International tourism has almost fully recovered with a total of 90% of pre-pandemic levels reached at the end of 2023. According to the latest data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), an estimated 975 million tourists traveled internationally throughout the year, an increase of 38% over 2022, and many destinations have reached or even surpassed their pre-pandemic arrivals and revenues.

The latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer also shows that:

• World destinations received 22% more international tourists in the third quarter of 2023 compared to the same period last year, reflecting a strong summer season in the Northern Hemisphere.
• International tourist arrivals reached 91% of pre-pandemic levels in the third quarter, reaching 92% in July, the best month so far since the start of the pandemic.
• Overall, tourism recovered 87% of pre-pandemic levels in January-September 2023. That puts the sector on track to recover nearly 90% by year-end.
• International tourism receipts could reach $1.4 trillion in 2023, about 93% of the $1.5 trillion earned by destinations in 2019.

Middle East, Europe and Africa are the leaders in recovery:

• The Middle East continues to lead the recovery by region in relative terms, with arrivals 20% above pre-pandemic levels in the nine months to September 2023. The Middle East remains the only region in the world to have surpassed 2019 levels in this period. Visa facilitation measures, the development of new destinations, investment in new tourism-related projects and the hosting of major events help highlight this remarkable performance.
• Europe, the world’s largest destination region, welcomed 550 million international tourists during the period, 56% of the world total. This figure represents 94% of pre-pandemic levels. The rebound was aided by solid intraregional demand, as well as strong demand from the United States.
• Africa regained 92% of pre-pandemic visitors in this nine-month period, and arrivals to the Americas reached 88% of 2019 figures in this period, as the region benefited from strong U.S. demand, particularly to Caribbean destinations.
• Asia & Pacific reached 62% of pre-pandemic levels in this period due to slower reopening of international travel. However, results among subregions are mixed, with South Asia regaining 95% of pre-pandemic levels, but Northeast Asia only around 50%.

The sustained recovery is also reflected in the performance of industry indicators. Based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and STR, the UNWTO Tourism Recovery Tracker details a strong recovery in air transportation passenger numbers and tourist hotel accommodation occupancy levels.

Several major outbound markets saw strong outbound tourism demand during this period, with many of them exceeding 2019 levels. Germany and the United States spent 13% and 11% more, respectively, on outbound tourism than in the same nine months of 2019, while Italy spent 16% more through August.

Against this backdrop, international tourism is on track to fully recover to pre-pandemic levels by 2024, despite economic challenges such as high inflation and weak global output, as well as significant geopolitical tensions and conflicts in different areas of the globe.