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+ Click Image to Enlarge According to a report by UNWTO, international tourism recovered from the global recession last year, increasing 6.6 percent to a record 940 million travellers. Spendings by travellers reached more than USD 1 trillion, and is forecast to grow five per cent in 2011. Asia and the Pacific (up 13 per cent) was the first region to recover and among the strongest growing regions in 2010. Africa maintained growth (up 7 per cent) and the Middle East returned to double digit growth (up 14 per cent).
The increase more than offset the decline caused by the economic downturn, with an additional 23 million arrivals over the former peak year of 2008. In 2010, international tourism receipts are estimated to have reached USD 919 billion worldwide (693 billion euros), up from USD 851 billion (610 billion euros) in 2009, corresponding to an increase in real terms of 4.7 per cent.
As a reflection of the economic conditions, recovery was particularly strong in emerging economies, where arrivals grew faster (up eight per cent) than in advanced ones (up five per cent).According to the April 2011 Interim Update of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, International tourist arrivals grew by close to five per cent during the first two months of 2011, consolidating the rebound registered in 2010.
International tourist arrivals are projected to increase in 2011 by four per cent to five per cent. The impact of developments in North Africa and the Middle East, as well as the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March, are not expected to substantially affect this overall forecast. Tourism has become a “key driver of socio- economic progress through the creation of jobs and enterprises,” the report said.
International tourist arrivals in Asia and the Pacific reached a historic high of 204 million in 2010, some 24 million more than in 2009 and 20 million above the 2008 pre-crisis peak. The region’s 13 per cent growth in 2010 was double the world average and, following a modest 2 per cent decline in 2009, confirms Asia as the world’s strongest growing region of the past two years.
Most destinations posted double-digit growth, boosted by the strong development of local economies in the region. Receipts grew, accordingly, by 13 per cent in real terms to USD 249 billion. North-East Asia was the best performing sub-region (up 14 per cent), with double-digit growth in arrivals for virtually all destinations, particularly the fast growth of Japan and Taiwan (pr. of China) (both at up 27 per cent). Growth in China (up 9 per cent), the region’s top destination, was below average, but still represented around a quarter of the additional arrivals achieved by the whole region.
In 2010, travel for leisure, recreation and holidays accounted for just over half of all international tourist arrivals (51 per cent or 480 million arrivals). Some 15 per cent of international tourists reported travelling for business and professional purposes and another 27 per cent travelled for other purposes, such as visiting friends and relatives (VFR), religious reasons and pilgrimages, health treatment, etc. The purpose of visit for the remaining seven per cent of arrivals was not specified.
Slightly over half of travellers arrived at their destination by air transport (51 per cent) in 2010, while the remainder travelled over the surface (49 per cent) – whether by road (41 per cent), rail (2 per cent), or over water (6 per cent). Over time, the trend has been for air transport to grow at a faster pace than surface transport, so the share of air transport is gradually increasing, according to the report.
Arrivals in South-East Asia, the only sub-region to show positive results in 2009, were up 12 per cent. Destinations such as Vietnam (up 35 per cent), Singapore (up 22 per cent), Cambodia (up 17 per cent), Philippines (up 17 per cent), Thailand (up 12 per cent) and Indonesia (up 11 per cent) all recorded double-digit growth, although following weak 2009 figures.
International arrivals in South Asia increased by 11 per cent, with particularly strong performances from Sri Lanka (up 46 per cent) and Maldives (up 21 per cent), and a comparatively more moderate result for the major destination India (up 8 per cent).
In Oceania (up 6 per cent), growth in arrivals was just below the world average with leading and more mature destinations Australia (up 5 per cent) and New Zealand (up 3 per cent) showing growth after a flat 2009.
France was the top-ranked destination for tourists in 2010, followed by the U.S. and China, which moved up one place from the previous year. China, which has passed Spain, Britain and Italy in the past five years, saw a 9.4 percent increase to 55.7 million visitors.
The Middle East, before this year’s unrest, was the fastest-growing region in 2010, at 14.1 percent, followed by Asia and the Pacific at 12.7 percent and Africa at 7.3 percent.Tourism as an export category ranks fourth behind fuels, chemicals and automotive products, the report stated, accounting for 5 percent of the global gross domestic product.
