International tourist arrivals cross 1.1 billion in the first nine months of 2019
Travel Biz News —-
Destinations worldwide received 1.1 billion international tourist arrivals in the first nine months of 2019 (up 43 million compared to the same period of 2018), according to the latest World Tourism Barometer from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
International tourist arrivals grew by a further 4 per cent between January and September of 2019. Tourism’s growth continues to outpace global economic growth, bearing witness to its huge potential to deliver development opportunities across the world but also to its sustainability challenges.
The global economic slowdown, rising trade, geopolitical tensions and prolonged uncertainty around Brexit weighed on international tourism, which experienced a more moderate pace of growth during the summer peak season in the Northern Hemisphere (July-September).
Generating USD 1.7 trillion in revenues as of 2018, international tourism remains the third largest export category behind fuels (USD 2.4 trillion) and chemicals (USD 2.2 trillion) ,according to UNWTO.
Growth in arrivals during the first nine months of 2019 was led by the Middle East ,followed by Asia and the Pacific and Africa,Europe and the Americas .
The United States led growth in international tourism expenditure in absolute terms, supported by a strong dollar. India and some European markets also performed strongly, though global growth was more uneven than a year earlier.
France reported the strongest increase among the world’s top ten outbound markets, reflecting surging demand for international travel for the second consecutive year. Spain , Italy and the Netherlands also posted robust growth, followed by the United Kingdom and Russia.
China, the world’s top source market saw outbound trips increase by 14 per cent in the first half of 2019, though expenditure fell 4 per cent compared to the same period last year , according to UNWTO statement .
December 2019
Image : Tourists visiting Ocean Park in Hong Kong / Travel Biz News
