International tourism continues to grow, confirming its resilience in the face of economic and geopolitical pressures. According to the latest UN World Tourism Barometer, international arrivals increased by 5% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, exceeding pre-pandemic levels by 4%.
During the same period, the total number of international travelers reached approximately 690 million, 33 million more than in the corresponding 6 months of last year.
Regional performance
Africa: Led the way with a 12% increase, with North Africa reaching +14% and Sub-Saharan Africa +11%.
Europe: Welcomed almost 340 million international travelers (+4% vs. 2024, +7% vs. 2019). Central and Eastern Europe recorded a strong recovery (+9%) but remains 11% below pre-pandemic levels. Northern, Western and Southern European Mediterranean recorded a 3% increase, despite mixed monthly results.
Americas: Average 3% increase. South America stood out (+14%), while North America and the Caribbean remained flat.
Middle East: Slight decline in international arrivals (-4%), but still 29% above 2019.
Asia-Pacific: Impressive 11% increase, recovering to 92% of pre-pandemic levels, with Northeast Asia at +20% compared to 2024.
Major destination countries such as Japan and Vietnam saw a 21% jump, while Morocco (+19%), Korea (+15%), Mexico (+7%), France (+5%) and Spain (+5%) also recorded strong increases.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), both international air traffic (RPKs) and international air capacity (ASKS) increased by 7% compared to the first half of 2024.
Tourism receipts up
Tourism receipts also moved up. Japan grew 18% in the year to June, the UK +13% (up to March), France +9%, Spain +8% and Turkey +8%.
Strong travel demand led to increased spending from some major markets such as China (+16% up to March), Spain (+16%), the UK (+15% up to March), Singapore (+10%) and the Republic of Korea (+8%).
In 2024, international tourism receipts increased by 11% to a record US$1.734 billion, around 14% above pre-pandemic levels in real terms.
At the same time, high prices for transport and accommodation remain a major headache for travel. “Tourism inflation” is expected to ease to 6.8% in 2025 from 8% last year, but remains well above pre-pandemic levels. Lower consumer confidence and geopolitical tensions are also seen as holding back growth.
3%-5% growth in international arrivals by end-2025
Despite the uncertainties, UN Tourism maintains its forecast for an annual growth of 3%–5% in international arrivals by end-2025, while the Confidence Index for the autumn-winter period rises to 120 points (on a scale of 0–200) compared to 114 in the May-August period.
Around 50% of UN Tourism experts expressed a better (44%) or much better (6%) outlook for the September-December period, while 33% forecast a similar performance to 2024. Around 16% expect tourism performance to be worse. This positive, although still cautious, outlook is also reflected in the higher proportion of “better” and “much better” outlooks recorded for 2025 overall (60% in the September survey versus 49% in May).
