The latest Global Tourism Barometer, issued by the United Nations, revealed that one billion tourists traveled in the first nine months of 2024, to diverse destinations around the world, accounting for 98 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
The tourism sector is expected to fully recover by the end of the year, despite existing economic, geopolitical, and climate challenges. The Middle East, which achieved a 29 percent increase compared to 2019, continued its record growth during these nine months, while Europe (up 1%) and Africa (up 6%) also exceeded 2019 levels.
Total arrivals to 60 out of 111 destinations exceeded the figures achieved in 2019 during the first eight to nine months of 2024.
Source (Al-Khaleej Emirati Newspaper, Edited)