UN: Tourism defies terror attacks, witnesses record growth

World
Europe

International tourist number registered a growth of 6.4 percent in the first half of 2017, strongest half-yearly figures in seven years, with Mediterranean destinations posting double-digit growth, the UN World Tourism Organisation said Thursday.

The number of international tourists surged to around 598 million between January and June, some 36 million more than during the same period last year, the Madrid-based United Nations body said in a statement.

Increase in numbers of business confidence coupled with strong outbound demand from major source markets such as Britain, China, France and the United States motivated people to travel more.

UNWTO‍ infographic shows "world's top tourism spenders". /UNWTO Photo

"The first half of 2017 shows healthy growth in an increasingly dynamic and resilient tourism market, including a strong recovery in some of the destinations impacted by security challenges last year," said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai.

Mediterranean destinations reported "particularly strong growth" in the first half of 2017, including Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey, despite these countries have suffered political unrest or terrorism in recent years, the organisation said.

Southern and Mediterranean Europe saw a 12-percent rise in international visitors, North Africa posted a 16-percent rise and the Middle East recorded an increase of 8.9 percent.

Greece, Mediterranean. /Photo via cruiseholidays.com

Tourist arrivals overall in Europe, the world's most-visited region, grew 7.7 percent.

Africa saw a 7.6-percent rise in visitor numbers, while Asia and the Pacific posted 5.7-percent growth.

International arrivals in the Americas were up 3.0 percent in the first half of the year.

Growth was solid in South America, up by 6.0 percent, while North America saw just 2.0 percent growth as a decrease in arrivals in the United States offset robust results for Canada and Mexico.

In the whole of 2016, the number of international tourist arrivals grew by 3.9 percent from the previous year to 1.23 billion and the UN body expects the figure to grow by three to four percent this year.

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Source(s): AFP