On January 20, 2020 The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has released a report titled ‘World Tourism Barometer’. As per the report the international tourist arrivals in 2019 increased by over 4% (3.8% exact value) in 2019 and reached 1.5 billion, which is 54 million more than 2018, based on the data collected from reports around the world. The report which the 1st in this decade, in detail are as follows:
UNWTO World Tourism Barometer report:
i.Increase in arrivals: The middle east region (+8%) led growth in arrivals, followed by Asia and Pacific region (+5%). Europe had a growth of 4% in international tourist arrivals and had 743 million visitors.
- 2019 is the 10th consecutive year of international tourist growth.
ii.Tourist arrivals in 2020:Â The no. of international tourist arrivals worldwide is forecasted for a growth of 3%-4% according to the UNWTO Confidence Index.
- The growth in international tourist arrivals continued to outpace the world economy by +3.8 % vs +3%.
iii.Tourism expenditure: Based on data from main source markets, France had the strongest increase in international tourism expenditure among top 10 markets while the United States (US) led growth in absolute terms.
iv.International air passenger traffic:Â There was a 4% increase in international air passenger traffic according to the International Air Traffic Association (IATA).
- Incase of arrivals, the growth pace is still below the long term average of 5.5%
v.International departures: As per data provided by ForwardKeys, the international departures grew by 5% based on air bookings in 2019.
- The international departures from January 2020 till April 2020 remain particularly strong by +10%
About World Tourism Organisation(WTO):
Fact-Â WTO is responsible for promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.
Headquarters-Â Madrid, Spain.
Founded-Â 2 January 1975.
Formation-Â 1 November 1974.
Secretary General-Â Zurab Pololikashvili.
