ZCZC
BCN-04
CONOMIE-TOURISM-LEISURE
World tourism numbers up 6.0% in first half of 2018: UN
MADRID, Oct 11, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – International tourist
numbers grew 6.0 percent in the first half of 2018, with southern
Europe and southeast Asia posting the biggest growth, due to the
upturn in the global economy, the UN World Tourism Organization
said Wednesday.
The number of international tourists surged to around 641
million between January and June, some 37 million more than during
the same period last year, the Madrid-based United Nations body
said in a statement.
“Today’s release of international tourism data for the first
half of 2018 serves as further proof of the sector’s resilience
and relentless growth trajectory,” said UNWTO Secretary-General
Zurab Pololikashvili.
All world regions “enjoyed robust growth in tourist arrivals”
during the first half, with the increase “fuelled by strong demand
from major source markets, supported by an upswing in the global
economy”.
Britain, France and Russia all posted double-digit increases
in outbound spending in Europe, while India and South Korea drove
growth in Asia.
Southern and Mediterranean Europe saw an 8.7 percent rise in
international visitors while southeast Asia recorded a 9.4-percent
increase.
Tourist arrivals overall in Europe, the world’s most-visited
region, grew 6.8 percent.
China, the world’s top tourism source market, reported
similar spending as in the same time last year.
In the whole of 2017, the number of international tourist
arrivals grew by 7.0 percent from the previous year to 1.33
billion, and the UN body expects the figure to grow by four to
five percent this year.
BSS/AFP/HR/0920