International tourism on course to hit an all-time high with 1.1 BILLION people travelling abroad this year (and Europe is the most visited region in the world)
- 978m people spent at least one night abroad in the first 10 months of 2014
- World Tourism Organisation recorded 45m more than same period last year
- The Americas, including the Caribbean, saw biggest increase in tourism
- There was a five percent increase in tourism to Asia and the Pacific
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International tourism is set to reach record levels in 2014 despite the threat of terrorism and the outbreak of the Ebola disease.
In the first ten months of this year, the number of tourists spending at least one night in a foreign country rose reached 978 million.
This was up 45 million more than in the same period of 2013 and the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) is predicting the 2014 year-end total will reach an all-time high of 1.1 billion.
Africa numbers for the first ten months of 2014 were up by three percent, despite the outbreak of Ebola in the west of the continent
Tourism numbers have shown almost continued growth over the past six decades – from 25 million in 1950 to 278 million in 1980, 528 million in 1995, and 1.87bn in 2013.
The strongest growth this year has been in the Americas, includes the Caribbean, with tourist numbers in the region up eight percent.
Asia and the Pacific welcomed the next highest increase in tourists, with travellers to region up by five percent.
Europe, the most visited region in the world, saw an increase in tourism of four percent
Middle East, including countries such as the United Arab Emirates, numbers have risen by four percent
Asia and the Pacific welcomed the second-highest increase in tourists, with travellers to region up five percent
Europe, the most visited region in the world, saw an increase of four percent.
By sub-region, North America is up nine percent, and South Asia is up eight percent, with Southern and Mediterranean Europe, North East Asia and Northern Europe all up by seven percent.
Africa numbers for the first ten months of 2014 were up by three percent, despite the outbreak of Ebola in the west of the continent - while Middle East numbers have risen by four percent.
UNWTO secretary-general Taleb Rifai said: ‘International tourism is set to end 2014 with record numbers.
The strongest growth this year has been in the Americas, includes the Caribbean, with tourist numbers in the region up eight percent
‘These are remarkable results considering that different parts of the world continue to face significant geopolitical and health challenges, while the global economic recovery remains rather fragile and uneven.’
He added: ‘More importantly, we see a growing political commitment to the tourism sector in many countries.
‘This is encouraging, not in the least because tourism is one of the sectors that is best able to deliver on employment at a moment when job creation needs to be a priority to all.’
International tourist arrivals worldwide are expected to increase by 3.3 percent each year from 2010 to 2030 to reach 1.8 billion by 2030, according to UNWTO’s long term forecast Tourism Towards 2030.
Total export earnings generated by international tourism in 2013 reached £900bn.
| DailyMail
