MADRID — Despite recent terror attacks in Europe and around the world, travellers have not been deterred from packing their bags and venturing out, says the UNWTO.
According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, 2016 started on a strong note for international tourism, with tourist arrivals growing by 5% between January and April. Results were “robust” across almost all sub-regions and many destinations reported double-digit growth.
Prospects for May-August remain positive, with around 500 million tourists expected to travel abroad in the Northern Hemisphere summer holiday peak season.
Destinations worldwide received 348 million international tourists (overnight visitors) between January and April, some 18 million more than the same period last year. This follows an increase of 4.6% in 2015, and could make 2016 the seventh consecutive year of above-average growth, with international arrivals increasing by 4% or more every year following the crisis in 2009.
“Results show a strong desire to travel and this continues to drive tourism growth. Destinations keep benefitting from solid demand across all world regions despite ongoing challenges, showing that tourism is a dynamic and resilient economic sector,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai. “Yet, despite these good results, the tragic events of recent months remind us that safety and security remain a major challenge for all. We must continue to work closely together to address this global threat and ensure tourism is an integral part of emergency planning and response at global, regional and national level.”
By region, Asia and the Pacific (+9%) recorded the highest increase in international arrivals, with all Asian subregions enjoying growth of 7% or above. By subregion, Subsaharan Africa (+13%) led growth, strongly rebounding from previous years’ modest results.
In the Americas (+6%), Central America and South America led the way with both subregions up 7%. Arrivals in the Caribbean (+6%) and North America (+5%) were fuelled by continued strong outbound demand from the U.S., where tourism expenditure increased by 9% through May.
Europe (+4%), the world’s most visited region, consolidated its healthy growth of recent years with Northern Europe and Central and Eastern Europe (both +6%) in the lead, followed by Southern and Mediterranean Europe (+4%) and Western Europe (+3%).
International tourist arrivals in the Middle East are estimated to have declined by 7% through April.
UNWTO forecasts international tourist arrivals to increase by 3.5% to 4.5% over the full year 2016, in line with UNWTO’s long-term projection of 3.8% growth a year for the period 2010 to 2020.
