Abundance of some factors of production makes them more affordable compared to others, lacking, as well as the production of any tourist services requires a combination of factors, the travel service is produced with the use of cheaper surplus factors will be relatively cheaper not only in the domestic market of this country, but and externally. As a result of this tourist service will have a comparative advantage. Thus, the country exports are tourism services, the provision of which is based on excess for its factors of production, imports and services for which it is endowed with the factors of production is much worse. Countries specialize in the manufacture and sale of tourist services in which they have an advantage and they are cheaper. For example, resorts in Spain, Greece, Tunisia and Morocco have attracted a large flow of tourists a favorable climate and excellent ocean beaches.Despite the fact that the theory of Heckscher - Ohlin shared by most modern specialists, it has limited application.
Noted economist W. Leontief in the mid 1950's. attempted empirical verification of the main conclusions of the theory of Heckscher - Ohlin and came to a paradoxical conclusion. Using interindustry balance model "input - output", based on data from the economic development of the United States for 1947, it showed that American exports was dominated by relatively more labor-intensive goods, with imports - capital. Given that in the early postwar years in the U.S., unlike most of their trading partners, capital has been relatively redundant factor of production, and wage levels were significantly higher, in line with the theory of Heckscher - Ohlin U.S. would have to export the capital-intensive goods and import - labor-intensive. Thus, the empirically obtained result clearly contradicts the fact that the theories Heckscher - Ohlin, and therefore called "Leontief paradox". Subsequent studies confirmed the presence of this paradox in the postwar period not only for the U.S., but also for other countries (Japan, India, etc.).
Numerous attempts to explain this paradox it possible to develop and enrich the theory of Heckscher - Ohlin model by taking into account the additional circumstances that affect the international specialization of countries, including the following:
1. heterogeneity of production factors, especially labor, which can vary significantly by level of qualification. As a result, exports of industrialized countries may reflect the relative redundancy is not in general labor, and labor of highly skilled, while developing countries export products that require significant labor costs for unskilled workers. We can say that in the case of Leontief paradox of U.S. exported a very unique "labor intensive" products, which are used in the production of work, absorbed the high cost of human capital;
2. significant role of natural resources that may be involved in the production process only in association with large amounts of capital. To a certain extent explains why exports from many developing countries rich in natural resources is capital intensive, although the capital in these countries is not a relative excess production factor;
3. impact on international specialization policies of the state, which could restrict imports and stimulate domestic production and export of products or services of those industries where extensive use of relatively scarce factors of production.