International travel between January and
April 2013 rose 4.3 per cent year-on-year, with the Asia-Pacific region
boasting the strongest growth.
The number of international tourist arrivals
hit 298 million in the first four months of the year, up 12 million from 2012’s
286 million tourists, according to a United Nations World Tourism Organization
(UNWTO) report.
“International tourism continues to show an
extraordinary dynamism,” said UNWTO secretary-general, Taleb Rifai. “The 4.3 per cent growth in the number of
international tourists crossing borders in the first months of 2013 confirms
that tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors of our times, contributing
in a central manner to the economy of a growing number of countries,” he added.
While all regions registered positive growth,
Asia-Pacific led the pack with a six per cent rise in visitor arrivals. Europe
and the Middle East followed at five per cent, trailed by Africa (two per cent)
and the Americas (one per cent).
Among the world’s sub-regions, South-east
Asia took tops for its significant 12 per cent growth. Other star performers
included South Asia, and Central and Eastern Europe, both with nine per cent.
The strong performance of South-east Asia and
South Asia highlight the trend of emerging economy destinations outgrowing
advanced economies as holiday spots in recent years. Worldwide, the number of
tourists visiting emerging destinations grew 4.6 per cent, compared to advanced
economies, which expanded 3.3 per cent.
Looking ahead to the peak tourism months of
May to August, prospects remain positive and some 435 million tourists are
expected to travel abroad. Business intelligence tool Forwardkeys has already
noted a four per cent increase in international air travel reservations for
that period.
For
the full year of 2013, international tourist arrivals are expected to increase
by between three and four per cent, in line with UNWTO’s long-term forecast of
3.8 per cent per year for the period 2010-2020.
-TTG Asia.
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