International tourism has recovered to pre-pandemic levels in 2024, according to the latest World Tourism Barometer from UN Tourism.
With 1.4 billion international tourist arrivals recorded globally, a majority of destinations welcomed more tourists in 2024 than before the pandemic, with this growth expected to continue.
“Growth is expected to continue throughout 2025, driven by strong demand contributing to the socio-economic development of both mature and emerging destinations,” UN Tourism secretary-general Zurab Pololikashvili said.
International tourism receipts grew 3% from 2023 and 4% from 2019 to US$1.6 trillion in 2024.
According to preliminary estimates, total exports from tourism, including passenger transport, reached a record US$1.9 trillion which according to preliminary estimates, which is around 4% higher than before the pandemic.
The world’s top tourism earners, who saw robust growth from 2019, were the U.K. (+40%). Spain (+36%), France (+27%) and Italy (+23%).
Expenditure reflects the same trend especially in large source markets. India had especially high growth in the first half of 2024, rising 81% from 2019 levels, after extraordinary growth in 2023.
Experts expect tourist arrivals to rise around 3% to 5% in this year, assuming recover of Asia and the Pacific alongside solid growth in other regions. These estimates are also made under the assumption that global economic conditions remain favourable, inflation continues to recede and geopolitical tensions do not escalate.
The latest UN Tourism COnfidence Index shows more than half of respondents point to high transport costs, accommodation costs and other economic factors, including volatile oil prices being the main challenges tourism will face in 2025.
