Despite Threats, World Tourism Numbers Hit Record 1.18 Billion In 2015

The number of international tourists rose 4.4 percent worldwide in 2015 to hit a record 1.18 billion despite concerns over terrorism, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) said Monday.

Tourism arrivals were up 5 percent in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas, but fell 8 percent in North Africa where nations like Tunisia were hit by terrorist attacks, it said in a statement. It is the sixth consecutive year of above average growth in global tourism since the 2009 economic crisis, the Madrid-based body said. The UNWTO had predicted international tourism arrivals would increase by 3-4 percent in 2015, after expanding 4.7 percent the previous year. Global tourism figures were hard hit by the global financial crisis, declining 4 percent in 2009 – as an outbreak of swine flu also contributed to cash-strapped people staying at home – but have risen in each year since.

A rise of 3.1 percent was also reported for the Middle East, in which the number of tourists has been rising since 2014.

Tunisia's tourism industry was badly shaken in March by an attack on the Bardo Museum in Tunis, followed by one in June in the resort of Sousse were 59 tourists were gunned down in cold blood. These attacks and others in the region came as North African and Middle Eastern countries struggle to regain the trust of vacationers scared off by the Arab Spring uprisings that swept the region in 2011. "We are facing now a global threat," UNWTO Director Taleb Rifai told a press conference before appealing for governments to do all they can to boost security.

"We can see that many factors like changes in oil prices and crises in different parts of the world have affected the tourist numbers of 2015. As tourism's development is largely connected with security, we should not let fear and panic rule over us. We should continue travelling. Security is only the issue of Egypt, France, Thailand, Indonesia or Turkey, which have faced terrorist attacks in the recent period. This is an issue for all countries and it should be handled globally," Rifai said.

UNWTO predicts international tourism arrivals will increase 4 percent during this year.