Thursday, September 19, 2024 International tourism surged to 96% of pre-pandemic levels in the first seven months of 2024, fueled by strong demand across Europe and the reopening of key markets in Asia and the Pacific. The latest World Tourism Barometer from the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) reported that approximately 790 million tourists traveled abroad between January and July 2024. This represents an 11% increase compared to 2023 and just 4% below 2019 levels.
The data highlights a strong beginning to the year, with a more moderate performance in the second quarter. These results align with UNWTO’s forecast for a full recovery of international tourism in 2024, despite ongoing economic and geopolitical challenges. UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “International tourism is on track to consolidate its full recovery from the biggest crisis in the sector’s history.
The ongoing rebound comes despite a range of economic and geopolitical challenges, highlighting the strong demand for international travel as well as the effectiveness of boosting air connections and easing visa restrictions. This recovery also highlights the growing need for tourism planning and managing to cater for its impacts on communities in a way that the immense socio-economic benefits are paired with inclusive and sustainable policies”. With enhanced air connectivity and visa facilitation boosting international travel, all global regions have seen significant growth so far this year.
The Middle East continues to be the frontrunner in the tourism recovery, with international arrivals surpassing 2019 levels by 26% in the first seven months of 2024. Africa saw a 7% increase in tourist numbers compared to the same period in 2019. Europe and the Americas recovered to 99% and 97% of their pre-pandemic arrival numbers, respectively, during the same period.
Meanwhile, Asia and the Pacific reached 82% of their pre-pandemic levels (-18% compared to 2019), showing further improvement in June (85%) and July (86%). A total of 67 out of 120 destinations worldwide achieved or surpassed their 2019 arrival numbers during the first half of 2024, based on countries reporting monthly or quarterly data. Some of the top-performing destinations in January-July 2024 included Qatar (+147% compared to 2019), where arrivals more than doubled, Albania (+93%), El Salvador (+81%), Saudi Arabia (+73%), the Republic of Moldova (+50% through June), and Tanzania (+49% through June).
When it comes to international tourism receipts, 47 out of 63 countries with available data had fully recovered pre-pandemic revenue levels in the first six months of 2024, with many seeing substantial double-digit growth compared to 2019 (in local currencies and current prices). Among the top performers were Albania (+128%) and Serbia (+126%), where receipts more than doubled compared to the same period in 2019, followed by Tajikistan (+85%), Pakistan (+76%), Montenegro (+70%), North Macedonia (+60%), and Portugal (+57%). Strong growth was also observed in Türkiye (+55%) and Colombia (+54%).
Notably, in Q1, Saudi Arabia (+207%) and El Salvador (+168%) saw extraordinary growth compared to the first quarter of 2019. Data on international tourism expenditure revealed robust demand for outbound travel in January-July 2024, particularly from major markets like the United States (+32%), Germany (+38%), and the United Kingdom (+40% through March), compared to the same period in 2019. Australia (+34%), Canada (+28%), and Italy (+26%) also reported strong outbound spending through June 2024.
Limited data from India showed a remarkable 86% growth in outbound spending in Q1 2024 compared to Q1 2019. Revised 2023 data shows that export revenues from international tourism reached USD 1.8 trillion (including receipts and passenger transport), nearly matching pre-pandemic levels (-1% in real terms compared to 2019).
Tourism’s direct contribution to GDP also recovered, reaching an estimated USD 3.4 trillion in 2023, or 3% of global GDP, compared to 4% in 2019. The UN World Tourism Organization’s Tourism Confidence Index indicates positive expectations for the remainder of 2024, scoring 120 points for September-December, though slightly below the 130 points projected for May-August (on a scale of 0 to 200, where 100 represents stable performance).
Around 47% of tourism experts surveyed expect better performance in the final four months of 2024, while 41% predict a similar performance and 11% expect a decline. This signals a gradual normalization of tourism performance following a strong recovery in 2023. Experts have identified several challenges facing the tourism sector, including inflation in travel costs, particularly in transport and accommodation, as well as broader economic conditions, staffing shortages, and the impact of extreme weather events.
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