The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) announced that a record 1.4 billion international tourists traveled abroad in 2024, marking an 11% increase compared to the previous year.
The increase was accompanied by a significant increase in tourism revenue, which reached USD 1.6 trillion, a 3% increase from 2023 and 4% above 2019 levels, even when accounting for inflation and currency fluctuations, the UNWTO said.
“Global tourism has fully recovered from the pandemic in 2024,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. He noted that several regions recorded figures surpassing pre-pandemic levels, underscoring the industry’s resilience.
Europe, the world’s leading tourist destination, recorded 747 million international arrivals in 2024, driven by robust intra-regional demand. This represented a 5% increase compared to 2023 and a modest 1% rise over 2019 levels.
The Middle East experienced remarkable growth, with arrivals soaring 32% above pre-pandemic levels. North Africa also saw a significant 22% jump in international visitors, while Central America reported a 17% increase.
The Asia-Pacific region posted the highest annual growth rate, with a 33% surge in 2024, largely fueled by the complete lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in China. However, the region’s 316 million international arrivals remain below pre-pandemic figures, highlighting lingering recovery gaps.
The UNWTO predicts continued growth in international travel, with projections for 2025 indicating a 3-5% increase over 2024, contingent on favorable economic conditions, controlled inflation, and stable geopolitical environments.
Most destinations reporting monthly data continued to enjoy strong results in 2024, with a majority exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Available data for the first 10 to 12 months of 2024 shows several destinations reporting double-digit growth compared to 2019:
- El Salvador (+81%), Saudi Arabia (+69%), Ethiopia (+40%), Morocco (+35%), Guatemala (+33%) and the Dominican Republic (+32%), all exceeded pre-pandemic levels by far in the full twelve months of 2024.
- Qatar (+137%), Albania (+80%), Colombia (+37%), Andorra (+35%), Malta and Serbia (both +29%) enjoyed strong growth through October or November 2024, compared to the same ten or eleven months of 2019.
- The full recovery of international tourism in 2024 is also reflected in the performance of other industry indicators. According to the UN Tourism Tracker, both international air capacity and air traffic virtually recovered pre-pandemic levels through October 2024 (IATA). Global occupancy rates for accommodation reached 66% in November, slightly below 69% in November 2023 (based on STR data).
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