Annual Spending by International Tourists in Four Countries (in billions of US dollars)
| Country | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| :------------ | :------ | :------ | :------ |
| South Korea | $21.0 | $17.2 | $23.1 |
| Japan | $33.5 | $37.0 | $45.3 |
| Thailand | $48.5 | $57.1 | $61.4 |
| Malaysia | $19.7 | $20.3 | $21.8 |
One measure of international tourism is how much money visitors from abroad spend in a country. A student writing a report about tourism in several Asian countries notes that among the countries in the table, most had annual increases in international tourism revenue in 2017 and 2018, but that trend wasn't universal. For example, _____
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the example?
A. in each year shown, the revenue from tourism by residents of those countries was greater than the revenue from international tourism.
B. Japan's international tourism revenue was higher in 2016 than it was in 2018.
C. South Korea's annual international
Answer (2)
Calculate the change in tourism revenue from 2016 to 2017 and 2017 to 2018 for each country.
Identify that South Korea's revenue decreased from $21.0 billion to $17.2 billion and then increased to $23.1 billion.
Conclude that South Korea demonstrates an inconsistent trend in tourism revenue.
The completed example effectively uses data to show that not all countries experienced annual increases in tourism revenue. The answer is South Korea's annual international tourism revenue decreased from $21.0 billion in 2016 to $17.2 billion in 2017, then increased to $23.1 billion in 2018.
Explanation
Understanding the Problem We are given a table showing the annual spending by international tourists in four countries (South Korea, Japan, Thailand, and Malaysia) from 2016 to 2018. The task is to identify a country where the annual increase in international tourism revenue was not consistent in 2017 and 2018. This means we need to find a country where the revenue either decreased from 2016 to 2017 and increased from 2017 to 2018, or increased from 2016 to 2017 and decreased from 2017 to 2018.
Calculating Revenue Changes First, let's calculate the change in revenue for each country from 2016 to 2017 and from 2017 to 2018.
South Korea: Change from 2016 to 2017: 17.2 − 21.0 = − 3.8 Change from 2017 to 2018: 23.1 − 17.2 = 5.9
Japan: Change from 2016 to 2017: 37.0 − 33.5 = 3.5 Change from 2017 to 2018: 45.3 − 37.0 = 8.3
Thailand: Change from 2016 to 2017: 57.1 − 48.5 = 8.6 Change from 2017 to 2018: 61.4 − 57.1 = 4.3
Malaysia: Change from 2016 to 2017: 20.3 − 19.7 = 0.6 Change from 2017 to 2018: $21.8 - 20.3 = 1.5
Identifying the Country with Inconsistent Trend Now, let's analyze the changes to identify the country with an inconsistent trend.
South Korea: Revenue decreased from 2016 to 2017 ( − 3.8 ) and increased from 2017 to 2018 ( 5.9 ). This is an inconsistent trend. Japan: Revenue increased from 2016 to 2017 ( 3.5 ) and increased from 2017 to 2018 ( 8.3 ). This is a consistent trend. Thailand: Revenue increased from 2016 to 2017 ( 8.6 ) and increased from 2017 to 2018 ( 4.3 ). This is a consistent trend. Malaysia: Revenue increased from 2016 to 2017 ( 0.6 ) and increased from 2017 to 2018 ( 1.5 ). This is a consistent trend.
South Korea is the only country with an inconsistent trend. Therefore, the example should mention South Korea's revenue decreasing from 2016 to 2017 and increasing from 2017 to 2018.
Conclusion Based on our analysis, the most effective choice to complete the example is:
South Korea's annual international tourism revenue decreased from $21.0 billion in 2016 to $17.2 billion in 2017, then increased to $23.1 billion in 2018.
This demonstrates that the trend of increasing revenue in 2017 and 2018 was not universal, as South Korea experienced a decrease in 2017 followed by an increase in 2018.
Examples
Understanding tourism trends is crucial for economic planning. For example, if a country sees a decrease in tourism revenue one year, followed by an increase the next, it might indicate the need for targeted marketing campaigns or infrastructure improvements. Analyzing these trends helps governments and businesses make informed decisions to stabilize and grow the tourism sector. This type of analysis can also be applied to other economic sectors, such as retail sales or manufacturing output, to identify areas needing attention and strategic adjustments.
South Korea's tourism revenue showed an inconsistent trend, decreasing from $21.0 billion in 2016 to $17.2 billion in 2017, then increasing to $23.1 billion in 2018. This contrasts with the other countries that experienced consistent increases in tourism revenue. Therefore, the completed example should be about South Korea's fluctuations in tourism revenue.
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