Tourexpi
UN: 1.4B people traveled internationally in 2024
The
United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) announced Tuesday
that 1.4 billion people traveled internationally in 2024, marking a significant
recovery for global tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the
sector's worst crisis in 2020-2021.
According
to the Madrid-based UN Tourism,
this represents an 11% increase which refers to approximately 140 million more
travelers compared to the previous year, bringing international tourism figures
back to pre-pandemic levels.
The
largest growth in visitor numbers compared to 2019 was observed in the Middle
East, Europe and Africa.
The
Middle East saw 95 million visitors, reflecting a 32% increase from 2019,
Africa recorded 74 million visitors, marking a 7% rise, and Europe welcomed 747
million visitors, showing 1% growth.
UN Tourism Secretary-General
Zurab Pololikashvili noted that global tourism completed its post-pandemic
recovery in 2024, with many destinations surpassing 2019 levels in both tourist
arrivals and revenue.
He
added that strong demand is expected to drive further growth in 2025.
Image
Credit: © AA
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