UNWTO: Worldwide Tourism To Extend To 95% Of Pre-Covid Levels

After a powerful recovery in 2022, the UN World Tourism Organization forecasts that European and Middle Eastern tourist numbers might reach pre-pandemic levels in 2023.

Secretary-general Zurab Pololikashvili commented:

"A new year brings more reason for optimism for global tourism. UNWTO anticipates a strong year for the sector even in the face of diverse challenges. Economic factors may influence how people travel in 2023 and UNWTO expects demand for domestic and regional travel to remain strong and help drive the sector’s wider recovery."

The economic crisis, the speed of travel rebound in Asia, and the deepening of the situation in Ukraine are only a few of the contributing variables that might prevent foreign arrivals worldwide from recovering to between 80% and 95% of their pre-Covid levels.

New UNWTO statistics shows that in 2022, there were over 900 million foreign visitors, which is twice as much as in 2021 but only 63% as many as before the coronavirus outbreak. According to the UNWTO, foreign visitor numbers increased across the board, with the Middle East seeing the largest jump, at 83% of pre-pandemic levels.

In 2022, Europe received 585 million tourists, bringing the continent back to within 80% of its pre-pandemic levels. The recovery of pre-pandemic tourist numbers in Africa and the Americas was almost 65%, whereas in Asia and the Pacific it was only 23% due to the later lifting of Covid-related restrictions.

The recent easing of travel restrictions in China has been hailed as an important milestone for the rehabilitation of the tourist industry in Asia, the Pacific, and globally by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The UNWTO predicts that Asian destinations, in particular, will see an increase in visitors as a result of the revival of Chinese tourism; even so, this will be dependent on factors such as the cost and accessibility of air travel, visa requirements, and Covid-related limitations at individual destinations; more than 30 countries currently have their own set of restrictions regarding travel to and from China.

At the same time, the UNWTO stated that robust inbound travel flows from the US to Europe will continue, in part because of a lower euro compared to the dollar. The UNWTO reported "notable gains" in expenditure at most sites, in some instances even exceeding growth in visitor numbers. Inflation-driven increases in travel prices, longer average lengths of stay, and increased spending by visitors at their destinations have all contributed to this trend.

Nevertheless, the UNWTO warned that in 2023, visitors may take a "more cautious approach," spending less, taking shorter vacations, and sticking closer to home as a consequence of the global financial crisis.

Moreover, ongoing concern about Russia's invasion of Ukraine as well as other increasing geopolitical tensions, might still impede tourism's rebound in the coming months.

 

source: ttgmedia.com