8% to the city’s overall GDP.

WTTC president & CEO, Gloria Guevara commented that: “The North American cities featured in this report are wholly representative of the region, with major cities across the US, Mexico and Canada showing the critical importance the Travel & Tourism sector has on communities and offers further examples in areas such as best practices for sustainable growth, resilience and destination stewardship .”

Guevara continued: “Achieving sustainable growth in cities requires reaching far beyond the sector itself, and into the broader urban agenda. To drive true economic impact that can translate seamlessly into social benefits, a city must engage with all stakeholders, across the public and private sector, in order to establish the cities of the future.”

Go to www.wttc.org for more.