International tourist arrivals up 5% in the first nine months of 2025

International

Global tourism surpasses 2019 levels despite inflation and geopolitical tensions

International tourism continued its upward trajectory in 2025. According to the latest World Tourism Barometer, more than 1.1 billion travellers crossed borders between January and September — around 50 million more than in the same period of 2024, and 3% above pre-pandemic 2019 levels. Demand remained strong throughout the Northern Hemisphere summer despite high prices and mixed traveller confidence.

UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili noted that both arrivals and receipts showed resilient growth, with Africa and Europe delivering particularly strong results.

Regional performance

Africa led all regions with a 10% increase in arrivals, driven by strong growth in both North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. Europe welcomed 625 million international visitors, 4% more than in 2024, with Western Europe and the Southern Mediterranean performing well and Central/Eastern Europe rebounding strongly.

The Americas recorded moderate 2% growth overall, while the Middle East posted a 2% rise but remained the best-performing region relative to 2019 levels (+33%).

Asia and the Pacific grew 8% as recovery continued, with North-East Asia showing the strongest momentum.

Fastest-growing destinations included Brazil (+45%), Vietnam and Egypt (+21%), Ethiopia and Japan (+18%), South Africa (+17%) and Morocco (+14%), all exceeding 2019 levels.

Travel spending remains strong

Visitor spending grew sharply in several destinations through September — notably Japan (+21%), Nicaragua (+19%), Egypt (+18%), Mongolia and Morocco (both +15%), and Brazil (+12%). Outbound spending from major markets such as the United States, France, Germany, Italy and Spain also increased.

Outlook

With arrivals up 5% through September, 2025 is on track to reach UN Tourism’s projected annual growth of 3% to 5%, though high travel costs and geopolitical tensions continue to pose risks.