With growth rates returning to the 5% yearly average observed between 2009 and 2019, global tourism is resuming its pre-pandemic vigour.

Asia and the Pacific are still steadily improving, but Africa is spearheading the recovery with the best outcomes in 2025.


Strong demand, solid performance from major source markets, and the continuous recovery of destinations in Asia and the Pacific were the main factors driving the results, according to United Nations Tourism.

In 2025, improved air connections and easier access to visas also facilitated international travel.

"Travel demand remained high throughout 2025 despite high inflation in tourism services and uncertainty from geopolitical tensions," stated UN Tourism Secretary-General Shaikha Alnuwais. As the world economy is predicted to stay stable and travel destinations that are still falling short of pre-pandemic levels fully recover, we anticipate that this favourable trend will continue into 2026.

UN Tourism's World Tourism Barometer offers thorough industry data broken down by destination, subregion, and region.

The world's largest travel destination, Europe, saw 793 million foreign visitors in 2025, up 4% from 2024 and 6% from 2019, according to key findings from this issue.

Western Europe (+5 percent) and Southern Mediterranean Europe (+3 percent) saw robust performance.

Central and Eastern Europe rebounded strongly (+6 percent) though arrivals remained 9 percent below 2019 levels.

The Americas (218 million) recorded 1 percent growth last year, with mixed results across subregions.

After a strong first half of 2025, the region saw small declines in Q3 and Q4, partly due to weak results in the United States.

South America (+7 percent) and Central America (+5 percent) led the results by subregion.

Some destinations in the Caribbean (+0 percent) were affected by Hurricane Melissa in the last quarter of the year.

Arrivals in Africa (81 million) increased by 8% in 2025, with North Africa showing especially impressive growth (+11%).

The Middle East had the best results compared to 2019, with growth of 3 percent in 2025, or 39 percent over pre-pandemic levels.

In 2025, the area almost hit 100 million foreign visitors.

As the area continued to recover, arrivals in Asia and the Pacific (331 million) increased by 6% last year but are still 9% below 2019 levels.

South Asia returned to pre-pandemic levels, but North-East Asia led the way with 13% growth over 2024.