Around 1 billion tourists travelled to international destinations, reaching 98 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, in the first nine months of 2024, according to the latest UN Tourism World Tourism Barometer.

With figures from the last three months still to come, it is expected to fully recover by the end of the year, despite current economic, geopolitical, and climatic challenges.

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

“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.”

Regional tourism performance

Asia and the Pacific reached 85 per cent of 2019 levels, compared to a 66 per cent recovery in 2023. The region has experienced a gradual rebound in arrivals since reopening to international tourism in 2023.

The Middle East (+29 per cent compared to 2019) continued to enjoy record growth this nine-month period, while Europe (+1 per cent) and Africa (+6 per cent) also exceeded 2019 levels.

The Americas recovered 97 per cent of its pre-pandemic arrivals (-3 per cent over 2019).

Direct impact of tourism: Extraordinary growth

In the first nine months of 2024, 35 out of 43 countries with available data on tourism revenues exceeded pre-pandemic levels, with many recordings double-digit growth compared to 2019, far outpacing inflation in most cases. Notable examples include Serbia (99 per cent) as well as Pakistan (64 per cent), Romania (61 per cent) and Japan (59 per cent).

Among the top tourism revenue generators, Japan (59 per cent), Turkey (41 per cent), and France (27 per cent) saw double-digit growth through September 2024. Spain (36 per cent) and Italy (26 per cent) also reported significant increases.

Data on international tourism spending reflects the same trend, especially among major source markets like Germany (35 per cent), the United States (33 per cent), and France (11 per cent). Available data for India shows a significant increase in outbound spending from this increasingly important market, with an 81 per cent growth through June 2024 (compared to 2019).

About Pololikashvili

UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said will run for re-election for a new term in the period 2026-2029. The UN Tourism Executive Council to select the candidates will be held between May 28 and 30, 2025. The Executive Council will then recommend to the General Assembly the person who will take charge of the General Secretariat in November 2025, in Saudi Arabia. The new mandate will be from 2026 to 2029.

Pololikashvili, 47, has experienced first-hand the recovery of tourism after Covid-19. This year, the recovery rate has reached 95 per cent, comparing current levels with those of 2019, the year with the highest number of tourists in history. The reopening of China, one of the largest tourist markets on a global scale, has contributed to this recovery of the tourism sector.

Pololikashvili confirmed his decision to announce his candidacy after returning from a trip to Beijing, where he participated in the Global Tourism Economic Forum (GTEF 2024) and held various meetings with senior world officials, such as the Minister of Tourism and Culture of China. The trip was the latest in an intense agenda of work and meetings for Pololikashvili in recent months, with the aim of obtaining the support of different countries around the world.

Pololikashvili has been Secretary General of UN Tourism since 2018 and now wants to run for re-election to implement measures favorable to sustainable development, promote new areas of development and promote tourism in a “time of challenges”.

Feature image: UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. Supplied