In OECD countries, tourism, a key driver of globalisation, accounts for between 2 and 12 per cent of GDP, between 3 and 11 per cent of employment and about 30 per cent of services exports. Its relevance to countries' economic, services and employment performance is widely recognised. Governments, increasingly aware of the strong potential of tourism, travel and leisure, now give serious policy consideration to this industry at national, regional and local levels. Tourism in OECD Countries 2008: Trends and Policies is the first edition of a biennial publication which analyses best practice in OECD and selected non member economies. It surveys a number of initiatives taken by governments and businesses in the tourism field. The report opens with an overview of the key issues and challenges in tourism policy. The second chapter reviews two important aspects of tourism policy in more detail: the impact of global value chains on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in tourism; and the role of services trade liberalisation in tourism development. The third chapter presents detailed profiles on organisation, budgets, policies, programmes and statistics in tourism for 32 countries.This publication makes a significant contribution to the international tourism policy and business debate and is essential reading for all actors interested in this increasingly dynamic and important global industry.