World tourism, overall, is now 4% above the pre-pandemic levels, but the results vary widely in different areas, according to new figures from the UN’s World Tourism Organization for the first six months of this year, with nearly 690 million international arrivals.
Changing world conditions, obviously, have a lot to do with some of the trends shown in the report, both positive and negative.
Asia and the Pacific, among the last regions to drop pandemic-related travel restrictions, showed 11% growth over last year, with northeast Asia showing 20%. That was powered largely by Japan and Vietnam at 21% and South Korea at 15%.
In Africa, regional numbers were up by 12%, based on 14% growth in North Africa and 11% in sub-Saharan Africa. Europe, where most recovery had already taken place by two years ago, saw a 4% year-on-year increase to 340 million visitors, nearly half the world total, and 7% above 2019—the most-recovered region.
On the negative side, the Middle East, which had several years of strong recovery, showed a 4% drop in arrivals, not surprisingly. The Americas as a whole showed 3% growth, but that’s entirely riding on a 14% increase in South America; for Canada and the Caribbean results were flat, and the U.S. showed an expected decline as it has come to be seen as less welcoming and possibly a dangerous choice for visitors.
