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International tourist arrivals rose by 11% in 2024, with 1.4 billion people traveling internationally, according to the World Tourism Barometer published by UN Tourism (the former United Nations World Tourism Organization).

Showing a near total recovery from the effects of the pandemic, a majority of destinations welcomed more international tourists in 2024 than they did before the pandemic, while visitor spending also continued to grow strongly.

The increase in tourist arrivals in 2024 was driven by strong post-pandemic demand, robust performance from large source markets and the ongoing recovery of destinations in Asia and the Pacific.

Asia and the Pacific continued to experience a rapid recovery in 2024, though arrival numbers (316 million) were still 87% of pre-pandemic levels, an improvement from 66% at the end of 2023. International arrivals grew 33%% in 2024, an increase of 78 million from 2023.

Europe, the world’s largest destination region, saw 747 million international arrivals in 2024 (+1% above 2019) supported by strong intraregional demand. All European subregions surpassed pre-pandemic levels, except for Central and Eastern Europe where many destinations are still suffering from the lingering effects of the Russian aggression on Ukraine.

International tourist arrivals are expected to grow 3% to 5% in 2025 compared to 2024, assuming a continued recovery of Asia and the Pacific and solid growth in most other regions.

Commenting on the findings, UN Tourism Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili stated “in 2024, global tourism completed its recovery from the pandemic and, in many places, tourist arrivals and specially earnings are already higher than in 2019.

“Growth is expected to continue throughout 2025, driven by strong demand contributing to the socio-economic development of both mature and emerging destinations. This recalls our immense responsibility as a sector to accelerate transformation, placing people and planet at the centre of the development of tourism."

Image credit: Best Western.

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