World tourism returns to pre-crisis levels—UN

MADRID—World tourism has returned to levels last seen before the global financial meltdown in late 2008, with the Asia-Pacific region leading the way, the UN World Tourism Organization said Wednesday.

“As on previous occasions, such as after the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and the 2003 SARS outbreak, tourism has again confirmed a strong capacity for recovery,” the Madrid-based body said.

Tourist arrivals from January to August totalled 642 million, some 40 million more than during the same period in 2009 and one million more than in the last “pre-crisis” year of 2008, which saw record numbers, it said in a report.

“International tourism continues to recover from the decline of 4.2 percent suffered last year under the impact of the economic crisis,” it said.

It projected an increase of 5.0-6.0 percent over the full year and of around 4.0 percent in 2011.

Emerging country destinations continued to lead the way while Europe recovered at a slower pace, the UNWTO said.

“Although recovery is still lagging in parts of Europe and the Americas, many destinations are already showing real growth and setting new records.”

It said the Asia-Pacific region in particular has “shown resilience and a strong capacity for recovery.

“The region was caught quite early and suddenly by the economic crisis but was also the first to show signs of recovery, posting an impressive 14 percent growth in international arrivals through August 2010.”

It has gained an extra 10 million international tourist arrivals compared to the pre-crisis year of 2008, with most destinations registering double-digit growth rates and many even more than 20 percent.

The organization also noted strong growth in the Middle East, up 16 percent, and in Africa, up 9.0 percent, helped by the soccer World Cup hosted by South Africa.

“These results reinforce the message that we have been underscoring since the outbreak of the global crisis at the end of 2008 – that tourism is one of the most dynamic economic sectors and a key driver in creating much needed growth and employment,” UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai said.

“Tourism has been seriously impacted by the global crisis but less than other export sectors and is currently rebounding faster and more robustly.”

He also appealed to governments to resist the temptation to halt tax increases on travel, particularly on air transport.

“These impediments seriously affect our capacity to generate jobs and stimulate economic growth, namely through export earnings that are crucial to a stable economic recovery.” –Agence France-Presse