Number of international tourist arrivals worldwide 2005-2022, by region

The number of international tourist arrivals worldwide roughly doubled in 2022 over the previous year, following a sharp drop with the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Overall, Europe reported the highest volume of inbound travelers, with around 595 million arrivals in 2022. Although this figure denoted a significant annual increase, the number of international arrivals in that region remained below pre-pandemic levels.

Impact of COVID-19 on travel and tourism worldwide

The COVID-19 pandemic set unprecedented challenges for the global travel and tourism market in 2020 and 2021, as countries worldwide introduced lockdowns and travel bans to curb the number of infections. As a result of the COVID-19 impact, the estimated number of jobs lost in the travel and tourism industry worldwide totaled 62 million in 2020. Meanwhile, the share of total gross domestic product generated by the global travel and tourism industry in 2022 did not catch up with pre-pandemic levels yet.

When will inbound tourism worldwide recover?

According to a report published by the European Travel Commission, the global volume of inbound travelers was forecast to rise sharply in 2022 and experience further grow in 2023. That year, looking at the regional breakdown of the inbound tourism visitor growth worldwide, the Asia Pacific region is predicted to report the highest annual increment in inbound tourists.