Lat Am Has Scored Double-Digit Increase in Tourist Arrivals so far this Year

Lat Am Has Scored Double-Digit Increase in Tourist Arrivals so far this Year

Latin America and South Asia saw the greatest jump –15 percent in international tourist arrivals during the first months of this year in an overall positive global scenario. This is according to the April interim update of the UN World Tourism Organization (WTO) World Tourism Barometer.

Arrivals grew by close to 5 percent during the first months of this year, consolidating a 7 percent rebound registered in 2010. The only exceptions to positive growth were Middle East and North Africa.

Asia and the Pacific, the region with one of the fastest growth rates in 2010, saw its pace of growth slows down (6 percent), although from a very strong performance the previous year.

Results were better than expected for Europe ( 6 percent), boosted by the recovery of Central and Eastern Europe and the temporary redistribution of travel to destinations in Southern and Mediterranean Europe due to developments in North Africa (-9 percent) and the Middle East (-10 percent).

The Americas (5 percent) was in line with the world average, with strong results for Latin America and the Caribbean, but rather weaker growth in North and Central America.

Worldwide international arrivals surpassed 124 million tourists in the first two months of this year, up from 119 million in the same period of 2010, with emerging economies (6 percent) continuing to grow at a faster pace than advanced ones (4 percent).

“These results confirm that in spite of several challenges, the recovery of international tourism which was remarkably strong last year is consolidating”, said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai in Istanbul, Turkey, opening a Special Event on ‘Promoting Tourism for Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction’ in the framework of the 4th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC-IV).

“News is especially positive for emerging economies and developing countries, particularly for Africa where tourism is increasingly recognized as a driver of development, exports and jobs”, he added.

According to the forecast prepared by UNWTO at the beginning of the year, international tourist arrivals are projected to increase by some 4 percent to 5 percent this year. The impact of recent developments in North Africa and the Middle East, as well as the tragic earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March, are not expected to substantially affect this projected growth.

In 2010, international tourism receipts are estimated to have reached $919 billion, up from $851 billion in 2009. In real terms (adjusted for exchange rate fluctuations and inflation) international tourism receipts increased by 5 percent as compared to an almost 7 percent growth in arrivals, showing the close relation between both indicators and confirming that in recovery years, arrivals tend to pick up faster than receipts.

The top 10 ranking of international tourism spenders shows China climbing to third position. China was able to multiply expenditure four times since 2000, thus achieving by far the fastest growth in this category over the last decade. Other changes in the ranking of international tourism expenditure include the rise of Canada and Australia to the 6th and 10th positions respectively.

In the 2010 rankings of the first ten destinations by international tourist arrivals and receipts, China has also reinforced its position. In arrivals, China has overtaken Spain and now ranks third after France and the United States, while in terms of receipts it ranks fourth, overtaking Italy.

The only other change in the ranking by receipts came from Hong Kong (China), which climbed from the 12th to the 9th position. France continues to lead the ranking of the world’s major tourism destinations in terms of arrivals and ranks third in receipts while the United States ranks first in receipts and second in arrivals.