International tourist arrivals grew 6% in 2018, totalling 1.4 billion according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. UNWTO’s long term forecast issued in 2010 indicated the 1.4 billion mark would be reached in 2020, yet the remarkable growth of international arrivals in recent years has brought it two years ahead.

International tourist arrivals up 6% in 2018e

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UNWTO estimates that worldwide international tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) increased 6% to 1.4 billion in 2018, clearly above the 3.7% growth registered in the global economy.

In relative terms, the Middle East (+10%), Africa (+7%), Asia and the Pacific and Europe (both at +6%) led growth in 2018. Arrivals to the Americas were below the world average (+3%).

“The growth of tourism in recent years confirms that the sector is today one of the most powerful drivers of economic growth and development. It is our responsibility to manage it in a sustainable manner and translate this expansion into real benefits for all countries, and particularly, to all local communities, creating opportunities for jobs and entrepreneurship and leaving no one behind” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. “This is why UNWTO is focussing 2019 on education, skills and job creation.”, he added.

UNWTO’s long-term forecast published in 2010 predicted the 1.4 billion mark of international tourist arrivals for 2020. Yet stronger economic growth, more affordable air travel, technological changes, new businesses models and greater visa facilitation around the word have accelerated growth in recent years.

Results by region

International tourist arrivals in Europe reached 713 million in 2018, a notable 6% increase over an exceptionally strong 2017. Growth was driven by Southern and Mediterranean Europe (+7%), Central and Eastern Europe (+6%) and Western Europe (+6%). Results in Northern Europe were flat due to the weakness of arrivals to the United Kingdom.

Asia and the Pacific (+6%) recorded 343 million international tourist arrivals in 2018. Arrivals in South-East Asia grew 7%, followed by North-East Asia (+6%) and South Asia (+5%). Oceania showed more moderate growth at +3%.

The Americas (+3%) welcomed 217 million international arrivals in 2018, with mixed results across destinations.

Growth was led by North America (+4%), and followed by South America (+3%), while Central America and the Caribbean (both -2%) reached very mixed results, the latter reflecting the impact of the September 2017 hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Data from Africa points to a 7% increase in 2018 (North Africa at +10% and Sub-Saharan +6%), reaching an estimated 67 million arrivals.

The Middle East (+10%) showed solid results last year consolidating its 2017 recovery, with international tourist arrivals reaching 64 million.

Growth expected to return to historical trends in 2019

Based on current trends, economic prospects and the UNWTO Confidence Index, UNWTO forecasts international arrivals to grow 3% to 4% next year, more in line with historic growth trends.

As a general backdrop, the stability of fuel prices tends to translate into affordable air travel while air connectivity continues to improve in many destinations, facilitating the diversification of source markets. Trends also show strong outbound travel from emerging markets, especially India and Russia but also from smaller Asian and Arab source markets.

At the same time, the global economic slowdown, the uncertainty related to the Brexit, as well as geopolitical and trade tensions may prompt a “wait and see” attitude among investors and travelers.

Overall, 2019 is expected to see the consolidation among consumers of emerging trends such as the quest for ‘travel to change and to show’, ‘the pursuit of healthy options’ such as walking, wellness and sports tourism, ‘multigenerational travel’ as a result of demographic changes and more responsible travel.

“Digitalization, new business models, more affordable travel and societal changes are expected to continue shaping our sector, so both destination and companies need to adapt if they want to remain competitive”, added Pololikashvili.

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) is delighted to announce the 15 finalists for its 2019 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. The 2019 finalists are organised into the following new categories: Climate Action, Investing in People, Destination Stewardship, Social Impact and Changemakers.

The Changemakers Award will put a special spotlight on fighting the illegal wildlife trade through tourism, an issue that is also a focus of WTTC with its Buenos Aires Declaration on Illegal Wildlife Trade launched last year.

The WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, now in their fifteenth year, showcase business practices of the highest standards that balance the needs of ‘people, planet and profits’ within the Travel & Tourism sector.

All 15 finalists illustrate a strong commitment to supporting change, transformation in business practices and consumer behaviour towards a more environmentally conscious sector.

Following a rigorous three-phase judging process, which includes an onsite evaluation, winners of the 2019 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards will be announced during the awards ceremony at the 19^th WTTC Global Summit in Seville, Spain from 2 – 4 April 2019.

Gloria Guevara, President & CEO of WTTC, said, “This year’s Tourism for Tomorrow Awards shine the spotlight on those organisations which are leading the way in sustainable Travel & Tourism. They reflect WTTC’s Strategic Priorities of Climate Action, Destination Stewardship, Future of Work, and Social Responsibility. I am delighted that in this 15^th anniversary year, we are particularly highlighting initiatives which are combatting the illegal wildlife trade, in line with the WTTC Buenos Aires Declaration which was launched in April 2018. 

“As pioneers in the world of Travel & Tourism I applaud all these finalists on their business philosophies and encourage the wider sector to look to them as leading examples for the future of sustainable travel.”

Awards Lead Judge, Prof. Graham Miller, Executive Dean and Professor of Sustainability in Business, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Surrey said, “The shortlisted projects and businesses demonstrate community development, sustainable employment practices, female empowerment, innovative environmental technology and protection of land and marine wildlife as well as positively contributing to the broader Sustainable Development Goals. Their efforts in these areas are a beacon to the rest of the travel sector in signalling the way to a more sustainable world.”

The finalists of the 2019 WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, which is headline sponsored by AIG Travel for the fourth year are:

Climate Action Award, for organisations undertaking significant and measurable work to reduce the scale and impact of climate change:

·       Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort, Aruba

·       The Brando, Tetiaroa Private Island, Tahiti

·       Tourism Holdings Limited, New Zealand

Investing in People Award, for organisations demonstrating leadership in becoming an exciting, attractive, and equitable employer in the sector:

·       Lemon Tree Hotels Limited, India

·       Reserva do Ibitipoca, Brazil

·       Shanga by Elewana Collection, Tanzania 

Destination Stewardship Award, for organisations helping a place to thrive and bring forward its unique identity for the benefit of its residents and tourists:

·       Grupo Rio da Prata, Brazil

·       Masungi Georeserve, Philippines

·       St. Kitts Sustainable Destination Council, St. Kitts and Nevis

Social Impact Award, for organisations working to improve the people and places where they operate:

·       Awamaki, Peru

·       Intrepid Group, Australia

·       Nikoi Island, Indonesia

Changemakers Award, this year focused on organisations fighting the illegal wildlife trade through sustainable tourism:

·       Kelompok Peduli Lingkungan Belitung (KPLB), Indonesia

·       SEE Turtles, USA

·       The Cardamom Tented Camp, Cambodia

The winner of each category will be determined by the WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow Awards 2019 Winners’ Selection Committee, chaired by Fiona Jeffery OBE, Tourism for Tomorrow Awards Chair and Founder & Chairman, Just a Drop.

Fiona Jeffery OBE said, “The role of the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards is to inspire and educate. They identify responsible leadership in our industry and outstanding role models from which best practices can be learnt and built. Our role is to spread this knowledge and encourage a broader appreciation of environmental and ethical governance which helps drive a growing commitment to sustainable tourism practices, so they become part of the DNA of our industry and not the exception.”

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has granted UNWTO.QUEST Certification to the Punta del Este Convention Bureau, which became the first destination management organization in the world to receive this certification.

The Punta del Este Convention Bureau, a UNWTO Affiliate Member, participated in the UNWTO.QUEST Certification pilot project that was created to advance excellence and quality in strategic leadership, management and governance in destination management organizations (DMOs).eTN Chatroom: Discuss with readers from around the world:

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Throughout the process, the UNWTO—through the UNWTO Academy—accompanied the DMO in a process of constant improvement with a tailor-made training plan, which enabled the institution to reinforce its internal capacities and governance, and successfully meet the standards and criteria of UNWTO.QUEST Certification, thus contributing to the competitiveness and sustainability of Punta del Este as a tourism destination.

The UNWTO.QUEST Certification awarded by UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili to the Punta del Este Convention Bureau is an example of the UNWTO’s commitment to its Member States and Affiliate Members in the areas of governance and quality.

UNWTO Secretary-General congratulated the private sector, the local authorities and the Uruguayan Government for their exemplary collaboration, underlining the role of the Punta del Este Convention Bureau: “This distinction is a testament to the work of the Punta del Este Convention Bureau and its support for the continuous improvement of quality and excellence in the planning, management and governance of tourism development of destination management organizations.” He added that “through capacity building at all levels, we are also driving innovation, aware of our contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals”.

Among the decisive factors for the realization and implementation of the project were the close collaboration and the joint efforts between the Government of the Department of Maldonado with the private sector (Destino Punta del Este and Liga de Fomento y Turismo de Punta del Este, among other entities), as well as with the Municipality of Punta del Este, with the support of the Ministry of Tourism of Uruguay, demonstrating once again the maturity of the working relationship between the public and private sectors.

“This is the culmination of a momentous stage for tourism in our country, and particularly for its main tourist destination that is Punta del Este. Nearly 8 years after starting the process, with input from hundreds of public and private actors, the UNWTO’s certification in its area of specialization has arrived; it is the visible result of an effort that will enable us to provide renewed momentum to our ideals and our hopes and to improve the quality of life of our citizens and the services enjoyed by the more than 4 million visitors that arrive each year to our country, through governance and a vision that looks out to 2030,” said the Minister of Tourism of Uruguay, Liliam Kechichián.

Nicolás Kovalenko, President of the Punta del Este Convention Bureau, expressed great pride in receiving this certification from the World Tourism Organization: “All the efforts made were worth it; in this journey, many people from public and private institutions planted the seeds that today have resulted in Punta del Este’s achievement of this certification. This distinction gives Punta del Este the great responsibility of being the architect of its own destiny. I am fully convinced that we will be up to such a challenge.”

UNWTO.QUEST is a strategic tool aimed at destination management organizations in order to enhance their performance and strengthen their governance and institutional capabilities.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has announced the finalists to win the 15th UNWTO Awards, which recognize inspirational projects having made an invaluable contribution to advance sustainable tourism. The nominees are praised for contributing to advance the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Initiatives from Canada, Colombia, India, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the Philippines made it to the list of finalists for 2019’s UNWTO Awards, ranging from community-based tourism development and innovation-driven nature conservation to heritage tourism and promotion of accessible tourism.

For this edition the jury committee was made up of eight tourism experts from the public sector, private companies and universities:

1. Ms. Diana Robino, Global Tourism Partnerships Lead, MasterCard

2. Prof. Dimitrios Buhalis, Head of Department Tourism and Hospitality, Bournemouth University, United Kingdom (Affiliate Member)

3. Mr. Eduardo Santander, Executive Director/CEO, European Travel Commission

4. Mr. Istvan Ujhelyi, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Transport and Tourism, European Parliament

5. Mr. Jae-sung Rhee, CEO, Seoul Tourism Organization (Affiliate Member)

6. Ms. Judy Kepher-Gona, Founder & Director, Sustainable Travel and Tourism Agenda – STTA Kenya

7. Professor Kaye Chon, Dean and Chair Professor Walter Kwok Foundation Professor in International Hospitality Management School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Affiliate Member)

8. Ms. Sally Davey, Director, Industry Affairs, Trip Advisor (Affiliate Member)

The UNWTO Awards recognize the contribution of public and private institutions, as well as NGOs, in the development of a more competitive, responsible and sustainable tourism sector that works towards achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and its 17 SDGs.

For the 15th year of the UNWTO Awards competition, a total of 190 applications from 71 countries were received in the three categories: Public Policy and Governance, Enterprises, and Non-Governmental Organizations.
List of Finalists (in alphabetical order):

UNWTO Award in Public Policy and Governance

1. Tourism and Peace Programme, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Colombia

2. Love San Sebastián, Live Donostia, San Sebastian Turismo & Convention Bureau, Spain

3. Sustainability Whale Watching Charter, SPET – Turismo De Tenerife, Spain

UNWTO Award in Enterprises

1. Community Impact by V Resorts, V Resorts (under the aegis of Bliss Inns Pvt. Ltd.), India

2. Fighting food waste at sea: 4GOODFOOD programme, Costa Crociere S.p.A., Italy

3. Masungi Georeserve: Innovations for Conservation, Masungi Georeserve Foundation, The Philippines

UNWTO Award in Non-Governmental Organizations

1. Embracing Our Potential, Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, Canada

2. Amuse Project, Fundacion Once, Spain

3. Treadright Foundation Heritage Initiative, Treadright Foundation, Switzerland

 On the heels of the past year’s successful Year of Rejuvenation, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) has declared 2019 the Year of Festivals in the Caribbean. Throughout 2019, the region will celebrate the unique rhythm and tempo of each CTO destination.

“The Year of Festivals will focus on the fascinating events that have become an integral part of the Caribbean tourism calendar. Festivals help to energize communities across the region, while giving visitors more reasons to enjoy our destinations,” said Hugh Riley, Secretary General of CTO.

“In addition to providing an opportune time for vacationers to visit, these celebrations also emphasize the unique characteristics that define the many diverse backgrounds and traditions which comprise the Caribbean’s cultural tapestry,” added Riley.

The 2019 Caribbean Year of Festivals will be promoted through social media and traditional media channels and will create opportunities for travellers and vacation planners to share their experiences.

“While each destination is unique and inviting in its own right, the common denominator for all Caribbean societies is a yearning to celebrate life – and each Caribbean country provides a beat that can’t be replicated elsewhere,” said Riley.

“The Year of Festivals will highlight music, art, sailing, lights, food, rum, religious, literary and dance festivals celebrated throughout the region. It’s a theme which can easily be embraced by all CTO member destinations,” Riley noted.

Throughout 2019, the CTO will assist member countries with an assortment of promotional concepts and opportunities which can be implemented around the theme of festivals to appeal to consumers, travel professionals and creators of unique vacation experiences. 

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) provided its support at the inauguration in Argentina of the first specialized hub for tourism in the Americas – Unidigital.

Unidigital is the result of the collaboration between the public and private sectors to promote innovation in tourism. It will offer services, products and training in digital transformation in order to allow the most disruptive entrepreneurs in tourism in the Americas to develop their projects. The Hub was presented as part of the UNWTO Tourism Tech Adventure Forum, held on 11-13 December 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

“Today is a historic day because we have brought together many tourism authorities of the Americas to inaugurate this place, which is open to any entrepreneur, and where together we will do very interesting things and achieve excellent results,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. He added: “We are committed to helping them find investors and give them the opportunity to internationalize not only in the Americas, but also beyond the continent.”

The Minister of Tourism of Argentina and Chair of the UNWTO Executive Council, Gustavo Santos, stressed that “innovation and tourism are allies in generating life opportunities for our people and creating employment”. He added: “This reaffirms our commitment and responsibility towards this sector, which will lead human development in the years to come.”

Unidigital founder and CEO Felipe Durán thanked the authorities for their presence and said: “I am excited for Buenos Aires to be the gateway to the Americas, a place where art, technology and tourism come together; with our projects we are going to get involved in people’s tourism.”

The Unidigital Hub opened in the context of the UNWTO Tourism Adventure Tech Forum, the tourism and technology forum organized by the UNWTO and the Ministry of Tourism of Argentina. The winner of the UNWTO Data Challenge 2018 was also announced at the event, Diego Turconi. This project is organized in collaboration with the ieXL of IE University, whose objective is to demonstrate the ability to generate data-driven solutions.

The regional Startup Competition was won by Eduardo Zenteno del Toro, with his Nenemi project, a platform that seeks to bring Asian travellers to Mexico with potential for expansion in the Americas. He will now have the opportunity to avail Unidigital’s services valued at up to 100,000 dollars.

Participating in the UNWTO Tourism Tech Adventure Forum are leaders in innovation, top-level startups and key actors in the global innovation and digital transformation ecosystem.

It is an unprecedented platform for entrepreneurship and tourism innovation, with the aim of creating synergies between the different actors, exchanging success stories and fostering a venture capital investment culture. Likewise, this space provides solutions to challenges related to digital transformation as a source of employment generation, competitiveness and sustainable development.

In this same context, a seminar aimed at ministers of the Americas and Argentine national ministers was held on how to build successful digitalization strategies. A workshop for startups was also held, addressing the subject of motivation for tourism investors and entrepreneurship.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and UN Climate Change today showcased how the travel and tourism sector can take steps towards carbon neutrality by 2050. 

In April, WTTC, which represents the global private sector of travel and tourism, announced the agreement of a common agenda with UN Climate Change, an international treaty which aims for the stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, paving the way for Travel &  Tourism to engage more effectively in the delivery of global goals around climate change.

Today at the UN Climate Conference (COP24) in Katowice, Poland, during the first Travel & Tourism event ever held at the annual COP, both organisations addressed the links between Travel & Tourism and climate change and presented a pathway for the sector to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Speaking ahead of the event at COP24, Gloria Guevara, President and CEO, WTTC, said: “Travel and tourism has an important role to play around the world in economic development, presently accounting for 10.4% of global GDP and supporting 1 in 10 of all jobs, which is more than comparative sectors, such as automotive, chemicals manufacturing, banking and financial services.

“Given our sector’s contribution to social and economic development, it is important that Travel & Tourism plays its part in the drive towards climate neutrality, under the auspices of the UN Climate Change body,” said Ms. Guevara. 

“Today, we are announcing that we will continue to work with UN Climate Change to highlight to consumers the positive contribution Travel & Tourism can make to building climate resilience; the establishment of an industry recognition scheme; and the creation of an annual “State of the Climate” event and report to evaluate, monitor and share progress towards climate neutrality. As a major world sector, Travel & Tourism stands ready to play its part in this bright future.”

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa encourages the Travel & Tourism sector to find new, innovative and sustainable ways to reduce its carbon footprint. “On a basic level, doing so is simply a question of survival,” said Ms. Espinosa. “But on another level, it’s about capturing opportunity. It’s about transforming your businesses to be part of a global economic shift—one marked by sustainable growth and powered by renewable energy.”

“We are already experiencing the impacts of climate change in Fiji and in the rest of our Pacific Island countries,” said High-Level Climate Champion H.E. Inia Seruiratu, Fiji’s Minister for Defence and National Security. 

“The Travel & Tourism sector is a major revenue earner for our country. Unfortunately, the attractions that drive this sector – our reefs, sandy beaches, clear seas, and forest biodiversity – are under threat from the impacts of climate change. Innovative financing where the Travel & Tourism sector can support our small island economies to respond to these threats is needed and I am very encouraged that the sector is eager to engage in such initiatives and strengthen public-private partnerships in the fight against climate change.”

The 1st UNWTO Tourism Startup Competition is a pioneering initiative that has identified emerging companies at the forefront of the transformation of the tourism sector and the promotion of innovation ecosystems through tourism. It is organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in partnership with Globalia, the leading tourism group in Spain and Latin America. The 10 finalists will present their projects within the framework of the Fitur International Tourism Fair (23-27 January 2019, Madrid, Spain) with the presence of global tourism leaders from the public and private sectors, as well as potential investors.

The competition sought innovative startups capable of transforming the way people travel and experience tourism, while adhering closely to the principles of sustainability (economic, social, and environmental).

“For the first time, we have positioned tourism in the global innovation agenda, a well-deserved place that reflects the weight and socio-economic impact of tourism,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. “The key is to connect the public and private sectors collaboratively, thus creating opportunities to share ideas and projects,” he added.

Each project’s uniqueness, viability, potential impact, business model and scalability, along with the profile of the team, were the criteria for selecting the 10 finalists.

“We have jointly created this pioneering public-private collaborative model in tourism as a global tourism group and we are delighted to spearhead this action alongside the World Tourism Organization, working together to lead the transformation of the tourism sector and fostering the global innovation ecosystem and its entrepreneurs,” said Globalia CEO Javier Hidalgo.

The finalists are notable for proposing innovative projects that redefine the way people plan trips or live tourism experiences, while promoting sustainability and community participation. All this is combined with the application of technology to revolutionize business models and the management of companies in the sector.

Following the model applied on World Tourism Day, the winner will have the opportunity to carry out a pilot project with the Globalia Group and the finalists will have access to the leading actors in the world tourism sector.

An innovative competition

Globalia and the World Tourism Organization have entrusted this initiative to Barrabés.biz, an innovation consultancy with over 20 years of experience in creating, connecting and activating entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems.

The technological platform chosen to manage the competition was YouNoodle, a pioneering Silicon Valley firm that specializes in innovation and entrepreneurship competitions at the global level.

The third cultural tourism conference (3-5 December) organized jointly between the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) concluded today in Istanbul, Turkey. Participants declared their support for cultural tourism as a driver for safeguarding living heritage, catalyzing creativity in cities, and spreading tourism’s socioeconomic benefits to all.

A key conclusion from the conference was the need for a clear and strong link between tourism, culture and local community stakeholders. Cultural tourism policies and strategies must consider the perspectives and interests of local communities, who can also assist governance bodies in balancing tourism development with heritage conservation and safeguarding. Channelling tourism revenues into cultural preservation and community development was identified as a key governance challenge.

President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca of Malta addressed the conference at its opening, reinforcing that: “In today’s world, tourism diplomacy is becoming more important to foster understanding, and culture is key to achieving this”.
UNESCO Deputy Director-General Xing Qu affirmed tourism’s essential role, stating: “Tourism provides a tremendous opportunity to support local economic development, while breaking down barriers between people. Harnessing creativity and technological innovation, as well as safeguarding heritage is essential for promoting responsible and sustainable tourism to support and unify communities for years to come.”

“Culture is one of the drivers of tourism growth, so protecting cultural heritage and promoting tourism for sustainable development are part of the same equation. That 30-plus ministers from around the world are gathered here proves the place of culture in tourism,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili opening the event.
These sentiments were echoed by Turkey’s culture and tourism minister Mehmet Ersoy. “The culture and tourism partnership provides a framework for public-private cooperation, education, investments and sustainability,” Minister Ersoy added.

In a debate moderated by the BBC’s Rajan Datar, the more than 30 ministers present concluded that tourism and culture are indivisible and must work together so that tourism does not suffocate cultural heritage and its benefits for visitors and locals. However, the main challenge is to spread cultural tourism’s attractiveness beyond established sites whilst managing large visitor numbers.

The first session of the conference focused on cultural tourism’s potential to help cities transform into more sustainable and creative environments and destinations. It ended in agreement that the creative and cultural sectors can strengthen and provide innovation in cultural tourism, forging links that turn tourism into a tool to safeguard tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

The second day of the event was given over to the twin influence of responsible tourism and technological advances in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. It was agreed that innovation should be strengthened for better management, promotion and preservation of heritage, as well as to make cultural tourism accessible to all.

During the event, five leading Turkish tourism companies signed the Private Sector Commitment to the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, boosting the efforts of Turkish industry leaders to ensure sustainable development of the sector.

The 3rd UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture will produce a declaration, to be made available soon, outlining the cross-sector commitment of all participants to reinforcing the tourism and culture partnership as an enabler for achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda of the United Nations. The next edition of the conference is scheduled to take place in Kyoto, Japan in 2019.

The latest figures on world tourism issued by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) show that international tourist arrivals grew 5% year-on-year in the first nine months of 2018. This reflects continued strong demand in a favorable overall economic context.

All world regions enjoyed robust growth in international tourism in the first nine months of this year, fuelled by solid demand from major source markets. Asia and the Pacific led growth (+7%), followed by Europe and the Middle East (+6% each), Africa (+5%) and the Americas (+3%).

Despite comparatively slower growth between July and September, UNWTO estimates that destinations worldwide received 1,083 million international arrivals through September, an additional 56 million when compared to the same period of 2017.

2018 results to date are in line with UNWTO’s growth forecast of +4% to +5% for the year. The first nine months of the year usually account for about three quarters of total annual international arrivals, as they include the Northern Hemisphere high season months of July and August.

Positive growth in tourism earnings across most destinations

With few exceptions, preliminary data on international tourism receipts confirm the positive trend seen in arrivals, with particularly strong results in Asian and European destinations.

Among the top earners, tourism earnings in the United Kingdom were up by 12% despite a decline in arrivals. In Australia, receipts increased by 11% whereas France reported an 8% growth and Italy 6%, both in line with growth in arrivals. Tourism receipts in the United States, Spain and Germany went up 3%.

In Asia, China recorded a 21% increase in tourism earnings, with Macao (China) and Japan also leading results with 20% and 19% growth, respectively.

International tourism expenditure

Preliminary data on tourism spending for the first nine months of 2018 reflect increasing demand from major source markets.

The Russian Federation (+15%) reported the largest increase in spending and continues to recover strongly after some years of decline. The United Kingdom reported 10% growth despite a weak pound against the euro and US dollar, and tourism spending from France picked up 10% after some years of rather flat growth.

The United States, the world’s second largest source market, recorded a 7% increase in line with the performance of recent years while top source market China showed a minor decrease in spending in the first six months of 2018 as a result of the weaker Yuan.