• Tourism suffered its deepest crisis in recorded history during the COVID-19 pandemic, from 2020 to 2022.

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• International tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) plunged from 1,465 million in 2019 to 407 million in 2020, a 72% drop in just one year, impacted by global lockdowns, widespread travel restrictions and the slump in visitor demand.

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• In 2021 arrivals increased slightly but remained 69% below 2019 levels as the world continued to fight the pandemic and most restrictions continued in place. Meanwhile, domestic tourism rebounded moderately in many markets.

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• The year 2022 saw a partial recovery in international travel fuelled by strong pent-up demand and the easing of restrictions, with arrivals more than doubling compared to 2021 but remaining 34% below 2019 levels.

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• Overall, the pandemic generated a loss of 2.6 billion international arrivals in 2020, 2021 and 2022 combined, almost twice the arrivals recorded in 2019.

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• Export revenues from international tourism dropped 62% in 2020 and 59% in 2021, versus 2019 (real terms) and then rebounded in 2022, remaining 34% below pre-pandemic levels.

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• The total loss in export revenues from tourism amounts to a USD 2.6 trillion for that three-year period. This is one and a half times the revenues earned in 2019.

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• The economic contribution of tourism, measured in tourism direct gross domestic product (TDGDP) was cut by half due to the pandemic, from 4% of global GDP in 2019 to 2% in 2020 and 2021. It then grew to 2.5% in 2022 according to preliminary estimates. The resulting aggregate loss for the three years amounted to USD 4.2 trillion.

1. Key insights
2. Tourism in pre-pandemic times: an engine of growth and development
3. 2020: The worst year on record for global tourism
4. 2021: Another challenging year for tourism
5. 2022: Strong rebound backed by easing of restrictions
6. Economic impact of the pandemic
7. Regional results
8. World’s top destinations
9. Outbound tourism
10. Changes in consumer behaviour during the pandemic
11. Purpose of visit and means of transport
12. Statistical Annex
13. Methodological notes