Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Data from the UNWTO shows that tourism is booming. International tourist numbers grew by 7 percent last year, reaching an estimated 1.3 billion. The UNWTO expects this momentum to continue this year as well.
Tourism is Europe is growing in a steady way. European Cities Marketing (ECM) announced a 3.6% growth in city tourism in 2016. The domestic tourism market grew by 6.0% and the international market by 2.3%. The top 10 cities in terms of bednights remained the same as the previous year, with London, Paris, and Berlin at the top of the list. Italy, Russia, and Japan continue to decrease as source markets, while the Chinese market reached a stable growth of 2.2% as of 2017.
However, according to the UNWTO, the world’s fastest growing travel destination is Sierra Leone. This little West African nation welcomed 310 per cent more overseas tourists in 2016, compared with the previous year, a steep rise that was no doubt helped by the country being declared Ebola-free in November 2015.
Five other nations where tourism is booming are South Korea, Moldova, Kiribati, Madagascar and Slovakia. Three nations where tourism has tumbled are Turkey, Belgium and Egypt.
