International tourist arrivals grew 5% in January-March 2025.

 

International tourist arrivals grew 5% in January-March 2025


• International tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) increased by 5% in the first quarter of 2025 (compared to the same period in 2024), or 3% above prepandemic year 2019.

 • Over 300 million tourists travelled internationally in Q1 2025, about 14 million more than in the same period of 2024.

 • Despite growing geopolitical and trade tensions, the start of 2025 saw robust and sustained travel demand, though results were mixed among regions and subregions.

• Africa (+9%) showed the strongest performance in Q1 2025 as compared to the first quarter of 2024, while the Americas, Europe (both +2%) and the Middle East (+1%) saw comparatively more modest results. Asia and the Pacific (+13%) continued to rebound strongly, though arrivals still remained slightly below prepandemic levels.


• Available data on international tourism receipts show strong visitor spending this early part of 2025, building on the strong momentum of 2024 with many destinations reporting solid growth in earnings. 

• 2024 data on total export revenues from international tourism (receipts and passenger transport) have been revised upwards showing 11% growth (in real terms) over 2023 to reach a record USD 2.0 trillion. This is 15% above pre-pandemic levels.

 
• Looking ahead, the latest UN Tourism Confidence Index reflects cautious optimism for the period MayAugust 2025, with a score of 114 (on a scale from 0 to 200), down from 130 in the same period of 2024.
• Economic and geopolitical challenges continue to pose significant risks to the sustained performance of tourism and travelers’ confidence. In this context, tourists are expected to continue seeking value for money according to the UN Tourism Panel of Experts.

 
• Despite global uncertainty, travel demand is expected to remain resilient. UN Tourism’s January projection of 3% to 5% growth in international arrivals for 2025 remains unchanged.









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