INTERNATIONAL TOURIST NUMBERS INCREASED BY 5% IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2025

ImageAccording to the World Tourism Barometer dated May 2025, published by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the United Nations (UN) agency responsible for promoting sustainable and universally accessible tourism, the number of international tourists (overnight visitors) increased by 5% in the first quarter of 2025. While this increase gives mixed results among regions and sub-regions, it reveals a general growth trend.

According to the report, more than 300 million tourists traveled internationally worldwide in the first three months of 2025. This figure is approximately 14 million more than the same months of 2024, and 3% higher compared to 2019, the pre-pandemic year. This strong performance was recorded despite the fact that the industry faces challenges such as various geopolitical and commercial tensions, as well as high inflation in travel and tourism services.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said, “In every global region, tourism stands out as an important service sector that supports millions of jobs and businesses of all sizes. The continued good performance in international arrivals, combined with increased visitor spending in many destinations, highlights the industry's resilience in the face of numerous challenges and is good news for economies and workers everywhere.”

Regional Performances Vary

The World Tourism Barometer details the first quarter of 2025 data by region and sub-region:

  • Europe welcomed 125 million international tourists in the first three months of the year, an increase of 2% compared to the first quarter of 2024 and 5% compared to the same period before the pandemic. Arrivals in Southern Mediterranean Europe increased by 2%. Although Central and Eastern Europe showed a strong recovery of 8%, visitor numbers remained below 2019 levels.
  • Africa exceeded pre-pandemic passenger numbers by 16%, recording a growth of 9% compared to 2024.
  • The Americas saw 2% more international arrivals; some destinations in South America achieved strong results such as 13% during the Southern Hemisphere summer season.
  • The Middle East recorded a more modest growth of 1% compared to 2024, following exceptional performance in recent years. However, arrivals in the first quarter of this year were 44% above pre-pandemic levels.
  • Arrivals in Asia and the Pacific grew by 12%, reaching 92% of pre-pandemic numbers. Northeast Asia showed the strongest performance among world sub-regions with a recovery of 23%, reaching 91% of 2019 levels.

Strong Growth in Tourism Revenues

Available data on international tourism revenues for the first quarter of 2025 shows strong growth in visitor spending in many destinations:

  • Spain, the world's second largest tourism revenue earner, reported a growth of 9% in the first two months of 2025 (compared to the same period of 2024), after recording a remarkable increase of 16% in 2024.
  • Turkey, also located in Southern Mediterranean Europe, achieved solid results with 7% in the first quarter of 2025. Greece, Italy and Portugal also recorded an increase of 4%.
  • France reported a 6% growth in international tourism revenues, Norway 20% and Denmark 11%.
  • In Asia and the Pacific, Japan continued its increase in revenues in the first quarter (34%). Nepal (18%), South Korea and Mongolia (both 14%) also recorded double-digit growth.
  • The United States, the world's largest tourism revenue earner, reported a 3% growth in January-March 2025, after recording a 14% increase in 2024.

2024 Tourism Export Revenues Revised to US$2.0 Trillion

According to revised data, total export revenues from international tourism (revenues and passenger transport) reached a record level of US$2.0 trillion in 2024, increasing by 11% in real terms

. This figure is approximately 15% above pre-pandemic levels. This revenue represents approximately 6% of the world's total exports of goods and services and 23% of global trade in services. International tourism revenues increased by 11% in real terms (adjusted for inflation and exchange rate fluctuations) to US$1.7 trillion in 2024. Average spending per international trip remained at US$1,170 in 2024, above the pre-pandemic average of US$1,000 (in constant dollars).

The increase in earnings in 2024 was supported by strong spending from major source markets such as the United Kingdom (+16% compared to 2023), Canada (+13%), the USA (+12%), Australia (+8%) and France (+7%). China, the world's largest tourism spender, increased its outbound tourism expenditure by 30% to US$251 billion, a figure approximately 3% above pre-pandemic levels.

Outlook: Challenges Remain, Cautious Optimism Prevails

The latest survey of the Panel of Tourism Experts indicates that economic factors such as weak economic growth, high travel costs and rising tariffs are the main challenges that could affect international tourism in 2025. Uncertainty from geopolitical and trade tensions is also putting pressure on travel confidence. Lower consumer confidence was ranked as the fourth main factor, while geopolitical risks (excluding ongoing conflicts) ranked fifth. According to experts, tourists will continue to look for value for money, but may also take shorter trips or travel closer to home.

The UNWTO Confidence Index reflects cautious optimism for the May-August 2025 period. Approximately 45% of panel experts have better (40%) or much better (5%) expectations for this 4-month period, while 33% predict a similar performance to the same period in 2024. Approximately 22% expect tourism performance to be worse. The potential impact of uncertainty and unpredictability from trade tariffs on travel perception was highlighted by experts.

Despite global uncertainty, travel demand is expected to remain resilient. UNWTO's January projection of 3% to 5% growth in international arrivals for 2025 remains unchanged.

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