2025 Global Tourist Arrivals Up 4%, Receipts Hit US$1.9 Trillion

International tourist arrivals rose 4% in 2025, reaching an estimated 1.52 billion travelers worldwide, almost 60 million more than in 2024, according to UN Tourism’s first World Tourism Barometer of 2026. The agency says results signal a return to pre-pandemic growth patterns, closer to the average annual expansion seen in the decade before COVID-19.

UN Tourism attributed 2025’s gains to sustained consumer demand, the continued recovery of Asia and the Pacific, and strong performance from major source markets. It also highlighted increased air connectivity and improved visa facilitation as tailwinds for cross-border travel. Shaikha Alnuwais, Secretary General, UN Tourism, says demand “remained high throughout 2025,” despite elevated inflation in tourism services and geopolitical uncertainty.

Regional Performance

The European Union, the world’s largest destination region, recorded 793 million international tourists in 2025, up 4% year-on-year and 6% above 2019 levels. Western Europe grew 5% versus 2024 and Southern Mediterranean Europe 3%, while Central and Eastern Europe rose 6% but remained 9% below 2019.

The Americas welcomed 218 million international tourists, up 1% in 2025, with UN Tourism noting softer performance later in the year after a strong first half. The report pointed to weaker results in the United States as a drag, and said parts of the Caribbean were affected by Hurricane Melissa in the final quarter. South America and Central America led subregional growth with 7% and 5%, respectively. 

Africa posted the strongest year-on-year momentum, with 81 million arrivals in 2025, an 8% increase overall and particularly strong growth in North Africa, with 11%. The Middle East grew 3% in 2025 and remained the best-performing region versus pre-pandemic levels, equivalent to 39% above 2019, nearing 100 million international visitors.

Asia and the Pacific reached 331 million arrivals in 2025, up 6% from 2024 but still 9% below 2019 levels. North-East Asia grew 13% year-on-year, while South Asia recovered to pre-pandemic levels, according to the barometer.

Mexico’s tourism sector kept growing in 2025, with international tourist arrivals and tourism receipts both rising through the first eleven months of the year, according to UN Tourism. For January-November 2025, Mexico posted a 5.8% year-to-date increase in international tourist arrivals versus the same period of 2024, while international tourism receipts rose 6.7% year to date.

Mexico ended 2025 with a tourism investment pipeline worth US$36.7 billion, spanning about 700 projects in 30 states, reinforcing tourism’s role as a long-term economic growth engine, says Josefina Rodríguez, Minister of Tourism. The ministry reports that the portfolio expanded sharply over the past year, with the project count up 48% versus its September update and planned investment up 67%, attributing the jump to stronger coordination between state governments and the public, private, and social sectors, MBN reports.

Tourism Earnings Hit Record Levels in 2025 

UN Tourism says visitor spending remained resilient, with preliminary estimates pointing to US$1.9 trillion in international tourism receipts in 2025, a 5% increase from 2024. Total tourism export revenues, receipts plus passenger transport, are estimated at US$2.2 trillion.  

Several destinations reported stronger growth in receipts than in arrivals, highlighting pricing and spending power. Among destinations with strong receipts growth (in local currency terms), UN Tourism cites Morocco with 19% growth, South Korea with 18%, Egypt with 17%, Mongolia with 15%, Japan with 14%, Latvia with 11%, and Mauritius with 10%. Among top global tourism earners, the United Kingdom and France both grew 9%, Spain 7%, and Turkey 6%.

UN Tourism expects international tourism to grow 3% to 4% in 2026 versus 2025, assuming Asia and the Pacific continues its recovery, global economic conditions stay supportive, and geopolitical conflicts do not escalate. The organization warns that elevated travel costs, geopolitical risk, trade tensions, and extreme weather could weigh on traveler confidence, even as demand, air connectivity, and outbound travel from emerging markets continue to support the sector.

UN Tourism also flags major events, including the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Mexico, Canada, and the United States, as additional drivers of international travel in 2026.