Tourism booming despite global uncertainty

Global tourism continues to boom despite ongoing issues in the Middle East. 

UN Tourism's latest data shows 207 million tourists travelled internationally in the first quarter of 2026, about 6 million more than the same period of 2025.

While the start of the year saw sustained travel demand overall (+2.5% cumulative growth in January and February), the Middle East conflict impacted performance in March (+0.4%).

The US assault on Iran and Israel's genocide in Palestine and Lebanon is expected to reduce growth in international arrivals by 1 to 2 percentage points below UN Tourism’s initial forecast of 3% to 4% for 2026, depending on the conflicts' duration and scope.

Aside from disruptions in flights to, from and within the Middle East and effects on traveller confidence, the spike in oil prices and jet fuel shortage in some markets is increasing air fares and reducing flight capacity also in other regions. 

More expensive travel coupled with uncertainty about air connectivity, could redirect demand towards closer tourism destinations while also affecting overall travel demand.

“The ongoing conflict in the Middle East is disrupting travel patterns well beyond the region itself, including rising inflation, particularly in transport and accommodation," says UN Tourism Secretary-General Shaikha Al Nuwais. 

"This is placing pressure on travellers, businesses and destinations alike. Even amid this uncertainty, international tourism continued to show resilience in the first quarter of 2026. At a time of growing geopolitical and economic pressure, this reinforces tourism’s wider role in supporting economies, creating opportunity and sustaining communities far beyond the sector itself.”

The latest UN Tourism Confidence Index, which monitors sentiment by 300 tourism professionals around the world, reflects a cautiously positive outlook for May-August 2026, amid a challenging geopolitical environment.

Boom time for wine tourism

Wine producers who do not invest in tasting facilities and tourism drawcards risk missing out on valuable income.

A new international study has found that wine tourism remains a profitable and expanding part of the global wine industry, with 65% of wineries reporting positive returns and more than half planning to invest further, trade news hub drinks business reported this week.

Wine tourism continues to prove a strong revenue driver for producers worldwide, with 65% of wineries describing it as profitable or very profitable, according to a new study by Geisenheim University in collaboration with UN Tourism, the OIV, the Great Wine Capitals Global Network and WineTourism.com.

The Global Wine Tourism Report 2025, based on responses from 1,310 wineries across 47 countries, found that 88% currently offer some form of wine tourism activity, most commonly tastings (79%), cellar tours (68%) and vineyard tours (61%). 

The report records a median of 1,500 visitors per winery each year, with domestic tourists making up 65% of total visitors. 

While most wineries report stable or rising visitor numbers, 43% of European producers saw growth over the past year compared to 28% of those overseas.

The largest visitor segment is aged 45–65 (82%), followed by 25–44 (59%), while only 2% of wineries report guests under 25, suggesting ongoing challenges in engaging younger audiences.

More than half of wineries surveyed (51%) plan to invest further in wine tourism, and 73% expect their wine tourism activities to grow in the future. The study also found that 78% of wineries collaborate with other organisations to enhance experiences.

In my experience, producers in South Africa and Argentina are among those most proactive with tourists.  

Wine tourism contributes an average of 25% of total winery revenue, rising to 32% in non-European wineries. Key challenges identified include economic pressures (51%), decreasing consumption (51%), and changing consumer preferences (40%).

Overall, 68% of wineries believe wine tourism will grow in their region, and more than 60% see it as a valuable tool in times of crisis.

The report says wine tourism “plays a key role in diversifying rural economies, creating jobs, and supporting local communities”. 

And, of course, there are the financial benefits of sales direct to customers. 

Image; Solms Delta Wines in Franschhoek, South Africa, will offer wine tastings, live music, and an on-site museum in 2026, and is planning to reopen its Fyndraai Restaurant.

Global tourism growing despite many challenges

The aggressive Israelis are disrupting the Middle East, the Russians attacking western Europe and the US scaring away tourists with increased costs and unwelcoming immigration policies. 

But despite all these bad actors, global tourism is up by 5% over the past six months. 

New figures from UN Tourism show almost 690 million tourists travelled internationally between January and June 2025, which is around 33 million more than in the same period of 2024. 

Results were, not surprisingly, mixed among regions and sub-regions.

UN Tourism secretary-general Zurab Pololikashvili said: “In the face of global challenges, international tourism continues to see strong momentum and resilience. 

"The first half of 2025 brought growing arrival numbers and revenues for most destinations around the world, which contribute to local economies, jobs and livelihoods. Yet, this also reminds us of our great responsibility to ensure this growth is sustainable and inclusive and to work with all local stakeholders in that sense.”

Africa saw strongest performance while Asia Pacific continued to rebound.

The newest edition of the World Tourism Barometer assesses the sector’s performance by region and sub-region in the first six months of 2025. Key takeaways include: 

# Africa saw a 12% increase in January-June 2025 compared to the same period last year. Both North Africa (+14%) and sub-Saharan Africa (+11%) recorded double-digit growth this period.

# Europe welcomed nearly 340 million international tourists this first half of 2025, about 4% more than in 2024 and 7% more than in 2019. Northern, western and southern Mediterranean Europe all recorded 3% growth this period despite uneven monthly results. Central and Eastern Europe continued to rebound strongly (+9%), but remained 11% below 2019 levels, according to available data.

# The Americas recorded 3% growth in January-June 2025, with mixed results. While South America (+14%) continued to enjoy solid growth, Central America saw a 2% increase in arrivals and North America saw flat results (+0%) mostly due to declines in the United States and Canada. 

# The Middle East recorded 4% fewer arrivals this six-month period, though after a very strong post-pandemic rebound, with 29% more arrivals than the same period of 2019, the strongest regional results relative to 2019.

# Arrivals in Asia and the Pacific grew 11% this period, which is 92% of the pre-pandemic figure (-8% compared to 2019). North-East Asia (+20%) saw the strongest performance relative to 2024, though it remained 8% below 2019 levels.

Some of the highest growth rates among large destinations in H1 2025 were recorded by Japan and Vietnam (+21%), the Republic of Korea (+15%), Morocco (+19%), Mexico and the Netherlands (+7%). 

Malaysia and Indonesia both recorded 9% growth and Hong Kong 7%, though arrivals remained somewhat below 2019 levels in these destinations.

Image: Naveen Kumar Singh, Scop.io

UN Tourism links with Slow Food to boost rural communities

The rise of gourmet travel is relentless and now UN Tourism and Slow Food have partnered to help tourism and agriculture links benefit destinations and communities.

The two organisations will work together to promote gastronomy tourism as a tool for socio-economic development.

In a new Memorandum of Understanding signed on the occasion of Sustainable Gastronomy Day (who knew?), the organisations commited to "strengthening the gastronomy tourism value chain, enhancing the linkages between food producers, tourism service providers, destinations, communities and tourists".

Pretty impressive jargon, but what does it mean?

The two groups says they will focus particularly on the development of value added, and innovative tourism experiences linked to local products, sustainable food systems, inclusivity and rural development.

Areas of collaboration will include research on trends in gastronomy tourism; identifying and sharing of case studies and best practices; training and skills development; as well as the creation of networks in gastronomy tourism.

“UN Tourism recognizes the vital role responsible, inclusive tourism can play in supporting communities everywhere," says UN Tourism secretary general Zurab Pololikashvili.

"The work of Slow Food is fully aligned with UN Tourism values and we trust this partnership will play an important role in advancing the development of a sustainable gastronomy tourism that leaves no one behind, for the benefit of communities and destinations.”

Slow Food director general Paolo Di Croce added: “Tourism can be a powerful force for strengthening sustainable local food systems.

"Our Slow Food Travel program is a sustainable culinary tourism initiative designed to create immersive travel experiences that support rural communities and celebrate local gastronomic heritage.

"In line with our values, it offers a unique opportunity to connect with farmers and producers around the world, while discovering and tasting the rich, often overlooked, biodiversity of food.”

It's official: Tourism figures back to pre-pandemic levels

 

Global tourism figures are back to where they were pre-Covid, the UN Tourism organisation has declared.

With 1.4 billion international tourist arrivals recorded globally, 2024 marked the recovery of international tourism from the worst crisis in the sector’s history.

A majority of destinations welcomed more international tourists in 2024 than they did before the pandemic, while visitor spending also continued to grow strongly.

The latest World Tourism Barometer from UN Tourism says an estimated 1.4 billion tourists travelled internationally in 2024, indicating a virtual recovery (99%) of pre-pandemic levels.

This represents an increase of 11% over 2023, or 140 million more international tourist arrivals, with results driven by strong post-pandemic demand, robust performance from large source markets and the ongoing recovery of destinations in Asia and the Pacific.

Growth is expected to continue throughout 2025.

The Middle East (95 million arrivals) remained the strongest-performing region when compared to 2019, with international arrivals 32% above pre-pandemic levels in 2024, although only 1% higher compared to 2023.

Asia and the Pacific (316 million) continued to experience a rapid recovery in 2024, though arrival numbers were still at 87% of pre-pandemic levels, an improvement from 66% at the end of 2023.

"In 2024, global tourism completed its recovery from the pandemic and, in many places, tourist arrivals and specially earnings are already higher than in 2019," said UN Tourism secretary general Zurab Pololikashvili.

"Growth is expected to continue throughout 2025, driven by strong demand contributing to the socio-economic development of both mature and emerging destinations. 

"This recalls our immense responsibility as a sector to accelerate transformation, placing people and planet at the centre of the development of tourism."

Among the world's top five tourism earners, the United Kingdom (+40%), Spain (+36%), France (+27%) and Italy (+23%) saw robust growth in the first nine to eleven months of 2024, compared to 2019.

World travel returns to normal post-Covid

Around 1.1 billion tourists travelled internationally in the first nine months of 2024, as the global tourism sector recovered to 98% of pre-pandemic levels.

The latest World Tourism Barometer released by UN Tourism this week, says a full recovery from the biggest crisis in the travel sector’s history is expected by the end of the year, despite economic, geopolitical and climate challenges.

Four years after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, which brought global tourism to a standstill, the Barometer reflects the sector’s remarkable recovery, with most regions already exceeding 2019 arrival numbers in the period January to September 2024.

The report also shows outstanding results in terms of international tourism receipts, with most destinations with available data posting double-digit growth compared to 2019.

UN Tourism secretary-general Zurab Pololikashvili said: “The strong growth seen in tourism receipts is excellent news for economies around the world.

"The fact that visitor spending is growing even stronger than arrivals has a direct impact on millions of jobs and small businesses and contributes decisively to the balance of payments and tax revenues of many economies.”

The Middle East (+29% compared to 2019) continued to enjoy record growth this nine-month period, while Europe (+1%) and Africa (+6%) also exceeded 2019 levels. The Americas recovered to 97% of its pre-pandemic arrivals, while Asia and the Pacific reached 85% of 2019 levels.

The summer season in the northern hemisphere was generally strong, with arrivals worldwide reaching 99% of pre-pandemic values in Q3 2024.

Among the world’s top earners, Japan (+59%), Türkiye (+41%) and France (+27%) all recorded double-digit growth through September.

Image: Jerome Quek, Scop.io

UN Tourism wants to promote Africa as a gourmet destination

Many people in Africa eat just to survive, but UN Tourism wants us to focus on the continent as a gourmet destination. 

The junket kings from this organisation often post media releases full of politically correct posturing, but lacking in serious content. 

UN Tourism has just completed its inaugural Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Africa - in that hotbed of gourmet delights: Zimbabwe.

The organisation described the forum as "marking a significant step forward for both the continent and the host nation". 

But wait, There's more. "The forum also highlighted Zimbabwe’s commitment to leveraging gastronomy as a catalyst for sustainable tourism development across the country and Africa."

The forum brought together around 200 junketeers (sorry, delegates) from 33 countries, including 11 ministers and deputy ministers, the African Union, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

"It is only right we now meet in one of the world’s most exciting gastronomy regions - Africa," said UN Tourism secretary-general Zurab Pololikashvili, his tongue firmly in cheek. 

The national dish of Zimbabwe is sadza (top image), a blend of white cornmeal and water that has a stiff porridge consistency.  It is most unlikely to have gastronomes in raptures.

The World Food Programme reports that an estimated 6 million people in Zimbabwe are expected to be food insecure during 2024-2025 lean season.

Would it be unfair to suggest that be addressed first?

But no. 

"We leave Victoria Falls with a roadmap that will enable us to build an Agenda for Gastronomy Tourism in Africa, to ensure that we do work to make gastronomy tourism benefit people and planet.”

Participants discussed the need for effective funding and the significance of combining tradition, innovation, and quality to create unique food tourism experiences. Bizarre, to say the least. 

UN Tourism and Croatia to work on sustainablity

UN Tourism is to work with the Government of Croatia and the University of Zagreb (above) to establish a research and development centre focused on sustainable tourism.

Croatia currently serves on UN Tourism’s Committee on Tourism and Sustainability, having chaired it between 2019 and 2023.

Alongside the Government’s record of promoting responsible and sustainable tourism practices, its support for UN Tourism’s core values make it the ideal location to host a collaborative platform to drive innovation and catalyse positive change in the tourism sector, the organisation said in a statement.
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"Croatia leads by example in growing tourism in a sustainable manner," UN Tourism said.

"This landmark centre will engage stakeholders from the public and private sectors, academia, and civil society to will address some of the most critical challenges facing tourism, including reducing the environmental impact of tourism.

" The centre will prioritize initiatives to minimize waste generation and plastic usage, thereby mitigating the environmental footprint of tourism activities.

"By promoting the adoption of renewable energy sources and implementing energy-efficient practices, the centre aims to reduce carbon emissions associated with tourism operations".

Recognizing "the urgent need to address climate-related risks", the centre will support adaptation strategies to enhance the resilience of tourism destinations and communities.

"The centre will also work to safeguard the cultural heritage and livelihoods of local communities by promoting responsible tourism practices and equitable distribution of benefits and "through rigorous research and data analysis", the centre will provide policymakers with the evidence needed to formulate effective policies that balance tourism development with environmental and social considerations."

It will also serve as a hub for "cutting-edge research and knowledge exchange, delivering timely insights and best practices for the sustainable development of tourism".

In Zagreb, the Minister of Tourism and Sport of Croatia, Nikolina Brnjac, and UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create the research facility.

“Croatia leads by example in growing tourism in a sustainable manner," Pololikashvili said:. "The new research centre in Zagreb will contribute to UN Tourism’s commitment to data-driven policymaking at the regional, national and destination level, ensuring tourism grows responsibly and inclusively, for the benefit of communities everywhere.”

The University of Zagreb was founded in 1669 and is the oldest and biggest university in south-eastern Europe.

UN tourism organisation splashes cash on a global scale

Farewell to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Hello to UN Tourism. 

Yep. Another rebranding that sounds like it cost a whole lot of money. 

But there is a whole lot of hype to back up the name change. 

"The new brand expression is not only limited to words and messages but also expands into a reinvented visual discourse," says a rather wordy press release explaining the change. 

"UN Tourism has a new design language starting from its symbol. Bringing the world closer' is the new tagline that inspires the concept of a Pangea shaping a human figure in action. 

"This drastic evolution from the former aseptic globe symbol signals the profound humanistic change within the organization. Beyond the symbol, the rebrand also includes a revamp of the entire visual system, which is now based on a grid of geographical coordinates meant to help people navigate the brand’s touchpoints, both offline and online, such as events, website, reports, social media channels and campaigns."

Phew!

But they are not finished. 

"This system unlocks a rich universe of elements including imagery, fonts, colors, and pictograms all designed to personalize social media campaigns, events, posts, and videos. The new brand will be gradually implemented across all UN Tourism touchpoints over the next few months, beginning with digital channels such as the website, social media accounts and newsletters, followed by physical spaces such as offices and events, and elements such as reports and station."

Apparently the new name and brands sees "the organization aim to reaffirm its status as the global leader of tourism for development, driving social and economic change to ensure that 'people and planet' are always center stage."

Leading global branding agency Interbrand was charged with creating "a new visual identity and brand narrative". 

This involved renaming the institution, transitioning from UNWTO to UN Tourism. 

"At the same time, a new brand narrative was meticulously crafted, one that seamlessly aligns with UN Tourism’s central mission and priorities."

The only thing we are not told is how much it cost.