Tourism Watch

Tourism Watch Quarterly Report: Q4 2023

Resilient growth caps strong year for tourism recovery

• Global Overview: 2023 ended with a 34 percent growth in international tourists compared to 2022, reaching 88 percent of 2019 levels as travel receipts fuel growth in services trade. 
• Tourism Outlook: For the first time since the pandemic, the sector is expected to exceed 2019 arrivals in 2024. However, localized macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges such as conflict, elections and climate-related shocks could negatively affect specific destinations.
• Special Policy Insert: The Middle East conflict resulted in a year-end slowdown in tourism to the Middle East and North Africa, which slowed an otherwise exceptional year for the region. Neighboring countries not directly affected by the conflict are showing signs of recovery in early 2024.
   

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      Fourth Quarter 2023

Tourism Watch – a product of the Tourism Group within the Markets, Competition and Technology Unit of the World Bank – provides up-to-date data from an array of sources along with analysis of recent tourism developments.

About the Tourism Watch series

The Tourism Watch is a quarterly report produced by the World Bank which monitors global and regional tourism sector performance, outlook, and highlights policies aimed at enhancing the sector’s economic, social and environmental outcomes for developing economies and destinations. The series relies on real-time aviation data, official tourism statistics, consumer search trends, broader economic indicators, and other key data sources to provide a perspective on how tourism is affected by and contributing to global developments.

Past editions

Third Quarter 2023

Second Quarter 2023