The latest “World Tourism Barometer” released by the UN World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) on Thursday (November 27) shows that the global international tourist arrivals exceeded 1.1 billion in the first three quarters of 2025, an increase of about 5% compared to the same period in 2024. This figure is also 3% higher than the pre-pandemic level in 2019, indicating that global travel demand remains strong despite inflationary pressures and geopolitical uncertainty.
The report indicates that although there has been an increase in travel service prices and some markets have been affected by geopolitical and trade risks, the overall global tourism activity has remained stable throughout the year. From January to September of this year, global tourist arrivals were approximately 50 million higher than the same period last year, with a 4% increase in the third quarter, mainly driven by peak travel seasons in the Northern Hemisphere.
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili stated that since 2025, international tourism has shown growth in both tourist numbers and tourism revenue, with Africa and Europe exhibiting the most outstanding performance.
According to the report, Africa continues to be the fastest-growing region, with a 10% year-on-year increase in visitor numbers from January to September. North Africa saw an 11% growth, while sub-Saharan Africa recorded a 10% increase, both showing double-digit growth rates, indicating the region’s strong attractiveness due to the resumption of flights, infrastructure improvements, and destination promotions.
Europe, as the largest global tourist destination, received 625 million international visitors in the first three quarters of this year, an increase of 4% compared to the same period last year. Western Europe saw a 5% growth, Southern Europe Mediterranean region increased by 3%, and Eastern Europe rose by 8%, albeit still 11% lower than pre-pandemic levels. Northern Europe experienced a 1% decline due to weak demand.
Overall, the Americas saw a 2% growth, with significant differences among regions. South America had the best performance with a 9% increase, while Central America grew by 3% and the Caribbean region saw a slight 1% increase. North America, however, saw a 1% decline due to weakened inbound volumes to the United States and Canada, serving as the main drag on regional performance.
In the Middle East, tourist arrivals grew by 2% year-on-year and were 33% higher than pre-pandemic levels, making it the most robust in terms of recovery among all regions. Large-scale tourism investments, hub effects of transit traffic, and major international events continued to drive tourism enthusiasm in the region.
The Asia-Pacific region saw an 8% growth in the first nine months, although overall it remained below the 10% level at the same period in 2019. Northeast Asia was the main driving force for growth, showing a significant 17% increase compared to 2024, but still lower than the pre-pandemic level of 12%.
Several destinations displayed remarkable growth rates, surpassing the levels of 2019, including Brazil (+45%), Vietnam and Egypt (both +21%), Ethiopia and Japan (both +18%), South Africa (+17%), Sri Lanka and Mongolia (both +16%), and Morocco (+14%).
In terms of air travel, international revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) increased by 7% year-on-year, while international available seat kilometers (ASKs) saw a 6% growth. The global hotel occupancy rate stood at 68% in September 2025, unchanged from a year ago.
Tourism revenues (tourist spending) have seen significant growth in many countries, with Japan leading the pack at 21%, followed by Nicaragua (+19%), Egypt (+18%), Mongolia and Morocco (both +15%), Latvia (+13%), Brazil (+12%), and France (+9%).
Major outbound tourism expenditure also saw a rebound from key source countries, with the United States up by 7%, France by 5%, Germany and Italy by 4% each, Spain by 15%, and South Korea by 7%, reflecting a resurgence in global cross-border consumption.
At the beginning of the year, the UN World Tourism Organization forecasted a 3% to 5% growth in global tourism for 2025, a prediction that has been fully aligned with the performance from January to September. However, the report also cautions that high travel prices, inflationary pressures, limited aviation capacity, and geopolitical conflicts may still pose uncertainties for future trends.
The UN World Tourism Organization, as a specialized agency within the United Nations system responsible for tourism affairs, is committed to promoting the sustainable development of the global tourism industry and regularly publishes authoritative international tourism statistics and trend analyses.
Its flagship publication, the “World Tourism Barometer,” is released four times a year, providing the latest global tourism data and market trends, serving as an important reference for decision-making by governments and the tourism industry worldwide.