ANKARA, May 21 — International tourism reached 97 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of this year, United Nations Tourism said today.
More than 285 million tourists travelled internationally in January-March, rising 20 per cent from the previous year, it said.
While export revenues from tourism remained at 97 per cent, direct tourism GDP reached the same levels as in 2019, Anadolu Agency reported.
The UN agency expects international tourism to fully recover this year, with arrivals exceeding 2 per cent of 2019 levels.
Europe, the world’s largest destination region, surpassed pre-virus levels in a quarter for the first time, up 1 per cent to 120 million international tourists in the first three months of the year, backed by robust intra-regional demand.
The Middle East saw the strongest relative growth, with international arrivals exceeding by 36 per cent pre-pandemic levels in January-March, Anadolu reported.
Contrary to others, the Asia-Pacific region has not fully recovered yet despite a strong growth in international tourist figures. Arrivals reached 82 per cent of its 2019 first-quarter level, it said.
— Bernama
