Despite ongoing geopolitical tensions, a robust desire to travel, particularly in Europe and Asia, saw global tourism return to its 2019 record level last year after four years of challenges brought on by the COVID pandemic.
Around 1.4 billion tourists visited other countries in 2024, up 11% from 2023, according to a UN Tourism forecast released Monday. The number is the same as it was in 2019, the year before to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alongside this dynamic, tourism revenue increased significantly, reaching $1.6 trillion, 3% more than in 2023 and 4% more than in 2019 when inflation and exchange rate variations are taken into account.
In a statement, UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili stressed that “global tourism completed its recovery from the pandemic in 2024,” noting that in a number of regions, the numbers even exceeded those of 2019.
Due in part to robust intraregional demand, 747 million foreign visitors were registered in Europe, the world’s most popular travel destination. This represents a 5% rise over 2023 and a 1% increase over 2019.
The popularity of Saudi Arabia and Qatar contributed to a 32% increase in the number of foreign visitors in the Middle East, a 22% increase in North Africa, and a 17% increase in Central America.
Advancement
This global tourism promotion organization claims that the Asia-Pacific area saw the largest annual gain in visitors in 2024 (+33%) as a result of China’s easing of health regulations.
However, this organization, which was formerly known as the World Tourism Organization (WTO), stressed that the 316 million foreign visitor visits were still below their pre-pandemic level.
With 154 million foreign visitors, China was the world’s top source of tourists prior to the health issue.
UN Tourism predicts that fresh growth in international travel in 2025—which might rise by 3% to 5% over the previous year—will result from the consolidation of the recovery in this region.
However, the agency noted that the industry still faces several “challenges.” “This initial projection assumes that economic conditions remain favorable, that inflation continues to decline, and that geopolitical conflicts do not escalate,” the agency stated.
“Immense responsibility”
In many nations, including Spain, the world’s second most popular travel destination after France, which welcomed a record 94 million tourists in 2024, and Japan, the surge in tourism has led to tensions in recent months.
Since many property owners seek to charge high rates to tourists, the concentration of tourists at a small number of tourist destinations is contributing to traffic issues and rising lodging costs.
Several towns have implemented limits in this regard, including Kyoto, Japan, which will drastically raise the rate that tourists pay, Barcelona, and Venice, Italy, which has set payment times for daily visits.
The environmental effects of mass tourism are more worrying than these regional resistance groups. Tourism-related greenhouse gas emissions are currently rising twice as quickly as the rest of the economy, per a study published in the journal Nature in December.
In light of this, the study’s authors recommend lowering demand and visitor flows, particularly in the aviation industry (by raising ticket prices, lowering the number of flights, etc.).
In its news release, UN Tourism states that it is vital to “place people and the planet at the center of tourism development,” a sector that the agency claims has a “immense responsibility,” without specifically addressing these issues.
