CAIRO - 4 June 2025: The Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC) of the Cabinet highlighted a World Tourism Organization report indicating continued recovery in international tourism during the first quarter of 2025, recording a 5 percent growth compared to the previous year, along with increased visitor spending and tourism revenues.
This reflects the sector's resilience despite geopolitical and economic challenges and rising travel and tourism service prices.
The report indicated that more than 300 million international tourists traveled in the first three months of this year; an increase of 14 million compared to the same period in 2024. This performance also exceeds 2019 figures by 3 percent.
The report emphasized that tourism is emerging as a major service sector in every region of the world, providing millions of jobs and supporting a large number of commercial activities. It noted that the continued rise in the number of international arrivals, along with increased tourism spending, demonstrates the sector's strength despite crises.
The report added that Europe welcomed 125 million international tourist arrivals during the first quarter of 2025, a 2% increase compared to the previous year and a 5% increase over pre-pandemic levels. The Southern Mediterranean region saw similar growth of 2%, while Central and Eastern Europe recorded an 8% increase, although numbers remained below 2019 levels.
The report indicated that Africa recorded strong growth of 9% compared to the previous year, exceeding pre-pandemic levels by 16%. In the Americas, numbers rose by 2%, with some South American destinations achieving a remarkable 13% growth thanks to the Southern Hemisphere summer season. The Middle East recorded a slight increase of 1%, but arrivals remained 44% higher than pre-pandemic levels.
In a related context, the Asia-Pacific region recorded the highest growth rate in the first quarter of 2025, at 12%, approaching 92% of pre-pandemic levels. Northeast Asia's performance stood out, with a 23% growth compared to 2024, reaching 91% of 2019 figures. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), international air travel demand increased by 8%, while air capacity increased by 7%.
The report indicated that international tourism receipts data in the first quarter of 2025 showed strong growth in visitor spending in several destinations. Spain recorded a 9% increase, while Turkey achieved a 7% increase. Greece, Italy, and Portugal recorded a 4% growth. France also achieved a 6% growth, Norway achieved a 20% growth, and Denmark grew by 11%.
In Asia and the Pacific, Japan saw a 34% increase in revenues, Nepal achieved 18% growth, while South Korea and Mongolia each recorded 14% growth. In the United States, the world's largest tourism revenue market, growth in the first quarter of 2025 was approximately 3%, following 14% in 2024.
The report stated that 2024 data was revised to confirm that international tourism receipts, including revenues and air transport, reached $2.0 trillion, an 11% increase over 2023 and 15% above pre-pandemic levels. These receipts represent 6% of total global exports of goods and services and 23% of global trade in services.
The report concluded that despite the strong performance, the global tourism sector faces ongoing challenges. Recent surveys of tourism experts indicated that slowing economic growth, rising travel costs, and increased customs duties are the most prominent risks. Declining consumer confidence and geopolitical tensions also emerged as influential factors that could cast a shadow over tourism performance in 2025.
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