GLOBAL REPORT – Most of the world’s destinations welcomed
more international tourists in 2024 than they did before the pandemic, according
to the latest World Tourism Barometer from UN Tourism, with an estimated 1.4
billion tourists traveling internationally in 2024, an increase of 11% over
2023.
International tourist arrivals are expected to grow 3% to 5%
in 2025 compared to 2024, assuming a continued recovery of Asia and the Pacific
and solid growth in most other regions. This initial projection assumes
global economic conditions remain favorable, inflation continues to recede, and
geopolitical conflicts do not escalate.
The outlook reflects a stabilization of growth rates after a
strong rebound in international arrivals in 2023 (+33% vs 2022) and 2024 (+11%
vs 2023).
For 2024, the Middle East (95 million arrivals)
remained the strongest-performing region when compared to 2019, with
international arrivals 32% above pre-pandemic levels in 2024, though 1% higher
compared to 2023.
Africa (74 million) welcomed 7% more arrivals than in
2019, and 12% more than in 2023.
Europe, the world's largest destination region, saw 747
million international arrivals in 2024 (+1% above 2019 levels and 5% over 2023)
supported by strong intraregional demand. All European subregions surpassed
pre-pandemic levels, except for Central and Eastern Europe where many
destinations are still suffering from the lingering effects of the Russian
aggression on Ukraine.
The Americas (213 million) recovered 97% of
pre-pandemic arrivals (-3% over 2019), with the Caribbean and Central America
already exceeding 2019 levels. Compared to 2023, the region saw 7% growth.
Asia and the Pacific (316 million) continued to
experience a rapid recovery in 2024, though arrival numbers were still 87% of
pre-pandemic levels, an improvement from 66% at the end of 2023. International
arrivals grew 33% in 2024, an increase of 78 million from 2023.
By subregions, North Africa and Central America saw the
strongest performance in 2024, with 22% and 17% more international arrivals
than before the pandemic. Southern Mediterranean Europe (+8%) and the Caribbean
(+7%) also enjoyed robust growth, as did Northern Europe (+5%) and Western
Europe (+2%).
Available data for the first 10 to 12 months of 2024 shows
several destinations reporting double-digit growth compared to 2019:
El Salvador (+81%), Saudi Arabia (+69%), Ethiopia (+40%),
Morocco (+35%), Guatemala (+33%) and the Dominican Republic (+32%), all
exceeded pre-pandemic levels by far in the full 12 months of 2024.
Qatar (+137%), Albania (+80%), Colombia (+37%), Andorra
(+35%), Malta and Serbia (both +29%) enjoyed strong growth through October
or November 2024, compared to the same 10 or 11 months of 2019.
International tourism receipts saw robust growth in 2024
after virtually already reaching pre-pandemic levels in 2023, in real terms
(adjusting for inflation and exchange rate fluctuations). Receipts reached $1.6
trillion in 2024, about 3% more than in 2023 and 4% more than in 2019 (real
terms), according to preliminary estimates.
As growth stabilizes, average spending is gradually
returning to pre-pandemic values, from nearly $1,400 per international arrival
in 2020 and 2021, to an estimated $1,100 in 2024. This is still above the
average of $1,000 of before the pandemic.
Total exports from tourism (including passenger transport)
reached a record $1.9 trillion in 2024, about 3% higher than before the
pandemic (real terms), according to preliminary estimates.