In a recent report, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UN Tourism) expressed optimism about the tourism industry’s bright prospects in 2025, with expected growth of 3% to 5%. This is a continuation of the achievements that the global tourism industry has recorded in the past years.
UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili emphasised that in 2024, the tourism industry completed its recovery from the shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic by recording 1.4 billion international visitors, equivalent to the level of 2019, the time before COVID-19 paralysed global tourism.
Europe attracted the most international tourists, with 747 million visitors. In particular, with major events such as the Olympic Games and the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral, France has become the most popular destination.
In addition to Europe, international visitors to Asia-Pacific, the Americas, and Africa also achieved impressive growth.
Experts say strong tourism demand, expanded air connectivity, and supportive policies such as visa relaxation are the main reasons for the strong development of the tourism industry. That breakthrough is reflected in revenue, with total revenue from international tourism in 2024 reaching 1.6 trillion USD, an increase of 4% compared to 2019 and 3% higher than in 2023.
This source of income is a “tonic” for the world economy, which has been shaken by many “big waves”, such as inflation, soaring energy prices and increased political instability.
The spectacular recovery of the tourism industry has a positive impact on small businesses and the job market, making an important contribution to the budgets of many countries.
For example, the number of international tourists exceeding the target brought in more than 52.8 billion USD in revenue for Thailand in 2024. In Cyprus, which attracted visitors four times its population, tourism contributed about 21% of the country's GDP.
There is no denying the great benefits the tourism industry has brought to economies. But the situation of tourist overload is also becoming a concern as it leads to negative impacts on the lives of local people and the environment, posing a difficult challenge for sustainable tourism development.
Although the tourism industry plays an important role in the Greek economy, the excessive increase in tourists has overloaded famous destinations. For example, the island of Santorini in Greece can only accommodate about 8,000 tourists daily, but the actual number has exceeded 17,000.
Japan is also facing a similar situation. A recent survey by the Development Bank of Japan showed that 32% of tourists surveyed felt uncomfortable because tourist destinations in the country were too crowded.
In addition, the global tourism industry faces potential challenges, such as increased transportation and accommodation costs, fluctuating oil prices, geopolitical tensions, extreme weather and labour shortages.
In that context, experts emphasise that balancing growth and sustainable development will be a key factor determining the development of the tourism industry in the coming time. Many countries recognise this and are moving towards sustainable tourism development.
With positive signals of growth, along with a strong shift towards sustainable tourism, 2025 promises to continue to be a prosperous year for the world's tourism industry.
As the world economy faces many challenges, the tourism industry is expected to continue to be a key driver for growth.
