A UN agency revealed its estimates that global tourism will fully recover from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic during the current year 2024.

Last year, 2023, witnessed an estimated 1.29 billion international tourists worldwide, about 88% of the number in 2019, and the Middle East region achieved a strong comeback, with arrivals increasing by 22% compared to the previous four years.

Compared to 2019 levels, the number of tourist arrivals last year recovered to 94% in Europe, 96% in Africa, and 90% in the Americas, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, headquartered in the Spanish capital, Madrid.

Conversely, the recovery rate reached 65% in the Asia-Pacific region, while recovery was slow in Northeast Asia, which includes Japan and China, with demand returning to about 55% of 2019 levels.

Despite the positive expectations, the agency pointed out that geopolitical risks pose significant challenges to the sustainable recovery of tourism. The Israeli military operation in Gaza has exacerbated these risks, raising concerns about its spread to the Middle East region.

Globally, tourism revenues in 2023 reached $1.4 trillion, about 93% of their level in 2019.