Statistics released by UN Tourism have shown that nearly 690 million tourists travelled internationally in the first half of this year, according to travel magazine Locals Insider. That’s 5% higher than recorded in the same period of 2024. Importantly, it’s also 4% above pre-pandemic levels.
Zurab Pololikashvili is the Secretary-General of UN Tourism. Commenting on the statistics, the Secretary-General said that: “In the face of global challenges, international tourism continues to see strong momentum and resilience.”
He added that the rise will “contribute to local economies, jobs and livelihoods.” Looking to the future, Mr Pololikashvili stressed that there is a “great responsibility to ensure this growth is sustainable and inclusive and to work with all local stakeholders in that sense.”
The largest year-on-year increase was seen in Africa with a 12% rise. North Africa saw a 14% rise with Subsaharan Africa recording a figure 11% higher than in the same period in 2024.
In Europe there were nearly 340 million international tourists in the first half of 2025. That’s an increase of 4% on the total recorded 12 months previously. The total is 7% higher than the figure seen in 2019.
Northern, Western and Southern Mediterranean Europe all saw growth of 3% in the first six months of this year. That’s despite there being some uneven monthly results. There were impressive figures recorded in Central and Eastern Europe with a 9% rise but the struggle to get back to the totals seen in 2019 continue. The 2025 total is 11% below that recorded six years ago. The Netherlands saw strong figures with their figure being 7% higher than in 2024.
There were strong international tourism receipts recorded by several European countries. The UK’s earnings were up 13% up to the end of March 2025. For the first six months, France saw an increase of 9% with both Spain and Turkey up 8%. Outbound spending from Spain was up 16% and it was 15% for the UK (for the first three months of the year).
France and Spain are seen as the world’s top destinations for international tourists. Figures for the first five months of this year saw a 5% rise for France. The same total was recorded by Spain but for the January to June period.
The Americas saw a growth of 3% but there were some mixed results. South America has proved a popular area to visit with a 14% increase in figures from the same period last year. Central America was up 2% but those rises were not seen in other subregions.
The totals for North America remained virtually the same as seen last year. Both the USA and Canada recorded small declines. There were disappointing results in the Caribbean too with their total staying similar to those recorded last year. A reason for this is the softening demand seen from the USA which is their major source of tourists.
Asia and the Pacific saw growth of 11% but their total is still only 92% of that seen in 2019. There were 4% fewer arrivals in the Middle East but they have had a good post-pandemic rebound. The latest total is 29% higher than that seen six years ago. Those are the best results in the region when making comparisons to 2019.
Japan and Vietnam both enjoyed great success between January and June 2025. They both recorded figures that represented a 21% year-on-year growth. Double-digit increases were also recorded by Morocco (19%) and the Republic of Korea (15%). Indonesia and Malaysia weren’t far behind with both achieving figures 9% higher than in the corresponding period in 2024.
The IATA states that the first six months of 2025 saw a rise of 7% for both international air capacity and international air traffic when compared to 2024. Global occupancy in accommodation establishments was 69% in June 2025, that’s just 1% short of the 2024 figure. Figures released for July 2025 showed that occupancy had risen to 71%, the same percentage recorded 12 months previously.
High transport and accommodation costs were recorded by the September survey of the Panel of Tourism Experts and the UN Tourism Confidence Index. There is some good news expected on tourism inflation with the projected figure for 2025 being 6.8% which would be a 1.2% fall from the figure recorded last year. The total is still above the pre-pandemic inflation figure of 4.3%.
The September 2025 survey did reveal a drop in consumer confidence with other concerns including geopolitical risks, rising trade tariffs and travel requirements. However, 50% of Panel Experts believe there may be better (44%) or much better (6%) prospects for the remainder of 2025. For the period September to December 2025, they gave a score of 120 which is a rise from the 114 recorded for May to August.
Travel demand for the rest of 2025 is expected to remain resilient. In January, UN Tourism projected a growth in international arrivals this year of between 3 and 5%. That projection remains unchanged.
By Gregory O'NeillGreg is a modern-day explorer with an insatiable love for travel. His passion for adventure has led him to far-flung corners of the world, where he immerses himself in diverse cultures and experiences. Greg's zest for life is epitomized by a continuous pursuit of new horizons and captivating journeys.
