Around the world, tourist arrivals are up and rit's showing no signs of stopping.
In its latest research, the UNWTO found that arrivals grew 6 percent in the first four months of this year compared to the same time in 2017-a number that exceeded the organization's earlier forecast.
"International tourism continues to show significant growth worldwide, and this translates into job creation in many economies. This growth reminds us of the need to increase our capacity to develop and manage tourism in a sustainable way, building smart destinations and making the most of technology and innovation", said UNWTO secretary-general, Zurab Pololikashvili.
The Asia-Pacific region is leading this growth, with an increase in 8 percent increase in arrivals. Southeast Asia led the way with even better growth at 10 percent. South Asia also drove up results, increasing arrivals by 9 percent.
Europe, currently the world's largest tourism region, saw an increase of 7 percent. This was led by destinations in Southern and Western Europe as well as the Mediterranean, all increasing arrivals by 8 percent.
African tourist arrivals grew by 6 percent and the Middle East saw an increase of 4 percent.
The Americas increased 3 percent with growth in South America increasing by 8 percent but that was weighed down with a decline in demand for the Caribbean after last year's aggressive hurricane season. The region saw a decrease of approximately 9 percent in arrivals for the first four months of this year, according to the UNWTO.
The organization's original forecast predicted growth at between 4-5 percent globally in 2018 and so far, that has been outpaced.
The panel's outlook for the May to August period is one the most optimistic in a decade, led by the particularly upbeat sentiment in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
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