Number of international tourist arrivals worldwide 2005-2021, by region

The number of international tourist arrivals worldwide rose by approximately nine percent in 2021 over the previous year, after declining sharply in 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Overall, Europe reported the highest volume of inbound travelers in 2021, with roughly 303 million arrivals. Although this figure denoted a 25 percent annual increase, the number of international arrivals in that region remained way 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 nearly halved in 2020 over the previous year due to the pandemic, then went up slightly in 2021.

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 first experience a slight annual increase in 2021, then bounce back in 2022. That year, looking at the regional breakdown of the inbound tourism visitor growth worldwide, the Asia Pacific region is predicted to report the most significant annual increment in inbound tourists.