MADRID (Reuters) – Global tourism is expected to fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2024, with international travel expected to rise 2% from 2019 levels, the World Organization said on Friday of tourism of the United Nations.
The increase in global air traffic and the strong recovery of Asian markets will enable a full rebound in tourism activities around the world this year, despite geopolitical instability in the Middle East as well as other regions affecting traveler confidence, a said the UN tourism body.
By 2023, travel demand in Europe and Africa has almost reached pre-pandemic levels, and exceeded them in the Middle East.
Some destinations, such as Mediterranean Europe, the Caribbean and the sub-regions of Central America and North Africa, have already exceeded the 2019 level last year.
The organization expects demand for China to surge this year following Beijing’s visa waiver for travelers from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia until November 30, 2024. Flight capacity to and from China is also expected to increase this year.
In 2023, international tourism reached 88% of pre-pandemic levels, with the number of international travelers estimated at 1.3 billion.
(Report Corina Pons, French version Nathan Vifflin, edited by Blandine Hénault)
©2024 Thomson Reuters, all rights reserved. Reuters content is the intellectual property of Thomson Reuters or its third party content providers. Any copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. “Reuters” and the Reuters Logo are trademarks of Thomson Reuters and its affiliated companies.