WTO: Tourism grows 4% in 2021

However, international tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) were still 72 per cent below the pre-pandemic year of 2019, according to preliminary estimates by UNWTO.

This follows on from 2020, the worst year on record for tourism, when international arrivals decreased by 73 per cent.

The first 2022 issue of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer indicates that rising rates of vaccination, combined with easing of travel restrictions due to increased cross-border coordination and protocols, have all helped release pent up demand.

International tourism rebounded moderately during the second half of 2021, with international arrivals down 62 per cent in both the third and fourth quarters compared to pre-pandemic levels.

The pace of recovery remains slow and uneven across world regions due to varying degrees of mobility restrictions, vaccination rates and traveler confidence. Europe and the Americas recorded the strongest results in 2021 compared to 2020 (+19% and +17% respectively), but still both 63 per cent below pre-pandemic levels.

The economic contribution of tourism in 2021 (measured in tourism direct gross domestic product) is estimated at US$1.9 trillion, above the US$1.6 trillion in 2020, but still well below the pre-pandemic value of US$ 3.5 trillion.

Export revenues from international tourism could exceed US$700 billion in 2021, a small improvement over 2020 due to higher spending per trip, but less than half the US$1.7 trillion recorded in 2019.

According to the latest UNWTO Panel of Experts, most tourism professionals (61%) see better prospects for 2022. While 58 per cent expect a rebound in 2022, mostly during the third quarter, 42 per cent point to a potential rebound only in 2023. A majority of experts (64 per cent) now expect international arrivals to return to 2019 levels only in 2024 or later, up from 45% in the September survey.