More than 1.1 billion global tourist arrivals in 2014: UNWTO

According to the UNWTO, international tourist arrivals reached nearly 1.14 billion in 2014, a 4.7 per cent increase over the previous year, based on the organization’s latest  World Tourism Barometer.The number is 51 million more than in 2013 and with an increase of 4.7 per cent, this is the fifth consecutive year of above average growth since the 2009 economic crisis, said a release from the UNWTO.

By region, the Americas (+7%) and Asia and the Pacific (+5%) registered the strongest growth, while Europe (+4%), the Middle East (+4%) and Africa (+2%) grew at a slightly more modest pace. By subregion, North America (+8%) saw the best results, followed by North-East Asia, South Asia, Southern and Mediterranean Europe, Northern Europe and the Caribbean, all increasing by 7%.

As in recent years, the growth in international tourism receipts in 2014 is expected to have followed that of arrivals fairly close (the 2014 results for international tourism receipts will be released in April 2015). In 2013, international tourism receipts reached US $1,187 billion, US $230 billion more than in the pre-crisis year of 2008.

For 2015, UNWTO forecasts international tourism to grow by three per cent to four per cent, further contributing to the global economic recovery.