PHOTO: Asian travelers are driving growth in Asian destinations as in these sun lovers on the beach in the Thai resort of Pattaya. (courtesy Tourism Authority of Thailand)

The world’s growing love of tourism grew at a record pace in 2013 according to the new UN World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) World Tourism Barometer despite economic difficulty in some of the world’s traditional source markets. Southeast Asia was the fastest growing region and Europe led all in absolute terms with an extra 29 million arrivals.

The barometer cited a record 1,087 million arrivals in 2013. The number exceeded expectations by 52 million, for a 5 percent growth overall. “The tourism sector has shown a remarkable capacity to adjust to the changing market conditions, fuelling growth and job creation around the world, despite the lingering economic and geopolitical challenges,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.

For 2014, UNWTO forecasts 4 percent to 4.5 percent growth which would also exceed long term projections. Not surprisingly, demand for international tourism was strongest in the booming Asia and the Pacific (up 6 percent) region. Africa (up 6 percent) and Europe (up 5 percent) also recorded strong growth rates. The leading sub-regions were Southeast Asia (up 10 percent), Central and Eastern Europe (up 7 percent), Southern and Mediterranean Europe (up 6 percent) and North Africa (up 6 percent).

The UNWTO believes the blue skies will continue, forecasting international arrivals to increase by 4 to 4.5 percent in 2014. That beats the long-term forecast of +3.8 percent per year between 2010 and 2020 that the UNWTO previously predicted. The UNWTO Confidence Index, based on the feedback from over 300 experts worldwide, confirms this outlook with prospects for 2014 higher than in previous years.

Europe led growth in absolute terms, welcoming an additional 29 million international tourist arrivals in 2013, raising the total to 563 million. Growth (up 5 percent) exceeded Europe’s forecast for 2013 and is double the region’s average for the period 2005-2012 (up 2.5 percent a year). With so many of Europe’s source markets being within Europe, where the economic performance is very up and down, the Continent’s performance in generating tourists is confounding the experts. Europe also enjoyed robust years in 2011 and 2012. By sub-region, Central and Eastern Europe (up 7 percent) and Southern Mediterranean Europe (up 6 percent) experienced the best results.

In relative terms, growth was strongest in Asia and the Pacific (up 6 percent), where the number of international tourists grew by 14 million to reach 248 million. Southeast Asia (up 10 percent), where intra-regional tourism is so vital, was the best performing sub-region, while growth was comparatively more moderate in South Asia (up 5 percent), Oceania and North-East Asia (up 4 percent each).

The Americas (up 4 percent) saw an increase of 6 million arrivals, reaching a total of 169 million. Leading growth were destinations in North and Central America (up 4 percent each), while South America (up 2 percent) and the Caribbean (up 1 percent) showed some slowdown as compared to 2012.

Africa (up 6 percent) attracted 3 million additional arrivals, reaching a new record of 56 million, reflecting the on-going rebound in North Africa (up 6 percent) and the sustained growth of Sub-Saharan destinations (up 5 percent). Results in the Middle East (+0 percent at 52 million) were mixed and volatile.

Russia and China became the world’s largest outbound markets in 2012 with an expenditure of $ 102 billion in 2012, the first three quarters of 2013 increased 28 percent over the same period in 2012. The United States outbound market grew 3 percent. China also enjoys a phenomenal domestic business. The city of Xian, for instance, received 100 million visitors in 2013.

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