São Paulo – Destinations around the world welcomed 561 million international tourists in the first half of the year, up 21 million or 4% from H1 2015, according to the Global Tourism Barometer released this week by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
The highest growth, 9%, took place in Asia and the Pacific. Africa saw a 5% increase, driven by Sub-Saharan countries, while the North keeps showing weak results. In the Americas, tourism grew 4%, with 6% increments in both Central and South America. Europe tourism climbed 3%. Middle East statistics are limited, according to the UNWTO, but show a 9% drop, with uneven results from country to country.
“Tourism has proven to be one of the most resilient economic sectors worldwide,” UNWTO secretary-general Taleb Rifai said according to a press release.
According to the organization, usually 46% of tourism takes place during the first half of the year, and the outlook for the remainder of 2016 is good. There is strong confidence in the performance of destinations in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific, although specialists are more cautious regarding Europe and the Middle East.
Markets
The UNWTO also reported that China remains the leading issuer of tourists, with a 20% in the first half. The United States are the second biggest source of tourists, and saw an 8% increase. Germany came in third at 4%. Other highlights include Spain (20%), Norway (11%), Australia (10%) and Japan (6%). Russia and Brazil tourist numbers were weak due to their struggling economies and depreciated currencies.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
