The UNWTO report — by the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism — said international tourist arrivals grew by five percent in the first nine months of 2013, to reach a record 845 million worldwide — an estimated 41 million more than in the same period of 2012.
The growth was driven by Europe and Asia and the Pacific — both regions seeing tourist numbers increase by 6%. “International tourism continues to grow above expectations, supporting economic growth in both advanced and emerging economies and bringing much needed support to job creation, GDP and the balance of payments of many destinations” said UNWTO secretary-general Taleb Rifai.
“It is particularly encouraging to see the strong results in many European destinations, where the tourism sector is, undoubtedly, one of the engines of the economic recovery.”
