Global tourism fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic last year, with 1.4 billion international tourist arrivals recorded worldwide due to "robust" demand from key markets, a top U.N. agency said Monday.
"A majority of destinations welcomed more international tourists in 2024 than they did before the pandemic, while visitor spending also continued to grow strongly," the Madrid-based U.N. Tourism said in a statement.
Last year, the number of international tourist arrivals was 11% higher than the 1.3 billion recorded in 2023, reaching the level seen in 2019, the year before the pandemic paralyzed travel.
A "robust performance from large source markets and the ongoing recovery of destinations in Asia" drove the results, U.N. Tourism added.
Receipts from global tourism reached $1.6 trillion in 2024, about 3.0% more than the previous year and 4.0% more than in 2019 when inflation and currency fluctuations are taken into account.
"In 2024, global tourism completed its recovery from the pandemic and, in many places, tourist arrival and especially earnings are already higher than in 2019," U.N. Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said.
"Growth is expected to continue throughout 2025, driven by strong demand contributing to the socio-economic development of both mature and emerging destinations," he added.
"This recalls our immense responsibility as a sector to accelerate transformation, placing people and the planet at the center of the development of tourism."
The surge in visitor numbers has sparked a backlash in many tourism hotspots, prompting the authorities to take steps to ease the pressure on bursting beaches and gridlocked streets.
Venice, one of the world's top tourist destinations, is trying to limit the influx of tourists into its historic center by charging day trippers for entry.
Japan has introduced a daily cap on hiker numbers at Mount Fuji, while Amsterdam and other port cities have reduced the number of cruise ships allowed to dock.
Europe, the world's most popular destination region, recorded 747 million international arrivals in 2024, a 5% increase over the previous year and 1% above 2019 levels.
All European regions surpassed pre-pandemic levels except Central and Eastern Europe, "where many destinations are still suffering from the lingering effects of the Russian aggression on Ukraine," the statement said.
International arrivals grew by 33% in Asia and the Pacific to reach 316 million in 2024, representing just 87% of pre-pandemic levels.
The Middle East posted the strongest rebound since 2019, with 95 million arrivals last year, a 32% jump over pre-pandemic levels but just 1% higher than in 2023.
Many countries, such as Japan and Morocco, have set new tourism records following the pandemic and several destinations reported double-digit growth in international arrivals when compared to 2019.
El Salvador, which has successfully cracked down on violent crime, posted an 81% increase in foreign arrivals on 2019 levels.
Saudi Arabia, which only fully opened to tourism in 2019, recorded a 69% jump.
The U.N. body predicts that international arrivals will grow 3% to 5% in 2025 when compared to last year if the rebound in travel in Asia continues, inflation keeps receding and "geopolitical conflicts do not escalate."
High transportation and accommodation costs, volatile oil prices and staff shortages are among the other key challenges the tourism sector will face this year, it added.
