The travel industry is rallying as the world once again becomes a playground for hundreds of millions of eager tourists. According to fresh data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international leisure travel made an astonishing recovery in 2023, closing in on 90 per cent of pre-pandemic levels by the year’s end.
Between January and September 2023, around 975 million tourists travelled internationally, with the impressive surge marking a 38 per cent spike over the same period in 2022.
The latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer also shows global destinations reached an impressive 91 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in the third quarter, peaking at 92 per cent in July – the best month since the pandemic’s onset. This was driven by a robust Northern Hemisphere summer season.
Overall, tourism recovery reached 87 per cent of pre-pandemic levels from January to September 2023, setting the stage for a potential 90 per cent recovery by year-end.
In terms of dollar value, the organization reports that global tourism receipts for leisure travel could reach US$1.4 trillion (approximately AU$2.1 trillion) in 2023, which is roughly 93 per cent of the US$1.5 trillion (AU$2.25 trillion) earned by destinations in 2019.
“The latest UNWTO data shows that international tourism has almost completely recovered from the unprecedented crisis of COVID-19 with many destinations reaching or even exceeding pre-pandemic arrivals and receipts,” UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said.
“This is critical for destinations, businesses, and communities where the sector is a major lifeline.”
When it comes to the leading destinations, the Middle East, Europe and Africa led recovery in 2023.
Leisure travel per region:
- Middle East: The Middle East leads global recovery, surpassing pre-pandemic levels by 20 per cent in the nine months through September 2023. It remains the only region to exceed 2019 figures, driven by visa facilitation, new destinations, investments, and large events.
- Europe: As the world’s most visited leisure travel region, Europe welcomed 550 million tourists, making up 56 per cent of the global total. This robust performance, at 94 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, was fuelled by intra-regional and US demand.
- Africa and Americas: Africa recovered 92 per cent of pre-pandemic visitors, while the Americas reached 88 per cent of 2019 numbers, bolstered by strong US demand, especially for Caribbean destinations.
- Asia and the Pacific: With a slower reopening to international travel, the region reached 62 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. South Asia achieved 95 per cent recovery, while North-East Asia still lags at around 50 per cent.
Key source markets reported strong outbound travel demand, with many surpassing 2019 levels.
Italy, Germany and the United States were among those to experience growth, increasing outbound spending by 16 per cent, 13 per cent and 11 per cent respectively, compared to the same nine months in 2019.
Despite economic challenges like high inflation, weaker global output and geopolitical tensions, international leisure travel is set to fully rebound to pre-pandemic levels in 2024, according to the UNWTO.
In September, the organization launched a major new global campaign it hopes will help open minds around choosing leisure travel destinations.
What’s the point of travel anyway? Read our story about making travel matter and other lessons from the pandemic.