15 Countries Whose Economy Relies entirely on Tourism

Holidays are the best getaway tickets from your busy, same old clockwork. The selfies, groupfies, shenanigans and beauty of nature pleasing your eyes give a sense of self-satisfaction even if it digs quite deep down your pocket. But did you know that there are many such countries which totally rely upon your holiday vacation. So, I bring a list of 15 such countries and if you are planning for a holiday vacation, you might want to think about adding these to your list. Why? Because why else would they be relying only on their tourism if they were not proud and confident about it? The list is a combination of the total contribution to the country’s GDP, employment rate and capital investment that the country does on its tourism.

15. Cape Verde

Cape Verde, officially the Republic of Cape Verde lies off northwest coast of Africa. It is an archipelago of 10 volcanic islands in central Atlantic Ocean.

Attractions: Porto Grande, Pico do Fogo Volcano, Cape Verde Safari, Botanical Gardens etc.

The per capita tourism amount: $1661

14. Seychelles

Seychelles, officially the Republic of Seychelles, is an archipelago of about 115 islands, lying Off East Africa in the Indian Ocean. It has the least population among any independent African State.

Attractions: Mahe islands, Morne Seychellois National Park, white sand beaches like Beau Vallon and Anse Takamaka, Petit Anse, Cousin island, Curieuse island, Aride island and Bicentennial Monument.

The per capita tourism amount: $ 1965

13. Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia is a sovereign island country lying in the Caribbean Sea on the boundary of the Atlantic Ocean. It was ruled seven times each by British and the French and hence was nicknamed “Helen of the West Indies”.

Attractions: Drive-in Volcano, Sulphur Springs, Botanical Gardens, Majestic Twin  Peak The pitons, Pigeon Island National Park, Marigot Bay, Gros Islet, Splash Island Water Park,  Toraille, Rodney Bay etc.

The per capita tourism amount: $1985

12. Maldives

Maldives, officially, the Republic of Maldives, is an archipelago, composed of 26 coral atolls and a forming member of the SAARC. It lies to the southwest of India and Sri Lanka in the Laccadive Sea in the Indian Ocean.

Attractions: Majeedhee Magu and 17^th Century Hukuru Misky, Hulhumare, National Museum, Mulee-age Palace, Gan, Hulhule island, Villingili etc.

The per capita tourism amount: $2200

11. Vanuatu

Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu is an Pacific Nation island in the South Pacific Ocean. Also an archipelago, it consists about 80 islands and stretches to upto 13000 kilometers in length.

Attractions: Mele Cascades, Mount Yasur, Port Villa, Irirki and Aore island.

The per capita tourism amount: $3120

10. Antigua and Barbuda

The twin-islands country lies between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, is home two these two islands and many smaller offshore islands like Green, Great Bird, Guinea, York Islands etc. and is nicknamed as the “Land of 365 Beaches”

Attractions:  Nelson’s Dockyard, Mount Obama, Jolly Harbor and English Harbor, Carlis Bay, National Museum in St. John’s and many of the 365 beaches of course.

The per capita tourism amount: $4947.

09. Anguilla

Again a British overseas territory, Anguilla lies east to Puerto Rica and north to Saint Martin. It consists of the main island Anguilla and many smaller islands and cays.

Attractions: Little Bay, Meads Bay, Rendezvous Bay, Big Spring, East End Pond.

The per capita tourism amount: $5319.

08. Bermuda

Bermuda or Somers isles, is a British overseas territory of north Atlantic ocean, off east coast of North America. It has a beautiful British and American cultural mix.

Attractions: The pink sands of Elbow beaches and Horseshoe Bay, interactive Dolphin quests in its Royal Naval Dockyard complex and maritime history in national museum of Bermuda. And if you feel like you need to escape the world on another level, there is always the Bermuda triangle for you!

The per capita tourism amount: $5451.

07. Bahamas

Officially, the Commonwealth of Bahamas, it is part of the Lucayan Archipelago, consists more than 700 islands, cays and islets in the Atlantic Ocean like the Grand Bahamas and Paradise Island. It lies north of Cuba and Haiti.

Attractions: Andros Barrier Reef, Thunderball Grotto( Courtesy:  James bond ), Junkanoo Carnival, Marsh Harbor, Little San Salvador Island, Freeport, Ardastra Gardens, Zoo and Conservation center, Pirates of Nassau Museum, Fort Charlotte and Fort Fincastle, Dean’s Blue Hole, Pompey Museum of slavery and emancipation and many many more.

The per capita tourism amount: $6288.

06. Luxembourg

Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a tiny European country (finally not an island) bordered by France, Belgium and Germany. It consists of Oesling in the northern part ( a part of Ardennes massif) and the Gutland meaning the good country in the south. The neighbors have been a great influence in the culture of this country as many people share both the French and German heritage.

Attractions: Ardeness Forest in the north, Mosselle river Valley in the south, Rocky Gorges in the Mullerthal Region (often nicknamed “Little Switzerland”), Vianden, Clervaux, Ettelbruck, Petruss valley etc.

The per capita tourism amount: $7909

05. Cayman Islands

Another British overseas territory, Cayman Islands lies in the western Caribbean Sea, and to the south of Cuba. It consists of three islands: the Little Cayman, Cayman Brac and the Grand Cayman islands.

Attractions: the Seven Mile Beach in the Grand Cayman, Pedro St. castle in Savannah , Stingray city, which is home to Stingrays (not an attraction for many, I suppose)

The per capita tourism amount: $12,042.

04. Turks and Caicos

Lying to the southeast of the Mayauana in the Bahamas chain of islands, also part of the British overseas territory, Turks and Caicos are two islands with most of the population living in the larger island the Caicos. It has been a popular choice for Hollywood stars to build their homes including Bruce Willies and Dick Clarke.  New Batman Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner got married here in 2005.

Attractions: Turks & Caicos Music and Cultural Festival with many musical artists performing every year, Grace Bay beach, Parrot Cay, Salt Cay and the Great Turk Island.

The per capita tourism amount: $12,420.

03. Aruba

An Island country lying in the south of the Caribbean Sea, west of the Lesser Antillies and north of the coast of Venezuela. Aruba, along with other two islands, Bonaire and Curacao are called the ABC islands. Also, it is one of the Kingdoms of Netherlands.

Attractions: Eagle Beach, Alto Vista Chapel, California lighthouse, Palm Beach, SS Antilla, Hooiberg mountain, Druif Beach, Trinidad Stadium and Fort Zautman.

The per capita tourism amount: $14,771

02. Macau

A peninsula in mainland China, it lies across the Pearl River Delta from Hong Kong. Since, it was a Portuguese territory till 1999, it has mixed heritage of Chinese and Portuguese. Due to presence of extravagant casinos and malls, it if often nicknamed “Las Vegas of Asia”.

Attractions: 338 mtrs high Macau Tower, Senado Square, A-Ma temple, Fortaleza do Monte, Ruins of St. Pauls, Grand Prix Museum, Macau Fisherman’s Wharf, Na Tcha Temple, Hac Sa Beach etc.

The per capita tourism amount: $16,797

01. British Virgin Islands

British Virgin Islands is a British overseas territory islands in the Caribbean, east of Puerto Rico. The official name is Virgin Islands, but the prefix ‘British’ is used to differentiate between these islands and the other US Virgin Islands and the Spanish Virgin Islands. The BVI is an archipelago consisting of major islands like Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke and other 50 small islands and cays.

Attentions: Sage Mountain National Park, The Bathes, Horseshoe Reef,  Josiah’s Bay plantation, , Flash of Beauty, Lambert Beach and Loblolly Bay

The per capita tourism amount: $17,621

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