Number of int'l tourists rises to 1.32 bln worldwide in 2017

MADRID, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1.32 billion people made international trips involving at least one night's stay in a foreign country during 2017, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) revealed at a press conference at its headquarters here on Monday.

The figure is a 7-percent rise on the data for 2016, which also saw a record number of tourists, while the UNWTO predicted further growth of between four and five percent for 2018.

Regionally, Europe saw 8 percent growth in international arrivals while Africa experienced an 8-percent growth. The Asia-Pacific region grew by six percent where there were 324 million travelers. The Middle East and the Americas grew by five percent and three percent respectively.

UNWTO confirms that "2017 was characterized by sustained growth in many destinations and the firm recovery in destinations which had declined in recent years," adding that the results were "in part due to the economic recovery, the strong demand for many traditional and emerging markets, and the recovery of tourist spending in Brazil and the Russian Federation after various years of decline."

Last year saw especially high growth in the Mediterranean region with 13 percent growth. Spain continued to see increasing popularity as a destination, replacing the United States as the second most visited destination in the world.

"At the same time as we continue to grow, we have to tighten our collaboration to assure this growth benefits all of the communities which receive visitors and that growth goes in hand with the UN objectives for sustainable development," said new UNWTO Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili.

"Tourism can make contributions to society and environment, technology and the development of employment," he said. Enditem