The Middle East region welcomed 95 million international arrivals in 2024, representing a rise of 32 percent compared to the pre-pandemic levels in 2019, according to UN Tourism.
The report revealed that the number of international tourists visited the Middle East region also increased by 1 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year.
The growth in the number of tourists visiting the Middle East aligns with the broader economic diversification efforts of countries including Saudi Arabia and the UAE which aims to transform the region into a global tourism hub and reduce their decades-long dependence on oil.
According to the UN Tourism report, Africa welcomed 74 million tourists in 2024, marking a year-on-year rise of 7 percent compared to 2019, and 12 percent higher than 2023.
Europe, the world’s largest destination region, saw 747 million international arrivals in 2024, 1 percent above the above 2019 levels and 5 percent over 2023.
“All European subregions surpassed pre-pandemic levels, except for Central and Eastern Europe where many destinations are still suffering from the lingering effects of the Russian aggression on Ukraine,” said the report.
The Americas welcomed 213 million international arrivals in 2024, thus recovering 97 percent of pre-pandemic arrivals.
Asia and the Pacific continued to experience a rapid recovery in 2024 with 316 million arrivals, though numbers were still 87 percent of pre-pandemic levels, an improvement from 66 percent at the end of 2023.
UN Tourism added that the global tourism sector is poised for robust growth in 2025, driven by socio-economic growth globally.
“Growth is expected to continue throughout 2025, driven by strong demand contributing to the socio-economic development of both mature and emerging destinations. This recalls our immense responsibility as a sector to accelerate transformation, placing people and the planet at the center of the development of tourism,” said the report.
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