World tourism is on the rise in 2025, with international tourist arrivals being up 5 percent in the first three months of the year compared to the same time period in 2024, as per a recent United Nations (UN) Tourism report.
What the international tourist arrivals data shows
Arrivals of international tourists rose 5 percent in the first quarter of 2025, UN Tourism’s World Tourism Barometer data for May 2025 showed, boosting world tourism. In terms of international tourist arrivals, between January and March of this year, over 300 million international tourists took trips across the world. This means 14 million more tourists took international trips this year, between January and March, compared to last year. These numbers also show around a 3 percent growth from the pre-pandemic international tourist levels in 2019, as per the UN report.
UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said:
“In every global region, tourism stands out as a major services sector, supporting millions of jobs and businesses of all sizes. The continued good performance in international arrivals combined with stronger visitor spending in many destinations highlights the resilience of the sector in the face of numerous challenges and is good news for economies and workers everywhere.”
Africa trends as tourist hotspot
While the popular tourist hotspot Europe welcomed 125 million tourists in the first quarter of 2025, Africa recorded a whopping 9 percent growth from Q1 2024, exceeding its pre-pandemic tourist levels by 16 percent, trending as another tourist hotspot.
Global tourist arrivals grew 2 percent in Southern Mediterranean Europe as demand for off-season travel to certain destinations rose. Tourism to the Balkans showed promising trends as Central and Eastern European tourism rebounded, rising 8 percent over 2024.
Tourists showed a preference for South America, with global tourist arrivals showing a 13 percent growth in the region compared to overall tourist growth in the Americas at 2 percent.
As tourist arrivals displayed a modest one percent growth in the Middle East, overall arrivals in the region rose a whopping 44 percent above pre-pandemic levels this first quarter of the year. Asia and the Pacific global tourist numbers were up 12 percent, managing to reach 92 percent of their pre-pandemic levels. Global tourists preferred North-East Asia, as the subregions showed maximum growth among world sub-regions at 23 percent in Q1 2025.
Travel is on the rebound as a recent report from the IATA also showed global passenger growth at 8 percent between January and March 2025.
Top travel destinations 2025 where tourists spent the most
The report also tracked tourists’ spending trends over the time period. It tracked top travel destinations 2025 with respect to tourism earnings, with Spain reporting a 9 percent growth in tourism earnings. In terms of top travel destinations for 2025 pertaining to tourist spending, the United States, which is the highest earner from world tourism, reported a modest 3 percent growth in its tourism earnings.
Tourists also spent more in Türkiye ( up 7 percent) and Greece, Italy and Portugal where tourist spending was up 4 percent across the board.
Tourists spent 6 percent more in France compared to the same time period last year, while spending in Norway and Denmark was up 20 percent and 11 percent, respectively.
Japan was a major earner in Asia and the Pacific, where tourist receipts were up 34 percent. Nepal displayed 18 percent growth in tourism earnings, while the Republic of Korea and Mongolia both saw a 14 percent rise in tourism earnings.
The road ahead for global tourism
The report, citing its latest Panel of Tourism Experts survey, said that there was optimism for future travels despite geopolitical and economic headwinds. Major challenges affecting international tourism moving forward include a slower economic growth, growing travel costs and the impact of the recent Trump tariffs
The report cautioned that travel confidence could dwindle due to uncertainty arising from “geopolitical and trade tensions”
Though tourists would continue to travel. But it is possible that people would prefer taking shorter trips closer to home to get value for their money. Travel demand is expected to remain resilient, and international tourist arrivals are expected to grow this year. If you’re inspired to tick off some destinations yourself, look at some last minute cruise deals for a guaranteed trip of a lifetime.
Have you taken an international trip so far this year or are you planning to? Let us know your plans and concerns in the comments!
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