UNWTO Barometer May 2023
A 6-page excerpt from the latest UNWTO Tourism Barometer consisting of commentary, data tables and charts.
Key insights include that during the first quarter of this year international tourism in the Middle East has surpassed that seen for the equivalent period of 2019, while at the global level arrivals stood at 80% of the tally seen four years ago.
In Europe international arrivals have hovered at around 90% of their 2019 level during the first three months of this year, but in Southern / Mediterranean Europe volumes were in fact 1% above those of 2019.
Although unadjusted for exchange rate and inflation the report notes that international visitor spending in Europe last year stood at 87% of its 2019 equivalent.
Although the UNWTO panel of experts is upbeat about the upcoming May to September period most still anticipate international tourism globally to remain down on 2019 levels until 2024 or later.
The report suggests that due to the challenging economic environment many travellers are staying closer to home and doing their utmost to seek out value for money.
Domestic tourism within China is said to be rebounding at a rapid pace, with data for the Labour Day holiday indicating volumes 19% above those of 2019.
The Excerpt concludes with a table showing recent trends by region and subregion.