International tourist arrivals grew by 2pc during the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, according to the latest UN Tourism World Tourism Barometer. Around 307m tourists traveled internationally between January and March, which is 6m more than the previous year, highlighting the sector’s resilience despite mounting geopolitical and economic challenges.
While the year opened with a solid 2.5pc cumulative growth in January and February, the escalation of the Middle East crisis caused global travel demand to slow sharply to just 0.4pc growth in March.
Due to flight cancellations, rerouted air traffic, rising oil prices, and aviation fuel shortages, UN Tourism expects full-year growth to drop 1 to 2 percentage points below its initial 2026 forecast of 3pc to 4pc.
Higher transport and accommodation costs are putting pressure on consumer wallets, forcing many travelers to place a heavier emphasis on value for money and select destinations closer to home.
- Europe (+4pc): Maintained its spot as the world’s top destination with over 130m arrivals, led by a 6pc boost in Central and Eastern Europe.
- Africa (+4pc): Driven heavily by North Africa, which saw an 18pc spike in arrivals specifically during March.
- Asia and the Pacific (+3pc): Experienced slower-than-expected recovery due to disruptions at major Middle Eastern aviation hubs, though Oceania (+9pc) and North-East Asia (+5pc) posted strong individual numbers. Overall regional arrivals remained 11pc below pre-pandemic levels.
- The Americas (+2pc): Supported by a major surge in Central America (+18pc), while South America dipped by 1pc.
- Middle East (-14pc): The only global region to record a major contraction due to ongoing conflict, though Egypt strongly bucked the regional trend by posting a 16pc increase.
A handful of individual countries achieved standout double-digit growth in international tourist arrivals during the first three months of the year, including Paraguay (+46pc), New Zealand (+45pc), El Salvador (+43pc), and Mongolia (+39pc).
