Tourism back to 65% of pre-pandemic levels, says UNWTO

(TAN): International tourism is on track to touch 65% of pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year as the sector continues to bounce back from the pandemic, UNWTO said.

An estimated 700 million tourists travelled internationally between January and September, more than double (+133%) the number recorded for the same period in 2021. This equates to 63% of 2019 levels and puts the tourism sector on course to reach 65% of its pre-pandemic levels this year, in line with UNWTO scenarios. Results were boosted by strong pent-up demand, improved confidence levels and the lifting of restrictions in an increasing number of destinations.

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Highlighting the speed at which the sector has recovered from the worst crisis in its history, the latest World Tourism Barometer from UNWTO reveals that monthly arrivals were 64% below 2019 levels in January 2022 and had reached -27% by September. An estimated 340 million international arrivals were recorded in Q3 2022 alone, almost 50% of the nine-month total.

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