Africa is at the forefront of the global tourism rebound, recording an impressive 9% growth in international tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. This marks a 16% increase above pre-pandemic levels, positioning the continent as a key driver of the global tourism recovery.
According to the May 2025 World Tourism Barometer released by UN Tourism, over 300 million international tourists travelled globally between January and March 2025 — an increase of 14 million over the same period in 2024. This represents a 5% year-on-year growth and places global arrivals 3% above 2019 levels, despite persistent geopolitical tensions, trade disputes, and high inflation in travel and tourism services.
Africa’s strong performance was mirrored by the Asia-Pacific region, which rebounded with 12% growth in arrivals and reached 92% of 2019 levels. Notably, North-East Asia recorded a 23% surge in Q1 2025, the strongest performance among global subregions, nearing full recovery at 91% of pre-pandemic volumes.
- Europe: Welcomed 125 million tourists, up 2% from Q1 2024 and 5% above Q1 2019. Southern Mediterranean destinations like Greece, Türkiye, Italy, and Portugal benefited from extended off-season travel.
- Central and Eastern Europe: Rebounded 8% over Q1 2024, particularly in the Baltics, though still below 2019 levels.
- Americas: Recorded 2% growth, with South America enjoying a notable 13% increase, thanks to Southern Hemisphere summer travel.
- Middle East: Grew by a modest 1%, yet remains 44% above pre-pandemic levels following years of exceptional growth.
UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili emphasized the sector’s resilience, “In every global region, tourism stands out as a major services sector, supporting millions of jobs and businesses of all sizes. The continued good performance in international arrivals combined with stronger visitor spending highlights the resilience of the sector and is good news for economies and workers everywhere.”
According to IATA, international air travel demand grew 8% year-on-year in Q1 2025, while capacity increased 7%. Hotel occupancy rates stood at 64% in March, consistent with last year’s levels.
Tourism receipts also grew strongly in early 2025. Spain, the world’s #2 tourism earner, reported a 9% rise in receipts. Türkiye grew 7%, while Greece, Italy, and Portugal each posted 4% increases. France saw 6% growth, Norway surged 20%, and Denmark rose 11%.
- In Asia-Pacific, Japan led with +34% growth in receipts, followed by Nepal (+18%), South Korea, and Mongolia (both +14%).
- The United States, the world’s top tourism earner, saw receipts increase by 3% after a 14% rise in 2024.
Revised figures for 2024 show international tourism export revenues (including passenger transport) rose 11% in real terms to reach a record USD 2.0 trillion, surpassing pre-pandemic levels by 15%. This accounted for 6% of total global exports and 23% of service trade.
- Tourism receipts alone hit USD 1.7 trillion, with average spending per trip reaching USD 1,170, well above the pre-COVID average of USD 1,000.
- Major spending growth came from:
- China (+30%, USD 251 billion, 3% above 2019)
- UK (+16%)
- Canada (+13%)
- USA (+12%)
- Australia (+8%)
- France (+7%)
- Saudi Arabia (+17%)
- Spain and Belgium (both +14%)
- Netherlands (+13%)
- Austria (+11%)
Looking ahead, economic uncertainty and geopolitical risks continue to pose challenges. According to the latest UN Tourism Panel of Experts survey, the top threats to global tourism in 2025 include- Weaker global economic growth, High travel costs, Rising tariffs, Declining consumer confidence and Escalating geopolitical risks.
Despite this, UN Tourism maintains its 2025 forecast of 3% to 5% growth in international arrivals.
For the upcoming Northern Hemisphere summer (May–August 2025), 45% of experts anticipate better performance than last year, 33% expect stability, and 22% predict a decline. Experts caution that trade tensions could dampen travel sentiment, but the demand remains resilient.
