2024 marked a historic turning point for global tourism, with 1.4 billion international tourist arrivals, signalling the sector’s full recovery from the worst crisis in its history.
According to the latest World Tourism Barometer from UN Tourism, international arrivals reached 99% of pre-pandemic levels, reflecting a robust 11% increase over 2023.
This surge, amounting to 140 million additional visitors, was fuelled by strong post-pandemic demand, the recovery of major tourist destinations, and sustained performance from large source markets, particularly in Asia and the Pacific.
Key regional insights
The recovery was uneven across regions, with the Middle East, Africa, and Europe showing particularly strong results relative to pre-pandemic levels.
- Middle East led global tourism growth with 95 million arrivals, marking a 32% increase from 2019 and 1% growth over 2023.
- Africa followed closely, with 74 million arrivals, showing a 7% rise from 2019 and 12% growth from 2023.
- Europe saw 747 million arrivals, up 1% from 2019 and 5% from 2023, driven by strong intraregional demand, though Central and Eastern Europe faced challenges.
- Americas reached 213 million arrivals, recovering 97% of pre-pandemic levels and growing by 7% from 2023, with the Caribbean and Central America surpassing 2019 figures.
- Asia and the Pacific experienced a 33% increase in arrivals, reaching 316 million, though still 13% below 2019 levels.
Looking ahead: Continued growth and transformation
UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili emphasised that 2024 marked the completion of the global tourism sector’s recovery from the pandemic, with many destinations already seeing higher tourist arrivals and earnings than in 2019.
The strong recovery has set the stage for further growth in 2025, driven by persistent demand and the socio-economic benefits that tourism brings to both mature and emerging markets.
Pololikashvili also called for the tourism industry to accelerate transformation, with a focus on sustainable growth, placing people and planet at the centre of the development of tourism.
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