Madrid, Jan 22 (IANS): International tourist arrivals rose by 11 per cent in 2024, with 1.4 billion people travelling internationally, according to the World Tourism Barometer published by UN Tourism.
The data published just before the FITUR international tourism exhibition in Madrid on Wednesday indicates that tourism numbers have recovered to 99 per cent of the levels seen in 2019, just prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to reports from the Xinhua news agency.
UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili welcomed the results. "In 2024, global tourism completed its recovery from the pandemic and, in many places, tourist arrivals and especially earnings are already higher than in 2019," he said.
Growth is expected to continue throughout 2025, he said, "driven by strong demand contributing to the socio-economic development of both mature and emerging destinations."
Madrid-based UN Tourism reports that Asia and the Pacific region saw 316 million international travellers in 2024, 33 per cent (78 million people) higher than in 2023 and 87 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
While Europe saw 747 million international arrivals in 2024, one per cent up on 2019 and 5 per cent higher than in 2023, the Middle East witnessed the biggest growth compared to 2019, with a 32 per cent rise in arrivals to 95 million.
Africa also performed strongly, with a 12 per cent increase in international tourists compared to 2023.
One reason for the growth is that international air capacity and air traffic returned to pre-pandemic levels over the previous 12 months, UN Tourism said.
The rise in the number of travellers was also reflected in spending, with receipts reaching 1.6 trillion US dollars in 2024, a 4 per cent increase from 2019 and 3 per cent higher than in 2023.
The outlook for the future also seems bright. UN Tourism predicts a growth between 3-5 per cent in 2025 compared with 2024 and a "continued recovery of Asia and the Pacific and solid growth in most other regions" should global economic conditions remain stable and geopolitical conflicts not escalate.