International tourism recovery up,474 million tourists travelled in seven months of 2022
Travel Biz News —
International tourism continued to show strong signs of recovery this year. International tourist arrivals almost tripled in January to July 2022 (+172%) compared to the same period of 2021.
Arrivals reached 57% of pre-pandemic levels in the first seven months of 2022, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer.
‘The steady recovery reflects strong pent-up demand for international travel as well as the easing or lifting of travel restrictions to date (86 countries had no COVID-19 related restrictions as of 19 September 2022).’
Around 474 million tourists travelled internationally over the period, compared to the 175 million in the same months of 2021.
An estimated 207 million international arrivals were recorded in June and July 2022 combined, over twice the numbers seen in the same two months last year.
Europe welcomed 309 million of these arrivals, accounting for 65% of the total. The lifting of travel restrictions in a large number of destinations also fuelled these results (44 countries in Europe had no COVID-19 related restrictions as of 19 September 2022).
The Middle East saw international arrivals grow almost four times year-on-year in January-July 2022 .
The Americas and Africa also recorded strong growth in January-July 2022 compared to 2021. Asia and the Pacific saw arrivals more than double in the first seven months of 2022.
Robust performance was also recorded in international passenger air traffic, with a 234% increase in January-July 2022 and a recovery of some 70% of pre-pandemic traffic levels in July, according to IATA.
26 September 2022 Photo : World Tourism Organization
