UN Tourism reports strong Q1 2025 international arrival numbers, with most regions surpassing or nearing pre-COVID benchmarks – led by sharp rebounds in Africa, North-East Asia, and the Middle East
May 29, 2025
International tourism continued its recovery with strong momentum in early 2025, according to the latest World Tourism Barometer by UN Tourism. Over 300 million tourists traveled globally in the first quarter—a 5% increase over Q1 2024 and 3% above the same period in 2019, marking the first time global tourism numbers have surpassed pre-pandemic levels in a first-quarter period.
Key takeaways
- Europe welcomed 125 million tourists (+2% YoY), with Southern Mediterranean up 2% and Central/Eastern Europe growing +8%, especially in Baltic nations.
- Africa posted the highest growth relative to 2019, with +9% YoY and +16% vs. 2019.
- Americas saw a modest +2% YoY, with South America outperforming at +13% due to strong summer travel.
- Middle East posted +1% YoY, but remains a standout with +44% over 2019 levels.
- Asia and the Pacific surged +12% YoY, now at 92% of 2019 levels. North-East Asia led all sub-regions with +23% growth, nearing full recovery.
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