Worldwide Tourism Revenue and Arrivals Close to Pre-Pandemic Levels, UN Barometer Reveals

According to the latest World Tourism Barometer by the UN, the global tourism industry is on track to fully recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic by the end of 2024. In the first three quarters of 2024, approximately 1.1 billion tourists traveled internationally, representing a 98% recovery compared to pre-pandemic figures.

The tourism sector has significantly recovered four years after the COVID-19 outbreak, with most regions surpassing their 2019 arrival numbers between January and September 2024. In addition to the increase in arrivals, international tourism receipts have also seen substantial growth, with most destinations reporting double-digit growth compared to 2019.

Visitor spending growth has positively impacted global economies, contributing to the balance of payments and tax revenues and supporting millions of jobs and small businesses.

The Middle East, Europe, and Africa exceeded their 2019 arrival numbers, while the Americas and Asia-Pacific are also steadily regaining their pre-pandemic levels. This growth has been driven by strong post-pandemic demand, improved air connectivity, and visa facilitation.

The report also highlighted that 60 out of 111 destinations surveyed surpassed their 2019 arrival numbers in the first eight to nine months of 2024, with Qatar, Albania, Saudi Arabia, Curaçao, Tanzania, Colombia, and Andorra being some of the strongest performers.

In terms of earnings, 35 out of 43 countries with available receipt data exceeded pre-pandemic values in the first eight to nine months of 2024. Serbia, Pakistan, Romania, Japan, Portugal, Nicaragua, and Tanzania were among the top performers.

Despite the promising recovery, the tourism sector faces several economic, geopolitical, and climate challenges, including high transport and accommodation prices, volatile oil prices, global conflicts, extreme weather events, and staff shortages.

UN Tourism Barometer