São Paulo – This week, the United Nations’ World Tourism Organization (WTO) issued a survey on the industry’s worldwide flow in the first half of the year. The organization recorded an international flow of 440 million tourists, an increase of 19 million compared with the same period of last year.
According to the UN agency, the increase was an all-time high for the period, at a time in which the industry is supposedly still recovering from the world financial crisis.
The survey, entitled World Tourism Barometer, shows that tourist flow grew in all regions, expect for the Middle East and North Africa. It is worth noting that countries with a strong vocation for tourism in the Arab world, such as Egypt, Tunisia and Syria, have staged popular uprisings and political unrest since the beginning of the year.
According to the WTO, tourism grew by 15% in Soutnh America, and in Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, there was growth of 9%. According to a statement issued by the organization, its secretary general Taleb Rifa claimed that the industry may play a key role in economic recovery and job creation.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
