International tourism arrivals grow by 43%: UNWTO

The arrival of international travelers globally registered a growth of 43% between January and July compared to last year's results, which raised the optimism of the sector, according to data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

According to the Barometer issued by the organization, In the aforementioned period, 700 million international tourists traveled, that is, 84% of the levels that existed before the pandemic.

According to the document, The Middle East, Europe and Africa led the sector's recovery. July was the busiest: 145 million international travelers were registered, 20% of the total accumulated during the first seven months.

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UNWTO data shows once again how tourism is recovering strongly in all parts of the world. But as our sector recovers, it also needs to adapt. The extreme weather events we have witnessed in recent months, as well as the critical challenges of managing growing tourist flows, underline the need to build a more inclusive, sustainable and resilient sector and ensure that recovery goes hand-in-hand with a rethinking of our sector,” said Zurab Pololikashvili, secretary general of the organization.

The Barometer details that The Middle East was the region that had the best results during the first seven months, as it was the only one that had an increase of 20% against 2019 levels. “The region remains the only one that so far exceeds pre-pandemic levels.”

For its part, Europe achieved a reach of 91% against pre-covid levels, the continent benefited from intraregional demand and travel from the United States. America stood at 87% against the results of 2019 and Africa obtained 92%.

While Asia-Pacific accelerated to reach 61% compared to pre-pandemic levels due to the opening of many destinations.

OPTIMISM

According to Barometer, the UNWTO remains optimistic that during this yearthe arrival of international tourists reaches between 80 and 95% of pre-pandemic levels.

The outlook for the final quarter points to continued recovery, according to the latest UNWTO Confidence Index, albeit at a more moderate pace following the June-August peak travel season. These results will be driven by still pent-up demand and increased air connectivity.”

The UNWTO still warns of important challenges for the sector in the future, among them is the economic environment, inflation and rising oil prices.

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