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International Tourism by the Numbers

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, 2017 was a record year for international tourism.

International tourist arrivals grew for the eighth consecutive year, a sequence of uninterrupted growth not recorded since the 1960s. Destinations worldwide welcomed 1,323 million international tourist arrivals, some 84 million more than in 2016.

Where are all of these billions of people traveling?  Well, here’s the breakout:

• 51% Europe
• 25% Asia Pacific
• 16% Americas
• 5% Africa
• 4% Middle East

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And, do you wonder who is seeing the largest increases?  Here are those numbers:

• 9% Increase – Africa
• 8% Increase – Europe
• 6% Increase – Asia Pacific
• 4% Increase – Middle East
• 3% Increase – Americas

And who are the world’s top travel spenders?

• China – $258 Billion, a 5% increase
• USA – $135 Billion, a 9% increase
• Germany – $84 Billion, a 3% increase
• UK – $63 Billion, a 3% increase
• France – $41 Billion, a 1% increase

And lastly, what areas of the world are predicted to grow the most in 2018?

• Africa – +5%-7%
• Asia and Pacific – +5%-6%
• Middle East – 4% – 6%
• Europe – +3.5% – 4.5%
• Americas – +3.5% – 4.5%

So, I suppose some might wonder why all of this matters.  Well, with over half of the world’s travelers headed to Europe, we would tell you to be mindful to book early and avoid the busy summer season.

We have personally been very focused on Europe as European river cruises and Mediterranean ocean cruises are so popular.  And while we don’t see that changing anytime soon, we are aware that we need to focus some attention on the Asia Pacific region.

I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see me get over my self-imposed 10-hour flight limit and find myself on the shores of Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, Thailand, China, Japan, or even back to our beloved Bora Bora.

How about you?  Are you ready to explore a new and exciting region?  Then, come poke around our Virtuoso Travel Dreams Website where you can find literally hundreds of thousands of experiences all over the world.  It’s easily searchable by date, region, and desired mode of travel.

And lastly, as we say, “Life’s a trip.  Let’s go have fun!”

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Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40