According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, international tourist arrivals worldwide increased by 5% during the first eight months of 2014.

The number of international tourists (overnight visitors) who travelled the world from January to August 2014 reached 781 million, 36 million more than during the same period in 2013. International tourism, up 5%, continued to grow well above the UNWTO's long-term projection for the period 2010-2020 (+3,8%). The peak period of June, July, and August, which accounts for about a third of the annual total, showed growth of 4% compared to the same months in 2013.
By region, the Americas saw the strongest growth (+8%), ahead of Asia-Pacific (+5%) and Europe. Europe, the world's most visited region, posted a 4% increase in international tourist arrivals from January to August, with strong results in Northern Europe and Southern Mediterranean (+7% in both cases). In contrast, international tourism growth, more moderate in Western Europe (+3%), stagnated in Central and Eastern Europe (-1%).
The UNWTO estimates that, for the whole of 2014, international tourist arrivals will increase by 4% to 4,5%, slightly more than the UNWTO's long-term forecast of 3,8% per year during the period 2010 to 2020. (Source: UNWTO)

Friday October 31 2014

With kind permission of the Journal de l'Hôtellerie