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The number of international tourist arrivals in 2025 will reach 1.52 billion, up 4% from 2024, according to the United Nations Tourism Organization (UN Tourism).
According to the organization, tourists will make 1.52 billion international trips in 2025—60 million more than the previous year. UN Tourism notes that these figures indicate a return to pre-COVID growth rates: from 2009 to 2019, international tourism grew by an average of 5% annually. This growth was driven by the recovery of tourism activity in Asia and the Pacific, the expansion of air travel, the simplification of visa regimes, and strong performance in key tourist source markets.
UN Tourism Secretary-General Sheikha Alnuwais said demand for international travel remained strong throughout 2025, despite high tourism inflation and ongoing uncertainty related to geopolitical tensions.
UN Tourism expects the positive trend to continue in 2026, provided the global economy remains stable.
According to regional data, Europe will welcome 793 million international tourist arrivals in 2025 – 4% more than in 2024 and 6% more than in 2019. In the Asia-Pacific region, arrivals reached 331 million, 6% higher than the previous year, but still 9% below pre-COVID levels, as the region continues to recover.
The Americas welcomed 218 million tourists in 2025, up 1% from the previous year. However, results across subregions were mixed: after a strong first half of the year, the third and fourth quarters saw a slight decline, partly due to weak performance in the United States. The highest growth rates were recorded in South America (+7%) and Central America (+5%).
In the Middle East, international tourism growth will be 3% in 2025, up 39% from 2019, the best result among all regions. The number of international tourists approached 100 million.
Africa, which welcomed 81 million tourists, saw growth of 8% in 2025, with particularly strong performance in North Africa, where arrivals increased by 11%.
UN Tourism names Brazil (+37%), Egypt (+20%), Morocco (+14%) and the Seychelles (+13%) among the countries with the fastest growth in inbound tourism in 2025.
