São Paulo – Tourist inflow to the Middle East was back to growth in the first half of 2013, following two years of declining visitation. According to the half-yearly results released this Monday (26th) by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), tourist arrivals in the Middle East increased by 13% in the first half this year from the same period of 2012. The same survey shows that world tourist flows grew by 5%, a higher rate than the UNWTO had forecasted.
Although tourist flow to the Middle East countries grew in the first half, the UNWTO warned that the result must be taken "with caution” because growth among the destinations in the region is “rather uneven” and the assessment was based on limited data.
The survey, titled “UNWTO World Tourism Barometer,” shows that tourist flows to the African continent were up 4% from January to June this year. The growth was seen both in North Africa, which saw a “continued recovery” in tourist arrivals, and in Sub-Saharan Africa.
World tourism
The UNWTO survey also shows growth in global tourist flows. By June, the organization recorded 494 million overnight visitors, up 5% (i.e. 25 million tourists) from the first half of 2012. The growth exceeded the UNWTO’s own forecasts, as the organization expected a 3% to 4% increase. According to the UNWTO, 2012 had the highest number of tourist arrivals ever, at 1.035 billion.
“The fact that international tourism grew above expectations confirms that travelling is now part of consumer patterns for an increasing number of people in both emerging and advanced economies. This underlines the need to rightly place tourism as one of the key pillars of socio-economic development, being a leading contributor to economic growth, exports and jobs,” said UNWTO secretary general Taleb Rifai.
Tourist inflows increased by 6% in the Asia-Pacific region, 12% in Southeast Asia and 7% in South Asia. Arrivals grew by 5% in Europe and 10% in Western Europe. Southern Europe and the Mediterranean region posted a 6% increase in tourist arrivals.
Visitation was up 2.2% in the Americas. Arrivals were up 3.6% in North America, 0.1% in the Caribbean, 3.6% in Central America and 0.3% in South America.
According to the UNWTO, 45% of arrivals usually take place in the first half. The organization stated that in the second half, international travel should keep growing, albeit at a slower rate. The organization expects arrivals in 2013 to exceed those of 2012 by 4%.
Regarding tourist spending among the ten leading source markets, the Chinese have spent 31% more than in the first half of 2012, and the Russians have spent 22% more. According to the survey, Brazil does not rank among the ten leading tourist sources. However, Brazilian travellers spent 15% more than in the first half of 2012.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum