World Tourism Barometer
The World Tourism Barometer by UN Tourism monitors short-term tourism trends on a regular basis to provide global tourism stakeholders with up-to-date analysis on international tourism.
The report is published four times a year and includes an analysis of the latest data on tourism destinations (inbound tourism) and source markets (outbound tourism). The Barometer also includes a Confidence Index based on the UN Tourism Panel of Tourism Experts survey, which provides an evaluation of recent performance and short-term prospects on international tourism.
UN Tourism Member States, Associate Members and Affiliate Members receive the World Tourism Barometer as a part of UN Tourism’s service to Members.
International tourist arrivals grew 5% in January-March 2025
- International tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) increased by 5% in the first quarter of 2025 (compared to the same period in 2024), or 3% above pre-pandemic year 2019.
- Around 300 million tourists travelled internationally in Q1 2025, about 14 million more than in the period of 2024.
- Despite growing geopolitical and trade tensions, the start of 2025 saw robust and sustained travel demand, though results were mixed among regions and subregions.
- Africa (+9%) showed the strongest performance in Q1 2025 as compared to the same period of 2024, while the Americas (+3%), Europe (+2%) and the Middle East (+1%) saw comparatively more moderate results during this period. Asia and the Pacific (+13%) continued to rebound strongly, though arrivals still remained slightly below pre-pandemic levels.
- Available data on international tourism receipts show strong visitor spending this early part of 2025, building on the strong momentum of 2024 with many destinations showing solid growth in visitor spending
- 2024 data for total export revenues from international tourism (receipts and passenger transport) in 2024 have been revised upwards showing a growth of 11% (in real terms) over 2024 to reach a record USD 2.0 trillion. This is about 15% above pre-pandemic levels.
- Looking ahead, the latest UN Tourism Confidence Index reflects cautious optimism for the period May- August 2025, with a score of 114 (on a scale from 0 to 200), down from 120 in the same period of 2024.
- Economic and geopolitical challenges continue to pose significant risks to the sustained performance of tourism and travelers' confidence. In this context, tourists are expected to continue seeking value for money according to the UN Tourism Panel of Experts.
- Despite global uncertainty, travel demand is expected to remain resilient. UN Tourism's January projection of 3% to 5% growth in international arrivals for 2025 remains unchanged.