After two years of restrictions, tourists seem determined to restart travel in 2022, since the sector has reached 65% of its pre-pandemic level by the end of the year. Between January and September 2022, 700 million tourists travelled internationally – more than double the figure for the same period in 2021.
The latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer shows that 340 million international arrivals were reported in the third quarter of 2022 – almost 50% of the nine-month total. Europe remains leading in this revival, with 477 million international arrivals between January and September 2022, reaching 81% of pre-pandemic levels. The Middle East saw international arrivals more than triple, rising to 77% of pre-pandemic levels. Africa and the Americas also showed strong growth, reaching 63% and 66% of 2019 levels respectively. International arrivals have also more than tripled in Asia-Pacific, but remain 83% below 2019 levels due the fact that China remains closed.
Some destinations have become increasingly popular in 2022, such as France, Serbia, Romania, Turkey, Latvia, Portugal, Pakistan, Mexico and Morocco. Recovery is also seen in outbound tourism.
However, the current economic and geopolitical context could have a significant impact on the recovery of international tourism and cause a decrease during the fourth quarter and in 2023.
