According to UNWTO Annual Report 2015, international tourist arrivals grew by 4.4% in 2015 to reach a total of 1,184 million in 2015, marking the year since the post-crisis year of 2010. Some 50 million more tourists (overnight visitors) travelled to international destinations around the world in 2015 than in 2014.
Demand remained strong overall, though with mixed results across individual destinations due to strong exchange rate fluctuations, increased safety and security concerns, and the drop in oil prices and other commodities, which increased disposable income in importing countries but weakened demand in exporters.
Growth in advanced economy destinations (+5%) exceeded that of emerging economies (+4%), boosted by the solid results of Europe (+5%).
By region, Europe, the Americas and Asia and the Pacific all recorded approximately 5% growth in 2015. Arrivals in the Middle East increased by 3% while data in Africa, albeit limited, pointed to an estimated 3% decrease largely due to weak results in North Africa, which accounts for over one third of arrivals in the region.
Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary-General said: "2015 was a landmark year for the global community. In September, the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a universal agenda for planet and people.
Among the 17 SDGs and 169 associated targets, tourism is explicitly featured in Goals 8, 12 and 14 for its capacity to foster economic growth and decent work for all, promote sustainable consumption and production, and advance conservation and sustainable development of aquatic resources. Yet, the sector’s cross-cutting nature and impact positions it to contribute strongly to attain all of the 17 Goals. At the highest political level, tourism has been recognised for its critical contribution to sustainable development. We have thus a large responsibility to ensure that this potential is realized and that the continued growth of the sector benefits people and planet.
Another milestone was passed in early December 2015, with the adoption by the international community of the Paris Agreement on climate change. This ambitious agreement calls upon our collective action to limit the global average temperature increase to well below 2 ̊ C above pre-industrial levels. Tourism is both a contributor to climate change and a victim of it.
Warmer temperatures, rising sea levels, coastal erosion and biodiversity loss threaten tourism’s very future in many locations. With its manifold socio-economic benefits and broad influence on a diverse range of sectors, tourism can and should also be a valuable part of the solution. We must therefore place the fight against climate change at the center of tourism development, along with effective resource management, poverty reduction and inclusive growth.
Also in December 2015, the United Nations declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. This is a unique opportunity to better establish tourism as a global and national priority, a valuable component of all efforts to advance economic growth, cultural and environmental protection, mutual understanding and peace. It reflects the belief of UNWTO that greater recognition should be given to the tourism sector as fundamental to shepherding us all into a sustainable and prosperous future.
Over one billion tourists travelled internationally in 2015. It is up to all involved in our sector to seize over one billion opportunities for sustainable development, in line with the post-2015 development framework and the SDGs. In this crucial new chapter of global development, UNWTO will continue to work to harness tourism’s full potential on economies, societies and the environment."
