EFE
MADRID
The high temperatures recorded on the planet and other climate-related factors may impact travelers' choice of destinations, who will travel closer to home as a result of high transport and accommodation prices and economic uncertainties.
According to the latest World Tourism Barometer published this Tuesday by UN Tourism, tourist movements worldwide will end up 2% above pre-Covid levels in 2024, in 2019.
Strong demand, improved air connectivity, and the recovery of the economies of China and other Asian countries explain the strength of global tourism.
The confidence index compiled by UN Tourism along with the barometer shows positive prospects for the summer season in the northern hemisphere, although the evolution of economies and geopolitics introduce a point of uncertainty.
Persistent inflation, high interest rates, volatile oil prices, and disruptions to global trade continue to drive up transportation and accommodation prices, the report explains.
The document notes that in the first quarter of this year the volume of tourists was only three points below what it was then, and revenues exceeded those values in nominal terms, although high inflation still leaves them somewhat below in real terms.
Nearly 300 million tourists
International tourists between January and March amounted to 285 million, 20% more than a year earlier, and 97% of the volumes before Covid-19.
The best developments occurred in the Middle East, the first region in the world to surpass pre-pandemic figures, which at the end of last year were 22% higher and in the first quarter improved them by 36%.
In Europe, the world's top tourist destination, there were 120 million tourists in the first three months of this year, 1% more than in the same period of 2019, supported by a "robust" demand for travel from Europeans themselves.
America is approaching 2019 levels, just one percentage point away, and Africa is 5% higher and growing 13% over 2023.
InAsia and the Pacific, international arrivals experienced a 65% recovery in 2023 and by March had reached 82% of those in 2019.
By subregions, the most notable growth was in North Africa, with a 23% increase in international arrivals; Central America (15%), and the Caribbean and Europe (7% in both cases).
The European Mediterranean area exceeded pre-Covid levels by 1%, South America reached them and Northern Europe is only two points away, while sub-Saharan Africa and North America are five points away.
El Salvador among the fastest growing destinations
The largest increases in the quarter occurred in destinations such as Qatar, which rose 177% over 2019; Albania (121%); Saudi Arabia (98%), and El Salvador (90%), among others.
International tourist spending reached $1.5 trillion (€1.4 trillion) in 2023, recovering to 2019 levels in nominal terms, although adjusted for inflation it is 97% below.
Yes, spending has recovered in real terms in Europe (up 7%, to $660 billion) and in the Middle East (up 33%), but there is still a way to go in America, Africa, and Asia-Pacific.
The Secretary-General of UN Tourism, Zurab Pololikashvili, believes that the surge in tourism worldwide calls for the need to ensure "adequate" tourism policies and destination management that prioritizes the advancement of sustainability and inclusion and emphasizes the impact on resources and communities.
