UNWTO Study Reveals Positive Worldwide Travel Growth

Tourism across the globe showed healthy growth through the transom of the first quarter.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) released its 2017 World Tourism Barometer, which showcased travel trends over the period from January through April this year.

On whole, there is a tremendous amount to be excited about. The report states that, across the board, the world is enjoying far more visits than it had in 2016 and that those areas affected by major events have seen recovery in the form of increased visits.

There is even reason to feel optimistic here at home as North American visits saw an uptick of three percent during the quarter.

This is especially good news considering tragic events that have unfolded throughout Europe and, for North America, the reported effect this White House’s policies have had on travel.

UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai spoke to the positive report, via press release: “Destinations that were affected by negative events during 2016 are showing clear signs of recovery in a very short period of time, and this is very welcoming news for all, but particularly for those whose livelihoods depend on tourism in these destinations.”

Travel was up by six percent worldwide over the same period the year prior, representing 21 million more International visitors (369 million worldwide visits).

For some perspective, UNWTO reminds January-April is a particularly busy few months and usually leads to 28 percent of the industry’s haul of visits annually with things like the Chinese New Year, Easter and the southern hemisphere’s summer filling its weeks.

Regions doing particularly well were the Middle East and Africa, which saw a bump of 10 percent and eight percent respectively.

This means the UNWTO is optimistic of what the coming months have to bring in the form of curiosity leading to increased bookings and travel.

UNWTO, via press release, proclaim experts' thoughts on tourism’s performance to start the year was the strongest in 12 years and continues: “Experts also show strong confidence in the current May-August period, as their prospects are the most optimistic in a decade, also driven by upbeat expectations in Europe.”

Here in the United States, experts have feared that a tandem of travel bans and rousing rhetoric from President Donald Trump might hurt the domestic travel industry.

Tourism Economics’s report from April showed that such issues would garner an $18 billion loss in tourism and 10.6 million fewer visits.

Other reports have been far sunnier since that time as evidenced by USWTO’s findings. CheapOAir also released a study in May that showed travel to the U.S. was up 50 percent since the first quarter of 2013.

This was countered by a Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) study that estimated the U.S. would feel the pinch of decreased travel spending—thanks in large part to the aforementioned administration policies—to the tune of $1.3 billion.

Here in the United States, at least, there is a great deal of conjecture as to what the future holds in the form of international visits.  

READ MORE: The Latest Travel Trends in 2017

Across the pond, things are far more hopeful. TravelPulse’s Janeen Christoff recently reported: “A new European Travel Commission (ETC) report shows that Europe welcomed 615 million international tourists during 2016 while the outlook for continued growth this year is ‘upbeat’ despite safety concerns, Brexit and policy changes from the U.S. government.”

Recent attacks in the United Kingdom have some cautious about how many travelers will actually visit in the coming months. CNN Money reported on Euromoniter’s findings that up to 285,000 people would reconsider heading to the U.K.

While USWTO’s study is welcomed news for the industry, it’s important to remember this is a turbulent time globally and myriad reports have differing perspectives on how things will play out.

With that said, it’s wonderful to see millions more people decided to turn sparks of curiosity into actual travel.

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