We think we know all about travel, but that is not the case. The world is full of wonders we have no idea about. Did you know how long the longest commercial flight was? What unusual pizza topping is popular in Sweden? Can travel affect the health of your heart?
Check out these 10 surprising travel facts
1. 10% of global jobs are in travel & tourism
Globally, the Travel & Tourism sector employs nearly 119 million people, excluding jobs in directly related fields such as hospitality, airlines, and transportation. In addition to these workers, there are 313 million in other professions providing support to them. That's one out of ten workers in the world. Travel and Tourism provides livelihoods for millions of people in developing countries, where most other types of work are not available.Many of these jobs are semi-skilled and concentrated in developing countries.
2. Travel can strengthen your heart
It has been found that people who skip an annual vacation have a 30%greater chance of suffering from cardiovascular disease. That stress also negatively affects more than just your mental health. Holidays could lower those risks! A study showed that after just one or two days away, nearly 90% of people reported less stress.
3. A 30-hour flight was the longest commercial flight in the world
Qantas operated a flight called 'Double Sunrise' from Australia to Sri Lanka from 1943 to 1945, which took more than 30 hours and allowed passengers to see the sunrise twice. At 17 hours and 50 minutes, the Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore to New York is today's longest commercial flight.
4. Unusual pizza topping in Sweden
Swedish pizzas are often topped with bananas. Hard to believe right? As a matter of fact, it is often mixed with curry powder. Maybe on your next trip to Sweden, you can go ahead and order this very specific dish.
5. 2017 was the year Egypt experienced the fastest growth
A downed Russian airliner and wide political tensions hit the tourism industry hard in 2016, leading to a 12.4% drop in 2016. Nevertheless, the number increased by an astonishing 73% in 2017. The fact that the sector is able to bounce back quickly from big shocks, like terrorism, shows how resilient it is.
6. The Eiffel Tower was disliked
In the wake of its unveiling, the iconic tower was labeled as both 'monstrous' and 'ridiculous'. It is stated that Guy de Maupassant ate his lunch every day in the tower since it was the only place where he could not see the landmark in Paris.
7. By 2027, 64 million Chinese households will travel
As people earn more money, they spend more on non-essentials like travel and tourism. According to Goldman Sachs research, once someone earns just over $35,000, they begin to spend on domestic tourism activities.The average amount spent on overseas tourism is roughly $50,000. China is already an important market for many locations, as its enormous population becomes more affluent. Within the next decade, it will come to dominate, finally outvaluing the United States. 64 million more Chinese households will have adequate disposable money to begin spending on travel and tourism by 2027.
8. Every day, India's railroads transport around 23 million passengers
That's Australia's whole population. In addition, the tracks from India's railway network could round the globe one and a half times if put out in a single line.
9. Travel and tourism is growing at a higher rate than all other industries
Travel is a surprising high priority expense for those who can afford it (and an increasing number of people can each year). Long before they cut back on vacation, people cut back on other non-essential spending. Even in the midst of a downturn in the economy, it has proven to be incredibly resilient. So, while some industries, such as construction and financial services, failed to reach 3% growth in 2017, Travel & Tourism grew at a rate of 4.6 percent. This is the biggest rate of increase since 2011. As a result, approximately 7 million new jobs were created.
10. Egypt has fewer ancient pyramids than Sudan
According to several sources, Sudan is home to roughly 250 pyramid constructions built by monarchs of ancient Kushite kingdoms between 2500BC and 300AD. Egypt is considered to have a little more than a hundred pyramids.