In a statement, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), from its headquarters in Madrid, indicated that in the course of the first three months of the current year, twice as many people traveled as in the same period of 2022.
The second UNWTO Barometer for the sector detailed that international arrivals reached 80 percent of pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2023, with an estimated 235 million international tourists.
According to the revised data for 2022, last year there were more than 960 million international tourist movements, that is, two-thirds of the previous figures were restored, noted the organization belonging to the United Nations scheme.
The analysis noted that the Middle East posted the best results, as it was the only region to surpass 2019 arrivals and the first to recover pre-pandemic numbers in a full quarter.
For its part, Europe reached 90 percent of pre-Covid-19 levels, thanks to intense intraregional demand.
Africa and the Americas reached 88 percent and close to 85 percent, respectively, of the levels registered in 2019. Meanwhile, the Asia-Pacific region accelerated its recovery, standing at 54 percent of the records before the pandemic. This upward trend is expected to intensify now that most destinations, China in particular.
Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary General of the UNWTO, commented that this beginning of the year shows the extraordinary resilience of tourism.
“In many places, we are close to or even above pre-pandemic levels of arrivals. However, we must remain alert to challenges ranging from geopolitical insecurity, staff shortages and the possible impact of the cost of living crisis on tourism,” added Pololikashvili. International tourism revenues again exceeded the trillion dollar barrier in 2022, with growth of 50 percent in real terms compared to 2021, driven by the notable rebound in international travel, UNWTO highlighted.
Europe was the best performer in 2022, with nearly $550 billion in revenue coming from the smoke-free industry; Africa recovered 75 percent; The Middle East 70 and the Americas 68%.
In the Asian case, as a consequence of the extension of the closure of the borders to non-essential travel, their Asian destinations reached 28 percent of their pre-pandemic values.
The results for the first quarter of 2023 are in line with UNWTO forecasts for that year, according to which international arrivals will recover between 80 and 95 percent.
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