Such conclusions have been reached through the recent report provided by the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

“Europe welcomed almost three times as many international arrivals as in the first seven months of 2021 (+190 per cent), with results boosted by strong intra-regional demand and travel from the United States,” the statement reads.

The same revealed that for a period from January to July this year, the number of tourist arrivals almost tripled compared to the same period of 2021. This means that the tourism sector managed to reach almost 60 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

“Tourism continues to recover steadily, yet several challenges remain, from geo-political to economic. The sector is bringing back hope and opportunity for people everywhere. Now is also the time to rethink tourism, where it is going, and how it impacts people and the planet,” UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili pointed out in this regard.

According to the UNWTO report, about 474 million tourists travelled internationally over the period, compared to 175 million in the same period in 2021. The same revealed that about 207 million international arrivals were registered in June and July 2022, or over twice the numbers recorded in the same month last year.

The figures for the months mentioned above represent a total of 44 per cent of the total number of arrivals registered in the first seven months of this year.

The number of international tourists that entered European countries in the first seven months of this year was a total of 309 million or about 65 per cent of the total.
According to the data provided by UNWTO, Europe and the Middle East experienced the fastest recovery in the first months of this year, reaching 74 per cent and 76 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, respectively.

The abolishment of the restrictions imposed to contain the further spread of the Coronavirus and its new variants also led to a significant increase in the number of international arrivals.

The report revealed that the following countries saw a larger number of international arrivals, exceeding pre-pandemic levels: the US Virgin Islands (32 per cent increase compared to 2019 data), Albania (19 per cent increase), Saint Maarten (15 per cent increase), Ethiopia and Honduras (both 13 per cent).