Tourism speeds up reaching 65% of pre-pandemic levels in 2022

Friday, November 25, 2022

Around 700 million tourists traveled worldwide between January and September, which is more than double (+133%) the number witnessed during the same period in 2021. This is equivalent to 63% of the levels of 2019, making the tourism segment reach 65% of its pre-pandemic levels this year, consistent with the UNWTO scenarios.

These results have been driven by robust repressed demand, better confidence levels and the easing of restrictions in majority of destinations globally.

With the speed at which tourism has improved from the pandemic crisis, the latest World Tourism Barometer from the UNWTO says that monthly entrances were 64% under 2019 levels in January this year, but it reached -27% by September.

Around 340 million international arrivals were logged in the third quarter of this year alone.
Europe is leading the recovery of international tourism. Europe welcomed 477 million international entrances in January-September this year.

The Middle East witnessed international arrivals more than triple (+225%) year-on-year during January-September, reaching 77% of pre-pandemic levels. Africa (+166%) and the Americas (+106%) also saw sturdy development compared to 2021, reaching 63% and 66% of the levels of 2019, respectively.

In Asia and the Pacific (+230%) visitor numbers more than tripled in the course of first nine months of this year, with Japan reopening at the end of September. Still, visitors in Asia and the Pacific remained 83% under the levels of 2019. China, which is a principal market for Asia-Pacific, remains shut.

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