According to UN Tourism, nearly 690 million tourists traveled internationally between January and June 2025, an increase of about 33 million compared to the same period in 2024. The organization reported mixed results across regions, with Africa recording the strongest performance and Asia-Pacific continuing its rebound toward pre-pandemic levels.
The World Tourism Barometer released by UN Tourism shows that growth in international arrivals and revenues contributed to local economies, jobs and livelihoods in most destinations. Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said, “In the face of global challenges, international tourism continues to see strong momentum and resilience. The first half of 2025 brought growing arrival numbers and revenues for most destinations around the world, which contribute to local economies, jobs and livelihoods. Yet, this also reminds us of our great responsibility to ensure this growth is sustainable and inclusive and to work with all local stakeholders in that sense.”
Regional Performance
Africa led global growth with a 12% increase in arrivals compared to the first half of 2024. North Africa grew by 14% and Sub-Saharan Africa by 11%. Europe welcomed nearly 340 million international tourists, 4% more than in 2024 and 7% above 2019. Central and Eastern Europe grew 9% but remained 11% below pre-pandemic levels.
The Americas reported 3% growth overall. South America rose 14%, while Central America increased by 2%. North America and the Caribbean both posted flat results, reflecting small declines in arrivals from major source markets such as the United States. The Middle East saw 4% fewer arrivals, though numbers remained 29% above 2019 levels, the strongest regional result compared to pre-pandemic benchmarks.
Asia and the Pacific recorded an 11% increase, reaching 92% of pre-pandemic levels. North-East Asia grew 20% compared to 2024 but remained 8% below 2019 levels. Japan and Vietnam posted 21% growth, the Republic of Korea 15%, and Morocco 19%. Mexico and the Netherlands each recorded 7% growth, while Malaysia and Indonesia both rose 9%. France and Spain, the world’s top destinations, each grew 5%.
Travel Demand and Receipts
Data from IATA showed international air traffic and capacity grew 7% in the first half of 2025 compared to 2024. Global accommodation occupancy was 69% in June 2025 and 71% in July, similar to last year. Tourism receipts increased significantly, with Japan up 18%, the UK up 13% through March, France up 9%, Spain up 8% and Türkiye up 8%. Outbound spending also rose, led by China and Spain (+16% each), the UK (+15%), Singapore (+10%) and the Republic of Korea (+8%).
In 2024, international tourism receipts grew 11% to a record USD 1.734 trillion, 14% above pre-pandemic levels in real terms, reflecting strong visitor spending worldwide.
Risks and Outlook
Economic pressures and geopolitical uncertainty remain the main risks for global tourism. High transport and accommodation costs were identified as the top challenge in the September 2025 survey of UN Tourism’s Panel of Experts. Tourism inflation is projected to ease from 8.0% in 2024 to 6.8% in 2025, still above pre-pandemic levels of 3.1%.
Experts also cited lower consumer confidence and geopolitical risks among the main factors affecting the sector. Trade tariffs and travel requirements were additional concerns. Despite these challenges, confidence for the rest of 2025 improved slightly, with experts giving September-December a score of 120 on the UN Tourism Confidence Index, up from 114 for May-August.
Half of surveyed experts expect tourism to perform better or much better than last year in the final months of 2025. UN Tourism maintained its projection of 3% to 5% growth in international arrivals for the year, pointing to resilience in global travel demand.
