Int’l tourism to reach pre-pandemic levels in 2024: UNWTO

• Following a strong 2023, international tourism well on track to return to pre-pandemic levels in 2024

According to the first UNWTO World Tourism Barometer of the year, international tourism ended 2023 at 88 percent of pre-pandemic levels, with an estimated 1.3 billion 
international arrivals. 
The unleashing of remaining pent-up demand, increased air connectivity, and a stronger recovery of Asian markets and destinations, are expected to underpin a full recovery by the end of 2024.

“The latest UNWTO data underscores tourism’s resilience and rapid recovery, with pre-pandemic numbers expected by the end of 2024. The rebound is already having a significant impact on economies, jobs, growth and opportunities for communities everywhere. These numbers also recall the critical task of progressing sustainability and inclusion in tourism development,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.

International tourism is expected to fully recover pre-pandemic levels in 2024, with initial estimates pointing to 2 percent growth above 2019 levels. This central forecast by UNWTO remains subject to the pace of recovery in Asia and to the evolution of existing economic and geopolitical downside risks. The positive outlook is reflected in the latest UNWTO Tourism Confidence Index survey, with 67 percent of tourism professionals indicating better or much better prospects for 2024 compared to 2023. Some 28 percent expect similar performance, while only 6 percent expect tourism performance in 2024 to be worse than last year.

Available data shows several destinations, including both large, established destinations as well as small and emerging ones, reporting double-digit growth in international arrivals in 2023 when compared to 2019. Four sub-regions exceeded their 2019 arrival levels: Southern Mediterranean Europe, Caribbean, Central America and North Africa.
Several destinations reported strong growth in international tourism receipts during the first ten to twelve months of 2023, exceeding in some cases growth in arrivals. Strong demand for outbound travel was also reported by several large source markets this period, with many exceeding 2019 levels.

The sustained recovery is also reflected in the performance of industry indicators. According to the UNWTO Tourism Recovery Tracker, both international air capacity and passenger demand recovered about 90 percent of pre-pandemic levels through October 2023 (IATA). Global occupancy rates in accommodation establishments reached 65 percent in November, slightly above 62 percent in November 2022 (based on STR data).