According to the latest edition of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, an estimated 54 million tourists crossed international borders in July 2021. While these numbers were down 67 percent from the same month in 2019 (164 million), they were the strongest results since April 2020. For an additional comparison, there were 34 million international arrivals recorded in July 2020.
Most destinations reporting data for June and July 2021 saw a moderate rebound in international arrivals compared to 2020. Nevertheless, 2021 continues to be a challenging year for global tourism, with international arrivals down 80 percent from January to July, compared to the same period in 2019. Asia and the Pacific continued to suffer the weakest results, with a 95 percent drop in international arrivals compared to 2019. The Middle East (82 percent) recorded the second largest decline, followed by Europe and Africa (both down 77 percent). The Americas (68 percent) saw a comparatively smaller decrease, with the Caribbean showing the best performance among world subregions.
There were some small islands in the Caribbean, Africa and Asia and the Pacific, along with a few small European destinations, that recorded arrivals close to, or sometimes exceeding, pre-pandemic levels.
As for when international tourism is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels, on a global scale, 43 percent of the UNWTO Panel of Tourism Experts said 2023, while 45 percent said 2024 or later. Just 12 percent said 2022. Destinations including Africa, Europe and the Middle East are expected to rebound mostly by 2023, while the Americas and Asia/Pacific are mostly expected to return by 2024 or later.
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said in the report: “There is clearly a strong demand for international tourism, and many destinations have started welcoming visitors back safely and responsibly; however, the true restart of tourism and the benefits it brings, remain on hold as inconsistent rules and regulations and uneven vaccination rates continue to affect confidence in travel.”
Looking Ahead
Prospects for September through December 2021 remain mixed, according to the latest UNWTO Panel of Experts survey, with 53 percent of respondents believing the period will be worse than expected. Only 31 percent of experts expect better results towards the end of the year. The survey also shows that most tourism professionals continue to expect a rebound driven by unleashed pent-up demand for international travel in 2022, mostly during the second and third quarters.
The top ways to allow for the return of international travel, according to the survey, are: Rapid and widespread vaccination rollout (76 percent); major lifting of travel restrictions (70 percent); and coordinated action among countries on travel protocols (67 percent).
Source: UNWTO
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