Tourism still heating up but USA down
International tourism – strongest half-year results since 2010 – Rifai calls for sustainability
Destinations worldwide welcomed 598 million international tourists in the first six months of 2017, some 36 million more than in the same period of 2016. At 6%, growth was well above the trend of recent years, making the current January-June period the strongest half-year since 2010.
"The first half of 2017 shows healthy growth in an increasingly dynamic and resilient tourism market, including a strong recovery in some of the destinations impacted by security challenges last year", said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai ahead of the 22nd session of the UNWTO General Assembly, to be held in Chengdu, China on 13-16 September 2017.
"As explained in my article ‘Tourism: growth is not the enemy; it’s how we manage it that counts’, international travel creates jobs, economic growth and development opportunities for many communities around the world. But this source of prosperity needs to be managed efficiently, for the good of visitors and host communities alike. This year we celebrate the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development (IY2017) to remind destinations and travellers that we must work for a sustainable tourism sector that protects the environment, preserves the cultural heritage of destinations, and fosters respect for local communities everywhere," Rifai added.
Growth was strongest in the Middle East (+9%), Europe (+8%) and Africa (+8%), followed by Asia and the Pacific (+6%) and the Americas (+3%).
USA suffered a decrease in arrivals although the Americas continued to enjoy positive results across most destinations. Growth was solid in South America (+6%), Central America (+5%) and the Caribbean (+4%). In North America (+2%), robust results for Mexico and Canada were partly offset by a decrease in arrivals to the United States, the region’s largest destination.
Arrivals growth in this period was fuelled by strong outbound demand from major source markets. In particular, Canada, China, France, the Republic of Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Valere Tjolle
@ValereTjolle
Valere
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