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By: Bastian Herre , Veronika Samborska and Max Roser
Tourism has massively increased in recent decades. Aviation has opened up travel from domestic to international. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of international visits had more than doubled since 2000.
Tourism can be important for both the travelers and the people in the countries they visit.
For visitors, traveling can increase their understanding of and appreciation for people in other countries and their cultures.
And in many countries, many people rely on tourism for their income. In some, it is one of the largest industries.
But tourism also has externalities: it contributes to global carbon emissions and can encroach on local environments and cultures.
On this page, you can find data and visualizations on the history and current state of tourism across the world.
Interactive Charts on Tourism
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UN Tourism Data Dashboard
The UN Tourism Data Dashboard – provides statistics and insights on key indicators for inbound and outbound tourism at the global, regional and national levels. Data covers tourist arrivals, tourism share of exports and contribution to GDP, source markets, seasonality and accommodation (data on number of rooms, guest and nights)
Two special modules present data on the impact of COVID 19 on tourism as well as a Policy Tracker on Measures to Support Tourism
The UN Tourism/IATA Destination Tracker
UN Tourism Recovery Tracker
- International tourist arrivals and receipts and export revenues
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- Seasonality
- Tourism Flows
- Accommodation
- Tourism GDP and Employment
- Domestic Tourism
International Tourism and COVID-19
- The pandemic generated a loss of 2.6 billion international arrivals in 2020, 2021 and 2022 combined
- Export revenues from international tourism dropped 62% in 2020 and 59% in 2021, versus 2019 (real terms) and then rebounded in 2022, remaining 34% below pre-pandemic levels.
- The total loss in export revenues from tourism amounts to USD 2.6 trillion for that three-year period.
- International tourist arrivals reached 88% of pre-pandemic levels in January-December 2023
COVID-19: Measures to Support Travel and Tourism
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Travel, Tourism & Hospitality
Global tourism industry - statistics & facts
What are the leading global tourism destinations, digitalization of the global tourism industry, how important is sustainable tourism, key insights.
Detailed statistics
Total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP worldwide 2019-2033
Number of international tourist arrivals worldwide 1950-2023
Global leisure travel spend 2019-2022
Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic
Leading global travel markets by travel and tourism contribution to GDP 2019-2022
Travel and tourism employment worldwide 2019-2033
Further recommended statistics
- Basic Statistic Total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP worldwide 2019-2033
- Basic Statistic Travel and tourism: share of global GDP 2019-2033
- Basic Statistic Leading global travel markets by travel and tourism contribution to GDP 2019-2022
- Basic Statistic Global leisure travel spend 2019-2022
- Premium Statistic Global business travel spending 2001-2022
- Premium Statistic Number of international tourist arrivals worldwide 1950-2023
- Basic Statistic Number of international tourist arrivals worldwide 2005-2023, by region
- Basic Statistic Travel and tourism employment worldwide 2019-2033
Total contribution of travel and tourism to gross domestic product (GDP) worldwide in 2019 and 2022, with a forecast for 2023 and 2033 (in trillion U.S. dollars)
Travel and tourism: share of global GDP 2019-2033
Share of travel and tourism's total contribution to GDP worldwide in 2019 and 2022, with a forecast for 2023 and 2033
Total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in leading travel markets worldwide in 2019 and 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Leisure tourism spending worldwide from 2019 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Global business travel spending 2001-2022
Expenditure of business tourists worldwide from 2001 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Number of international tourist arrivals worldwide from 1950 to 2023 (in millions)
Number of international tourist arrivals worldwide 2005-2023, by region
Number of international tourist arrivals worldwide from 2005 to 2023, by region (in millions)
Number of travel and tourism jobs worldwide from 2019 to 2022, with a forecast for 2023 and 2033 (in millions)
- Premium Statistic Global hotel and resort industry market size worldwide 2013-2023
- Premium Statistic Most valuable hotel brands worldwide 2023, by brand value
- Basic Statistic Leading hotel companies worldwide 2023, by number of properties
- Premium Statistic Hotel openings worldwide 2021-2024
- Premium Statistic Hotel room openings worldwide 2021-2024
- Premium Statistic Countries with the most hotel construction projects in the pipeline worldwide 2022
Global hotel and resort industry market size worldwide 2013-2023
Market size of the hotel and resort industry worldwide from 2013 to 2022, with a forecast for 2023 (in trillion U.S. dollars)
Most valuable hotel brands worldwide 2023, by brand value
Leading hotel brands based on brand value worldwide in 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Leading hotel companies worldwide 2023, by number of properties
Leading hotel companies worldwide as of June 2023, by number of properties
Hotel openings worldwide 2021-2024
Number of hotels opened worldwide from 2021 to 2022, with a forecast for 2023 and 2024
Hotel room openings worldwide 2021-2024
Number of hotel rooms opened worldwide from 2021 to 2022, with a forecast for 2023 and 2024
Countries with the most hotel construction projects in the pipeline worldwide 2022
Countries with the highest number of hotel construction projects in the pipeline worldwide as of Q4 2022
- Premium Statistic Airports with the most international air passenger traffic worldwide 2022
- Premium Statistic Market value of selected airlines worldwide 2023
- Premium Statistic Global passenger rail users forecast 2017-2027
- Premium Statistic Daily ridership of bus rapid transit systems worldwide by region 2023
- Premium Statistic Number of users of car rentals worldwide 2019-2028
- Premium Statistic Number of users in selected countries in the Car Rentals market in 2023
- Premium Statistic Carbon footprint of international tourism transport worldwide 2005-2030, by type
Airports with the most international air passenger traffic worldwide 2022
Leading airports for international air passenger traffic in 2022 (in million international passengers)
Market value of selected airlines worldwide 2023
Market value of selected airlines worldwide as of May 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Global passenger rail users forecast 2017-2027
Worldwide number of passenger rail users from 2017 to 2022, with a forecast through 2027 (in billion users)
Daily ridership of bus rapid transit systems worldwide by region 2023
Number of daily passengers using bus rapid transit (BRT) systems as of April 2023, by region
Number of users of car rentals worldwide 2019-2028
Number of users of car rentals worldwide from 2019 to 2028 (in millions)
Number of users in selected countries in the Car Rentals market in 2023
Number of users in selected countries in the Car Rentals market in 2023 (in million)
Carbon footprint of international tourism transport worldwide 2005-2030, by type
Transport-related emissions from international tourist arrivals worldwide in 2005 and 2016, with a forecast for 2030, by mode of transport (in million metric tons of carbon dioxide)
Attractions
- Premium Statistic Leading museums by highest attendance worldwide 2019-2022
- Basic Statistic Most visited amusement and theme parks worldwide 2019-2022
- Basic Statistic Monuments on the UNESCO world heritage list 2023, by type
- Basic Statistic Selected countries with the most Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide 2023
Leading museums by highest attendance worldwide 2019-2022
Most visited museums worldwide from 2019 to 2022 (in millions)
Most visited amusement and theme parks worldwide 2019-2022
Leading amusement and theme parks worldwide from 2019 to 2022, by attendance (in millions)
Monuments on the UNESCO world heritage list 2023, by type
Number of monuments on the UNESCO world heritage list as of September 2023, by type
Selected countries with the most Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide 2023
Number of Michelin-starred restaurants in selected countries and territories worldwide as of July 2023
Online travel market
- Premium Statistic Online travel market size worldwide 2017-2028
- Premium Statistic Estimated desktop vs. mobile revenue of leading OTAs worldwide 2023
- Premium Statistic Number of aggregated downloads of leading online travel agency apps worldwide 2023
- Basic Statistic Market cap of leading online travel companies worldwide 2023
- Premium Statistic Estimated EV/Revenue ratio in the online travel market 2024, by segment
- Premium Statistic Estimated EV/EBITDA ratio in the online travel market 2024, by segment
Online travel market size worldwide 2017-2028
Online travel market size worldwide from 2017 to 2023, with a forecast until 2028 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Estimated desktop vs. mobile revenue of leading OTAs worldwide 2023
Estimated desktop vs. mobile revenue of leading online travel agencies (OTAs) worldwide in 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Number of aggregated downloads of leading online travel agency apps worldwide 2023
Number of aggregated downloads of selected leading online travel agency apps worldwide in 2023 (in millions)
Market cap of leading online travel companies worldwide 2023
Market cap of leading online travel companies worldwide as of September 2023 (in million U.S. dollars)
Estimated EV/Revenue ratio in the online travel market 2024, by segment
Estimated enterprise value to revenue (EV/Revenue) ratio in the online travel market worldwide as of April 2024, by segment
Estimated EV/EBITDA ratio in the online travel market 2024, by segment
Estimated enterprise value to EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio in the online travel market worldwide as of April 2024, by segment
Selected trends
- Premium Statistic Global travelers who believe in the importance of green travel 2023
- Premium Statistic Sustainable initiatives travelers would adopt worldwide 2022, by region
- Premium Statistic Airbnb revenue worldwide 2017-2023
- Premium Statistic Airbnb nights and experiences booked worldwide 2017-2023
- Premium Statistic Technologies global hotels plan to implement in the next three years 2022
- Premium Statistic Hotel technologies global consumers think would improve their future stay 2022
Global travelers who believe in the importance of green travel 2023
Share of travelers that believe sustainable travel is important worldwide in 2023
Sustainable initiatives travelers would adopt worldwide 2022, by region
Main sustainable initiatives travelers are willing to adopt worldwide in 2022, by region
Airbnb revenue worldwide 2017-2023
Revenue of Airbnb worldwide from 2017 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Airbnb nights and experiences booked worldwide 2017-2023
Nights and experiences booked with Airbnb from 2017 to 2023 (in millions)
Technologies global hotels plan to implement in the next three years 2022
Technologies hotels are most likely to implement in the next three years worldwide as of 2022
Hotel technologies global consumers think would improve their future stay 2022
Must-have hotel technologies to create a more amazing stay in the future among travelers worldwide as of 2022
- Premium Statistic Travel and tourism revenue worldwide 2019-2028, by segment
- Premium Statistic Distribution of sales channels in the travel and tourism market worldwide 2018-2028
- Premium Statistic Inbound tourism visitor growth worldwide 2020-2025, by region
- Premium Statistic Outbound tourism visitor growth worldwide 2020-2025, by region
Travel and tourism revenue worldwide 2019-2028, by segment
Revenue of the global travel and tourism market from 2019 to 2028, by segment (in billion U.S. dollars)
Distribution of sales channels in the travel and tourism market worldwide 2018-2028
Revenue share of sales channels of the travel and tourism market worldwide from 2018 to 2028
Inbound tourism visitor growth worldwide 2020-2025, by region
Inbound tourism visitor growth worldwide from 2020 to 2022, with a forecast until 2025, by region
Outbound tourism visitor growth worldwide 2020-2025, by region
Outbound tourism visitor growth worldwide from 2020 to 2022, with a forecast until 2025, by region
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Tourism, the act and process of spending time away from home in pursuit of recreation, relaxation, and pleasure, while making use of the commercial provision of services. It is a product of modern social arrangements, beginning in western Europe in the 17th century, although it has antecedents in Classical antiquity.
Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel.
How often do people travel for pleasure? What role does tourism play in economies across the world? Explore global data on tourism.
VisitTheUSA is the USA official guide for traveling the United States of America. Discover here all the information you need for your American holidays.
Tourism Flows. Accommodation. Tourism GDP and Employment. Domestic Tourism. Go to Dashboard. International Tourism and COVID-19. The pandemic generated a loss of 2.6 billion international arrivals in 2020, 2021 and 2022 combined.
Looking for travel inspiration? Discover Australia's sparkling beaches, friendly wildlife and natural wonders. There's never been a better time to travel to Australia, so come and say g'day!
In its broadest sense, tourism is defined as when people travel and stay in places outside of their usual environment for less than one consecutive year for...