In a significant move, global tourism rebounded strongly in 2024, with around 1.1 billion international tourists in the first nine months, recovering to about 98 pc of pre-pandemic levels. However, despite this remarkable recovery, challenges such as inflation in travel costs, geopolitical tensions, and extreme weather events continue to pose hurdles for the industry’s full revival.

In a press statement, UN Tourism says that four years after the pandemic, tourism has rebounded, with most regions surpassing 2019 arrival numbers and many destinations showing double-digit growth in receipts.

It adds that 60 out of 111 destinations surpassed 2019 arrival numbers in the first nine months of 2024, with top performers including Qatar, Albania, Saudi Arabia, Curaçao, Tanzania, Colombia, and Andorra.

It adds that 35 out of 43 countries exceeded pre-pandemic receipt values in 2024, with many showing double-digit growth, well above inflation.

UN Tourism says that among the top earners, Japan, Türkiye and France recorded double-digit growth through September 2024. Spain and Italy also reported strong receipts, while the UK, Canada, and Australia saw notable increases. The United States, the top tourism earner, reported modest growth.

It adds that international tourism expenditure follows the same trend, with notable increases from Germany, the United States, and France.

It further adds that the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and Italy also reported strong expenditure growth, with India seeing an 81 pc surge in outbound spending through June 2024 compared to 2019.

The report says that among the top earners were Serbia, where receipts nearly doubled, followed by Pakistan, Romania, Japan, Portugal, Nicaragua and Tanzania.

It adds that the Middle East saw record growth, while Europe and Africa exceeded 2019 levels. In contrast, the Americas recovered 97 pc of pre-pandemic arrivals.

It adds that Asia and the Pacific reached 85 pc of 2019 levels, up from 66 pc in 2023, reflecting a gradual but uneven rebound since reopening to international travel.

According to the report, the Northern Hemisphere summer season was strong, with global arrivals reaching 99 pc of pre-pandemic levels in Q3 2024.

Zurab Pololikashvili

The statement adds that international tourist arrivals are set to reach 2019 levels in 2024, with receipts nearly hitting pre-pandemic figures in 2023.

It adds that while many destinations exceeded pre-pandemic arrivals in 2023 or 2024, recovery is slower in parts of North-East Asia and Central Eastern Europe, in contrast to strong results in Europe, the Middle East, Central America, and the Caribbean.

“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,” says Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General, UN Tourism.