The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has published the 2018 UNWTO Tourism Review Report. He is a barometer of world tourism and considers tourist trends around the world. Among other things, the UNWTO tracks the growth and decline of tourism activity in different countries and regions of the world.
The most popular global tourism destinations
The largest tourist growth was demonstrated by two regions - Africa, by 9% and Europe, by 8%. At the same time, more than half of tourists from the global international flow (671 million people) flocked to Europe, while Africa received less than one tenth of this figure - only 63 million tourists visited it.
All countries of Northern Europe, including the UK, reported an increase in tourist flow. Travelers who want to enjoy the beauties of Misty Albion are not scared away even by the terrorist attacks in London and Manchester last year. The weakening of the British pound significantly helped England enter the top ten most popular countries for tourism.
Although many children, as well as their parents, are still afraid to go “to Africa for a walk,” the UNWTO study has shown steady tourism growth in most African destinations that have reported data. For example, in Tunisia, the number of arrivals of travelers is 23% higher than in 2017. In sub-Saharan Africa, the big cities show good performance in Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire, Mauritius and Zimbabwe. And the most popular island destinations in Africa are Seychelles, Cape Verde and Reunion.
Top 10 most popular countries for tourism
The main mode of transport for all major tourist destinations was aircraft (57%), followed by cars (37%), water transport (4%) and the railway (only 2%).
Most tourists (55%) called leisure to visit another country. The business accounted for only 13% of trips. The purpose of the other visits was either not indicated or was related to reasons such as visiting relatives, medical tourism, or religious practices.
Interesting Facts:
- According to the report, the total volume of international tourist trips increased by 6.8 percent to 1.32 billion people in 2017. This is the highest rate since 2009 and is 84 million more than in 2016. And all thanks to the rapid global economic recovery.
- The restoration of demand for tourist trips by the residents of Brazil and the Russian Federation after several years of decline and the continued growth of the Indian economy have also contributed to the growth of profits in many popular tourist destinations.
- Expenditures on international tourism in 2017 amounted to 1.34 trillion. dollars due to strong outgoing demand from both traditional and emerging markets. Almost 40% of this amount falls on the expenses of those who traveled to Europe last year. They are followed by the Asia-Pacific region (29% of total spending) and America (24%).
- Who is spending all this money? A UNWTO report said that Chinese tourists spent almost a fifth of 1.34 trillion. dollars - 258 billion dollars. But American travelers were more economical and took only the second place, having spent $ 135 billion in 2017. The Russians also entered the top ten tourists-spender (+ 30%), ahead of the South Koreans and Italians, but losing to Canadians, Germans, British, Australians and French.
The overwhelming majority of international trips take place within the regions of travelers themselves (intra-regional tourism). And Europe remains the largest source for outbound tourism. It creates almost half of the international arrivals in the world. But it is catching up with the Asia-Pacific region. Currently, one of 4 trips takes place within Asia and the Pacific.
