International tourism will grow strongly in 2025, according to UN Tourism

During the interview published by IFEMA on July 9, 2025, Pololikashvili presented encouraging figures: between January and March 2025, international tourist arrivals grew 5% year-on-year, exceeding 2019 levels, pre-pandemic, by 3%. More than 300 million international arrivals were recorded during that period, some 14 million more than the same period in 2024.

The dynamism was evident as follows:

Africa led the way in relative growth with a 9% increase, surpassing 2019 levels by 16%. Countries such as Gambia (+46%), Morocco (+22%), Ethiopia (+7%), and South Africa (+6%) stood out.

The Asia-Pacific region grew 12% year-over-year. Although still slightly below 2019, its recovery is clear, with notable examples such as Japan (+23%), Mongolia (+19%), South Korea (+14%), and Laos (+11%).

Europe welcomed 125 million tourists in the first three months, 2% more than in 2024 and 5% more than in 2019. Emerging destinations such as Lithuania (+21%), Malta (+19%), Latvia (+16%), Finland (+15%), and Spain (+6%) led this recovery.

In the Americas, growth was 2% year-over-year. In South America in particular, the increase reached 13%, led by Paraguay (up 53%), Brazil and Chile (up 48%), and Ecuador (up 17%). Mexico grew by 6%.

The Middle East grew by 1%, but remains the region with the greatest advance over 2019 levels, with 44% more arrivals, led by Egypt (+21%), Jordan and Bahrain (both +9%).

Pololikashvili emphasizes that this pace of recovery is not only solid in volume, but also in economic value: global international tourism revenue will reach a record USD 2 trillion in 2024, 15% above 2019. By 2025, data indicates that this growth is on the rise, always aiming for a responsible and sustainable development strategy that prioritizes the well-being of host communities and the environment.

Source: IFEMA MADRID.