International Tourism Growth returns to 60% of pre-pandemic Levels

Newly released statistics from the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer has shown that international arrivals climbed by 172% during the first seven months of 2022 compared to the same seven-month period in 2021.

As a result, the tourism industry has picked up to 60% of the level it was at before the pandemic.

Pent-up demand for international travel and the easing or removal of travel restrictions to this point are seen as key to this slow but steady recovery - 86 countries having no COVID-19-related restrictions as of 19th September 2022.

While the tourism industry is showing signs of improvement, many geopolitical and economic issues remain, according to UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.

Because of the strong industry growth in developing countries, people worldwide feel more optimistic. The time is opportune to examine tourism’s future and its implications on people and the environment.

By comparison, just 175 million people travelled abroad over those same months in 2021 so the expected 474 million international visitors is a considerable rise.

The overall number of international arrivals in June and July 2022 was expected to be 207 million, which is more than double the number of visitors who visited during the same two months in 2021.

These months account for 44% of total arrivals recorded in the first seven months of 2022.

Europe saw 309 million new arrivals, accounting for around 65% of the world’s total.

Image courtesy of Best Western.