Europe It is the region of the world that recovers tourists more quickly. In the first quarter of the year, the so-called Old Continent multiplied the numbers for the same period in 2021 almost fourfold, above all due to intra-regional demand, although 43% below those of 2019, before the pandemic.
In the Americas, international arrivals were double those of the first months of 2021, but are 46% lower than those of 2019.
According to the latest barometer of the World Tourism Organization (WTO), the international tourist activity grew between January and March by 182% (almost three times more) compared to those same months of the previous year.
There were 117 million arrivals, compared to 41 million in the first quarter of 2021, but still 61% lower than the pre-Covid data.
The Middle East and Africa, with increases of 132% and 96% over January-March 2021, are also growing vigorously, but still around 60% below pre-pandemic levels.
In the case of Asia and the Pacific, where many destinations are still closed to foreign tourism, the increases in relation to 2021 are 64%, although they remain 93% below 2019.
By subregions, the Caribbean and Mediterranean Europe show the highest growth rates, with international tourist arrivals standing at 75% of the volumes prior to the COVID-19 health crisis, and even some destinations already they outgrow them.
Cuba registers a notable increase in international tourists so far in 2022
At the same time, the UNWTO Confidence Indicator has returned to 2019 levels for the first time since the start of the pandemic, due to greater optimism about the evolution of the sector among the experts consulted around the world.
These warn of a strong explosion in demand, especially in trips within Europe and in movements between the United States and Europe.
For all these reasons, the UNWTO has revised its forecasts for 2022 upwards and calculates that international tourist arrivals will remain between 55 and 70% of those of 2019.
The final data will depend on how travel restrictions, the war in Ukraine, the appearance of possible new variants of the coronavirus and global economic conditions, in particular inflation and energy prices, evolve.
The UNWTO barometer also reflects that revenue from tourism exports totaled 713,000 million dollars (665,000 million euros) in 2021, 4% more than in 2020, but 61% less than in 2019.
The average cost per trip grew from 1,000 dollars (933 euros) in 2019 to 1,400 dollars (1,306 euros) in 2021.
