International tourism has recovered, reaching levels prepandemic. This follows from the World Tourism Barometercarried out by the UN, which reveals that during the first nine months of 2024, 1.1 billion tourists traveled to international destinations, recovering 98% of pre-pandemic levels.
Looking ahead to the end of the year, a full recovery of the sector is expected, despite the economic, geopolitical and climatic challenges. The Secretary General of UN Tourism, Zurab Pololikashvilinoted that “the strong growth observed in global tourism is excellent news for economies around the world.”
«The fact that visitor spending grows has a direct impact on millions of jobs and small businesses, contributing decisively to the increase in tax revenues of many economies,” he commented. Four years after the COVID-19 pandemic, the Barometer shows the remarkable recovery of tourism, with most regions exceeding 2019 arrival figures between January and September 2024. The report also highlights double-digit growth in international tourism receipts in most destinations with available data.
Performance by region
In the first nine months of 2024, international tourist arrivals grew significantly globally, driven by post-pandemic demand in Europe, the robust performance of large source markets and the recovery of Asia and the Pacific. Greater air connectivity and visa facilitation have been key to this trend.
Middle East (29% more compared to 2019) continued on the path of record growth in this nine-month period, while Europe (1%) and Africa (6%) also exceeded 2019 levels. Americas They recovered 97% of their arrivals compared to the pre-pandemic era (3% less compared to 2019).
Asia and the Pacific reached 85% of 2019 levels compared to a 66% recovery in 2023. Asia and the Pacific has seen a gradual, albeit uneven, rebound in arrivals since the region reopened to international tourism in 2023.
The summer season in the northern hemisphere was generally strong, with global arrivals reaching 99% of previous values to the pandemic in the third quarter of 2024. A total of 60 of 111 destinations exceeded 2019 arrival figures in the first eight to nine months of 2024. Some of the best performing destinations in arrivals during this period were Qatar (141% compared to 2019), where arrivals more than doubled, Albania (77%), Saudi Arabia (61%), Curaçao (48%), Tanzania (43%), Colombia and Andorra (both 36%).
Extraordinary growth
In the first nine months of 2024, 35 of the 43 countries With data available on tourism revenues they exceeded pre-pandemic levels, many recording double-digit growth compared to 2019, far outpacing inflation in most cases. They stand out Serbia (99%), where income almost doubled compared to 2019, as well as Pakistan (64%), Romania (61%), Japan (59%), Portugal (51%), Nicaragua and Tanzania (both 50%).
Among the top tourism revenue generators, Japan (59%), Turkey (41%) and France (27%) recorded double-digit growth through September 2024. Spain (36%) and Italy (26%) They also reported significant increases. The United Kingdom increased its revenue by 43%, Canada by 35% and Australia by 18%, all through June 2024. The United States, the largest generator of tourism revenue, reported 7% growth through September.
Data on international tourism spending reflect the same trend, especially among large source markets such as Germany (35% compared to 2019), USA (33%) and France (11%). Strong spending growth was also reported by the United Kingdom (46%), Australia (34%), Canada (28%) and Italy (26%), all through June 2024. Available data for India shows an increase in outbound spending from this increasingly important market, with growth of 81% through June 2024 (compared to 2019).
International tourist arrivals are expected to reach 2019 levels by the end of the year, although tourism receipts had already recovered to pre-pandemic levels in 2023. Many destinations exceeded 2019 arrival figures in 2023 or 2024, without However, there is still room for recovery in several subregions. Recovery is slower in Northeast Asia and Central and Eastern Europe, in contrast to strong results in other European subregions, the Middle East, Central America and the Caribbean.
Pending challenges
Despite generally strong results, several economic, geopolitical and climate challenges remain. The tourism sector continues to suffer from inflation due to high transportation 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 to tourism performance.
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