World tourism will recover this year to its level prior to the covid pandemicafter a good 2023 for the sector in practically all regions, including the American continent, the UN agency specialized in that sector announced this Friday.
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Some 1.3 billion tourists traveled abroad last year, compared to 900 million in 2022 and 450 million in 2021, The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), based in Madrid, indicated in a statement.
Last year's figure is equivalent to 88% of the level in 2019, before the pandemic, the year in which 1.46 billion tourists traveled around the world, which was a record.
Last year's recovery was thanks to a strong boost in the Middle Eastwhere tourist arrivals exceeded their 2019 level by 22%, but also on the American continent, where they reached 90% of the 2019 level.
Although the UNWTO did not offer specific figures, it noted that the subregions of Central America and the Caribbean also exceeded the levels prior to the health emergency in 2023.
In Europe, the world's main tourist destination, activity reached 94% of its pre-pandemic level. “The latest UNWTO data highlights the resilience and rapid recovery of tourism,” UNWTO Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili congratulated him in the statement.
“This recovery is already having a strong impact on economies, jobs, growth and opportunities for communities around the world,” he noted.
Nuanced optimism
A preliminary estimate provided by the UNWTO indicates that income generated by international tourism reached 1.4 billion dollars last year.
The economic contribution of tourism, including air traffic, amounted to 3% of global GDP. This recovery, long awaited by tourism agents, is expected to continue in the coming months.
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According to the UN agency, tourist arrivals this year should exceed the 2019 level by 2%, marking a new record.
According to the UNWTO, The activity will benefit from the rise in tourism in China, thanks to the relaxation of the visa regime for many countriesincluding France, Germany and Italy, and the travel of Chinese citizens to other parts of the world.
The recovery of Chinese tourism should benefit Spain, the second destination in the world last year with 84 million tourists received, an unprecedented figure, according to the government. “We are on the right path to continue this path in 2024,” said the Spanish Minister of Tourism, Jordi Hereu, at a press conference.
However, the UNWTO warned that its good forecasts could be harmed by “economic and geopolitical turbulence”especially in the Middle East, where tourism is expected to be affected by the fallout from the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.
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“Persistent inflation, high interest rates, volatile oil prices and disruptions to trade flows may continue to impact transportation and accommodation costs in 2024,” he warned.
In this context, tourists may prefer to visit “closer destinations,” the UNWTO added.
AFP
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