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UNWTO reports Q1 tourism gains

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MADRID 23 May 2019: Global tourism continues to grow but at a slower rate according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer study.

 The UNWTO report for the first quarter of 2019, showed international tourism continues to grow by 4% but the rate slowed when compared with the first quarter during the last two years.

 Calling the 4% increase as a very positive sign, UMWTO underlined the above average 8% growth in The Middle East and a 6% increase in Asia and the Pacific region. Europe and Africa both saw an increase of 4%, while the growth rate in the Americas stood at 3%.

“International tourism continues to perform strongly worldwide fuelled by a positive economy, increased air capacity and visa facilitation”, said UNWTO secretary-general, Zurab Pololikashvili. “Growth in arrivals is easing slightly after two years of exceptional results, but the sector continues to outpace the global rate of economic growth.”

Europe, the world’s largest tourism region, reported solid growth (+4%), led by destinations in Southern and Mediterranean Europe and Central and Eastern Europe (both +5%). Growth in Africa was driven by the ongoing recovery in North Africa (+11%). In the Americas, the Caribbean (+17%) rebounded strongly after weak results in 2018, following the impact of hurricanes Irma and Maria in late 2017.

 In Asia and the Pacific, results for the first three months showed a 6% increase led by Northeast Asia (+9%) and a very solid performance from the Chinese market.

UNWTO Confidence Index Panel remains optimistic over future growth despite concerns over the negative impact of tourism on the environment.

Confidence in global tourism has started to pick up again after slowing down at the end of 2018, according to the latest UNWTO Confidence Index survey.

The outlook for the May-August 2019 period, the peak season for many destinations in the northern hemisphere, is more optimistic than in the recent times and more than half of respondents said they were expecting a better performance in the coming four months.

UNWTO forecasts growth of 3% to 4% in international tourist arrivals in 2019.

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