The number of international tourist arrivals worldwide increased in 2023 compared to the previous year. That said, it remained still below the figure reported in 2019, before the impact of COVID-19. After declining with the onset of the pandemic to roughly 406 million, the lowest figure recorded since 1989, global inbound tourist arrivals showed strong signs of recovery in the following years, totaling 1.3 billion in 2023.
Europe is the most popular destination for international tourism
Europe is the global region that attracts the highest number of international tourists. While inbound tourist arrivals in Europe rose significantly in 2023 over the previous year, they did not catch up yet with pre-pandemic levels. Within this region, Southern and Mediterranean Europe was the most popular area for international tourism, recording over 300 million arrivals in 2023.
How big is the global travel and tourism market?
According to Statista Mobility Market Insights, the global travel and tourism market’s revenue – including hotels, package holidays, vacation rentals, and camping – amounted to nearly 880 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, recovering from the impact of COVID-19. Breaking down travel and tourism’s revenue worldwide by sales channels reveals that the online channel generated over two-third of the global transactions’ value that year.
