The UNWTO predicts that international tourism is expected to set a new record of 1.1bn-plus tourists this year.

 

The United Nations World Tourism Organization says that between January and October 2014, the volume of international tourists (overnight visitors) reached 978m – an impressive 4.7% or 45m more compared to the same period in 2013. It also notes that this is well above the long-term trend projected by UNWTO for the period 2010-2020 (+3.8%).

 

By region, the strongest region of growth in the first 10 months was recorded in the Americas (+8%), followed by Asia and the Pacific (+5%) and Europe (+4%). By sub-region, North America (+9%) and South Asia (+8%) were the star performers, as well as Southern and Mediterranean Europe, North-East Asia and Northern Europe (all +7%).

 

“In view of this trend, international tourism is set to end 2014 with record numbers”, said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. “These are remarkable results considering that different parts of the world continue to face significant geopolitical and health challenges, while the global economic recovery remains rather fragile and uneven”, he added.

 

“More importantly, we see a growing political commitment to the tourism sector in many countries. This is encouraging, not in the least because tourism is one of the sectors that is best able to deliver on employment at a moment when job creation needs to be a priority to all”, he added.

 

THE AMERICAS: ‘BEST RESULTS IN A DECADE’

The Americas (+8%) led the growth ahead of all regions during the period, rebounding significantly on last year’s subdued results. The UNWTO says this is the region’s best performance since 2004, when international tourism also rebounded strongly, following the 2003 SARS outbreak.

 

All sub-regions – North America, the Caribbean, Central America and South America – doubled their growth rates of 2013, with ‘particularly positive results’ recorded in North America in view of the extraordinary performance of Mexico and the US.

 

Meanwhile, international arrivals in Asia and the Pacific increased by 5% (through October), consolidating the region’s growth trend of recent years. The best results came from South Asia (+8%), led by India (+7%), and from North-East Asia (+7%) where major destinations such as Japan and the Republic of Korea registered double-digit growth.

 

Arrivals in Oceania grew by 6% owing mostly to the increase of arrivals in Australia and New Zealand. In South-East Asia (+2%), growth slowed down compared to 2012 and 2013 as a result of the decline in arrivals registered in Thailand.

 

Europe, which is still the most visited region in the world, posted a 4% increase in international tourist arrivals through October, with strong results in Northern Europe and in Southern Mediterranean Europe (both +7%). Here, established destinations such as Greece, Portugal, Spain and Malta recorded robust growth.

 

TOURISM SLOWS IN WESTERN EUROPE

International tourism grew at a more modest pace in Western Europe (+2%) and was stagnant in Central and Eastern Europe (0%), in stark contrast with the last three years, during which arrivals grew at an average of 8% a year.

 

International tourist arrivals in the Middle East are also estimated to be up by 4% (in the first ten months of 2014), rebounding on the declines registered since 2011. All destinations in the region ‘with data available’ report positive growth, with Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia all substantially improving their performances, as compared to 2013.

 

Africa’s international tourist numbers grew by 3% (through October) with North Africa consolidating its recovery (+2%). Sub-Saharan Africa’s arrivals were up by 3% despite the challenges of the Ebola Disease Outbreak in a few West African countries. However, the UNWTO says that data for Africa and the Middle East should nonetheless ‘be read with caution as it is based on limited and volatile data for these regions’.

 

The UNWTO is expected to release preliminary 2014 full-year international tourist arrivals data by 27 January 2015.