Global Tourism Sustains Upward Trend: UN Tourism

International tourist arrivals continued to grow in 2025, according to the latest data published by UN Tourism on Thursday.

The Madrid-based organization said in its quarterly World Tourism Barometer that over 1.1 billion people made international trips in the first nine months of the year, around 5 percent more than in the same period of 2024.

The Asia-Pacific region saw an 8-percent increase in arrivals between January and September as it continued its post-pandemic recovery, although numbers remained about 10 percent below 2019 levels.

International arrivals to Africa rose strongly, with North Africa up 11 percent and Sub-Saharan Africa up 10 percent. Europe remained the world's largest destination region, welcoming 625 million arrivals in the first nine months of 2025, 4 percent higher year on year.

North America posted a slight decline of around 1 percent, while South America grew 9 percent and Central America 3 percent, supported by strong demand in several destinations.

"International tourism has continued to experience sustained growth so far in 2025 in terms of international arrivals and, importantly, in receipts, despite high inflation in tourism services and geopolitical tensions. Africa and Europe in particular stand out for their results," UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said in a press note.

UN Tourism forecasts 3-5 percent growth for 2025 as a whole, while noting that geopolitical uncertainty and high costs remain potential risks for the sector's outlook. – Xinhua/RSS