The Diplomat
According to UN Tourism’s latest World Tourism Barometer, the sector is expected to fully recover by the end of the year, despite economic, geopolitical and climatic challenges. UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili noted that “the strong growth seen in global tourism is excellent news for economies around the world.”
“The fact that visitor spending is growing has a direct impact on millions of jobs and small businesses, contributing decisively to increased tax revenues for many economies.” He commented.
Four years after the COVID-19 pandemic, the Barometer shows remarkable tourism recovery, with most regions exceeding 2019 arrivals figures between January and September 2024. The report also highlights double-digit growth in international tourism receipts in most destinations with available data.
Tourism performance by region
In the first nine months of 2024, international tourist arrivals grew significantly globally, driven by post-pandemic demand in Europe, robust performance in major outbound markets, and recovery in Asia-Pacific. Increased air connectivity and visa facilitation have been key to this trend.
The Middle East (up 29% compared to 2019) continued on the path of record growth in this nine-month period, while Europe (1%) and Africa (6%) also outperformed 2019 levels.
The Americas recovered 97% of its arrivals compared to the pre-Pandemic era (3% lower compared to 2019).
Asia and the Pacific reached 85% of 2019 levels compared to a 66% recovery in 2023. Asia-Pacific has experienced 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 worldwide arrivals reaching 99% of pre-pandemic values in the third quarter of 2024. A total of 60 out of 111 destinations exceeded 2019 arrivals 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%).
Direct impact of tourism: Extraordinary growth
In the first nine months of 2024, 35 of the 43 countries with available tourism revenue data surpassed pre-pandemic levels, many recording double-digit growth compared to 2019, far outpacing inflation in most cases. Serbia (99%), where revenues nearly doubled compared to 2019, stood out, as did 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%) also reported significant increases. The United Kingdom increased its revenues by 43%, Canada by 35% and Australia by 18%, all through June 2024. The United States, the largest generator of tourism receipts, reported 7% growth through September.
Data on international tourism spending reflected the same trend, especially among large outbound markets such as Germany (35% compared to 2019), the United States (33%) and France (11%). Strong spending growth was also reported from 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 market becoming increasingly significant, with 81% growth through June 2024 (compared to 2019).
On track for full recovery by the end of 2024
International tourist arrivals are expected to reach 2019 levels by year-end, although tourism receipts had already recovered to pre-pandemic levels by 2023. Many destinations exceeded 2019 arrivals figures in 2023 or 2024, however, there is still room for recovery in several sub-regions. 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.
Remaining challenges
Despite the generally strong performance, a number of economic, geopolitical and climatic 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 affect consumer confidence, while extreme weather events and staff shortages are also critical challenges to tourism performance.
