UN Tourism: International tourist arrivals hit 98% of pre-pandemic levels

UN Tourism reported (04-Dec-2024) the following highlights from its latest World Tourism Barometer:

• Around 1.1 billion tourists travelled internationally in the first nine months of 2024, as the global tourism sector recovered 98% of pre-pandemic levels;
• A full recovery from COVID-19 is expected by the end of 2024, despite economic, geopolitical and climate challenges;
• Most regions already exceeding 2019 arrival numbers, with the report also showing "outstanding" results in terms of international tourism receipts, with most destinations with available data posting double-digit growth compared to 2019;
• International tourist arrivals were driven by strong post pandemic demand in Europe and robust performance from large source markets globally, as well as the ongoing recovery of destinations in the Asia Pacific region. Increased air connectivity and visa facilitation also supported international travel;
• 60 out of 111 destinations surpassed 2019 arrival numbers in the first eight to nine months of 2024. Some of the strongest performers in arrivals during this period were Qatar (+141% versus 2019) where arrivals more than doubled, Albania (+77%), Saudi Arabia (+61%), Curaçao (+48%), Tanzania (+43%), Colombia and Andorra (both +36%).
• 2024 has seen strong export revenues from international tourism, due to higher average spending per trip (excluding the effects of inflation), partly the result of longer periods of stay.

UN Tourism noted despite the generally strong results, several economic, geopolitical and climate challenges remain. It stated: "The tourism sector is still facing inflation in travel and tourism, namely high transport and accommodation prices, as well as volatile oil prices. Major conflicts and tensions around the world continue to impact consumer confidence, while extreme weather events and staff shortages are also critical challenges for tourism performance". UN Tourism secretary general Zurab Pololikashvili said: "The strong growth seen in tourism receipts is excellent news for economies around the world. The fact that visitor spending is growing even stronger than arrivals has a direct impact on millions of jobs and small businesses and contributes decisively to the balance of payments and tax revenues of many economies". [more - original PR]