The United States remains the world's largest travel and tourism economy by a considerable margin, generating an estimated $2.36 trillion in tourism-related economic activity, according to the latest World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Economic Impact Research.

The ranking highlights the growing economic power of global tourism as international travel continues to recover and expand beyond pre-pandemic levels, with China firmly holding second place at $1.3 trillion, followed by Germany at $487.6 billion.

According to the WTTC, travel and tourism contributed a record $11.6 trillion to the global economy in 2025, accounting for 9.8% of global GDP and supporting approximately 366 million jobs worldwide, or roughly one in every nine jobs globally.

America Dominates Global Tourism Economy

The United States' tourism sector is worth nearly twice that of second-placed China and exceeds the combined tourism economies of several major European destinations.

WTTC data shows the world's ten largest tourism economies are:

The rankings reflect tourism's total contribution to national economies, including direct spending by visitors as well as indirect and induced economic effects across industries such as aviation, hospitality, retail, transportation and entertainment.l

The 57-year-old's latest creation is a giant portrait of football star Lionel Messi, carved into the sand and designed to be viewed from above.

"I painted Messi for the World Cup. That was what was on my mind," Saranza explained.

Saranza previously worked as a wedding photographer and videographer, but his business was heavily affected when the COVID-19 pandemic brought public events to a halt.

After years of depression and uncertainty, he turned to sand art in 2024 and began creating large-scale works along the shoreline.

"At first, doing this sand art by the seashore was just a hobby for me. Second, it actually helps my body because when I was just staying idle at home, my body felt quite heavy. Since I started doing sand art, I’ve felt my body grow a bit stronger," he said.

To create the portraits, Saranza uses virtual reality goggles to map out the initial design on the beach. He then carves and shades the image by hand before flying a drone overhead to inspect details and capture the finished artwork.

"Because if it's just canvas – like just painting at home – it feels like there's no adventure. It's kind of boring. So I thought of another idea for what would be better and unique," the artist commented.

While the artwork can be difficult to recognise from ground level, aerial images reveal the full portrait. Videos of his creations shared on Facebook have attracted millions of views.

Residents in Tandag say Saranza's work has become a source of inspiration for the community.

"When I saw him, I thought he was just playing around. But when I saw what Sir Tata was truly doing, it is genuinely inspiring, especially for the youth today," one local said.

"[He is] an inspiration for us, and we are proud of him, especially us folks from Tandag," added another resident.

Although the tide eventually washes away each piece, Saranza continues to share his creations online, where his beach portraits have found a global audience.