Tourism brings money into a country. If you pay to fly, let's say, to Jamaica, here's what happens. Jamaica needs an airport to receive flights. Building an airport gives hundreds of people jobs, because construction workers are needed to perform the fabrication. Then there are thousands of people who get jobs to run the airport. Once you and your friends (and thousands of other people) start flying in to Jamaica, hotels are needed. This means hotel companies come and spend millions of dollars to pay the government of Jamaica for permits to build, they pay construction workers to build the hotels, and they give jobs to people who run the hotels. This all happens even before you travel. Once you're off the plane, you pay the hotels and you spend money to go sightseeing. This pays the salaries of tour guides, boat captains, cab drivers etc. Also while in the country, you'll likely be buying meals and going out for drinks or entertainment or buying souvenirs, all of which give money to the people of Jamaica. So, in essence, in almost any country, tourism is a welcome boost to the country's economy, but especially in countries where there is a high level of poverty and a slow job market, tourism lends millions of dollars to people very much in need of income.