International Tourism International tourist arrivals up 4% during the first four months of 2015
Demand for international tourism remained robust between January and April 2015: tourist arrivals increased by 4% globally, according to the latest issue of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. Almost all regions benefited from vigorous growth. The period from May to August remains a period of optimism, as nearly 500 million tourists are expected to travel abroad during these four months.
Demand for international tourism remained robust between January and April 2015: tourist arrivals increased by 4% globally, according to the latest issue of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. Almost all regions benefited from vigorous growth. The period from May to August remains a period of optimism, as nearly 500 million tourists are expected to travel abroad during these four months.
Destinations across the world received some 332 million international tourists (overnight visitors) between January and April 2015. This is 16 million more than last year for the same period, representing an increase of 4%.
This result follows the 4.3% growth recorded in 2014 and consolidates the upward trend in international tourism in recent years (+4.5% increase in international tourist arrivals per year on average since 2010).
From a regional perspective, the Americas (+6%) showed the strongest growth, followed by Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East, all of which saw arrivals increase between 4% and 5%. In terms of sub-regions, Oceania and South America lead growth (both +8%). They are followed by the Caribbean and Central and Eastern Europe (+7% both), the latter seeing a jump after the decline recorded last year. In Africa, demand declined in 2014 after years of robust growth, mainly due to the Ebola outbreak, among other challenges. The limited data currently available for the period January to April 2015 points to a decline of 6% as African destinations struggle to recover from the impact of misconceptions about the continent.
“It is encouraging to see that the tourism sector is consolidating its excellent results despite the security concerns and unrest in many parts of the world,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai, before adding: “This highlights how tourism is a surprisingly resilient economic sector, increasingly contributing to the development of many countries around the world. It is also a reminder, for national authorities, of the importance of tourism in stimulating socio-economic development and job creation.
Solid results in many destinations, with a rebound in Central and Eastern Europe
In the Americas (+6%), all four sub-regions continued to enjoy strong growth from January to April 2015, led by South America (+8%) and the Caribbean (+7%). Strong outbound demand from the United States of America boosted these results, knowing that 20 million tourists from this country traveled abroad until April; this is 7% more than last year for the same period. Asia-Pacific (+4%) consolidated its growth in recent years. Oceania (+8%) and Northeast Asia (+5%) scored highest. Southeast Asia (+3%) recorded moderate growth over the four months, with the rebound in Thailand (+25%) offset by declines in other destinations.
In Europe, the most visited region in the world, growth has not lost its strength. International tourist arrivals increased by 5% through April. In Central and Eastern Europe, arrivals increased by 7%, rebounding after poor results in 2014 due to the conflict in Ukraine and a slowdown in the Russian economy. Southern Europe Mediterranean (+5%) maintained strong growth, although this period corresponds to the low season in many destinations. Western Europe and Northern Europe both saw robust 4% growth in arrivals, driven in part by strong results from traditional winter sports destinations.
International tourist arrivals in the Middle East are estimated to have increased by 4% through April. This means that the region’s recovery, which began in 2014 after three consecutive years of decline, continues. On the other hand, in Africa, the number of international tourists is estimated to have fallen by 6%, driven by lower arrivals in North Africa (-7%) and Sub-Saharan Africa (-5%). The figures for both Africa and the Middle East should be interpreted with caution, as they are based on a limited number of data available for these regions.
“The Ebola crisis in West Africa and security concerns pose significant challenges for tourism in Africa and the entire international community. We need to work together to face and overcome these challenges and to help destinations recover quickly. It is important to keep in mind that tourism is vital to many communities around the world and that today we are facing a global threat to all of our societies,” said Mr. Rifai.
Optimistic outlook for the months to come
It is estimated that nearly 500 million tourists will travel abroad between May and August 2015, a period corresponding to the peak holiday season in the Northern Hemisphere. This total represents approximately 41% of all international tourist arrivals recorded during the year.
According to the most recent results of the UNWTO Tourism Confidence Index, the outlook for this period remains favorable. These are the best for this period since 2007, that is to say before the crisis. The feeling is positive in all regions and in all sectors of activity.
Business intelligence instrument ForwardKeys also indicates strong growth in international airline bookings for the period May-August 2015. Overall bookings are up 5% thanks to strong demand for domestic flights (+7%) and continued growth in international travel (+4%). Regionally, airline bookings increased the most in Asia-Pacific, the Americas and Europe, while there was a decline to and from Africa and the Middle East.
According to UNWTO forecasts released in January this year, international tourist arrivals are expected to increase by 3% to 4% for the whole of 2015, in line with UNWTO’s long-term forecast of 3.8% for the period 2010 to 2020.
Source: UNWTO (World Tourism Organization)
