Since the establishment of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture in 1972
with only 1,097 tourist arrivals that same year, it has grown rapidly over
the decades to 1.1 million in 2013. Throughout the 1970s, 1980s and
1990s, Europe had consistently been its major source market comprising
between 70% and 80% of tourist arrivals. In the late 2000s, Europe’s
market share of tourist arrivals was gradually eroded by visitors from Asia,
in particular Mainland China, following rapid economic growth.