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The global travel industry is set to fully recover from the Covid-19 pandemic this month, according to U.N. Tourism. During the first nine months of 2024, international arrivals worldwide reached 98% of pre-pandemic levels, compared to the same period in 2019, it said. The remaining 2% gap will close this month, according to the organization, marking a momentous shift in the industry into a new era of growth. Most regions around the world have already crossed that threshold, most notably in the Middle East, where international arrivals were up 29% during the first nine month of 2024 from the same period in 2019, according to U.N. Tourism. Growth in the region during that timeframe was led by an increase of visitors to Qatar (+141%) and Saudi Arabia (+61%), it said. Africa and Europe have also fully recovered, with arrivals up 6% and 1%, respectively, it said.
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The Americas are close, closing in at 97% (-3%) of international arrivals this year, while Asia-Pacific is at 85% of pre-pandemic levels, as the region continues to bear the brunt of the slow return of Chinese travelers.
Epicenter of global growth
International travel in Asia-Pacific may be lagging behind today, but it’s expected to be the epicenter of global travel growth in the coming decades. Air passengers are expected to more than double in less than two decades — jumping from 8.69 billion in 2023 to 19.49 billion by 2042, according to Airports Council International Asia-Pacific and Middle East. Much of that growth is projected to come from Asia-Pacific. In the next 20 years, the airport trade organization estimates that more than one-third of new flyers will come from three countries: China, India and Indonesia.
Hospitality companies are aggressively expanding in the region in anticipation of the millions of people who are projected to enter the middle class in the next decade. On
Travel is finally back
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