by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 1:45 PM ET, Mon May 15, 2023
Tourism around the world continued its swift recovery to pre-pandemic levels during the first months of 2023 and the Middle East is not only leading that global rebound, but has also become the only region to exceed 2019 arrivals.
Data from the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s second World Tourism Barometer of 2023 shows that twice as many people were traveling during the first quarter of 2023 then the same period one year earlier.
The Middle East saw the strongest performance with its arrivals up 15 percent above 2019 levels.
Europe meanwhile reached 90 percent of pre-pandemic levels by the end of the first quarter of this year. Rounding out the top five in recovery are Africa, which has reached 88 percent of pre-pandemic levels, the Americas at 85 percent of 2019 levels, and Asia and the Pacific at 54 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
The new report also revealed that overall, international arrivals reached 80 percent of 2019 levels by the end of the first quarter this year. An estimated 235 million tourists traveled international during the first three months of the year, which is more than double the same period in 2022.
Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey. (photo via Photosensia/iStock/Getty Images Plus) (Photo Credit: Photosensia / iStock / Getty Images Plus)
Data by sub-region and by destination
The new data also sheds light on the travel industry’s recovery by sub-region and by destination. In particular, it shows that the Southern Mediterranean Europe and North Africa also returned to pre-pandemic levels in Q1 2023, while Western Europe, Northern Europe, Central America and the Caribbean all came close to reaching those levels.
"The start of the year has shown again tourism's unique ability to bounce back. In many places, we are close to or even above pre-pandemic levels of arrivals,” UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said in a statement. “However, we must remain alert to challenges ranging from geopolitical insecurity, staffing shortages, and the potential impact of the cost-of-living crisis on tourism and we must ensure tourism's return delivers on its responsibilities as a solution to the climate emergency and as a driver of inclusive development."
Additional data included in the new report showed that:
- International tourism receipts grew back to hit the $1 trillion mark in 2022, growing 50 percent in real terms compared to 2021.
- International visitor spending reached 64 percent of pre-pandemic levels (-36 percent compared to 2019, measured in real terms).
- By region, Europe experienced the best results in 2022 with nearly $550 billion in tourism receipts, which represents 87 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
- Africa recovered to 75 percent of its pre-pandemic receipts, while the Middle East reached 70 percent and the Americas 68 percent. Asian destinations earned about 28 percent of its pre-pandemic receipts.
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