Global tourism on brink of full recovery as spending surges ahead of arrivals

By Tuba Ongun

ANKARA (AA) — Global tourism is roaring back, with a 1.1 billion holiday-goers travelled internationally in the first nine months of 2024, marking a recovery to 98% of pre-COVID levels, UN figures indicated Wednesday.

According to the latest World Tourism Barometer from UN Tourism on Wednesday, the industry is poised to make a full recovery by year-end despite ongoing economic, geopolitical, and climate challenges.

In January-September, international tourism spending outpaced arrivals, with most destinations reporting double-digit growth in revenue compared to 2019.

"The strong growth seen in tourism receipts is excellent news for economies around the world," said UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.

"The fact that visitor spending is growing even stronger than arrivals has a direct impact on millions of jobs and small businesses and contributes decisively to the balance of payments and tax revenues of many economies," he added.

The Middle East emerged as a standout performer, with arrivals up by a 29% compared to 2019 during the first nine months of the year.

The figure rose by a modest 1% in Europe and 6% in Africa also exceeding 2019 levels in both regions, reflecting steady growth.

In the Americas, international arrivals reached 97% of pre-pandemic levels, down 3% from 2019.

Asia and the Pacific achieved an 85% recovery compared to 2019, a notable improvement from 66% in 2023, though the rebound remains uneven as the region continues to reopen to international travel.

- Tourism earnings surge

Tourism earnings have also seen a significant rebound, as Pololikashvili noted, with several countries reporting strong growth in receipts compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Serbia led the charge, with earnings soaring 99% above 2019 levels, as receipts more than doubled in the first nine months of 2024.

Other top performers included Pakistan with a 64% increase, Romania with 61%, Japan with 59%, and Portugal with 51%, followed by Nicaragua and Tanzania, both with 50%.

Among the world's top earners, Japan recorded a notable growth rate of 59%, followed by Türkiye with 41% and France with 27%.

Spain's earnings rose 36% and Italy's 26% through August.

The UK saw a 43% increase in tourism earnings, with Canada's 35%) and Australia's 18% demonstrating robust growth through June. As for the US, the world’s largest tourism earner, it saw 7% growth in earnings through September.

In terms of international tourism spending, growth was reported by large source markets, including Germany (35%), the US (33%), and France (11%). Notably, India showed a dramatic surge in outbound spending, with 81% through June 2024.