Middle East sees arrivals 26% above pre-pandemic levels: UN
Published: 08:09 AM,Sep 21,2024 | EDITED : 12:09 PM,Sep 21,2024
Musandam, Oman
Muscat: International tourism has bounced back to 96 percent of pre-pandemic levels in the seven months through July 2024, driven by strong demand in Europe and the
re-opening of markets in Asia and the Pacific.
The latest World Tourism Barometer by UN Tourism revealed that around 790 million tourists traveled internationally in the first seven months of 2024, about 11 percent more than in 2023 and only 4 percent less than in 2019.
The Middle East remained the strongest-growing region in relative terms, with international arrivals climbing 26 percent above 2019 levels in the first seven months of 2024.
Africa welcomed 7 percent more tourists than in the same months of 2019.
The Sultanate of Oman received 2.3 million visitors in the first seven months of 2024, an increase of 2.4 percent from 2.2 million people who visited the country during the same period in 2023.
Europe and the Americas recovered 99 percent and 97 percent of their pre-pandemic arrivals respectively during these seven months.
Asia and the Pacific recorded 82 percent of its pre-pandemic tourist numbers (-18 percent versus 2019) reaching 85 percent in June and 86 percent in July.
A total of 67 out of 120 destinations around the world had recovered 2019 arrival numbers in the first half of 2024, based on countries reporting monthly or quarterly data.
UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “International tourism is on track to consolidate its full recovery from the biggest crisis in the sector’s history. The ongoing rebound comes despite a range of economic and geopolitical challenges, highlighting the strong demand for international travel as well as the effectiveness of boosting air connections and easing visa restrictions. This recovery also highlights the growing need for tourism planning and managing to cater for its impacts on communities in a way that the immense socio-economic benefits are paired with inclusive and sustainable policies”.
Revised data for 2023 shows export revenues from international tourism reaching USD 1.8 trillion (including receipts and passenger transport), virtually the same as before the pandemic (-1 percent in real terms compared to 2019).
Tourism direct GDP also recovered pre-pandemic levels in 2023, reaching an estimated USD 3.4 trillion, equivalent to 3 percent of global GDP.
In 2019 tourism directly contributed to 4 percent of global GDP.
A positive finish to 2024 is expected
The UN Tourism Confidence Index shows positive expectations for the last part of the year, at 120 points for September 2024, though below the prospects for May and August, which stood at 130 (on a scale of 0 to 200, where 100 reflects equal expected performance).
Some 47 percent of the tourism experts participating in the Confidence survey expect better performance for the sector in the last four months of 2024, while 41 percent project similar performance and 11 percent worse.
Experts pointed to inflation in travel and tourism, namely high transport and accommodation prices, as the main challenge the tourism sector is currently facing, as well as the global economic situation, staff shortages, and extreme weather events, the UN report said.
re-opening of markets in Asia and the Pacific.
The latest World Tourism Barometer by UN Tourism revealed that around 790 million tourists traveled internationally in the first seven months of 2024, about 11 percent more than in 2023 and only 4 percent less than in 2019.
The Middle East remained the strongest-growing region in relative terms, with international arrivals climbing 26 percent above 2019 levels in the first seven months of 2024.
Africa welcomed 7 percent more tourists than in the same months of 2019.
The Sultanate of Oman received 2.3 million visitors in the first seven months of 2024, an increase of 2.4 percent from 2.2 million people who visited the country during the same period in 2023.
Europe and the Americas recovered 99 percent and 97 percent of their pre-pandemic arrivals respectively during these seven months.
Asia and the Pacific recorded 82 percent of its pre-pandemic tourist numbers (-18 percent versus 2019) reaching 85 percent in June and 86 percent in July.
A total of 67 out of 120 destinations around the world had recovered 2019 arrival numbers in the first half of 2024, based on countries reporting monthly or quarterly data.
UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “International tourism is on track to consolidate its full recovery from the biggest crisis in the sector’s history. The ongoing rebound comes despite a range of economic and geopolitical challenges, highlighting the strong demand for international travel as well as the effectiveness of boosting air connections and easing visa restrictions. This recovery also highlights the growing need for tourism planning and managing to cater for its impacts on communities in a way that the immense socio-economic benefits are paired with inclusive and sustainable policies”.
Revised data for 2023 shows export revenues from international tourism reaching USD 1.8 trillion (including receipts and passenger transport), virtually the same as before the pandemic (-1 percent in real terms compared to 2019).
Tourism direct GDP also recovered pre-pandemic levels in 2023, reaching an estimated USD 3.4 trillion, equivalent to 3 percent of global GDP.
In 2019 tourism directly contributed to 4 percent of global GDP.
A positive finish to 2024 is expected
The UN Tourism Confidence Index shows positive expectations for the last part of the year, at 120 points for September 2024, though below the prospects for May and August, which stood at 130 (on a scale of 0 to 200, where 100 reflects equal expected performance).
Some 47 percent of the tourism experts participating in the Confidence survey expect better performance for the sector in the last four months of 2024, while 41 percent project similar performance and 11 percent worse.
Experts pointed to inflation in travel and tourism, namely high transport and accommodation prices, as the main challenge the tourism sector is currently facing, as well as the global economic situation, staff shortages, and extreme weather events, the UN report said.