Demand created by Bermuda?s tourism industry is set to double during the next ten years to generate a staggering $2.068 billion, predicts a global forum of the world?s top 100 tourism business leaders.

And as a direct benefit the number of jobs in the Island?s travel and tourism economy will increase from 7,000 at present to 10,000 by the year 2016. The World Travel and Tourism Council after it looked at the performances of 174 countries and found Bermuda to be the 49th most tourism-intense country.

The headline figure of $2,068,000,000 includes all parts of travel and tourism from visitor spending to investment, Government spending and exports.

However, while the overall outlook is positive, out of the 174 countries Bermuda is only 127th in the growth forecasts of the WTTC. Looking at this year the travel and tourism sector is expected to generate 20 percent of the Island?s exports, a figure of $448m and this will increase to 27.2 percent of total experts, or $1.017 billion, by 2016.

Tourism?s value to the economy could increase from 4.4 percent of gross domestic product to six percent, with the sector providing $453m of the country?s shared wealth compared with less than half today.

Differentiating between the broad travel and tourism economy of Bermuda and the more defined travel and tourism industry, the report by the WTTC said the current travel and tourism industry jobs account for 6.2 percent of total employment and will rise to 8.4 percent, or 3,000 jobs, by 2016. In the travel and tourism economy the numbers will rise from 7,000 to 10,000.

The World Travel and Tourism Council is a forum of business leaders in the travel and tourism industry featuring 100 chief executives from 100 leading travel and tourism companies.