International tourism continues to show signs of a strong and steady recovery from the impact of the pandemic despite significant mounting economic and geopolitical challenges.
According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer,
international tourism saw a strong rebound in the first five months of 2022,
with almost 250 million international arrivals recorded. This compares to 77
million arrivals from January to May 2021 and means that the sector has
recovered almost half (46%) of pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
“The recovery of tourism has gathered pace in many parts of
the world, weathering the challenges standing in its way”, said UNWTO
Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. At the same time, he also advises
caution in view of the “economic headwinds and geopolitical challenges which
could impact the sector in the remainder of 2022 and beyond”.
Europe and Americas lead recovery
Europe welcomed more than four times as many international
arrivals as in the first five months of 2021 (+350%), boosted by strong
intra-regional demand and the removal of all travel restrictions in a growing number
of countries. The region saw particularly robust performance in April (+458%),
reflecting a busy Easter period. In the Americas, arrivals more than doubled
(+112). However, the strong rebound is measured against weak results in 2021
and arrivals remain overall 36% and 40% below 2019 levels in both regions,
respectively.
The recovery of tourism has gathered pace in many parts of
the world, weathering the challenges standing in its way.
The same pattern is seen across other regions. The strong
growth in the Middle East (+157%) and Africa (+156%) remained 54% and 50% below
2019 levels respectively, and Asia and the Pacific almost doubled arrivals
(+94%), though numbers were 90% below 2019, as some borders remained closed to
non-essential travel. Here, the recent easing of restrictions can be seen in
improved results for April and May.
Looking at subregions, several have recovered between 70%
and 80% of their pre-pandemic levels, led by the Caribbean and Central America,
followed by Southern Mediterranean, Western and Northern Europe. It is
noteworthy that some destinations surpassed 2019 levels, including US Virgin
Islands, St. Maarten, the Republic of Moldova, Albania, Honduras and Puerto
Rico.
Tourism spending also rising
Rising tourism spending out of the major source markets is
consistent with the observed recovery. International expenditure by tourists
from France, Germany, Italy and the United States is now at 70% to 85% of
pre-pandemic levels, while spending from India, Saudi Arabia and Qatar has
already exceeded 2019 levels.
In terms of international tourism receipts earned in
destinations, a growing number of countries - the Republic of Moldova, Serbia,
Seychelles, Romania, North Macedonia, Saint Lucia, Bosnia & Herzegovina,
Albania, Pakistan, Sudan, Türkiye, Bangladesh, El Salvador, Mexico, Croatia and
Portugal – have fully recovered their pre-pandemic levels.
Defying mounting challenges
Strong demand during the Northern Hemisphere summer season
is expected to consolidate these positive results, particularly as more
destinations ease or lift travel restrictions. As of 22 July, 62 destinations
(of which 39 in Europe) had no COVID-19 related restrictions in place and an
increasing number of destinations in Asia have started to ease theirs.
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO), the overall reduction in international air capacity in 2022 will be
limited to 20% to 25% of seats offered by airlines as compared to 2019. Such
resilience is also reflected in hotel occupancy rates. Based on data from the
industry benchmarking firm STR, global occupancy rates climbed to 66% in June
2022, from 43% in January.
However, stronger than expected demand has created
significant operational and workforce challenges, while the war in Ukraine,
rising inflation and interest rates, as well as fears of an economic slowdown
continue to pose a risk to recovery. The International Monetary Fund points to
a global economic slowdown from 6.1% in 2021 to 3.2% in 2022 and then to 2.9%
in 2023. At the same time, UNWTO continues to work closely with the World
Health Organisation (WHO) to monitor the pandemic as well as emerging public
health emergencies and their potential impact on travel.
Regional Scenarios for 2022
UNWTO’s forward-looking scenarios published in May 2022
point to international arrivals reaching 55% to 70% of pre-pandemic levels in
2022. Results depend on evolving circumstances, mostly changing travel
restrictions, ongoing inflation, including high energy prices, and overall economic
conditions, the evolution of the war in Ukraine, as well as the health
situation related to the pandemic. More recent challenges such as staff
shortages, severe airport congestion and flight delays and cancellations could
also impact international tourism numbers.
Scenarios by region show Europe and Americas recording the
best tourism results in 2022, while Asia and the Pacific is expected to lag
behind due to more restrictive travel policies. International tourist arrivals
in Europe could climb to 65% or 80% of 2019 levels in 2022, depending on
various conditions, while in the Americas they could reach 63% to 76% of those
levels.
In Africa and the Middle East arrivals could reach about 50%
to 70% of pre-pandemic levels, while in Asia and the Pacific they would remain
at 30% of 2019 levels in the best-case scenario, due to stricter policies and
restrictions.
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