I just knocked up this graph using World Bank data on tourism departures between 2003 – 2011 (which is very easy to do btw!)

It’s a nice illustration of the relative increase in the spending power of (some) people in the four BRIC nations in relation to the relative decline of spending power in the United Kingdom and the USA.

It also shows how much further ‘ahead’ China is compared to the other BRIC nations, as well as serving as a reminder of just how inward looking Americans are   – The same number visit abroad do from the UK, but their population is about six times the size of ours!