International tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) grew 5% in January-September 2025 compared to the same period in 2024 and 3% above pre-pandemic year 2019.
According to the
latest edition of the World Tourism Barometer, over 1.1 billion tourists
travelled internationally between January and September this year, about 50
million more than in the same period of 2024.
Results reflect
sustained travel demand throughout the year despite high inflation in tourism
services and mixed traveller confidence due to geopolitical and trade tensions.
The third quarter saw a 4% increase over 2024 with a strong Northern Hemisphere
summer season.
UN Tourism
Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “International tourism has
continued to experience sustained growth so far in 2025 in terms of
international arrivals and most importantly in receipts, despite high inflation
in tourism services and geopolitical tensions. Africa and Europe in particular
stand out for their results.”
International tourism
has continued to experience sustained growth so far in 2025 in terms of
international arrivals and most importantly in receipts, despite high inflation
in tourism services and geopolitical tensions
Africa continues to
see the strongest performance among regions
The latest World
Tourism Barometer analyses international tourism over the first nine months of
2025 by region and sub-region. Key takeaways include:
- Africa saw a 10% increase in arrivals
through September,
according to limited available data. Both North Africa (+11%) and
Sub-Saharan Africa (+10%) recorded double-digit growth in arrivals.
- Europe, the world’s largest destination region, saw 625 million
international tourists between January and September 2025, a 4%
increase from the same months in 2024. All European subregions enjoyed
solid results during the third quarter, reflecting a strong summer season.
Western Europe (+5%) and Southern Mediterranean Europe (+3%) saw robust
performance, while Northern Europe (-1%) recorded more modest results.
Central and Eastern Europe continued to rebound strongly (+8%), though
arrivals remained 11% below 2019 levels.
- The Americas recorded 2% growth
this period, with a 3% increase in Q1 and Q2 but a slight drop in Q3
(-1%). Results among subregions were mixed. South America (+9%) enjoyed
the best performance, despite a flat third quarter. North America (-1%)
saw weaker results partly due to small declines in the United States and
Canada. Arrivals in Central America increased 3% through September, while
the Caribbean (+1%) recorded comparatively more modest growth.
- Arrivals in the Middle East grew 2% in
January-September compared
to the same period in 2024. This represents 33% more arrivals than in
2019, the strongest regional results relative to the pre-pandemic
year.
- Arrivals in Asia and the Pacific grew 8%
in the first nine months of 2025, reaching 90% of pre-pandemic numbers (-10% compared to
January-September 2019) as the region continues to recover. North-East
Asia stood out with a 17% increase in arrivals relative to 2024 but
remained 12% below 2019 levels.
- Some of the highest growth rates in
arrivals in January-September 2025 were recorded in Brazil (+45% versus
2024), Vietnam and Egypt (both +21%), as well as Ethiopia and Japan (both
+18%). South Africa reported 17% growth, Sri Lanka and Mongolia both 16%,
and Morocco 14%. All of these destinations have already surpassed 2019
levels.
According to IATA,
international air traffic (RPKs) grew 7% in January-September 2025 versus the
same months of 2024. International air capacity (ASKs) increased 6% in this
nine-month period. Global occupancy in accommodation establishments reached 68%
in September 2025, matching the rate of September 2024 (based on STR
data).
Strong visitor
spending across most destinations
- Monthly data on international tourism
receipts show strong visitor spending in several destinations through
September 2025. Japan (+21%), Nicaragua (+19%), Egypt (+18%), Mongolia and
Morocco (both +15%), Latvia (+13%), Brazil (+12%) and France (+9%) were
among the best performers in terms of growth in receipts in the first nine
months of 2025.
- Strong demand can also be seen in outbound
spending from some large markets such as the United States (+7% through
August), France (+5%), Germany and Italy (both +4%), as well as Spain
(+15% through August) and the Republic of Korea (+7%).
Results on track to
reach projected growth for 2025, despite challenges
According to UN Tourism’s projection in January this year, international tourist arrivals are expected to grow 3% to 5% in 2025. While results through September are in line with UN Tourism’s forecast, factors such as high travel prices and a challenging geopolitical environment remain important downside risks. -TradeArabia News Service