UNWTO Tourism Barometer: World Travel on the Rise

International tourist arrivals grew by 5 percent between January and April 2016, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer.

2016 started on a strong note for international tourism. International tourist arrivals grew by 5 percent between January and April 2016 according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer.

UNWTO forecasts international tourist arrivals to increase by 3.5 percent to 4.5 percent over the full year 2016, in line with UNWTO’s long-term projection of 3.8 percent growth a year for the period 2010 to 2020.

Results were robust across almost all regions and many destinations reported double-digit growth. Prospects for May to August remain positive, with 500 million tourists expected to travel abroad in the Northern Hemisphere summer holiday peak season.

Destinations worldwide had 348 million international tourists between January and April 2016, 18 million more than in 2015. This could make 2016 the seventh consecutive year of above-average growth, with international arrivals increasing by 4 percent or more every year.

Asia and the Pacific (+9 percent) recorded the highest increase in international arrivals, with all Asian regions enjoying growth of 7 percent or above. South-East Asia and Oceania both achieved 10 percent growth, while arrivals in North-East Asia increased by 8 percent and in South Asia by 7 percent.

In Africa (+7 percent), international tourist arrivals experienced a clear rebound in Sub-Saharan Africa (+13 percent), while in North Africa results were down by 8 percent.

In the Americas (+6 percent), all four regions continued to enjoy significant growth led by Central America and South America (both at +7 percent). Arrivals in the Caribbean (+6 percent) and North America (+5 percent) were fueled by continued strong outbound demand from the United States

Europe (+4 percent), the world’s most visited region, consolidated its healthy growth of recent years with Northern Europe and Central and Eastern Europe (both at +6 percent) in the lead, followed by Southern and Mediterranean Europe (+4 percent) and Western Europe (+3 percent).