Historic Recovery Milestone Achieved by Global Tourism in 2024
International tourism has officially bounced back to pre-pandemic levels, with 1.4 billion tourists traveling internationally in 2024, according to the latest World Tourism Barometer from UN Tourism. This represents a complete recovery (99%) from the devastating impact of COVID-19 and marks an 11% increase over 2023, translating to 140 million more international tourist arrivals.
Tourism receipts reached a record $1.6 trillion in 2024, about 3% more than in 2023 and 4% higher than 2019 levels in real terms. The recovery has been driven by strong post-pandemic demand, robust performance from large source markets, and the ongoing recovery of destinations in Asia and the Pacific.
Regional performance shows the Middle East leading with arrivals 32% above pre-pandemic levels, while Europe welcomed 747 million international arrivals. Several destinations reported outstanding growth, with:
- Qatar (+137%),
- Albania (+80%), and
- Colombia (+37%)
showing exceptional performance through late 2024.
Source: UNWTO
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