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THE number of international tourists in 2019 saw a new record of 1.5 billion arrivals, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) confirmed at a press conference held in Madrid recently.
Last year was the 10th consecutive year of increased international tourist growth and 1.5 billion tourists represented a four percent increase from 2018, with the UNWTO also forecasting sustainable growth of between three and four percent for 2020 partly inspired by events such as the Olympics. Tokyo 2020 and Expo 2020 in Dubai.
The UNWTO explained that growth in 2019 was affected by “uncertainty around Brexit, Thomas Cook collapse, geopolitical and social tensions and a global economic slowdown,” with the slowdown “mainly affecting developed economies and particularly Europe and Asia and the Pacific.”
However, all regions of the world experienced increased arrivals, prompting UNWTO Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili to declare that “tourism remains a reliable economic sector.”
“Our sector continues to outpace the world economy and asks us to not only grow but also grow better,” he added.
The Middle East is the fastest growing region in the world, with growth of eight percent in 2019, while the Asia and Pacific region increased by five percent. Europe saw a growth of four percent in international tourist arrivals and welcomed 743 million visitors.
The United States had a worse outcome with two percent growth in what the UNWTO described as “continuing social and political chaos.”
The nine percent growth in North Africa helps the continent grow by up to 4 percent, even though growth in sub-Saharan Africa is only 1.5%. [antaranews]
