Tourism is on the rise again, says World Tourism Organization

Madrid, 25 June 2004 – Short-term tourism data for the first months of 2004 confirm the upward trend already visible at the end of 2003. With the cease of the major geopolitical tensions, and in spite of uncertainty constant all over the world as proven by the recent terrorist attacks, signs are that travel confidence is back.

The latest issue of the WTO World Tourism Barometer, published by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) end of June, shows that the positive economic performance and prospects in the major tourism generating markets indicate that conditions are present for demand to be back on the track to growth. Long-haul travel is finally also picking-up, particularly out of Europe, but short-haul and domestic travel are still performing comparatively better. The majority of countries with data available reports substantial increases for the first months of the year, but of course compared to the negative or very weak baseline of the same period last year. However, reckoning with this, in most cases the losses of last year are in general fully compensated and still a real increase remains. Results are boosted by the existing pent-up demand after three hard years. All regions, but in particular destinations in Asia and the Pacific show a strong rebound in reaction to the difficulties lived through.