MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

International tourism picking up in first half with South America best performer

UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai

International tourism grew by almost 5% in the first half of 2011 totalling a new record of 440 million arrivals according to the World Tourism Organization, the United Nations organization for the sector.

This confirms that “in spite of multiple challenges, international tourism continues to consolidate the return to growth initiated in 2010”, says the World Tourism Barometer which point out South America as the first performer in the period.

WTO reports that all world (sub) regions showed positive trends with the exception of the Middle East and North Africa. The Americas (+6%) was slightly above the world average, with remarkably strong results for South America (+15%). Asia and the Pacific grew at a comparatively slower pace of 5%, but this more than consolidates its 13% bumper growth of 2010.

Results were better than expected in Europe (+6%), boosted by the recovery of Northern Europe (+7%) and Central and Eastern Europe (+9%), and the temporary redistribution of travel to destinations in Southern and Mediterranean Europe (+7%) due to developments in North Africa (-13%) and the Middle East (-11%). Sub-Saharan Africa (+9%) continued to perform soundly.

“The sustained growth registered in tourism demand in such challenging times clearly makes the case for the sector and reinforces our call to consider tourism as a priority in national policies. Tourism can play a key role in terms of economic growth and development, particularly at a moment when many economies, for the most part in Europe and North America, struggle for recovery and job creation,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.

Results from recent months show that destinations such as Egypt, Tunisia or Japan are seeing declines in demand clearly reverting. “We are very encouraged to see demand picking up in such important tourism destinations and call for continued support to these countries which are today fully ready to receive travellers from all over the world,” added Rifai