In 2024, global cross-border tourism surpassed the record figures of 2019 for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic. This growth continued in the first quarter of 2025: During this period, over 300 million tourists traveled abroad worldwide. This represents an increase of approximately five percent compared to the same period in 2024 and three percent compared to 2019, the year before the outbreak of the pandemic. This development signals a strong recovery in the global travel industry.
The strongest increase in international arrivals was recorded Asia and the Pacific with an increase of twelve percent. However, this upswing is also due to a still existing backlog, as international arrivals in this region, according to the UNWTO (World Tourism Organization) are still slightly below pre-pandemic levels. Increasing tourism within Asia and from Europe is contributing significantly to this development. In particular, destinations such as Thailand and Vietnam as bathing destinations and Japan Demand for tours is currently very high, and advance bookings for the coming winter are very strong, according to tour operators. This assessment is confirmed by many travel agencies.
In the Top ten travel destinations of 2024 was able to ______ oneself France With 102 million international visitors, it once again secured the top spot. This was helped not least by the hosting of the Summer Olympics in Paris, which attracted additional crowds of visitors. Spain With 93,8 million international arrivals, Spain is not far behind the leader. However, Spain's popularity also brings challenges, as demonstrated by recent protests against mass tourism in hotspots such as Barcelona, Granada, and Malaga, which point to increasing strain on local infrastructure and quality of life.
The complete top ten list of international visitors in 2024 according to UNWTO includes France and Spain, USA (72,4 million), the Turkey (60,6 million), Italy (57,7 million), Mexico (45 million), China (estimated 40 million), Great Britain (39 million), Germany (37,5 million) and Japan (36,9 million). These figures underscore the continued appeal of established tourism markets and the revival of destinations severely affected by the pandemic.