Global tourism hit a new record level in 2025 with an estimated 1.52 billion international tourist arrivals recorded worldwide, driven by strong momentum in Asia and Africa, U.N. Tourism said Tuesday.

"Demand for travel remained high throughout 2025, despite high inflation in tourism services and uncertainty from geopolitical tensions," the secretary general of the Madrid-based body, Shaikha Alnuwais, said in a statement.

"We expect this positive trend to continue into 2026 as the global economy is expected to remain steady and destinations still lagging behind pre-pandemic levels fully recover."

The number of international tourist arrivals last year was 4% higher than the 1.4 billion recorded in 2024, reaching its highest level in the post-pandemic era and a new record, the U.N. Tourism said.

Africa saw an 8% rise in arrivals in 2025 to 81 million, with Morocco and Tunisia posting particularly strong results.

International arrivals grew by 6% in Asia and the Pacific to reach 331 million in 2025, some 91% of pre-pandemic levels.

Europe, the world's most popular destination region, recorded 793 million international arrivals in 2025, a 4% increase over the previous year and 6% above 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic paralyzed travel.