Four years ago in 2020, due to the global pandemic Covid-19, global tourism and travel slowed down, which had a profound impact on the economies of many countries dependent on tourism.
The United Nations Tourism Organization released its new analysis on Wednesday The ‘Tourism Barometer’ has been released, recording growth in the tourism sector during the period January-September 2024. In most regions of the world, tourism outpaced the number of tourists in 2019.
According to the report, the tourism sector is likely to continue to grow despite the current economic, geopolitical and climate change challenges.
World Tourism Organization Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said the growth in tourist spending is good news for economies around the world.
Spending by tourists is growing faster than the total number of tourists, which will have a direct impact on millions of jobs, small businesses and tax revenues, and balance of payments in many countries.
An increase in international tourist arrivals was recorded in the first nine months of 2024, a major factor being the increase in demand following the Covid-19 pandemic in Europe. Apart from this, the condition of tourist destinations in Asia and the Pacific region is also improving.
International travel has been supported by increased connectivity to ease air travel and visa processes.
In the first nine months of this year, the Middle East region recorded growth of 29 percent compared to 2019 levels, while growth in Europe and Africa was 1 percent and 6 percent, respectively.
Tourism in America is currently close to returning to pre-pandemic levels and has reached 97 percent.
In Asia and the Pacific, tourism reached only 85 percent of 2019 levels. For 2023, only 66 percent recovery was achieved compared to pre-pandemic levels.
60 out of 111 centers saw tourist arrivals above 2019 levels. These include Qatar (+141%), Albania (+77%), Saudi Arabia (+61%), Tanzania (+43%) and both Colombia and Andorra (+36%).
Increase in tourism spending
In the first eight to nine months of 2024, tourist spending exceeded pre-pandemic levels in 35 of 43 countries.
Among these, the best performance was in Serbia (+99%) where tourist spending almost doubled compared to 2019. Pakistan (+64%), Romania (+61%), Japan (59%), Portugal (+51%).
Countries with the highest income from tourism, such as Japan, Türkiye and France, also saw strong growth, and the situation is also improving in Spain, Italy, Britain and Canada.
Challenges remain
The United Nations agency warned that despite rapid growth in the tourism sector, there are still many economic, geopolitical and climatic challenges, which may affect tourism activities.
This sector is suffering due to price inflation in travel and tourism. Fares for transportation and accommodation have gone up, and oil prices have soared.
In many parts of the world, violent conflicts and rising tensions have affected tourist confidence, and extreme weather events and staff shortages can also affect tourism activity.
Despite these challenges, the United Nations Tourism Organization has expressed hope that the number of international tourists this year could reach the level of 2019 before the pandemic.