Among world regions, Africa once again stood out as the most dynamic, with a 10% increase in international arrivals and double-digit growth both in North Africa and in sub-Saharan Africa. Europe, which remains the most visited region in the world, received 625 million tourists and posted 4% growth, driven by the strength of markets in Western Europe and the Mediterranean. By contrast, the Americas recorded more moderate growth of 2%, affected by a slight drop in arrivals to North America, although South America consolidated itself as the fastest-growing subregion with a notable 9% increase in the year to date.
The Middle East maintained its positive trend with a 2% increase compared to 2024, but was particularly remarkable for exceeding 2019 levels by 33%, making it the region with the highest relative recovery. For its part, Asia and the Pacific advanced 8% in their reactivation process, already reaching 90% of pre-pandemic levels. Within this block, North-East Asia recorded a particularly significant 17% increase, although it still remains below its 2019 figures.
The Barometer also reports that several destinations posted extraordinary growth in 2025, such as Brazil (+45%), Viet Nam and Egypt (+21%), and Japan and Ethiopia (+18%), all of them already above pre-pandemic levels. In terms of tourism expenditure, the trend also remains strong: Japan (+21%), Nicaragua (+19%), Egypt (+18%) and Morocco (+15%) are among the countries with the highest increases in international tourism receipts. Likewise, large outbound markets such as the United States, France, Germany, Italy and Spain show a strengthening of outbound spending, confirming the recovery of global demand.
Air transport is evolving in parallel. According to IATA, international traffic grew by 7% up to September, also surpassing 2019 values, with Asia and the Pacific as the fastest-growing region (+12%). International air capacity increased by 6%, while global hotel occupancy reached 68% in September, a figure similar to that of the previous year.
With these results, UN Tourism notes that the sector remains within the forecast growth range for 2025, estimated between 3% and 5%. However, it warns that several factors continue to threaten the pace of expansion, including high travel prices, inflation in tourism services —which still exceeds headline inflation— and the complex geopolitical context.
Even so, the overall balance for the year reflects a resilient international tourism sector, capable of sustaining its recovery in an economic and social environment that remains volatile. The combination of solid demand, improved air connectivity and diversification of destinations positions the sector on a consolidation path for 2026, in line with global economic projections.
The next edition of the World Tourism Barometer will be published in January 2026 during the FITUR tourism fair, when a full update on global tourism performance and the outlook for the new year will be presented.
