MADRID —
International tourist arrivals tripled in the first quarter compared with the
same period in 2021, with Europe leading the rebound as
COVID restrictions were
eased, the UN’s tourism agency said Monday.
اضافة اعلان
In the first three
months of 2022, there were 117 million global tourist arrivals, up from 41
million in the same period a year earlier, with the figures showing an increase
of 182 percent, the Madrid-based
UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) said.
Although the
figure remained 61 percent lower than the first quarter of 2019, a year before
the pandemic, it showed tourism was continuing to recover “at a strong pace” as
“restrictions ease and confidence returns”, it said.
“Of the extra 76
million international arrivals for the first three months, about 47 million
were recorded in March, showing that the recovery is gathering pace.”
The increase was
particularly notable in Europe, which welcomed almost four times as many
arrivals as in 2021, an increase of 280 percent.
Strong growth was
also seen in the
Americas, where arrivals more than doubled (up 117 percent)
and in the Middle East, up 132 percent.
“The gradual
recovery is expected to continue throughout 2022, as more destinations ease or
lift travel restrictions and pent-up demand is unleashed,” the agency said,
pointing to “a significant increase in flight reservations”.
By June 2, 45
destinations (two thirds of which were in Europe) no longer had COVID-related
restrictions in place, while in Asia, an increasing number of destinations had
begun easing restrictions.
However, the UNWTO
retained a prudent outlook for the coming months, given the risks linked to the
“challenging economic environment” and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The Russian
offensive on
Ukraine seems to have had a limited direct impact on overall
results so far,” it said.
But it was having
“major economic repercussions globally” by exacerbating fuel and energy costs
“which results in higher transport and accommodation costs for the tourism
sector” that could weigh on the sector’s recovery, it warned.
Read more Region and World
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
