The conditions of the tourism market are starting to indicate stronger prospects for a recovery in 2010. These include macroeconomic upward revisions from the IMF together with preliminary international tourism figures until August this year. This suggests some moderation in the declining results of the first half of this year. In addition, the UNWTO Panel of Experts Confidence Index reflects stronger confidence in market conditions. International arrivals declined by 4% in July this year, a relative improvement when compared to decreases of 10% in May and 7% in June. Many destinations show a similar pattern of a gradual change for the better, particularly in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
UNWTO: Increasing Confidence in 2010 Recovery for the Tourism Sector
Astana, Kazakhstan / Madrid, Spain 2 October 2009
The conditions of the tourism market are starting to indicate stronger prospects for a recovery in 2010. These include macroeconomic upward revisions from the IMF together with preliminary international tourism figures until August this year. This suggests some moderation in the declining results of the first half of this year. In addition, the UNWTO Panel of Experts Confidence Index reflects stronger confidence in market conditions. International arrivals declined by 4% in July this year, a relative improvement when compared to decreases of 10% in May and 7% in June. Many destinations show a similar pattern of a gradual change for the better, particularly in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
International tourism and the global economic crisis
The negative trend in international tourism that emerged during the second half of 2008 intensified in 2009 under the impact of the rapid deterioration of the world economy, combined in various destinations with the effects of the influenza A(H1N1) outbreak this spring. Based on preliminary results from about 140 destination countries, international tourist arrivals worldwide are estimated to have declined by 7% in the period January to July 2009, compared to the same period last year.
In absolute terms, the number of international tourist arrivals worldwide reached 500 million in the first seven months of 2009, down from 540 million in the same period of 2008. Arrivals in 2009 are currently between the levels of 2007 and 2006. The first seven months of the year generally account for roughly 57% of the total annual number.
The turning point?
Though much uncertainty persists, there are signs indicating that the turning point may also have been reached in the tourism sector. Data for July show a relative improvement and for countries that already reported data for August, these two high season months have not in general been as depressed as the first six months of the year. Other industry indicators from air transport and accommodation sectors corroborate this upward trend.
“As the latest economic data and prospects indicate that the world economy may be starting to emerge from its most severe recession of the post second world war period, in tourism too there are signs that confidence is returning and that demand is improving for both business and leisure travel” said UNWTO Secretary-General a.i. Taleb Rifai.
Tourism Directory (www.directorytourism.com) is a specialized directory to promote tourism globally.It serves as a global forum for tourism policy issues and a practical source of tourism know-how.Tourism Directory promoting the development of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism,paying particular attention to the famous tourist locations.
05/10/2009 03:05 
UNWTO 
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