With 1.4 billion worldwide vacationer arrivals recorded globally, 2024 marked the restoration of worldwide tourism from the worst disaster within the sector’s historical past. A majority of locations welcomed extra worldwide vacationers in 2024 than they did earlier than the pandemic, whereas customer spending additionally continued to develop strongly.
In line with the most recent World Tourism Barometer from UN Tourism, an estimated 1.4 billion vacationers travelled internationally in 2024, indicating a digital restoration (99%) of pre-pandemic ranges. This represents a rise of 11% over 2023, or 140 million extra worldwide vacationer arrivals, with outcomes pushed by sturdy post-pandemic demand, sturdy efficiency from massive supply markets and the continued restoration of locations in Asia and the Pacific.
The Center East, Europe and Africa see strongest ends in 2024 relative to 2019
Development is predicted to proceed all through 2025, pushed by sturdy demand contributing to the socio-economic improvement of each mature and rising locations. This remembers our immense duty as a sector to speed up transformation, inserting folks and planet on the middle of the event of tourism
- The Center East (95 million arrivals) remained the strongest-performing area when in comparison with 2019, with worldwide arrivals 32% above pre-pandemic ranges in 2024, although 1% increased in comparison with 2023.
- Africa (74 million) welcomed 7% extra arrivals than in 2019, and 12% greater than in 2023.
- Europe, the world’s largest vacation spot area, noticed 747 million worldwide arrivals in 2024 (+1% above 2019 ranges and 5% over 2023) supported by sturdy intraregional demand. All European subregions surpassed pre-pandemic ranges, apart from Central and Japanese Europe the place many locations are nonetheless affected by the lingering results 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 ranges. In comparison with 2023, the area noticed 7% progress.
- Asia and the Pacific (316 million) continued to expertise a fast restoration in 2024, although arrival numbers have been nonetheless 87% of pre-pandemic ranges, an enchancment from 66% on the finish of 2023. Worldwide arrivals grew 33% in 2024, a rise of 78 million from 2023.
By subregions, North Africa and Central America noticed the strongest efficiency in 2024, with 22% and 17% extra worldwide arrivals than earlier than the pandemic. Southern Mediterranean Europe (+8%) and the Caribbean (+7%) additionally loved sturdy progress, as did Northern Europe (+5%) and Western Europe (+2%).
UN Tourism Secretary-Normal Zurab Pololikashvili mentioned: “In 2024, world tourism accomplished its restoration from the pandemic and, in lots of locations, vacationer arrivals and specifically earnings are already increased than in 2019. Development is predicted to proceed all through 2025, pushed by sturdy demand contributing to the socio-economic improvement of each mature and rising locations. This remembers our immense duty as a sector to speed up transformation, inserting folks and planet on the middle of the event of tourism.”
Majority of locations reported arrival figures nicely above pre-pandemic ranges in 2024
Most locations reporting month-to-month knowledge continued to take pleasure in sturdy ends in 2024, with a majority exceeding pre-pandemic ranges. Accessible knowledge for the primary 10 to 12 months of 2024 reveals a number of locations reporting double-digit progress in comparison with 2019:
- El Salvador (+81%), Saudi Arabia (+69%), Ethiopia (+40%), Morocco (+35%), Guatemala (+33%) and the Dominican Republic (+32%), all exceeded pre-pandemic ranges by far within the full twelve months of 2024.
- Qatar (+137%), Albania (+80%), Colombia (+37%), Andorra (+35%), Malta and Serbia (each +29%) loved sturdy progress by means of October or November 2024, in comparison with the identical ten or eleven months of 2019.
- The complete restoration of worldwide tourism in 2024 can be mirrored within the efficiency of different trade indicators. In line with the UN Tourism Tracker, each worldwide air capability and air site visitors just about recovered pre-pandemic ranges by means of October 2024 (IATA). World occupancy charges for lodging reached 66% in November, barely under 69% in November 2023 (primarily based on STR knowledge).
Exports from tourism reached a file USD 1.9 trillion in 2024
- Worldwide tourism receipts noticed sturdy progress in 2024 after just about already reaching pre-pandemic ranges in 2023, in actual phrases (adjusting for inflation and trade fee fluctuations).
- Receipts reached USD 1.6 trillion in 2024, about 3% greater than in 2023 and 4% greater than in 2019 (actual phrases), in line with preliminary estimates.
- As progress stabilizes, common spending is step by step returning to pre-pandemic values, from practically USD 1,400 per worldwide arrival in 2020 and 2021, to an estimated USD 1,100 in 2024. That is nonetheless above the typical of USD 1,000 of earlier than the pandemic.
- Complete exports from tourism (together with passenger transport) reached a file USD 1.9 trillion in 2024, about 3% increased than earlier than the pandemic (actual phrases), in line with preliminary estimates.
- A number of locations reported excellent progress in worldwide tourism receipts in the course of the first 9 to eleven months of 2024. These embody Kuwait (+232%), El Salvador (+206%), Saudi Arabia (+148%), Albania (+136%), Serbia (+98%), Republic of Moldova (+86%), and Canada (+70%), all in native currencies. These international locations additionally loved double-digit progress in receipts in 2024 in comparison with 2023.
- Among the many world’s high 5 tourism earners, the UK (+40%), Spain (+36%), France (+27%) and Italy (+23%) noticed sturdy progress within the first 9 to eleven months of 2024, in comparison with 2019.
- Information on worldwide tourism expenditure displays the identical development, particularly amongst massive supply markets comparable to Germany, the UK (each +36% in comparison with 2019), the US (+34%), Italy (+25%) and France (+11%). Expenditure from India remained excessive within the first half of 2024 (+81% above 2019 ranges), after extraordinary progress in 2023.
Optimistic outlook for 2025 factors to continued progress
- Worldwide vacationer arrivals are anticipated to develop 3% to five% in 2025 in comparison with 2024, assuming a continued restoration of Asia and the Pacific and stable progress in most different areas. This preliminary projection assumes world financial circumstances stay favorable, inflation continues to recede, and geopolitical conflicts don’t escalate.
- The outlook displays a stabilization of progress charges after a robust rebound in worldwide arrivals in 2023 (+33% vs 2022) and 2024 (+11% vs 2023).
- The most recent UN Tourism Confidence Index confirms these optimistic expectations. Round 64% of UN Tourism Panel of Specialists see ‘higher’ or ‘significantly better’ prospects for 2025 in comparison with 2024. Some 26% count on related efficiency of their vacation spot, whereas solely 9% consider 2025 be ‘worse’ or ‘a lot worse’ than final yr.
- Nevertheless, financial and geopolitical headwinds proceed to pose vital dangers. Greater than half of respondents level to excessive transport and lodging prices and different financial components comparable to unstable oil costs, as the primary challenges worldwide tourism will face in 2025. Towards this backdrop, vacationers are anticipated to proceed to hunt worth for cash.
- Geopolitical dangers (except for ongoing conflicts) are a rising concern among the many Panel of Specialists, which ranked them because the third primary issue after the financial ones. Excessive climate occasions and employees shortages are additionally essential challenges, rating fourth and fifth among the many components recognized by the Panel of Specialists.
- Balancing progress and sustainability will probably be essential in 2025, as mirrored by two main traits recognized by the Panel of Specialists: the seek for sustainable practices and the invention of lesser-known locations.
