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Despite economic, geopolitical and climate challenges, the global tourism industry is expected to reach a full recovery from the biggest crisis in its history by the end of the year.

The latest World Tourism Barometer by UN Tourism shows that around 1.1 billion tourists travelled internationally in the first nine months of 2024, as the global tourism sector recovered to 98% of pre-pandemic levels.

The Middle East continued to enjoy record growth in the first nine months of 2024 (+29% compared to 2019), while Europe (+1%) and Africa (+6%) also exceeded 2019 levels.

Asia and the Pacific reached 85% of 2019 levels compared to a 66% recovery in 2023. The Americas recovered 97% of its pre-pandemic arrivals.

The report also shows outstanding results in terms of international tourism spending, with most destinations with available data posting double-digit growth compared to 2019, including Australia which was up 34%compared with 2019.

Despite the generally strong results, several economic, geopolitical and climate challenges remain. The tourism sector is still facing inflation in travel and tourism, namely high transport and accommodation prices, as well as volatile oil prices.

Major conflicts and tensions around the world continue to impact consumer confidence, while extreme weather events and staff shortages are also critical challenges for tourism performance.

Commenting on the findings, UN Tourism Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili stated “the strong growth seen in tourism receipts is excellent news for economies around the world.

“The fact that visitor spending is growing even stronger than arrivals has a direct impact on millions of jobs and small businesses and contributes decisively to the balance of payments and tax revenues of many economies.”

Image: Ancient ruins at Hegra in Saudi Arabia. Credit: Shutterstock.

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