London, United Kingdom, 8 November 2004 - With still a couple of months to go, it is already clear that 2004 will go into history as a very strong year for tourism. WTO Deputy Secretary General Dr. Dawid de Villiers said today at the World Travel Market that according to an initial projection, the number of international tourist arrivals is heading for a new all-time record, as growth for the entire year is estimated to reach around 10%.

After three subdued years with an accumulated growth of less than 1%, international tourism is firmly on its way to convincingly bounce back this year. According to the monthly tourism data for the first eight months of 2004 collected by the World Tourism Organization from over 120 countries for the October 2004 issue of the WTO World Tourism Barometer, in the months February to July international tourist arrivals worldwide grew by double-digit figures compared to the same months of 2003, while in January they grew by 9% and in August by 6%. For the entire January-August period growth is estimated at 12%, corresponding to an increase by some 58 million arrivals. Of course it has to be taken into account that this leap is primarily a reaction to last year's depressed figures due to the Iraq war, SARS and the weak economy. Nevertheless, compared to corresponding months of 2002, the previous record year, the increase still amounts to 42 million (+9%).

Results are positive for all regions. Asia and the Pacific, hardest hit by the SARS outbreak last year, led growth with an exceptional increase of 37% in the first eight months of the year, while North America (+12%) returned to positive figures after more than three years of losses. The three other subregions of the Americas maintained the positive performance of the past year, and the growth of the region as a whole is also estimated at 12%. The Middle East (+24%) has convincingly overcome the disruption caused by the Iraq conflict and is reckoned to have recorded almost a quarter more international arrivals up to August. The North African destinations of Morocco and Tunisia have driven growth in Africa and lifted the growth rate of the region to an estimated 9%. Tourism growth in Europe was comparatively more modest, but at a rate of 6%, still quite above the usual rate for the region.