Published on : Friday, June 29, 2018
Asia and the Pacific led the growth (+8%) and Europe (+7%), Africa (+6%), the Middle East (+4%) and the Americas (+3%) also recorded satisfactory results. Earlier this year, the UNWTO’s forecast for 2018 was between 4-5%.
The UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili said, “International tourism continues to show significant growth worldwide, and this translates into job creation in many economies. This growth reminds us of the need to increase our capacity to develop and manage tourism in a sustainable way, building smart destinations and making the most of technology and innovation.”
From January to April 2018, international arrivals increased in all regions, led by Asia and the Pacific (+8%), with South-East Asia (+10%) and South Asia (+9%).
The world’s largest tourism region, Europe also performed strongly during this four-month period (+7%), pulled ahead by the destinations of Southern and Mediterranean Europe, and Western Europe (both +8%).
Growth in the Americas is estimated at 3%, with strongest results in South America (+8%). The Caribbean (-9%) is the only sub-region that witnessed a decrease in arrivals during this period, as a result of the hurricanes of August and September 2017.