Global tourism rebounds as Africa records 81m visitors in 2025

Global tourism is regaining its pre-pandemic momentum, with growth rates returning to the 5 percent annual average seen between 2009 and 2019. Africa is leading the recovery with the strongest results in 2025, while Asia and the Pacific continue to rebound steadily.

According to UN Tourism, results were driven by strong demand, robust performance from large source markets and the ongoing recovery of destinations in Asia and the Pacific. Increased air connectivity and enhanced visa facilitation also supported international travel in 2025.

Shaikha Alnuwais, secretary-general, UN Tourism, said: “Demand for travel remained high throughout 2025, despite high inflation in tourism services and uncertainty from geopolitical tensions. We expect this positive trend to continue into 2026 as the global economy is expected to remain steady and destinations still lagging behind pre-pandemic levels fully recover.”

The World Tourism Barometer by UN Tourism provides comprehensive data for the sector by region, sub-region and destination. Key takeaways from this edition show:

Europe, the world’s largest destination region, recorded 793 million international tourists in 2025, a 4 percent increase from 2024 and 6 percent more than in 2019. Western Europe (+5 percent) and Southern Mediterranean Europe (+3 percent) saw robust performance. Central and Eastern Europe rebounded strongly (+6 percent) though arrivals remained 9 percent below 2019 levels.

The Americas (218 million) recorded 1 percent growth last year, with mixed results across subregions. After a strong first half of 2025, the region saw small declines in Q3 and Q4, partly due to weak results in the United States. South America (+7 percent) and Central America (+5 percent) led the results by subregion. Some destinations in the Caribbean (+0 percent) were affected by Hurricane Melissa in the last quarter of the year.

Africa (81 million) saw an 8 percent increase in arrivals in 2025, with particularly strong results in North Africa (+11 percent). The Middle East recorded 3 percent growth in 2025, equivalent to 39 percent above pre-pandemic levels, the strongest results relative to 2019. The region virtually reached the mark of 100 million international visitors in 2025.

Arrivals in Asia and the Pacific (331 million) grew 6 percent last year but are still 9 percent below 2019 levels as the region continued to rebound. North-East Asia led performance with 13 percent growth over 2024, while South Asia recovered pre-pandemic levels.

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