EMERGING markets will be one of the biggest growth opportunities for international tourism stakeholders.

This is according to the inaugural World Travel Market Industry Report, which polled some 1 200 senior industry executives

Almost half of those polled believe that emerging markets including Brazil, Russia, India and China would be among their biggest growth opportunities until 2016.

Furthermore, emerging markets are already having an impact on the travel and tourism industry. Looking back over the past twelve months, 55.9% of the sample said that emerging markets had been a positive influence on their business.

The findings confirm a sea change in the way the travel and tourism industry operates on a global scale. As the traditional markets of North American and Europe mature, the real growth opportunities can be found in the BRIC economies – Brazil, Russia, India and China  - as well as the GCC nations such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Another key issue highlighted by the report is the length of time it is likely to take the travel and tourism sector to recover following the global downturn.

According to the report, industry will struggle to return to pre-downturn demand levels and profitability until 2016.

More than half of respondents believe the impact of the global downturn is one of the biggest issues affecting the tourism sector in the next five years. Some 49% believe the downturn’s impact on price, profit and margins is a big issue.