Tourism plays a very important role in the world's economy. Travel and tourism are collectively contributing over 10 percent to the world's GDP. But what is more important than that - tourism comes to the aid of the local population in different ways, wherever it is active. And this includes the developing countries too. More than 250 million people are employed by the industries directly or indirectly connected to tourism. A major share of these jobs is present in the developing countries.

But tourism isn't just a way to provide jobs to the local population. Thanks to tourism, various parts of the world have been able to maintain its environmental balance. This is because tourism in those areas provides a regular source of income to take care of the plants and animals which need to be nurtured and protected. An endless number of national parks displaying rare animals have been able to sustain themselves with the help of the entrance fees charged by the parks. The people who are in charge of the parks are all locals. Thus tourism in such areas also provides much needed jobs to the people around that area.

New tourist destinations keep getting introduced all around the world, as there is a great demand for such places. This also helps the local population to be more aware of the rich cultural heritage as well as biological reserves present in their area. The local people then learn to take better care of their culture as well as their heritage. They also learned to respect what they had taken for granted in the past. Tourism has also helped revive activities like handicrafts in many areas. The local artisans now get a ready market for their goods when tourists keep pouring in their area. They also have a chance to exhibit their variety of skills, as local authorities keep promoting handicraft centers to boost tourism in a particular area.

Tourism also leads to the overall development in any area if it is the dominant factor over there. Since the authorities in a local area carry out plans to develop tourism in their area, it gives a boost to the total infrastructure set-up in the area. The roads as well as communication facilities get a major over-haul, thus making the lives of the local people less troublesome. As an increasing number of international travelers visit a tourism spot, the local authorities in that area start taking greater interest in planning ways and means to take care of waste elimination as there is a larger amount of waste being generated in that area.

Tourism also works very well in those areas which have abundant natural resources but is lacking in economic resources. People in such areas are able to use their natural resources to create economic resources for themselves, thus making them self-reliant. Thus, tourism always works well if it is backed strongly by the local planning authorities as well as the local population in any part of the world.

Matthew Kepnes has been traveling for a long time and is a firm believer that tourism can help developing countries earn money and improve their country. For more information about traveling the world, you can visit his website and learn about how you can travel green and help the world's economy http://www.how-to-travel-the-world.com/ecotourism/tips-green-travel/.