“A dynamic and resilient market”: International tourism arrivals climb by +6% in first half

INTERNATIONAL. Tourist visitors worldwide climbed by +6% year-on-year in the six months to the end of June, hitting 598 million, according to the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). The increase was well above the trend (+4%) of recent years, noted the organisation, making the latest January-June period the strongest half-year since 2010.

The results were underpinned by “robust growth in many destinations and a continuation of the recovery in those that suffered declines in previous years,” said UNWTO. Growth was strongest in the Middle East (+9%), Europe (+8%) and Africa (+8%), followed by Asia and the Pacific (+6%) and the Americas (+3%).

The first half of the year usually accounts for about 46% of total annual international arrivals, with the second half longer by three days and including the Northern Hemisphere high season months of July and August.

Taleb Rifai: Hailed what he called “healthy growth in an increasingly dynamic and resilient tourism market, including a strong recovery in some of the destinations impacted by security challenges last year”

“The first half of 2017 shows healthy growth in an increasingly dynamic and resilient tourism market, including a strong recovery in some of the destinations impacted by security challenges last year”, said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai.

More and more in the Mediterranean

Mediterranean destinations reported particularly strong growth in the first half of 2017, as reflected in the results for Southern and Mediterranean Europe (+12%), North Africa (+16%) and the Middle East (+9%). This trend was driven by the continued strength of many destinations in the area, combined with a significant rebound in destinations that suffered decreases in previous years, such as Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia.

Furthermore, international tourist arrivals through June grew +8% in Northern Europe, +6% in Western Europe and +4% in Central and Eastern Europe. Sub-Saharan Africa recorded +4% more arrivals than in the same period last year.

South Asia (+12%) led growth in Asia and the Pacific, followed by Oceania (+8%) and South-East Asia (+7%), while results in North-East Asia (+4%) were more mixed.

The Americas continued to enjoy positive results across most destinations. Growth was solid in South America (+6%), Central America (+5%) and the Caribbean (+4%). In North America (+2%), robust results for Mexico and Canada were partly offset by a decrease in arrivals to the USA, the region’s largest destination.

Arrivals growth in this period was fuelled by strong outbound demand from major source markets. In particular, Canada, China, France, the Republic of Korea, Spain, the UK and USA continued to report solid growth in outbound expenditure. This first half-year also saw a strong recovery in demand from Brazil and the Russian Federation after years of declining spend abroad – spelling good news for travel retailers.

 

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