World Tourism Organization Predicts a Return to Pre-Pandemic Levels by 2024

The United Nations World Tourism Organization announced on Friday that “the number of international tourists will slightly exceed pre-pandemic levels by 2024, thanks to the recovery of the sector in Asia despite international tensions, especially in the Middle East.”

The UN organization, based in Madrid, stated that 1.3 billion tourists traveled abroad last year, which is a 44% increase compared to 2022. This figure is equivalent to 88% of the 2019 level, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic.

This recovery was driven by strong momentum in the Middle East, where the number of incoming tourists exceeded their levels in 2019 by 22%, and also in Europe, the leading tourist destination in the world, where tourism activity reached 94% of its pre-pandemic levels.

However, tourism recovery was weaker in Asia, where the number of international tourists reached 65% of the 2019 level, despite lifting health restrictions a year earlier in China, after three years of the “zero-COVID” policy, according to the World Tourism Organization.

The Secretary-General of the Tourism Organization, Zurab Pololikashvili, stated in the release, “One of the data from the World Tourism Organization highlights the capacity of tourism to resist and recover quickly.” The release contains predictions for 2024, with a projected activity level 2% higher than in 2019.

According to the United Nations organization, this sector’s activity will benefit specifically from increased tourism in China due to the easing of visa restrictions for many countries, including France, Germany, and Italy, as well as facilitating travel for Chinese nationals to other parts of the world.

However, these predictions are influenced by “economic and geopolitical risks,” especially in the Middle East, where tourism is expected to suffer from the consequences of the conflict in Gaza and the development of economic conditions.

The World Tourism Organization warned that ongoing inflation, rising interest rates, oil price volatility, and disruptions caused by trade can continue to impact transportation and accommodation costs in 2024. (AFP)