Dubai, United Arab Emirates. International tourism continues to recover at a rapid pace Culture and Education
International tourism has almost fully recovered from the pandemic, with international arrivals reaching 97 percent of pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2024. According to the World Tourism Organization, more than 285 million people traveled abroad between January and March this year. This is about 20 percent more than in the first quarter of last year.
Tourism will fully recover in 2024
In 2023, the number of international arrivals reached 89 percent of 2019 levels, and export revenues from tourism reached 96 percent. At the same time, the share of tourism in global GDP has reached the same level as in 2019.
According to the forecast of the World Tourism Organization, in 2024 there will be a full recovery of international tourism due to high demand , expanding air connectivity and the ongoing recovery of China and other major Asian markets. Arrivals are expected to rise two percent from 2019 levels.
Middle East champions tourism growth
The Middle East saw the fastest growth, with international arrivals in the first quarter of 2024 36 percent higher than pre-pandemic levels. In 2023, the Middle East became the first region in the world to see tourism growth exceed pre-pandemic levels.
Europe, the world’s most popular region for tourists, saw international arrivals in the first quarter of this year exceeded the pre-pandemic level by one percent. In the first three months of this year, 120 million foreign tourists visited the region, helped by strong intra-regional demand.
Africa recorded five percent more arrivals in the first quarter of 2024 than in the first quarter of 2019. Faring slightly worse are the Americas, where numbers have recovered to 99 percent of pre-pandemic levels, and the Asia-Pacific region, where arrivals are still only 82 percent of 2019 levels.
Among countries and territories, the leaders were Qatar (+177 percent compared to the first quarter of 2019), Albania (+121 percent), Saudi Arabia (+98 percent), El Salvador (+90 percent), Tanzania (+53 percent), Curacao ( +45 percent), Serbia (+43 percent), Turks and Caicos (+42 percent), Guatemala (+41 percent) and Bulgaria (+38 percent).
“The recovery of this sector is very good news for the economy,” said World Tourism Organization head Zurab Pololikashvili. At the same time, he emphasized the need to develop responsible tourism and eliminate negative consequences for nature and society.
Tourism income is increasing
International tourism revenues reached $1.5 trillion in 2023, marking a full recovery to pre-pandemic levels. However, taking into account inflation, this figure is 97 percent of the 2019 level. pre-pandemic levels. Tourism receipts in the Middle East rose 33 percent.
The Americas, Africa and Asia-Pacific have yet to return to pre-pandemic revenue levels.
The highest level of tourism income in the first quarter of 2024 was recorded in Serbia (+127 percent), Turkey (+82 percent), Pakistan (+72 percent), Tanzania (+62 percent) and Portugal (+61 percent).